I was surprised when Flying celebrated its 90th birthday last August. Could the magazine really be that old? Heck, am I really this old? And then I realized that daredevil aviators — followed by legions of prudent and prosaic corporate airplane drivers — have been launching themselves into the air from the Turkey Bottoms, aka Cincinnati’s Lunken Airport, for even longer than 90 years.
Unusual Attitudes: Turkey Bottoms, Lunkenheimers and Embry-Riddle
Key Takeaways:
- Cincinnati's Lunken Airport was established in 1928, originating from a 204-acre land donation by Edmund H. Lunken, which the city expanded into what was, for a time, the world's largest municipal airport.
- The airport's Turkey Bottoms location, while flat and central, was prone to flooding, fog, and bird issues. The family name change from Lunkenheimer to Lunken, reflected in the airport's name, occurred in 1892 due to an incident of anti-Semitism.
- Lunken Airport was the original site of the Embry-Riddle flying school, founded by Paul Riddle and T. Higbee Embry, which after struggles and a buyout, later re-emerged in Florida as the precursor to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
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