Federal land adjacent to the airfield included a WWII B-25 Mitchell plant and modification center and a Military Air Transport terminal.

After being used as a Cold War-era Air Force Base, it was used for airliner servicing by TWA and for automobile and jet fighter aircraft production by General Motors, which built a 1985 Fairfax Plant over runways when the municipal airport closed.

flood protection levees and walls around the Fairfax Industrial District, as well as three pump houses including two on the airfield[3] that was first used for a 1921 "American Legion air meet".

"[3] Sweeney Airport was mapped by the United States Department of Commerce on July 17, 1928, as a trapezoid with 150 acres (61 ha).

[10] An "impressive structure" costing $60,000 and with pay toilets for extra profit was built in 193x as a new administration building, and the land also had a natural gas field with 14 wells for extra revenue[8] (a post-WWII Phillips Petroleum tract was along tanks of the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company.)

[citation needed]—the government also purchased an alfalfa field of 75 acres (30 ha)[17] for the AAF plant and for right-of-way to the airfield.

[23] Post-war military activations at Fairfax included the 4101st Army Air Force Base Unit (Reserve Training) on July 12, 1946[24] and the 564th Bombardment Squadron on January 6, 1947.

[30] The 1963 fatal journey for Patsy Cline's Piper Comanche began at Fairfax, and the airport was added to the GNIS on October 13, 1978.