As the nation celebrates National Aviation Day, Ottumwa has a special connection to the history of flight that goes far beyond the local airport.
National Aviation Day is observed each year on August 19, the birthday of aviation pioneer Orville Wright. In 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made history when they completed the first successful powered, controlled airplane flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their first flight lasted just 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.
More than 40 years later, aviation history was being made right here in Ottumwa.
During World War II, Ottumwa became home to Naval Air Station Ottumwa, which served as a primary flight training facility for the U.S. Navy. Construction began in 1942, and flight training officially began in March 1943.
According to the Friends of Naval Air Station Ottumwa, more than 6,600 student pilots reported for training at the station, with 4,626 completing the course. The station recorded more than 605,000 training hours and nearly 400,000 training flights during its operation.
The base also became connected to some notable names in American history. Future President Richard Nixon was stationed at NAS Ottumwa, while future astronaut Scott Carpenter also served there. Jesse L. Brown, who became the U.S. Navy’s first African-American naval aviator, was among those associated with the station.
The Navy left Ottumwa in 1947, and the city eventually took ownership of the property. Today, the legacy of NAS Ottumwa is being preserved through the Naval Air Station Ottumwa museum, housed in the station’s original administration building.
Ottumwa’s aviation history doesn’t stop there.
Today, Ottumwa Regional Airport continues to serve the community as a general aviation airport. The Iowa Department of Transportation identifies it as an enhanced-service airport capable of accommodating a broad range of general aviation activity, including most business jets. The airport is also part of the national airport system.
Just west of Ottumwa, aviation enthusiasts can also visit the Air Power Museum at Antique Airfield, which works to preserve aviation history and features a collection of historic aircraft, many of which are still flown.
So, while National Aviation Day may celebrate the Wright brothers and that first 12-second flight, here in the Ottumwa area, aviation has a story of its own.
From World War II naval pilots to today’s general aviation community, the skies over Ottumwa have been part of American aviation history for generations.
