Hareport & Tanger Airport
- Mary Mortimer
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
Hareport was located on the site of the former Carter Field where the first airplane in Logan County successfully took off and landed on August 1, 1912. The plane was powered by a Rausenberger engine built in Bellefontaine. The property was located on W. Columbus Ave. in Bellefontaine near the corporation line. In 1946, Chester Brown was the owner of the 63-acre property. He sold it to John Hare, a real estate broker, and his business partner, Thomas Guy, for the purpose of constructing an airport.
The Hare Agency hired pilot Charles Chamberlain, and other members of the Hi-Point Flyers Club, to haul cinders from the waterworks/power station on S. Main St. to "pave" the runway. Once finished, the airport had three runways, one 2200’ long and the other two 1850’ long. Taxi strips ran parallel to each runway, so taxing planes did not interfere with those landing and taking off. They also erected a metal hangar, an office building, and block structure for airplane repairs.
The privately owned Hareport opened on August 18, 1946. Highlights included a Lockheed P-80 “Shooting Star” flyover and a formation of P-47 Thunderbolts and B-25 Bombers from Lockbourne Air Base in Columbus. The airport was first managed by Keith Gimson, a former WWII Air Force Captain from Ypsilanti, Michigan. Hareport also had a canine mascot, “Fritz”, a German Shepherd, who served in the K-9 Corps with an honorable record.
In September 1946, Hareport became qualified as a school for training civilian pilots under the G.I. Bill of Rights. Under the program, discharged veterans could obtain their private pilot’s license at no cost. At that time, only a limited number of applications were available at the Lima Veterans Administration office.
In October 1946, it was reported that Francis Large was the first student to fly under the G.I. training program. Charles Watkins was the first to finish his training and receive his private pilot’s license under the program.
Herbert Campbell and Curtis Engle organized the Campbell & Engle Flying Service at Hareport in April 1947. They provided rides and charter services with their four-seat Fairchild airplane. They offered night rides over Bellefontaine and Indian Lake. Portable electric lights were set up on the runways for night flights.
On August 1, 1948, members of the Bellefontaine Air Squadron No. 2 dedicated a memorial pylon in honor of Larence Rausenberger and Clarence Wissler. Rausenberger was very well-known and respected in the aviation field for his engines. In 1912, he built the first V-12 engine in the United States. The Wright Brothers used a Rausenberger V-8 engine in the Wright Modified “B” Flyer. Rausenberger went all over the world to demonstrate, promote, and sell his innovative airplane engines.
Clarence Wissler was another pioneer in aviation from Logan County. Wissler’s knowledge of mathematics and aeronautics allowed him to develop highly effective planes. Military pilots from McCook Field in Dayton often came to Bellefontaine to discuss problems they had with their planes or other aviation questions with Wissler. Several airplane manufacturers consulted Wissler on the design of their planes. The pylon dedication ceremony also featured an air show, and in the evening, they showed the movie “The Memphis Belle”.
John Hare and Thomas Guy met with Bellefontaine City Council in July 1948 to discuss selling the airport to the city. A bond issue for $80,000 to develop the airfield as a Class II municipal airport was put on the November ballot and defeated. Shortly after the election, Claude Tanger agreed to lease the facilities at Hareport for three years with the option to purchase. He had been farming the land around the air strips since Hare and Guy purchased the property. Around that time, Keith Gimson resigned after accepting a job as a pilot for TWA. He later flew for Delta Air Lines.
The Tangers planned to operate the airport as an “air park” where the field would remain open for landings and take-offs, and the hangers could be rented. The Tanger family operated a Holstein farm west of Bellefontaine. They also had an appliance store, freezer and locker plant, and meat market. Additionally, they owned and managed a Massey Harris tractor and farm implement business. The Hareport office building was to be converted into an appliance display room and for retail sales of their frozen foods.
Claude’s son, Marion, a licensed pilot, received a U.S. Department of Commerce CAA certificate for charter air service in July 1949. The certification was for two planes, a four-passenger Ryan Navion, and a two-passenger Ercoupe. In 1954, the Tangers and the Federal Government agreed to a five-year contract for Air Force planes to land and take off at Tanger Airport. The arrangement was made to solve the problem of transport of personnel between the 664th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron base at Campbell Hill and Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton.
Marion Tanger announced in October 1961, that he was selling the farm equipment business and closing the airport. After the farm sale, Tanger moved to Torrance, California where he opened Tanger Aviation in 1962.
Planning began in 1963 to build a new airport north of Bellefontaine on U.S. Highway 68 N. The Bellefontaine Municipal Airport was dedicated in October 1966.
In July 1967, TV personality, Hugh Downs, flew to Bellefontaine using an old map. He landed his plane at the former Tanger Airport and punctured a tire when his plane ran over broken beer bottles on the runway. After this incident, a yellow cross was painted on the runway to alert pilots that the airport was closed.
The new Bellefontaine Regional Airport on St. Rt. 47 opened in 2002. The Pylon honoring Larence Rausenberger and Clarence Wissler is now located at this airport.