Dust in the wind: What happened to the old Arlington airport?
Today, the only remnant of the Arlington Municipal Airport is a piece of runway on land owned by MicroPort Orthopedics (formerly Wright Medical). (Submitted)
Driving along Airline Road in Arlington with new commercial buildings filling vacant parcels, it’s hard to envision the airport and runway that covered the land until 25 years ago.
The Arlington Municipal Airport opened in 1969 and completed its final flights in 1999. The runway spanned 3,800 feet by 75 feet on the west side of Airline Road between U.S. 70 and Interstate 40 through what is now the heart of town.
“The airport was a novelty. Airports like that are seen as a rich man’s playground,” Arlington Town Administrator Cathy Durant said, explaining that the property and buildings at that time were owned by the town. The airport was run by a third-party licensed in Tennessee.
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Town of Arlington Arlington Municipal Airport Airline Road Cathy Durant Oscar Brooks Arlington High Subscriber OnlyThank you for being a subscriber to The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
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Michael Waddell
Michael Waddell is a native Memphian with more than 20 years of professional writing and editorial experience, working most recently with The Daily News and High Ground News.
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