![]() ![]() The pig arrived safely, and history was made. Smith, flew with a live 10-pound piglet - the very first "mail" flown from Iowa City to Chicago - in his open cockpit biplane. 8, 1920, Iowa City became the only stop during the very first airmail flight from Chicago to Omaha, Neb. ![]() The first flight was launched from the open fields of the old Johnson County Fairgrounds, located not far from present day City High School on Iowa City's east side. During the last 50 years, the west side of Iowa City has significantly changed and is now heavily developed and populated. The Iowa City Municipal Airport, opened in 1918, is the oldest civil airport west of the Mississippi River and is still in its original location where, back in 1968, it was considered to be on the outskirts of city limits. Ozark Airlines was a commuter airline serving dozens of small Midwestern communities that began its regional operation in September 1950 until October 1986. ![]() I often reminisce about this and wish there could once again be direct flights from Iowa City to Chicago, especially since the much hoped for direct rail services between the two cities have been sadly halted by our leadership in Des Moines. Those were the days when Iowa City had direct flights from its airport to Chicago. I still recall fondly our 1968 flight on Ozark Airlines from the Iowa City Airport to Chicago and our return during a hailstorm with our 5-day-old son who decided to arrive earlier than expected. ![]()
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