Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport

Bolingbrook's
Clow International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerVillage of Bolingbrook
ServesBolingbrook, Illinois
Elevation AMSL670 ft / 204 m
Coordinates41°41′46″N 088°07′45″W / 41.69611°N 88.12917°W / 41.69611; -88.12917
Websitewww.bbclowairport.com
Map
1C5
Location of airport in Illinois
1C5
1C5 (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 3,360 1,024 Asphalt
Statistics (2020)
Aircraft operations50,000
Based aircraft59
Source: FAA[1] and airport website[2]

Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport (FAA LID: 1C5) is a public airport in Bolingbrook, a village in Will County, Illinois, United States.[1] Located 29 miles (46 km) southwest of the Chicago Loop, it is a small general aviation facility catering to private pilots, students, and commuter aircraft.

History

The airport was originally a grass airstrip built by Oliver Boyd Clow in the 1950s. By 1989 it was named the best privately owned, public-use airport in Illinois.[3] It was acquired by the Village of Bolingbrook in 2004. The village has expanded the airport, which includes a widened runway, additional taxiways, and landing glidepath lighting.[4][5]

The airport was used as a location for the 1992 film Folks![6] with Tom Selleck and Don Ameche, which included a cameo by Clow, the founder of the airport.

Clow called the airport "Clow International" on the spur of the moment when filing a flight plan.[7] He chose the word "international" to reflect Chicago's mixed ethnicity, rather than the airport's size: his many friends and fellow pilots were of German, Polish, and other ethnic backgrounds now making their homes in Chicago. "It was named on a lark and borders on the ridiculous, but people remember it. Sometimes the absurd is easier to remember," said Clow.[8]

The airport received $2.4 million from the Illinois Department of Transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the Rebuild Illinois program. The money went toward replacing a taxiway and the airport's rotating beacon.[9]

Facilities and aircraft

Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport covers an area of 205 acres (83 ha) and contains one runway designated 18/36 with a 3,360 x 75 ft (1,024 x 23 m) asphalt pavement.[1]

For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2020, the airport had 50,000 aircraft operations, an average of 137 per day: 96% general aviation and 4% air taxi. For the same time period, there were 59 aircraft based at this airport: 54 single-engine and 4 multi-engine airplanes, and 1 helicopter.[1][10]

The fixed-base operator (FBO) at Clow is JW Aviation. It offers fuel, aircraft parking and hangars, flight training, and aircraft rental.[11]

Illinois Aviation Museum

The airport is also the location of the Illinois Aviation Museum at Bolingbrook, which includes a collection of restored and replica aircraft.[12]

Accidents and incidents

  • On September 25, 2013, a Cirrus SR20 airplane crashed after the pilot attempted a go-around. The plane had two occupants; both were killed.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for 1C5 PDF, effective 2007-12-20
  2. ^ Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport, official site
  3. ^ Illinois Aviation Museum at Bolingbrook
  4. ^ Gibula, Gary (8 June 2015). "Bolingbrook paying $706,715 of $6.9 million Clow Airport upgrade". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Illinois Mayor Saves Airport". Aero-News Network. 2 July 2004. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  6. ^ Folks!
  7. ^ Parsons, Christi (17 July 1991). "Clow's airport may be closing, but appearances are deceiving". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Pilots: Oliver Boyd Clow". AOPA. 5 March 2003. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Clow International Airport To Receive $2.4M In State Funding". Patch. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  10. ^ "AirNav: 1C5 – Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport". AirNav.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  11. ^ JW Aviation
  12. ^ "About". Illinois Aviation Museum. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Aviation Investigation Final Report CEN13FA558". National Transportation Safety Board. October 27, 2014.
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