AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2017 - R-2

Welcome to OUN

A storied history
Norman airport builds on its past
OKLAHOMA HAS A STORIED AVIATION HISTORY. Clyde Cessna
flew his first airplane in the state, in 1911. Aviation pioneers
Will Rogers and Wiley Post called Oklahoma home in the
1930s. The state saw explosive aviation growth during World
War II, and aerospace is the second largest industry in the
state today. Tinker Air Force Base is the Air Force Materiel
Command's largest repair depot, and Oklahoma's largest single-site employer; the FAA's Mike Monroney Aeronautical
Center employs more than 7,000.
Nowhere is this history encapsulated better than
Norman, where you can participate in the next chapter of
the airport's history by attending AOPA's second 2017 Fly-In
on September 8 and 9-and its first in Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport was
built as a civil airport, primarily on land donated to the university by Walter Neustadt in honor of Ardmore oilman Max

VOLUNTEERS HAVE MORE FUN
ONE OF THE BEST WAYS to

enjoy an AOPA fly-in is to volunteer. From
exhibit prep to aircraft parking, volunteering will give you a unique
perspective on the day's activities. We need your help in setting
up exhibits, marshalling aircraft, automobile parking, set-up, cleanup, and more. Not only will you enjoy the camaraderie of fellow pilots and aviation enthusiasts as you help AOPA present a fly-in in
your local area, but you'll also get a free lunch, T-shirt, and AOPA
cap. Sign up online (www.aopa.org/koun17/volunteer).

R-2 | AOPA PILOT August 2017

Westheimer. It was taken over by the U.S. Navy in 1941 and
expanded to become Naval Air Station Norman, which was
used for primary training-much of it in Boeing Stearman
biplanes. The Navy also established a Naval Air Technical
Training Center, called "South Base" by residents, south of
the university to train mechanics.
After the war, both facilities were conveyed to the university, which continues to operate the airport. Nearly 300 acres
that comprised the maintenance training facility have been
redeveloped as the university's research campus.
Today, Westheimer Airport offers contrasts. Oil wells
on the field pump alongside state-of-the-art weather radar.
The FAA-designated reliever has a 5,199-foot-long primary
Runway 18/36 that can handle most business jets. The university contracts with an outside FBO, maintenance provider,
and the operator of the popular Ozzie's Diner restaurant in
the terminal building-and does everything else itself, including the leasing of 40 airport-owned T-hangars and seven
corporate hangars. There are 115 based aircraft.
"We just celebrated our seventy-fifth year of flight
training," said Ken Carson, director of the university's
Department of Aviation. The program made a fundamental shift in the 1980s, when Richard Van Horn-dean of the
business college-became OU's twelfth president. He recognized the unique business aspects of aviation, and an
aviation management focus evolved.

http://www.aopa.org/koun17/volunteer

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2017