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The first regularly scheduled passenger service began in 1925 from Fairfax Airport when a company called the Kansas City Airways Transportation Company began offering passenger service to Wichita. Some of the famous early pilots to use Fairfax include Betty Browning, the winner of the National Air Races in Los Angeles. Browning was a Kansas City native who went on to fly for the Federal Bure of Investigations in the 1930s.

A small crowd listening to a speaker at Farfax Airport in 1929

Fairfax Airport (top) and Municipal Airport (bottom) separated by the Missouri River

Fairfax Airport included multiple factory buildings from the World War II era until the modern era

Fairfax Airport circa 1930. The photo is from the Curtiss Wright Flying Service and the back of the photo indicates Wright is in a plane at the northern end of the field.

Fairfax Municipal Airport (1921-1985)

Discover why Kansas City was once known as the "Air Hub of America" with this citywide collection of former and current airports, historic buildings, military bases, monuments, and museums. The trail starts with a pair of airfields from the early 19th century before making its way into the suburban and downtown Kansas City with several buildings that were used by TWA. The trail continues from downtown to the Missouri River industrial area, home to Fairfax Industrial Airport and Municipal Airport (now Charles Wheeler Airport). The trail makes stops at the city's two museums dedicated to the history of airlines and concludes at the newly completed airport terminal at Kansas City International Airport. Completed in 2023, the new terminal has its own Clio walking tour that explores the history of aviation in Kansas City, along with audio from many of the artists whose works can be found throughout the airport. The trail continues west, moving to the former home of North American Aviation, which produced aircraft in World War II, and then moves south to a pair of Johnson County airports that also trace their history to World War II. The trail returns near its starting point with two more stops, a former airfield in Leawood and the former Grandview Airport, which later served as an Air Force Base from World War II until the early 1990s. 

Kansas City Aviation Heritage Trail

Once home to the Osage Indians, modern-day Raytown later became a Santa Fe Trail stop which spread awareness of the desirable farmland here. The town's namesake, William Ray, born in Butler County, Ohio, in 1808, moved to Jackson County around 1848 and established a Blacksmith shop right on the Santa Fe Trail; he routinely repaired wagons before settlers traveled westward along the trails. Ray became a fixture in the town, and his business became a geographic landmark. Residents often referred to the community as "Ray's Town" and eventually, "Raytown." The town developed slowly as a farm community, including slave-operated plantations. However, the Civil War disrupted Raytown's growth until the 1870s. From 1877 to the early 1900s, the principal occupations consisted of grain farming, cattle raising, and dairying. Raytown grew in conjunction with Kansas City's maturation into an urban center. And in 1903, the arrival of the railroad into Raytown helped bolster its own growth and by the 1920s, people could fly to and from Raytown. In 1922, the city constructed a 1,500-foot runway on 156 acres of land, which the U.S. Army controlled after its completion. The Army called it Richard's Flying Field in honor of Lt. John F. Richards II, the first Kansas City officer to die while in the Army flying service. In addition to serving as a flight training facility -- Charles Lindbergh received some of his early training at Richards Field; roughly thirty planes per month landed in Raytown from 1922-to 1924. By 1925, several hundred planes stopped there each month, often to refuel during longer continental flights. By 1926, the airport served as one example of Raytown's evolution into a small urban community. Tourists arrived via the airfield and on newly-paved roads; many came to watch airshows at Richard's Flying Field. New homes, churches, and schools also served as signs of the town's growth. The airport also served as an airmail stop from 1926 to 1927, before the airmail contract transferred to K.C. Municipal Airport. But, the opening of Kansas City's airport in 1927 also points to the broader story of the area's urban history: Raytown evolved into a suburb.By 1949, William Ong purchased the airfield and renamed it Ong Airport. After the military (Army, Navy, and Marines) used the airport for training pilots during World War II, the remaining training aircraft were transformed into crop dusters. In 1952, the town subdivided the airport into 405 lots for homes, now known as the "Gregory Heights" subdivision. The repurposing of this land demonstrates the suburban sprawl and construction boom that followed World War II.

This historical marker near the Gregory Hines subdivision shares the story of a former airfield named for Lt. John F. Richards II, the first Kansas City soldier in the Army's air service to perish in Europe during World War I. The airfield served Raytown for roughly three decades with the Army Air Corps managing the runway and field. The airfield was used for training along with airshows, and short-lived airmail service. In an era before regular schedules and major airlines, commercial aircraft from all over the country also landed in Raytown at Richard's Field. The Gregory Hines subdivision replaced the airfield during the 1950s. Similar to the airfield's connection to World War II, this development was connected to the major wars of the 20th century as the suburban sprawl that led to the expansion of Kansas City coincided with troops returning from World War II looking for homes.

Richard's Flying Field Historical Marker

Ernest Kellerstrass was born in 1866 in Peoria, Illinois, and moved to Kansas City, where he established a distillery in 1899. After selling stock in the successful operation, he bought another distillery in Clay County, Missouri. Using the railroads, he operated a mail-order business for his whiskey that included a system of rewards for his best retail customers. With each gallon of whiskey purchased, for example, a grocer or bar owner received a certificate. Once they saved enough certificates, they could redeem them for items in a catalog.He was a successful poultry farmer and distiller who earned a reputation for generosity. The Christmas edition of the Kansas City Journal in 1903 recorded that he gave a holiday bonus of gold coins to all his employees and everyone he encountered regularly, from the mailman to telephone operators. The following year, Kellerstrass sold his company and fulfilled a life dream of starting a farm. The new owners continued to operate Kellerstrass Distilling Company from St Louis and Kansas City until 1916, as new restrictions on selling whiskey by mail made the business untenable. Ernest's chicken farm soon became a commercial success, partly owing to his authorship and sale of a book titled "The Kellerstrass Way of Raising Poultry." Kellerstrass died in 1946 and is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery.

In 1919, distiller and poultry farm operator Ernest Kellerstrass responded to the need for a safe place to land aircraft by turning over part of his farm to the city to build a public landing strip for airplanes. The Kellerstrass property included a hundred acres from 85th Street to 89th Street, spanning from Oak Street to Troost Avenue, and it was here where Kansas City aviators first had a safe place to land after years of landing at golf courses and the open but hilly fields at Swope Park. Two years later, Kansas City, Kansas, converted land along the Missouri River into an airstrip that became Fairfax Industrial Airport. And in 1927, Charles Lindbergh dedicated Kansas City, Missouri's Municipal Airport, still in operation today as Charles Wheeler Municipal Airport.

Kellerstrass Farm: Home to Kansas City's First Airfield (1919)

Prior to 1969, training for flight attendants occurred at TWA's downtown building at 13th and Baltimore, which was transitioned to focus on pilots after this complex was complete. When this facility opened, the company continued its historic practice of only hiring women as entry-level flight attendants (often referred to as "hostesses"), requiring regular "weigh-ins," and terminating flight attendants for pregnancy. Just three years later, pressure from employees and civil rights activists led to massive changes at TWA and throughout the industry. In 1972, TWA announced that they would hire men as flight attendants. The same year saw the first significant number of racial minorities as flight attendants at TWA and higher-paid cabin crew positions that had only been open to men became open to women.

Named in honor of TWA Airlines executive Ernest R. Breech, this complex housed a state-of-the-art training facility for flight attendants and other frontline personnel. The facility was owned and operated by TWA Airlines who also offered paid training to other airlines. The facility included flight attendant dormitories arranged as pods, each with its own decorative motif based on different countries and continents. The school's other buildings held training classes that included flight simulators, simulations inside aircraft fuselages, and even an aquatic facility for emergency training. The facility became known for rigorous training that included everything from serving five-course meals to assisting passengers in emergencies. The complex was later acquired by Wadell and Reed and now serves as an office park.

TWA's Breech Academy (1969-1988)

Transcontinental and Western Air was formed in 1930 when two mail carrier airlines, Western Air and Transcontinental Air Transport, merged together and switched their focus to passenger travel. TWA set up its headquarters in Kansas City, supposedly at the recommendation of Charles Lindbergh, who had been associated with Transcontinental Air Transport. In 1939, wealthy aviator Howard Hughes purchased a controlling stake in the company and became its de facto leader. TWA initially prospered under Hughes. It became the first company to use planes with pressurized cabins for domestic service, which dramatically reduced the time of flights. It also commissioned the development of the popular “Connie” Constellation plane from Lockheed Aircraft. As it grew, the company began adding international routes and in 1950 was renamed Trans World Airlines. The company also developed a reputation for luxury and glamour. It flew a number of celebrities, and introduced amenities such as in-flight movies. In 1960 Howard Hughe’s erratic behavior and somewhat-questionable financial decisions caused the company to pressure him into leaving. In 1967 TWA began offering jet service for all of its domestic and international routes, the first airline to do so.TWA had its first headquarters in the Kansas City Municipal Airport, and additional offices were scattered throughout the city. In 1956 the company decided to consolidate all of its operations into one facility. A new headquarters building was constructed on 18th street at the site of the former Muehlebach Brewery. The 124,000 square foot building was designed in the International Style by architects Raymond Bales Jr. and Morris Schechter at a cost of $1.5 million. It was notably constructed using a process called Youtz-Slick, in which prefabricated slabs of concrete were lifted by hydraulic jacks and attached to the steel beams. The exterior was covered in red and white metal paneling.Originally a large model rocket named the Moonliner II stood on top of the corporate headquarters building. It was a 1/3 scale replica of another rocket, the Moonliner I, that stood in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. The Moonliner at Disneyland was sponsored by TWA from 1955-1962 and featured the company’s logo. After the partnership ended, the Moonliner II rocket was removed from the top of the headquarters. It was later donated to the National Airline History Museum by Dan Viets, an area attorney who has led efforts to restore the building that held Walt Disney's Kansas City studio.Due to its significant growth in the 1960s, TWA made the decision to relocate its headquarters to New York City in 1964. It maintained a number of offices in the Kansas City building until 1969. The corporate headquarters building was actually owned by the Kansas City Life Insurance Company, which leased it out to TWA. Starting in 1975 the building contained offices for the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals Regional Development Center. In 1981 the classic white and red paneling were covered in brown stucco surfacing.By the 1980s TWA was plagued by a number of financial issues. It now lagged behind in innovation, and was burdened by a large amount of debt. In 1985 the airline was acquired by Carl Icahn. Icahn was reportedly interested only in personal profit for himself, and was accused of mismanaging the company into worse financial problems. TWA struggled to be profitable, and declared bankruptcy twice in the 1990s. Finally in 2001 the company was acquired by American Airlines and ceased to exist.When TWA went out of business, the Kansas City headquarters building had been vacant for a number of years and was in a state of disrepair. In 2002 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and efforts began to restore the building. The El Dorado Architects firm embarked on a $15 million project to refurbish the TWA headquarters into a modern office building. The brown stucco was removed and the original exterior restored, complete with a reproduction of the Moonliner II rocket. One new feature was the addition of a green roof to absorb stormwater runoff. Since 2006 the building has been occupied by Barkley Inc., an advertising agency.

This building served as the headquarters for Trans World Airlines (TWA) from 1956 until 1964. Once one of the leading airlines in the world, TWA was in business from 1930 to 2001. The company pioneered many aviation achievements such and was known for being the first to utilize the Lockheed Constellation. TWA’s presence in Kansas City up until the late 1960s was a boon for the city’s economic development, as was the company's flight attendant training school that operated in Kansas City from 1969 to 1988. The corporate headquarters building was the first major commercial structure built in the city in decades. It was notable for being constructed with prefabricated concrete and steel. Howard Hughes commissioned a 1/3 scale model of the Moonliner Rocket attraction TWA sponsored at Disneyland in the 1950s to be placed atop the building. In the early 2000s the building was restored to its original appearance, along with a replica of the Moonliner, and today it houses offices for a local advertising company. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

TWA Corporate Headquarters Building (1956-1964)

The airline used five of the building's eight floors, and thousands of pilots, flight attendants, and other airline staff came here for training. The facility created various training equipment, from early-generation flight simulators to replicas of electrical and control boards, to assist pilots and crewmembers. The company also used this building to produce educational materials, including films such as the one at the bottom of this entry. In an era where pilots needed to be familiar with mathematical rules

The southeast corner of 13th and Baltimore was home to an eight-story structure that was utilized by TWA to train pilots, flight attendants, and other personnel from 1957 to 1988. The company used the building for a variety of training operations along with the Breech Academy in Overland Park. This facility included a training center named in honor of aviation pioneer and TWA founder Jack Frye, which included numerous replicas of aircraft equipment, from cockpit simulators prior to the creation of computer graphics to emergency and maintenance equipment. Here, thousands of pilots learned to utilize instruments on board Boeing 707s and other aircraft that were flown around the world. Several developers considered plans to convert the historic building to lofts, and the structure was purchased by Lou Trigg and Roger Buford in 2003. Having sat vacant since 1988, the cost of each proposal discouraged investment, and the building was demolished in 2005.

TWA Jack Frye Training Center (Transportation Training Building) (1957-1988)

During the 1920s, Lou Holland saw the future of aviation. In 1925 he became the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce president and facilitated a contract carrier to place an airmail location in the city. In 1927, Charlies Lindbergh landed his “Spirit of St. Louis” to dedicate the new airfield. Within the next few years, the Kansas City Municipal Airport housed more airlines than any other airport in the nation. It was called the “Air Hub of America.”Part of the success of this airport centered on the proximity to the TWA headquarters. Based on the encouragement from Holland, Transcontinental Air Transport (Later changed to TWA) built its headquarters in Kansas City. Over its history, TWA expanded to include 13,000 employees and offices across Kansas City and St. Louis. It also contributed over a billion dollars to Missouri’s economy. Famously, legendary director Howard Hughes owned the airline for several decades, and he implemented key innovations that are commonplace today, like pressurized cabins.While American Airlines acquired TWA in 2001, the legacy lives on in this museum. Tom Perry, an Instrument Shop mechanic, began collecting TWA memorabilia before the company closed. Many of the items in this collection were donated directly from TWA. Originally housed in the Trans World Airlines MCI Overhaul Base, this museum joined the Platte County Historical Society in 1985. The museum was moved to its current location in 2010, lead by Pam Blaschum. Today, hearkening to its storied history, it is located in the original TWA corporate offices built in 1931.This museum contains artifacts from a period many consider as the golden age of air travel. Many of the marketing materials on display at the museum reflect the time period when TWA was considered a "gentleman’s airline." Artifacts include advertisements, plane models, stewardess uniforms, a stewardess training facility, and various airplane consoles. You will also be able to see the various dining sets used throughout the years. Staffed by numerous volunteers who are former TWA employees, this museum is known locally as one of the must-see at further questions about this fascinating Kansas City icon.

Located in the historic Kansas City corporate office building of Trans World Airlines, which was constructed in 1932, the TWA Museum features artifacts from the legendary airline along with general exhibits about the history of aviation. For many years, TWA had its corporate headquarters in downtown Kansas City and operated a massive maintenance hanger at today's Kansas City International Airport. For this reason, Kansas City was referred to as the "Air Hub of America" for many years. Trans World Airlines was known for its luxury passenger experience and top-notch engineering, as well as connections to iconic American businessmen like Howard Hughes. This museum features historic aircraft, pilot and flight attendant uniforms, training simulators, photographs, and artifacts related to aviation and TWA.

TWA Museum

The National Airline
History Museum dates back to 1986, when Larry Brown and Dick McMahon
established a non-profit group called Save-a-Connie. The organization’s
original purpose was to acquire and restore a 1940s Lockheed Super G
Constellation, commonly known as the “Connie.” The group managed to obtain a
retired Connie in Mesa, Arizona. Volunteers managed to repair the plane enough
to make it operational, and successfully flew it to Kansas City. The plane was
brought to Hanger 9 at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport. In 1989 the
Save-a-Connie Museum opened in the hanger, displaying the Connie as well as
items and documents relating to the airline industry. 

Save-a-Connie’s
membership and collection grew over the years. Many of the original volunteers
and paying members were former employees at TWA (Transcontinental Western
Airlines) which for many years had its headquarters in Kansas City. It also
acquired more aircrafts, such as a Martin 404 and a Douglas DC-3. Originally
the museum was focused on the history of propeller-driven aircraft, but later
expanded to include jets as well. In 2000 Save-a-Connie was renamed the Airline
History Museum to reflect its expansion beyond the original Constellation
plane. During the late 2000s and early 2010s the museum was plagued by a series
of issues involving financial mismanagement. In 2007 a fundraising gala
featuring John Travolta became controversial after it was revealed that over 85%
of the proceeds went to paying for the event. In 2011 former museum director
Paul Sloan was convicted of embezzling $51,000 from the institution over the
past several years. That same year the museum underwent reforms and a
rebranding effort. It was renamed the National Airline History Museum and
unveiled a new website, logo, and exhibits. 

The National Airline
History Museum currently possesses eight aircraft. In addition to the original
Super G Constellation, the museum has a Boeing 727, a Douglas DC-3, a Douglas
DC-8-62, a KC Eaglet, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar, a Martin 404, and a Northrop
Delta 1D. Projects are underway to restore several of the planes to their
original conditions and make them operational again. One unique item on display
at the museum is the Moonliner II, a 38 foot model rocket. It is a replica of a
76 foot rocket, the Moonliner, which was displayed in Tomorrowland at
Disneyland from 1955-1962 as part of a partnership with TWA. The Moonliner II was
built and placed on the TWA building in Kansas City, where it stood until 1962.
Besides aircraft, the museum features exhibits and artifacts on the airline
industry, primarily TWA. It also has two flight simulators, in which visitors
can experience flying various models of airplanes.

Visitors to the National Airline History Museum in Hanger 9 of the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport can enjoy a tour that includes exhibits, aviation artifacts, and several historic aircraft. The museum began with the acquisition and restoration of a Lockheed Constellation in the 1980s. Today, the museum holds a collection of historic aircraft and exhibits. The museum hosts community functions and offers educational programs. One of the most popular additions to the museum is a pair of flight simulators, where visitors can try their hand at flying various historic aircrafts. 

National Airline History Museum

American aviation first took flight in 1903 and advanced over the next two decades for use primarily as a military tool and for mail service. By the mid-1920s, Kansas City had around 40 small airports, but they were not suitable for air mail service. And the Army, which had operations out of Richards Field, 11 miles out of city limits in modern day Raytown, was threatening to go elsewhere due to poor conditions and limited space. President of the Chamber of Commerce, Lou Holland worked to bolster industry in Kansas City and recognized the need for a new airport with the belief that aviation was the next era in travel and the transportation of goods. City Manager Henry McElroy disagreed, however, as he considered aviation a dangerous fad. After months of dispute, a site was proposed by the Army Air Corps Reserve Officers' Association and Tom Pendergast offered to supply his Ready Mixed Concrete for the anticipated construction of runways and a terminal building. In May 1927, work began on the site nicknamed “New Richards Field,” located on the peninsula just north of the river, which was in close proximity to both downtown and the Hannibal Bridge, the first railroad crossing over the Missouri River that had become a main contributor to the city’s economic boom.On August, 17, 1927, the airport was dedicated, officially becoming Municipal Airport (MKC) shortly thereafter. Thousands of patrons were in attendance, as well as Charles Lindbergh, who had just completed his unprecedented flight across the Atlantic three months earlier. Lindbergh landed his famous “Spirit of St. Louis” on Peninsula Field, a nickname given because of its location, and spoke to the crowd, promoting the possibilities of aviation and boasting that Kansas City could become the central hub of America. Within two years, his notion would transpire. With an ideal location, MKC’s services quickly advanced. Just months after opening, the airport received a local mail station and in 1928, a passenger terminal was built for rail-air operations run by Western Air Express and Transcontinental Air Transport, for whom Charles Lindbergh was an advisor and pilot. One year later in June, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new airport terminal. MKC soon became known as the “Air Hub of America” with more passenger airlines than any other airport in the U.S.. In 1931, WAE and TAT merged, along with some other smaller airlines, becoming Transcontinental and Western Air. The company became TWA and ran out of Municipal Airport until they constructed a headquarters building in 1956 at 1735 Baltimore Ave, operating there until 1964 when they moved to New York City. By this time, air travel was becoming more common and MKC was struggling to accommodate larger planes and commercial jets. Kansas City opened a new, larger airport in November 1972, roughly 16 miles north of MKC. The Mid-Continent International Airport (now Kansas City International Airport) became the new commercial airport. On January 18, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final address to a small group of journalists and invited guests in the airport's lounge. King flew into Municipal Airport on his way to deliver a major address at Kansas State University. King addressed a variety of issues at Kansas State and to his supporters inside this airport, including his opposition to the Vietnam War which he believed had derailed efforts to address domestic problems. This short talk in the airport lounge was King's last in Kansas City as his life was cut short by an assassin's bullet in Memphis on April 4, 1968.The Municipal Airport was renamed Kansas City Downtown Airport in 1977 and on the 75th anniversary in 2002, it was renamed again in commemoration of Charles Wheeler (1926- ), a distinguished third-generation physician, Air Force veteran, and Mayor of Kansas City from 1971-1979. Today, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport is owned and operated by the KC Aviation Department and serves private and small business traffic, as well as recreational air crafts. The original MKC terminal building houses the headquarters of the global advertising agency VMLY&amp;R.

Built in 1927, this small municipal airport was once deemed the “Air Hub of America.” After nearly losing U.S. Army services that were operated from a small airport located several miles out of city limits, Chamber of Commerce president Lou Holland encouraged a new airport that could also serve as an airmail station and aid in the city’s booming economy. Leaders decided that the empty field on the peninsula at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers was an ideal location because of its proximity to downtown and rail transportation. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh dedicated Municipal Airport on August 17, 1927. The airport served as a base of operations for Kansas City-based Trans World Airlines and offered commercial air service until Kansas City International Airport was built in 1972. The airport was renamed in 2002 in honor of prominent Kansas Citian Charles Wheeler and serves private and small business traffic.

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport

This particular factory constructed B-25 bombers which were one of the most important military aircraft in the war. The former North American Aviation plant is now owned by Boeing, and the plant is still in use by General Motors and also home to a medical clinic.North American Aviation was building fighter planes as early as the 1930s, but it wasn't until the early 1940s that this particular plant played such a large role in the outcome of WWII. This plant, known as NAA-K,built thousands of planes intended for training purposes, along with earlier versions of the B-25 bomber. To keep up with production, the company hired thousands of laborers across the United States. With the lingering effects of the Great Depression, citizens were eager to get back to work, and the plant hired both women and men. Construction of the B-25 bomber began in the summer of 1941 and continued through 1945. The B-25 was a significant factor in America's victory in the war. In fact, a squadron of B-25s that were modified to take off from an aircraft carrier and fly a long distance dropped the first bombs on Japan in the Doolittle Raid. While this attack did little to alter the war, it lifted American spirits following the attack on Pearl Harbor and marked the first time U.S. bombers attacked the Japanese islands. Commander Doolittle was later awarded the Medal of Honor for the attacks. The area around the North American Aviation Plant was also home to a small Air Force installation that was used up into the late 1940s. Employees of the plant were given Army and Navy awards due to their excellence in building the planes that made a drastic difference during WWII. After the war, the plant converted to civilian construction with General Motors converting the plant to produce automobiles.

Constructed and staffed in just thirteen months and operating between 1941 and 1945, Kansas City's North American Aviation was an aircraft manufacturing plant that produced many of the B-25 bombers used by the United States military during WWII. The plant ceased production in 1945 after completing 6,608 B-25 bombers. The factory was converted to automobile production by General Motors and the first car came off the assembly line in 1946. The large factory sat on the bank of the Missouri River adjacent to Fairfax Airport.

North American Aviation, Kansas City (1941-1945)

The genesis of TWA dates back to 1925 with the organization of Western Air Express, which transported U.S. Mail and occasional passenger service between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. In 1929, the airline added daily flights between Los Angeles and Kansas City and then a link between Kansas City and the East Coast, which put Western Air Express in competition with Transcontinental Air Transport Company; the two companies merged in 1930 to become Transcontinental and Western Air. One year later, in 1931, Kansas City voters approved funding for a public improvements program, including a bond issue for expanding the city's new Municipal Airport. Thus, Transcontinental and Western Air, which calculated that Kansas City stood twelve hours from any point in its flight network, selected Kansas City as the base of its maintenance, ground operations, and general offices. Upon selecting Kansas City as a base, Transcontinental and Western Air transferred 250 workers and their families to the city. The airline forecast Kansas City to evolve into one of the nation's most significant air hubs. Indeed, the city had already spent decades as one of the nation's most integral railroad and trucking hubs. Kansas City also served as the midway point and an overnight stop in the airline's thirty-six-hour coast-to-coast daylight flight that started in 1934, substantially benefiting Kansas City's downtown hotel and restaurant businesses. In 1939, the airline made Kansas City its corporate home, in addition to serving as the base for its maintenance and ground operations.  By the 1940s, during World War II, TWA routinely worked with the U.S. military, further allowing the airline to develop its international presence. By 1945, the airline operated routes to Europe, the Middle East, and India; the company subsequently changed its name to Trans World Airlines. During the 1950s, TWA continued to expand its domestic and international routes, reaching profits of $10 million annually by 1954. TWA was the first airline to introduce an all-cargo service across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1959, TWA entered the jet age by flying passengers non-stop from San Francisco to New York via a Boeing 707, followed by a flight from Los Angeles across the North Pole to London. Kansas City's economy reaped the benefits of TWA's success and growth. Kansas City's 687-acre Municipal Airport served up to one million passengers annually, serving TWA along with such airlines as Continental, Delta, and Ozark. As TWA grew, its office and maintenance space at the airport proved insufficient, pushing TWA to open additional offices in downtown Kansas City. In 1964, TWA established its national administrative headquarters in New York and transferred its senior executive staff from Kansas City to New York. Also, in the 1960s, TWA moved its flight hub from Kansas City to St. Louis. Still, TWA's employee numbers more than doubled from 1958 to 1968, and it stood as Kansas City's largest employer during the early 1960s. The company modernized and streamlined its ticketing, sales, and public services departments in the late 1960s, and the airline became the first to offer all-jet service on both domestic and international routes. Also, by the late 1960s, Kansas City began developing and constructing Kansas City International Airport. TWA catered to more than twelve million passengers who flew fourteen billion passenger miles on TWA, and cargo volume rose thirty-three percent over the previous year. TWA's all-jet fleet numbered 170 aircraft. In addition to occupying thirty percent of the new airport's terminals, TWA's facility growth at the new airport included the expansion of its international overhaul and maintenance program, construction of giant hangers for recently purchased Boeing 747 and supersonic transport jet planes, and the central administrative building. Furthermore, TWA also started the process of building the now-historic office building near the new airport. By July 1968, TWA budgeted $90 million in new construction projects in Kansas City for completion in 1971, amounting to a community investment by TWA of more than $115 million. The now-historic TWA Administrative Offices opened in 1972, and four years later, the company reported a profit of $30 million; economists calculated that TWA contributed more than $200 million annually to the Kansas City economy.Rising fuel costs and inflation during the late 1970s, followed by the deregulation of the airlines, took its toll on TWA and led to its decline. By the early 1990s, mounting debt, bad corporate deals, and another round of rising fuel costs and associated economic decline finally ended TWA's long run of dominance and led to two bankruptcy filings. However, TWA continued to lose money, leading to its sale in 2001; American Airlines purchased TWA. The building survives as a reminder of Kansas City's rise to an international airline hub, anchored by TWA and its immense success

Trans World Airlines (TWA) established its home in Kansas City during the 1930s, and the airline built its now-historic TWA Administrative Offices Building from 1968 to 1972 to use as its corporate headquarters. TWA, a leader in international travel and an airline giant in the 1960s and 1970s, constructed the building with the impression that Kansas City and its International Airport would experience robust growth. More than 2,000 people worked in the historic TWA Administrative Offices Building at the company’s peak, a time when TWA was Kansas City's largest employer and contributed roughly $200 million annually to the local economy.

TWA Administrative Offices Building 

TWA’s first overhaul base was at Kansas City’s downtown Municipal Airport (now named Charles B. Wheeler Airport and the home of the TWA Museum). In 1945, immediately following World War II, TWA moved its overhaul operations to Fairfax Airport across the Missouri River from Municipal, where B-25 bombers had been manufactured during the war.In 1951, a catastrophic flood damaged both Municipal and Fairfax Airports, but destroyed the overhaul facility, and TWA began to look for a location away from the river. Kansas City aviation officials also began searching for a larger airport site and opened MCI (Mid-Continent Airport) on May 3, 1953 at KCI’s current location. Hoping to keep its hometown airline happy, Kansas City negotiated with TWA to move its overhaul operations to MCI, where they leased 250 acres of the 4,950-acre airport site. In the fall of 1954, after inking a deal with TWA, significant upgrades to MCI began, including two new runways and the first control tower at the airport. The new facility opened in 1957.At its peak, TWA’s overhaul base employed 6,000 people, including many highly-skilled aviation technicians, and was Kansas City’s largest employer. This influence allowed TWA to lobby the city to expand Mid-Continent to accommodate TWA’s increasing commercial jet traffic, which was being squeezed by insufficient space at Municipal Airport. In 1966 following the passage of a $150-million bond, construction began on an innovative three-terminal design which allowed passengers to drive directly to their gate. Kansas City International Airport opened in 1972.TWA’s financial troubles in the 1980s led to the airline’s takeover by investor Carl Icahn, who sold many assets in his quest for profits. In particular, the sale of TWA’s valuable London routes in 1991 caused the airline to file for bankruptcy in 1992. A second bankruptcy in 1995 and subsequent sale to American Airlines in 2001 brought the TWA overhaul base into the American Airlines portfolio, where it continued to operate until 2010, when American shuttered the facility. The base’s one million square feet of space went unused for four years, until Aviation Technical Services acquired the building, where they continue a long tradition of aviation maintenance, and have even worked like TWA with KCI Airport, to repave the runway.

Trans World Airlines’ enormous overhaul base at Kansas City International Airport was one of the largest airline maintenance facilities in the U.S. and is partly responsible for the current location of KCI. At its peak, the base handled repairs for additional airlines and even government aviation. The site became part of American Airlines’ maintenance facilities following TWA’s bankruptcy and sale to American in 2001, and operated for almost another decade before American closed the building in 2010. The facility enjoyed new life as Aviation Technical Services expanded there in 2014, where they can service up to 12 aircraft at once inside their hangars.

TWA Overhaul Base - KCI Airport

Kansas City's first public airport was dedicated in 1927 and operated as Municipal Airport at the present location of Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport. The dedication included a speech by famed aviator Charles Lindbergh and was followed by the creation and expansion of nearby Fairfax Airport. Both airports were located near downtown Kansas City and were home to passenger service and military operations along with manufacturing and maintenance facilities.A 1951 flood damaged Fairfax Airport, while the location of Municipal Airport on a peninsula along the Missouri River limited the airport's potential to serve the larger aircraft of the coming jet age by the 1960s. By this time, Kansas City had become a base of operations for Trans World Airlines, which operated maintenance facilities at Platte County's Mid-Continent Airport. Braniff Airlines also used Mid-Continent as a hub while most other passenger flights flew from downtown's Municipal Airport. Following numerous concerns about the short runways at Municipal Airport, Kansas City voters approved a 1966 bond measure to vastly expand Mid-Continent Airport, which reopened as Kansas City International Airport in 1972.Promising the opportunity to "drive to your gate," many expected the novel design of the 1972 terminals at Kansas City International to become the standard. However, that same year, a series of hijackings led to the creation of security checkpoints at airports nationwide. Following additional security measures after the September 11th terror attacks, the circular design of the airport's three terminals required multiple security checkpoints throughout the three circular terminals. This also limited passengers to a narrow corridor after passing through security. Kansas City officials began to explore the possibility of a new terminal with a central security checkpoint that would allow passengers to move throughout the airport after passing through security instead of being confined to a waiting area near their gate.After several years of planning, a $1.5 billion single terminal plan was approved. During construction, MCI operated out of Terminals B and C while Terminal A was demolished to provide space for the new single terminal. Kansas City residents celebrated the completion of the largest construction project in the city's history in February 2023, with thousands touring the new terminal before its grand opening.

When Kansas City International Airport opened in 1972 at the former location of Mid-Continent Airport, it featured three curved terminals with gates that were only 75 feet from the roadway. With three runways and dozens of gates, along with the growth of Kansas City-based airlines like Braniff and TWA, residents were optimistic that their city would become one of the nation's largest airline hubs. Instead, the jet age made midwestern stopovers a thing of the past, and the airport's three terminals never reached their designed passenger capacity. With increased security measures, the once-convenient and car-centric three-terminal design proved untenable as it required multiple security checkpoints and passenger waiting areas. A new single terminal design was constructed between 2019 and 2023. The single terminal design eliminated the ability to "drive to your gate," a central selling point of the 1972 design. However, the new terminal makes it possible for travelers to move throughout the entire airport after passing through a central security checkpoint. The new terminal is also filled with work from local artists under the city's One Percent for Art program.

Kansas City International Airport

Following the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared America's entry into World War II the following day. Roosevelt's first priority was to build manufacturing capacity to provide American and European allies with the weapons necessary to defeat the militaries of the Axis Powers. Roosevelt believed the United States had a unique capacity for industrial production, and Congress responded to the immediate need for weapons by appropriating $22 billion to defense spending. Many factories were not producing at their maximum capacity due to the economic struggles of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The government took control of these factories to shift the production from civilian goods to wartime necessities. The government also took steps to ensure these factories were operating at maximum capacity. Roosevelt announced production goals that few military or civilian leaders thought were possible. However, by 1942, the US had produced 300,000 aircraft, 100,000 tanks, 8,000 ships, 40 billion bullets, and 20 million rifles. By 1945, the US had produced half of the world’s armaments. The US intended to defeat the Axis powers with material superiority. These production goals set by President Roosevelt meant more factories and millions more industrial workers were needed. With millions of men serving in the military, women represented half of the 15 million new employees and totaled a third of the total domestic workforce. Access to these jobs gave women freedoms and financial independence they had never achieved before. From this came the allegorical icon Rosie the Riveter who represented the women who worked in military defense production.In the early phases of the war, factories across the United States were either built or transitioned to produce wartime necessities. This included the North American Aviation, Inc. plant that was built in Kansas City, Kansas in the Fairfax district. The US Army Air Corps chose to build the plant at this location rather than the typical east or west coast locations in an effort to avoid potential attacks from Japan or Germany. The Kansas City area also offered a significant population that could supply workers for the plant. The US government built and operated the plant but the plant was known under the name North American Aviation, Incorporated of Kansas, also known as NAA-K. The plant produced 6,608 B-25 bombers between December 1941 and August 1945.NAA-K was more than one million square feet, an unprecedented factory size for the era. NAA-K employed more than 50,000 people, many of them women. An estimated 40,000 Kansas City residents left the area to serve in the war, leaving many job opportunities open to women. Women played a vital role in producing the B-25 bombers at NAA-K. An estimated 40% of the employees at NAA-K were women. 6,608 of the 9,816 B-25 bombers produced during World War II were produced at NAA-K. The plant closed in August of 1945. General Motors leased the plant in December of 1945, and the first car finished production in June of 1946.The B-25 bombers were also known as ‘B-25 Mitchell’, named after General William ‘Billy’ Mitchell, who is regarded as the father of the US Air Force. This is notable because it is the only US aircraft named after a person. The B-25 bombers were notably used in the Doolittle Raid in April of 1942. This raid used 16 B-25 bombers constructed at the NAA-K plant to drop a series of bombs on Tokyo in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. This attack did little more than challenge the belief among Japanese leaders that they were invulnerable at that stage as the attack was not covered in the local press and did minimal damage as was expected. However, the attack was never intended to do more than improve the morale of American citizens as it demonstrated the US Navy had responded to Pearl Harbor with an attack of their own and provided hope that a larger response was forthcoming.The World War II Bombers Builder Memorial honors the men and women who built the 6,608 bombers during World War II. The memorial was erected by North American Aviation, Inc., in 1998 and seeks to recognize the pride, patriotism, and teamwork of the NAA-K employees. The monument depicts the logo of North American Aviation, Inc., an illustration of a bomber, and text that recognizes the men and women who built the B-25 bombers at the North American Aviation plant.

Dedicated in 1998, this small monument honors the men and women who built 6,608 B-25 bombers at the former NAA-K (North American Aviation Inc., Kansas) plant that operated at this location during World War II The plant employed more than 50,000 people, including numerous women known today by the moniker "Rosie the Riveter." The plant operated from December 1941 and abruptly closed in August 1945. Sixteen of the bombers built at NAA-K were used in the Doolittle Raid against Tokyo, Japan, in April of 1942 in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The plant reflects Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to overwhelm the Axis Powers with material superiority, which included a goal of building 50,000 planes a year. The National Defense Advisory Committee established the need for more factories and workers to meet the needs of the war. This memorial recognizes the pride, patriotism, and teamwork of the employees at NAA-K during World War II. The monument is displayed outside the Wyandotte County Museum.

World War II Bomber Builders Monument

Built as a training base for pilots in World War II, Olathe Naval Air Station later served as the headquarters of the Naval Air Transport Service.

Olathe Naval Air Station (New Century AirCenter)

From 1973 to 1977, this airport was home to Air Midwest with flights to Kansas City International and Wichita. Air Midwest was the only commercial carrier to operate from the airport.

Established in the early 1940s as an auxiliary airfield for the Navy in support of Olathe Naval Air Station (New Century AirCenter today), this airfield was later deeded to the city of Olathe in 1951. Johnson County took over operations in 1967 and it is the fourth-busiest airport in the state of Kansas.

Morse Field, (Johnson County Executive Airport) 

The airport later developed concrete runways, and some parts of the southern end of the runway are still visible.

Built by pilots LeRoy and Murl Johnston in 1946, this small airport was located on the Kansas Side of State Line Road from 133rd Street to 135th. Began as an alternative for a small number of enthusiastic aircraft owners, the landing strip offered a flight school and four sod runways by 1950. The airport offered hangars and a runway for aircraft owners until 1982 and even offered a short-lived daily passenger service to Kansas City International Airport.

State Line Airpark (1946-1982)

Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base was named after two Kansas City residents who lost their lives during their military service. 1st Lt. John Francisco Richards II was born in 1884 to a prominent family known for their hardware business. After graduating from Yale in 1917, Richards enlisted in the US Army, eager to find aerial work to support the efforts in World War I. After enlisting, Richards attended ground school at San Marcos, Texas, and later flight school at Chanute Air Force Base. Once he completed his initial training, Richards was off to France, where he became a first lieutenant on November 20th, 1917. During his deployment, Richards fought in air battles at the Marne in Saint Mihiel as well as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. On September 26, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, 1st Lt. Richards entered over German lines for a surveillance mission in his Salmson 2A2 biplane, where he was shot down and killed. He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in WWI. The second soldier whom the memorial is named after is Arthur William Gebaur Jr. Born in 1919. Before his military service, Gebaur graduated from Kansas City’s Northeast High School in 1936. During this time, he was active in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Gebaur later enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving as an instructor pilot during the Second World War and eventually becoming a Lieutenant Colonel. After his role as an instructor pilot, Gebaur was deployed to Korea with the 7th Fighter-Bombing Squadron, 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing, shortly after the United States declared war. On August 29th, 1952, Gebaur led a series of of attacks when his aircraft was hit. He continued towards his targets and then attacked several anti-aircraft stations to protect other pilots before his plane crashed. Gebaur’s body was never recovered and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously for his acts of heroism. The former Air Force Base was located at the site of Grandview Airport, which was constructed by Kansas City and opened in 1941. The Grandview Airport was acquired by the United States Air Force in January 1952 during a period of military expansion owing to the Cold War. On October 1st, 1952, the United States Air Force renamed the Grandview Airport to the Grandview Air Force Base and changed the name to honor the two Kansas City veterans in 1957. During the next 37 years, the United States Air Force employed more than 5,000 people at the base, a fact that caused the surrounding population to grow rapidly. The United States Army Air Forces used the base for a variety of purposes such as training and maintenance. Its proximity to Whiteman Air Force Base increased its utility, leading to its use for overflow traffic of planes and personnel. The United States Navy also used the Grandview AFB as an Outlying Landing Field (OLF) for the Naval Air Station in Olathe, Kansas. The military reduced operations in the 1970s, and the airport was turned back over to the City of Kansas City. Between 1983 and 1997, the city lost $18 million operating the airport, a reflection of consolidation in the civilian airport industry and the growth of Kansas City International Airport. The airport closed in 1998 and a variety of companies began operating at the facility. Today, Kansas City SmartPort uses part of the area to ship cargo to and from Mexico for the Kansas City Southern Railroad. The area also serves as warehousing and transport services for companies like Sioux Chief, Amazon, and Universal Forest Products, and others that have distribution and fulfillment operations where former military hangars, dormitories, mess halls, and recreation facilities were located. The area is also home to a U.S. Army Reserve center and used to store military equipment

First established in 1941 as Grandview Airport, this location has a long history of military and commercial aviation. Starting in 1944, the airport's capacity was expanded to support the needs of the United States Army Air Corps. The city continued to own the property through 1952, but in the early years of the Cold War, the Air Force took control of the area and opened Grandview Air Force Base, which began flying missions in 1954. The base was named in honor of two Kansas City war heroes in 1957, and was home to a large fighter squadron in the 1950s and 1960s. The base reduced operations in later decades and closed in 1994. Kansas City also maintained a municipal airport at this location between 1983 and 1997. Today, the area is home to intermodal facilities, Kansas City Southern Railroad cargo facilities, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and numerous commercial facilities.

Kansas City Aviation Heritage Trail

Fairfax Municipal Airport (1921-1985)

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources