On September 10, 1911, a skeptical crowd watched a Wright biplane take off from the West Michigan Fairground at Comstock Park. In 1919, groundbreaking for Kent County’s first airport took place. By 2023, 3,794,915 travelers passed through the terminal at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. This course will consider those who had the vision to bring aviation to West Michigan, the many names the airport has had over the years, major historic milestones, air service, and planning efforts –including the FAA’s Airport Master Planning Process used in the 2019 Master Plan Update for the Gerald R Ford International Airport. Discussion will also include elements for airfield development, including several types of aircraft, their changes over the years along with their impacts on airport design from turf strips to thick flexible pavements, and then to the thick rigid pavements we have today. We will review the airport’s previous location and what prompted the “new” location within Cascade Township.  

Roy D. Hawkins is the retired Airport Planning Engineer for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. He was responsible for the planning, design, and construction of many projects at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. He is a Registered Landscape Architect with the State of Michigan and a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He held certifications as the Michigan Industrial and Construction Stormwater Class A and Class B UST System Operator for the Airport. Other areas of expertise include Airport Master Planning and airfield development. Roy is a graduate of Michigan State University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture.