Decatur Airport

10/02/2026

Airport staff delivered their donations in style—with their massive snow blower leading the way! ❄️💪

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19Zb1QaVC2/?mibextid=FcsR0n

10/02/2026

09/11/2026

25 years ago today, September 11 changed our country, and aviation, forever.

At Decatur Airport, we pause to remember the 2,977 lives lost, including the crew and passengers of the four flights, and the first responders who gave everything.

Flying looks different now. Reinforced cockpit doors. Stronger security. New protocols. What hasn't changed is why we do this: connecting people. That spirit endures.

Take a moment today to remember.

Never Forget.

08/05/2026

Talk about groovy!

Runway 12/30 is currently being grooved following the rehabilitation of just over 3,000 feet of pavement. While the work may look simple, runway grooving is one of the most important safety improvements that can be made to a runway.

The primary purpose of runway grooving is to:

Improve aircraft tire traction during takeoff and landing.
Reduce the potential for dynamic hydroplaning by allowing water to escape from beneath the aircraft tires.
Increase overall runway safety during rain events by allowing water to drain efficiently to the edge of the runway.

The work is being performed by Cardinal/International Grooving & Grinding of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Their specialized grooving machine uses multiple diamond-tipped saw blades to cut thousands of parallel grooves into the newly rehabilitated pavement. These grooves create channels that allow water to flow away from the tire contact patch, helping aircraft tires maintain direct contact with the runway surface.

The grooves are cut to FAA specifications:

Width: 1/4 inch (6 mm)
Depth: 1/4 inch (6 mm)
Spacing: 1½ inches (38 mm) center-to-center

The machine's two cutting heads groove approximately 9.5 feet of runway in each pass. Based on the runway dimensions, we calculated the crew will make approximately 368 passes to complete the project.

The crew is working overnight to minimize impacts to airport operations and is expected to complete the grooving by Friday morning.

It is fascinating to watch this specialized equipment at work, and even more impressive to see the precision required to enhance the safety of every aircraft that uses Runway 12/30.

05/20/2026

Good morning,

Construction season at the airport is officially underway. The first project of the year began today with improvements to the airport parking lot.

Over the next few months, there will be construction activity in the parking lot area, and at times it may appear the lot is closed. We want to assure everyone that the parking lot remains open and accessible.

Currently, the southern entrance to the airport parking lot is closed; however the northern entrance remains open and can be used to access the parking lot.

Access to Everyone’s East End Grill parking lot also remains open. Access to the Avis Budget Group rental car parking remains open.

As the project progresses, the southern entrance will reopen, and the northern entrance will close.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make improvements to the airport parking lot.

04/16/2026

If you noticed a bit of extra aircraft activity at the airport, yours ears weren’t playing tricks on you. The airport received a surprise visit from two F-35’s! The pilots performed a low approach to runway 24 before departing the area.

With runway 6/24 stretching 8,500 feet, hopefully this won’t be their only visit. A big Thanks to a friend of the airport who lives just south of the field sharing the video.

If you captured any photos or videos, we’d love to see them-feel free to share!

04/08/2026

It’s not every day you see a plane built for water landings touch down on a regular runway. This beautiful 1961 de Havilland Beaver arrived at the airport while traveling from Minnesota to Florida. Even more interesting, the aircraft was once owned by Jimmy Buffett.

02/27/2026

Today after 38 years at the airport Jim the assistant maintenance supervisor retired. After serving in the United States Army Jim returned home and made the decision to follow in his father’s footsteps. In 1988 Jim started his career at the airport. Jim spent his whole Park District career at the airport. Please help us in Thanking Jim for his 38 years of dedication. Happy retirement Jim you will be missed and we wish you nothing but the best.