Lewis University Airport was the original base for Clarence A. "Clancy" Hess's operation "Wings of Hope".[4]
The airport has had numerous upgrades in recent years, including widening and reconstructing of taxiways, updating airport lights, construction of a control tower, and renovation of ramps. With construction of the control tower, the airport hopes to attract more business aviation and more business jets to be based at Lewis University Airport.[5]
The airport's new control tower was completed in November 2022, and the tower opened on December 29 of that year. The project was supported by the Rebuild Illinois program, which was an economic bill sponsored by the State of Illinois to help recover from the Coronavirus pandemic. The state covered 75% of the $8 million project.[6][7]
Lewis University Airport covers an area of 1,000 acres (400 ha) which contains two runways:[1]
Runway 2/20: 6,500 x 100 ft (1,981 x 30 m), surface: concrete
Runway 9/27: 5,500 x 75 ft (1,676 x 23 m), surface: asphalt
For 12-month period ending August 1, 2019, the airport had 104,000 aircraft operations, an average of 285 per day: 96% general aviation and 4% air taxi. For the same time period, there were 133 aircraft based at this airport: 109 single-engine and 13 multi-engine airplanes, 7 jet airplanes, and 4 helicopters.[1][8]
On July 14, 1989, three people were killed when a Cessna 177 Cardinal crashed into a factory shortly after takeoff from Lewis. The engine reportedly was running but developing little power. All three aboard died, and two people on the ground were injured.[9][10]
On June 26, 2011, a Cessna 210 crashed while attempting to land at Lewis. Witnesses said the plane appeared to be having troubles and wanted to divert to Lewis. The aircraft impacted power lines, killing one and seriously wounding another.[11]
On May 13, 2021, the pilot of a Beechcraft B24R Sierra 200 reported that engine speed "suddenly dipped down" on climbout after takeoff from Lewis. Attempts to restore power were unsuccessful, and the plane landed on a nearby highway.[12]
