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View the Photo Gallery from the Air Fair.
Allegheny County Airport,
West Mifflin, PA
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Allegheny County Airport | 75th Anniversary
September Air Fair Marked 75 year Anniversary
for Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, PA
On September 9 and 10, 2006, the Allegheny County Airport Authority in West Mifflin, PA hosted a spectacular two-day air fair to celebrate the Allegheny County Airport’s 75th year as the premier aviation airport in Pennsylvania.
Steelers President Daniel M. Rooney was recognized at the opening ceremony on September 9 by the Allegheny County Airport Authority. Also at the opening ceremony, welcome and remarks were given by Airport Authority Officials, Allegheny County Officials and Regional Political Leaders.
A paper airplane contest, sponsored by Corporate Air, was held on both days of the event. The contest offered local children an exciting opportunity to explore the world of flight and test their paper airplane building skills. All participants were awarded a prize.
Plane rides and fly-ins were also part of the festivities and a remarkable collection of vintage and military aircraft was on display.
A Festival of Vintage and Military Aircraft featuring:
C-47 - WW II personnel and cargo carrier, and in a combat role, towed troop-carrying gliders and dropped paratroops into enemy territory.
Junkers Ju 52 - a transport aircraft and bomber that saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s.
P-51 Mustang - a long-range fighter aircraft that became one of World War II’s most successful and recognizable aircrafts
SBD Dive bomber - the U.S. Navy’s main dive bomber from mid-1940 until late 1943
Stearman - one of the most easily recognized aircraft and was the only American aircraft used during World War II that was standardized for both Army and Navy. Since World War II, the Stearman served as a trainer, crop duster and air show performer.
C-54 - a four-engine transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II.
L-21 Piper cubs - generically nicknamed “Grasshoppers,” were used extensively in World War II for reconnaissance, transporting supplies and medical evacuation.
Stinson L-5 Sentinel - one of many U.S. general aviation aircraft pressed into military service for liaison and observation work during World War II.
C-130 - operates throughout the U.S. Air Force, fulfilling a wide range of operational missions in both peace and war situations.
STAT MedEvac helicopters provide air medical transport to patients with critical illness or injuries.
Floatplane has slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage. Two floats are common, but many float planes of World War II had a single float under the main fuselage and two small floats on the wings.
Allegheny County Airport
“Repeated each day on the wide sweep of the Allegheny County Airport a drama of what is probably man's greatest scientific accomplishment of the 20th century - Flight. There on a regular schedule, the big planes arrive and depart. It is fitting that Allegheny County Airport should be a principal terminal on the great network of airlines across the American continent for it was in Allegheny County that the first scientific approach to solution of the problem of human flight was made. Samuel Pierpont Langley began testing flying machines in 1880 at the Allegheny Observatory and authored the book: Experiments in Aerodynamics." - George E. Kelly
On September 11, 1931, Allegheny County Airport opened and became the successor to Bettis Field, consisting of 432 acres, three runways and a 24-hour operating control tower. With passengers increasing from 7,772 to over 1,000,000 in 1952, this became one of the largest airports in the U.S. at the time. The Air Reserve Units and the Air National Guard also used the field as their base during this time.
Airlines also grew at Allegheny County Airport. Pennsylvania Air Lines and Central Airlines merge to create the Pennsylvania Central Airlines Corporation (PCA) in 1937 based at Allegheny County Airport. Mail flights were still taking place regularly from Allegheny County Airport. In 1939 All American Aviation, Inc. began flying regularly scheduled airmail flights with the first two routes to Philadelphia and Huntington, WV.
In 1936, five years after opening, an air traffic control station is opened at Allegheny County Airport to alleviate congestion, raise safety and increase air traffic. Commercial scheduled aviation ended at Allegheny County Airport when Greater Pittsburgh Airport opened in 1952. Today, Allegheny County Airport is thriving and growing, supporting over 1,500 jobs in western Pennsylvania. Its operations include corporate aviation, air medical services, flight training and aviation maintenance. New hangers and business expansion are underway, ensuring the future success and viability of Allegheny County Airport, an important regional resource for economic development and enterprise.
Special Thanks to our Sponsors
Paper Airplane Contest
Corporate Air, LLC
Fuel VIP
Wellington Power Corporation
Michael Baker Jr., Inc
BlackRock
Michael Facchiano Contracting
CJ Systems Aviation Group
Allegheny Conference
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics
Banner
ACE USA
L. Robert Kimball & Associates
CDM
Management Engineering Corp
Dick Corporation
Flight
BAA Pittsburgh
SAI Consulting Engineers, Inc.
STAT MedEvac
Voyager Jet Center
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Fence
Grant-Oliver Corp.
Deloitte & Touche
Golden Triangle Construction
Fly-In Breakfast
PBS&J
Aircraft Supply
Holiday Inn Express
Friends of Miss Pittsburgh
AirTran
Barbara Ball Ewing
Bristol Management
Carnegie Science Center
Century Heritage Federal Credit Union
Don Riggs Production
Hugh Hachmeister
Kirby Electric, Inc.
Leo Gigliotti - Leo's Hair Center
Monaloh Basin Engineers
ms consultants, inc.
Robert H. Zorn - OX 5 Aviation Pioneers
Schindler Elevator Corp.
Trust Franklin Press
Wilber Smith Associates
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