Wilmington Air Park
WILMINGTON AIR PARK(KILN)
145 Hunter Drive Wilmington, OH 45177 MAP
PHONE: 937.382.5591
LONGEST RUNWAY: 10,700 feet, paved
Wilmington Air Park in Wilmington, also known as Airborne
Air Park, is a former DHL air freight hub. DHL Express
donated Wilmington Air Park to the Clinton County Port
Authority in June 2010.
Flying enthusiasts created what became Wilmington Air Park
from a cornfield in 1929. Designated Clinton County Army
Air Field during World War II, it was used by the Glider
Test Branch at Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base)
to test glider designs. In the 1960s, it served as a
Strategic Air Command bomber alert facility, according
to globalsecurity.org.
The
Defense Department closed the field in 1971. Airborne
acquired it in 1980 and made it the hub for its growing air
freight business. Set amid rural farm fields, it became one
of the nation's busiest airports during its nighttime rush
periods of arrivals and departures.
DHL took over Airborne's ground business in 2003, as
Airborne spun off its air freight operations as a separate
company, ABX Air Inc. DHL took over the Wilmington hub and
ABX Air operated as a tenant air carrier.
In 2009, DHL closed its operations on Wilmintgon Air Park,
eliminating most of the site's 8,000 jobs. ABX Air remains
on the field as a subsidiary of Air Transport Services
Group Inc.
The Clinton County Port Authority hopes to redevelop the
site. One use that has been suggested is a flight test
center for Air Force Research Laboratory unmanned air
vehicle research. Turning Wilmington Air Park into a flying
field for UAVs would require a restricted airspace zone
over the field.
General aviation traffic uses the nearby Clinton County
Airport.
On Field
ABX Air
NearbyRESTAURANTS | HOTELS | CLINTON COUNTY AIRPORT(5.8 mi. NW)
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