[7] The origins of an airport in the Bloomington-Normal community dates back to 1927, when farmer Herman Will opened a 70-plus-acre tract in rural Normal Township.

The Bloomington Flying Club helped rally the general public and local leaders behind the economic promise of "heavier-than-air" flight.

The club owned a "Jenny"-type open-cockpit biplane, and the non-profit organization evidently helped pay for both the construction of a hangar and day-to-day operations of the field.

Will offered to rent the field to the city of Bloomington for $1,000 a year, but there was little enthusiasm for a municipally owned or operated airport.

There was "premier" stunt pilot Steve Lacey, representing the Air King factory in Lomax, Illinois, and Bloomington-raised escape artist Nathan B. Winslow, who thrilled spectators by freeing himself from a straight jacket during flight.

A few weeks after the dedication, the U.S. Department of Commerce placed the Normal field on its list of officially recognized airports.

Nothing survives of the old Normal airfield, but a historic marker near the north end of Constitution Trail commemorates the site.

Opposition to a municipally operated airfield weakened with the promise of federal dollars through the Civil Works Administration, one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's many "alphabet" New Deal programs.

The original terminal building included Arnie's Restaurant & Lounge, a popular place for brunch and dinner and an attraction to fly-in general aviation visitors.

Service at the present day terminal has seen AirTran Airlines to Atlanta; Northwest Airlink to Detroit and Minneapolis; United Express to Chicago O'Hare; Frontier to Denver and Orlando; Allegiant Airlines to Sanford FL, Tampa FL, and Phoenix; Delta Air Lines with service to Detroit and Atlanta.