On This Day
Machesney "Rockford" Airport
Mr. Fred E. Machesney began the operation with two planes: a Waco 9 open cockpit bi-plane and a Curtiss JN-4D "Jenny" Army trainer, and one employee. That year, Machesney transported more than 3,000 passengers on sightseeing trips near Rockford and other parts of the county. On July 8, 1927, the airfield officially became the Machesney "Rockford" Airport.
Growth was quick, soon Machesney had three hangers that would house 18 standard airplanes, a workshop for maintenance services and training, a classroom for the aviation school, and a waiting room for the growing customer base.
From 1939 to 1943, 1,139 students in military service were trained at the Machesney “Rockford” Airport, and an estimated 2,000 civilian students completed the training during the same time period.
The Machesney Airport remained open for some 20 years after the opening of the Greater Rockford Airport, but in 1974, with the continued decline of Machesney Airport’s operations, the administrators closed its doors. Not long after its closing, the property was redeveloped in 1978 into the Machesney Park Mall.
Machesney Park Airport Circa 1927
Machesney Airport Refueling Service Circa 1930