The first plane landed at the site of the airport in 1912 and was flown by Harry Atwood, establishing a long-distance flight record from Chicago, Il to Camillus.

[1] By 1926, Syracuse Mayor Charles Hanna felt that the city needed an airport to enhance its economic future.

[2] In the following years before World War II, the airport featured appearances by many world-famous pilots including Charles Lindbergh and his Spirit of St. Louis airplane in 1927, Will Rogers and Wiley Post in 1931, General Jimmy Doolittle in 1932, Amelia Earhart in 1936, Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan in 1938; as well as celebrities Kate Smith and Lowell Thomas.

[2] Shortly thereafter, the demands of the military quickly outgrew the capabilities of the current airport and the Office of the Chief of the Army Air Force allocated funds and authorized the construction of Hancock Field.

[2] However, the Municipal Airport still played a vital role in the war effort, serving as a training facility for civilians moving supplies and equipment and pilots patrolling the east coast for German ships and U-boats.