| Mason County Airport | |
| Faa: | LDM |
| Iata: | LDM |
| Icao: | KLDM |
| Type: | Public |
| Owner: | Mason County |
| City-Served: | Ludington |
| Location: | Ludington, Michigan |
| Elevation-M: | 197 |
| Elevation-F: | 647 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Michigan#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Label: | LDM |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of airport in Michigan |
| R1-Number: | 8/26 |
| R1-Length-M: | 1,525 |
| R1-Length-F: | 5,003 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| R2-Number: | 1/19 |
| R2-Length-M: | 1,068 |
| R2-Length-F: | 3,503 |
| R2-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat-Year: | 2021 |
| Stat1-Header: | Aircraft operations |
| Stat1-Data: | 9,182 |
| Footnotes: | Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
Mason County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located two miles (3 km) northeast of the central business district of Ludington, a city in Mason County, Michigan, United States.
The airport sits on the land of former lawyer Charles Wing, who published the local newsletter and ran businesses in the area. The land was sold to Mason County in 1920 for use as an airport.[2]
The county airport was officially established in 1927 with a single grass runway, and the First Michigan Air Tour was held at the airport in 1928.
Development at the airport was stopped during the Great Depression, but a major overhaul was planned in 1939 with funds split between the county and the state. A new runway was built, and the existing runway was extended. A third runway was built in 1949, and the United States federal government provided portable lighting for the airport.
Northern Air Service was the first company to provide regular commercial air service to the airport. It supported a Dow Magnesium defense plant nearby.
The airport saw its biggest growth to date after World War II as more families bought airplanes and new hangars were built.
The airport's first concrete runway was built in the early 1960s, and a second was built in 1966. That second runway was extended twice until it was just over 5,000 feet long.
The airport got its second commercial service in 1969 when Miller Airline flew twice daily to Lansing and Grand Rapids. That service lasted until the airline folded months later.
The airport hosts a number of events in the modern day, including an aviation summer camp for youth in the area.[3]
Mason County Airport covers an area of 238acres which contains two asphalt paved runways: 8/26 measuring 5,003 x 75 ft (1,525 x 23 m) and 1/19 measuring 3,503 x 75 ft (1,068 x 23 m).[4] [5] [6]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 9,182 aircraft operations, an average of 25 per day: 83% general aviation and 16% air taxi. For the same time period, there were 19 aircraft based on the field, all airplanes: 18 single-engine and 1 multi-engine. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a local general aviation facility.[7]
The aircraft has a fixed-base operator that offers services such as fuel, conference rooms, a crew lounge, snooze rooms, showers, and a courtesy car.[8] [9] [10]