The beginning

In 1931, the operating engineer of American Airways, Captain McFail, began to solicit the help of the City of Hammond and the Chamber of Commerce to build a lighted auxiliary airport for the airline’s operations into New Orleans. Local businessmen were starry-eyed at the prospect of developing an airport, and a site on the east side of town—then known as Fellows Farm—was quickly selected. The airport officially opened on August 8, 1932.

When President Roosevelt ordered the U.S. Army to fly the mail, American Airways lost the lucrative airmail contract that made the route from Jackson to New Orleans profitable. Although American Airways’ pulling out in early 1934 caused the airport to be abandoned for several years, Southeastern Louisiana College breathed new life into the field when it began a flying program in 1940. The field had not been properly maintained, so the surface was bumpy and the east-west strip was a bog. This disrepair eventually led to discussion of a better facility, and, eventually, Tangipahoa Parish purchased the property and went about securing funds to build a modern airport on the site.

World War II

World War II brought with it concern for the safety of the port of New Orleans, as well as the oil refineries and chemical complexes in Baton Rouge. Airfields farther inland were attractive to the military because they presented tougher targets for shelling from enemy ships, and enemy aircraft would have to cover more ground to reach them. The Hammond Airport project, therefore, received greater attention from the government, and it was eventually deemed “a necessary project for national defense.” The U.S. Army Air Force completely took over construction in 1942, and the parish leased the property to the U.S. government for one dollar per year. Thus, “The Hammond Army Air Field” was born.

A bombing and gunnery range was constructed east of the airport near the St. Tammany Parish line. Soon, there was a great deal of air activity to and from the airport. All manner of military aircraft could be seen landing there, but locals were encouraged to continue on as usual. In fact, any vegetation that did not absolutely have to be cut wasn’t, and signs were posted claiming that anyone caught taking pictures would be treated as a spy!

Keeping the vision

The facilities reverted to the local government after the war, but the Army had built to a larger scale than that originally planned by Tangipahoa Parish. Hammond Airport now quietly boasted three 5,000-foot runways—one of which was completely concrete and 150 feet wide. Unlike many wartime fields, Hammond Airport was kept open and maintained by the local municipality after the war. Hammond’s vision of progress has included the airport for all these years, and the convenient access by air has been a significant factor in attracting new businesses.

Tom Grant, an authority—and arguably, a catalyst—associated with much of the recent growth at the airport, was the Hammond Airport manager from 1983 to 1988, then again from 1997 to 2001, when he decided to retire.

Grant was born in New York City, and his love for aviation may have something to do with being raised in Queens under an airway to LaGuardia. He attended the Academy of Aeronautics before joining the Navy to fly F-8 Crusaders. He was then an airline pilot for Delta, and eventually found his way into airport management and the Louisiana Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation. Tom has worked on projects at 25 different airports; he knows about the zoning, design, and attention to detail required for large projects.

Some that have worked with him say that his surname is appropriate. He is one of the best government grant-getters and general aviation buffs to be found anywhere. Although he is quick to give the credit to others, Grant was a central figure in procuring the millions required for the recent runway extension, fence upgrade, and rebuilding of the southeast apron area.

“The Hammond Airport has had a great deal going for it for a long time,” says Grant. “Many people came together to make it successful over a long period of time. The [Hammond] City Council, the Airport Authority and all of the mayors I have worked with have done everything they can to ensure the airport is brought to its maximum potential.”

U.S. Customs office

It seems Hammond learned a lasting lesson from World War II: Government involvement at the airport can be a good thing. According to Grant, when former Airport Authority Chairman Aubry McCrimmon was gingerly approached by someone with U.S. Customs several years ago about the possibility of setting up an office in Hammond, he immediately began laying the groundwork for getting it there. This proved to be no easy task.

U.S. Customs utilizes modified Citation Jets to track and intercept aircraft suspected of smuggling. The extra weight of sophisticated cameras, radar and infrared imaging devices mean that these aircraft fly under a special “restricted” status that allows them to take off and land well over their published gross weight requirements.

An aircraft taking off on a warm day takes longer to leave the ground than the same aircraft on a cold day, because of differences in air density. A hot, balmy Louisiana summer day could have meant that these Citations would have to be grounded in Hammond—for fear of winding up in a tree. For that matter, even tougher tires and beefed-up brakes are not always enough to keep pilots from wishing that they had a little more runway in front of the aircraft. One source even claimed they remove the thrust reversers to save the added weight for other equipment.

It became clear early on that Hammond would have to lengthen one of its runways by about 1,500 feet in order to be in the running for the new Customs office. Although extending a runway is no easy task in and of itself, acquiring the estimated five million in funds for such a project makes the going even tougher. According to Grant, local leaders realized what a boon an extra 1,500 feet of asphalt could provide with or without the proposed Customs office, so they jumped into the project wholeheartedly.

The U.S. Customs office moved into its Hammond facility in October 2003.

Booming demand

There can be no doubt that the Hammond airport has much going on. One of the factors contributing to its success is its precision approach equipment, which has the lowest minimums published for any approach on the northshore. The Instrument Landing System on Runway 18 makes it possible for pilots to safely descend to two hundred feet without seeing the ground. For a corporate aviator, this can sometimes mean the difference between going home and having to spend the night in a hotel.

Private aviation is not just calling to rock stars and big-wig politicians. Many small businesses that require frequent air travel have found the lack of lines, traffic and complex connecting schedules very attractive. Also, local air charter services, such as Gulf South Aviation in Hammond, can make on-demand flights without requiring business owners to fork out the several million dollars required to acquire a jet. In fact, groups of people traveling together may find that chartering an aircraft can be more economical than paying for airline tickets.

In addition to the air charter service, Hammond boasts two separate flight schools, a full service FBO (a gas station for aircraft), and an experienced-mechanics shop on-site. The extra space provided on Runway 13-31 has made the airport even more popular with the jet-set. Several aircraft immediately moved in to take up residence, and more are expected in the near future. Hangar space is becoming scarce, so now there is talk of new buildings to support the increasing demand.

All signs seem to point to the airport’s growth snowballing into a new level altogether. Recently, the Airport Authority made the historic decision to change the name again—to The Hammond Northshore Regional Airport. The new name is enough to make visions of commuter aircraft dance in one’s head.

When asked about the possibility of commuter airline flights coming to Hammond, Sonny Yokum, an Airport Authority board member for more than 30 years and a driving force for continued expansion, replied, “People have been talking about that for years, but so far no one has figured out a way to make it economically feasible.” He then paused before adding, “We feel we are growing at a reasonable rate, and that we are the best general aviation airport in the country.”

Based on the evidence at hand, it is tough to argue with that statement.