Reedsburg Municipal Airport

Reedsburg Municipal Airport
Aerial view in 2024.
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Reedsburg
ServesReedsburg, Wisconsin
OpenedMarch 1928 (1928-03)
Time zoneCST (UTC−06:00)
 • Summer (DST)CDT (UTC−05:00)
Elevation AMSL906 ft / 276 m
Coordinates43°31′33″N 089°59′00″W / 43.52583°N 89.98333°W / 43.52583; -89.98333
Map
C35 is located in Wisconsin
C35
C35
Location of airport in Wisconsin
C35 is located in the United States
C35
C35
C35 (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 4,840 1,475 Asphalt
7/25 2,510 765 Asphalt
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2022)approx. 15,000
Based aircraft (2022)20

Reedsburg Municipal Airport, (FAA LID: C35) is a city-owned, public use airport located one mile (two km) east of the central business district of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, a city in Sauk County, Wisconsin.[1] The airport opened in March 1928 and has continues to serve as a general aviation airport operated by the city of Reedsburg. The airport is located 906 feet (276 m) above sea level and has two runways; one 4,840 feet (1,480 m) long, and a second only 2,510 feet (770 m) long. It also has a terminal building and several hangars.

History

The Reedsburg Chamber of Commerce rented an 80 acre farm east of Reedsburg for use as an airport in March 1928. Local business leaders had discussed organizing an airport in Reedsburg since as early as fall of 1927.[4] Cecil Hess, a local aviator, purchased a plane in 1928, which prompted the Chamber of Commerce to develop an airport. The chamber developed two runways perpendicular to each other, with one of them being 1,000 feet (300 m) long and with a grass surface.[4][5][6] The next year, it was purchased by the city itself.[5] The airport would host Orland Corbin in his new Ace Baby Ace plane as part of an air show in 1930.[7] As part of a Civil Works Administration project in 1934, the airport received funding to be rebuilt, since by then it was considered to be unusable for any purpose. The new runways were constructed out of gravel.[8]

In 1952, the first "fly-in, drive-in" breakfast was hosted by the Civil Air Patrol at the airport.[9] The event invited local pilots to fly in, and the rest of the public to drive in and enjoy a breakfast. This first event had about 20 pilots and 200 attendees.[10] It has been held annually since.[11][12] Four years later, in 1956, a 1,600 by 50 feet (488 by 15 m) runway was built with a gravel surface.[13] To allow for easier night time use, the city installed automatic lights on its runway.[14][15] N.E. Isaacson, the builder of Lake Redstone among other lakes, had a water runway built at the airport during the 1960s for his floatplane.[9][16][17] It was later abandoned and filled in.[5][17] In 1969, he contributed $100,000 (equivalent to $857,441 in 2024)[18] to expansion of the east/west runway to 4,500 feet (1,400 m).[19][20]

The city finished the north/south runway with asphalt in 1973.[21] 24 hour fuel service was offered five years later.[22] The airport underwent another major renovation in 1997, including resurfacing both of its runways.[23][24][5] In celebration of the 50th annual fly-in, drive-in breakfast in 2002, several WWII era plans were present, including a P-51 Mustang fighter plane.[25][6][9] In the early 2000s a number of state funded projects improved the airport: a fence in 2003,[26] a ground communication outlet in 2004,[27] and sealcoating the two runways in 2005.[28]

In 2014, a new terminal was proposed; the city wanted to use the location of the original terminal to build a street.[29][16] That new terminal was built the next year using $754,483 (equivalent to $1,000,858 in 2024)[18] in FAA funding.[30][31][32] The previous terminal was located in a building adjacent to a hangar, and was built by N.E. Isaacson.[33] To avoid a new road, this hangar would have to be moved or demolished. A local business owner offered to take the expense of moving it 50 feet (15 m) and purchased it that year in 2024. On this hangar, a tribute was built honoring N.E. Isaacson.[34]

Facilities and statistics

Airport terminal building in 2025.

Reedsburg Municipal Airport covers an area of 153 acres (62 ha) at an elevation of 906 feet (276 m) above mean sea level.[1] The airport is located on State Highway 33 and is surrounded by industrial and commercial uses and an undeveloped forest to the southeast.[3]: 21  There is a terminal building that includes 24/7 pilot access.[32] The airport has two runways, both with asphalt surfaces. The longer runway 18/36 is 4,840 by 75 feet (1,475 by 23 m) with approved GPS approaches. The shorter runway 7/25 is 2,510 by 50 feet (765 by 15 m).[1][3]: 51 

It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2025–2029, in which it is categorized as a local general aviation facility.[35] Although most airports in the United States use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and International Air Transport Association (IATA), this airport is assigned C35 by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.[35]

The airport hosted Skydive Wisconsin Dells from 2020 to 2022.[36] The airport hosts its annual "fly-in, drive in" breakfast fundraiser in early June.[9]

The airport receives roughly 15,000 aircraft operations each year since around 2002.[26] It averages 39 per day: 50% transit, 47% local general aviation, 2% air taxi and 1% military. In 2022 there were 20 aircraft based at this airport.[3]: 51  During the 2024 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh convention, the airport handled over 600 aircraft, a record, as pilots were stopping for fuel, food, or rest on their way to Oshkosh.[37]

Accidents and incidents

  • On August 4, 2011, a Challenger II crashed shortly after taking off, killing both the pilot and passenger.[38][39]
  • On April 20, 2019, a Cessna 180 crashed on the runway. The pilot survived with minor injuries.[40][41]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for C35 PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 8, 2024. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "C35 - Reedsburg Municipal Airport". airnav.com. AirNav. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d City of Reedsburg 2042 Comprehensive Plan (PDF) (Report). September 26, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Airport is secured in Reedsburg". The Reedsburg Times. March 30, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Sesquicentennial History Committee (1997). Reedsburg Remembers 150 Years: A History of Reedsburg, Wisconsin 1848–1998. Chelsea, MI: BookCrafters. p. 94.
  6. ^ a b "Rotary Club brings Fly-In, Drive-In to town". Wisconsin Dells Events. May 22, 2002. p. 38. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  7. ^ "Air Circus To Visit City Next Sunday". The Reedsburg Times-Press. June 30, 1933. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 7, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Federal Aid Expected For Airport Here". The Reedsburg Times. June 1, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d "50th annual Reedsburg Fly-In, Drive-In Breakfast Sunday". Reedsburg Independent. May 30, 2002. p. 6. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  10. ^ "Many civic groups helped event take wing". Wisconsin Dells Events. May 22, 2002. p. 39. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  11. ^ Dynes, Erica (May 23, 2019). "Reedsburg Rotary to host fly in, drive in breakfast June 2". Wiscnews.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  12. ^ "Hold Annual Fly-in Breakfast Sunday". The Reedsburg Times-Press. May 20, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  13. ^ "To Build Airport Landing Strip". The Reedsburg Times-Press. April 5, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  14. ^ "Landing lights in at Reedsburg airport". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. August 26, 1962. p. 21.
  15. ^ "Install Landing Lights at Municipal Airport". The Reedsburg Times-Press. August 16, 1962. p. 6. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Reedsburg considering new airport terminal building". Reedsburg Independent. October 2, 2014. p. 7. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Adams, Barry (February 8, 2015). "On Wisconsin: Documenting the creation of a Driftless gem". Wisconsin State Journal. Archived from the original on July 7, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  18. ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  19. ^ "Lake Builder Offers Aid In Financing". The Reedsburg Times-Press. October 30, 1969. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 7, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  20. ^ "Lake Building Offers Aid in Financing". The Reedsburg Times-Press. October 30, 1969. p. 3. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  21. ^ "Runway to be finished". The Reedsburg Times-Press. August 30, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  22. ^ "Flight Service Takes Off". The Reedsburg Times-Press. June 1, 1978. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 7, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  23. ^ "Reedsburg Municipal Airport is ready for business and reopens today". The Reedsburg Times-Press. July 30, 1997. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 7, 2025. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  24. ^ "Council OKs applying for airport repair money". The Reedsburg Times-Press. March 2, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  25. ^ "Rotary Club brings Fly-In, Drive-In to town". Wisconsin Dells Events. May 22, 2002. p. 37. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  26. ^ a b "Governor approves airport fence funds". Reedsburg Independent. May 23, 2002. p. 10. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  27. ^ "Governor approves funds for Reedsburg airport project". Reedsburg Independent. June 24, 2004. p. 8. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  28. ^ "Runways to get sealcoat thanks to grant". The Reedsburg Times-Press. May 12, 2004. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  29. ^ Rebhahn, Peter (August 13, 2014). "State announcement good news for airport, street plan". Wiscnews.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  30. ^ Cusick, Sam (November 22, 2014). "Reedsburg airport receives more than $800,000 for new terminal project". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  31. ^ Rebhahn, Peter (February 18, 2015). "City approves terminal plan". Wiscnews.com. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  32. ^ a b Stanek, Heather (May 19, 2016). "Airport project opens in Reedsburg". Wiscnews.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  33. ^ "Design unveiled for new Reedsburg Airport terminal". Reedsburg Independent. February 12, 2015. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  34. ^ Stanek, Heather (November 22, 2023). "Prominent business owner will save blue hangar at airport". Reedsburg Independent. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  35. ^ a b "NPIAS Report 2025-2029 Appendix A" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 28, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  36. ^ "Skydiving in Wisconsin Dells, Lake Delton & Madison". Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  37. ^ Stanek, Heather (August 8, 2024). "AirVenture brings traffic to Reedsburg". Reedsburg Independent.
  38. ^ Novak, Bill (August 5, 2011). "Reedsburg plane crash victims were Dells man and father-in-law, police say". Wisconsin State Journal. Archived from the original on July 7, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  39. ^ Leiviska, Ken (August 4, 2011). "Two killed in small plane crash in Reedsburg". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  40. ^ "Pilot survives after losing control of Cessna during landing". AP News. April 22, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  41. ^ "Madison pilot OK after crashing plane in Reedsburg". AP News. April 23, 2019. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
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