From 1940 to 1954 the Newton Airport was a
2,400 foot sod strip along East 19th Street North across from where Berg school
is located. This area is now the Skie Addition. October 1949, Earl Johnson took
over as the FBO / Airport Manager and renamed Smith Aviation to Johnson
Aviation. In 1954, Fred Maytag purchased the land for a new municipal airport at
its present location. He then made it available for the City of Newton. This was
the first land in Jasper County to sell for more than $500.00 per acre.
In 1955, the airport opened as a 2,400 ft. sod field. The shop building
was built at that time. The rafters from the old hangar at the old airport were
used on the then new shop building. Two T-hangars, with 5 stalls each, were
removed from an airport at Melbourne, Iowa. They were rebuilt at the Newton
Municipal Airport.
The runway was surfaced and the runway lights
installed in 1957. The length was 2,460 by 75 ft. wide. In 1964, the runway was
extended to 4,100 ft. by 100 ft. wide. At this time an instrument approach
procedure was approved using the Newton VOR Navigational Aid near Baxter.
The Maytag Company built their hangar in 1966 and in 1968 the brick
municipal terminal was built. One T-hangar with 5 stalls was built in 1972. An
additional T-hangar with 6 stalls was built in 1977.
In 1980, the runway
was overlaid with 4 inches of blacktop for the use of aircraft weighing
approximately 30,000 pounds. Maytag built an extension on the hangar in 1986 and
expressed the need of runway extension to 5,600 feet. In 1988, the runway was
extended to 5,600 feet and medium intensity runway lights were installed. VASI
(Visual Approach Slope Indicate) and REIL (Runway End Identifier Lights) on both
runways were installed. The ramp was reconstructed with concrete in 1989 and the
north taxiway was overlaid.
In the fall of 1992 the installation of a
complete ILS (Instrument Landing System) was completed. This gave Newton the
same weather minimums as Des Moines, 200 feet and 1/2 mile visibility. That
taxiway was extended the length of the runway in 1995.
A new terminal
building and terminal hangar along with new t-hangars were constructed beginning
August 2004 and finished February 2005. On February 14, 2005, Johnson Aviation,
Inc. relocated to the new terminal facilities. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was
held on April 7, 2005.
The old facilities were demolished along with the
old t-hangars during December 2006.
