History

From farmland airstrip to thriving airport

In 1958, Harmon Campbell received approval to establish an airport from the Aeronautics Commission of the State of Indiana. Built on 207 acres of rural farmland in Boone County, the airport was named Terry Airport after Harmon's son, who was also a pilot. A small number of private aircraft were kept there and a small office building was built.

Campbell sold the airport to Ray and Julia Van Sickle in 1965. Van Sickle owned and operated Terry Airport for the next 38 years, making significant improvements to the general aviation airport. Terry Airport expanded its land area, extended and paved the runway and built several hangars to better serve its customer base of private aircraft operators and occasional business jet.

Located 20 miles by air from Indianapolis International Airport (IND), Terry was designated a reliever airport for Indianapolis in the 1980s and included in the National Airspace System and the Indiana Airports Program. Receiving state and federal attention and capital improvements money, the airport expanded to over 600 acres with a 5,500-foot runway and a full parallel taxiway. It also contracted with Montgomery Aviation to serve as its fixed base operator.

Located near the rapidly growing residential and business districts of Hamilton County, Terry Airport was considered an important asset, contributing to the economic viability of business and commerce in Boone and nearby Marion and Hamilton counties. In 2002, Terry Airport was offered for sale by Ray Van Sickle and subsequently purchased by Hamilton County for $4.6 million. Changing the name to Indianapolis Executive Airport, Hamilton County continued the contract with Montgomery Aviation as Fixed Base Operator (FBO) to operate and develop the airfield.

As the new owner, Hamilton County
embarked on a plan to develop corporate business aviation use of the airport and commercial use of the surrounding area. A 1999 Aviation Association of Indiana Economic Impact Study identified the airport's economic impact at that time as $2.7 million. Since Hamilton County assumed its ownership role in 2003, the airport's economic impact has
more than doubled to approximately
$88 million in 2009.

The airport's recently-completed Master Plan identified the need for an extension of the existing 5,5OO-foot primary runway to 7,000 feet to provide for the needs of its business users. With FAA approval of the long-term plan, the Hamilton County Airport Authority will be working with surrounding communities and agencies to conduct an environmental analysis before implementation of major airport improvements.