T he Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport has been in operation since 1935 and in that time, it has seen many operators. The airport began privately, and then Androscoggin Airport Corporation purchased and leased it to a private citizen. The United States Navy commanded the airport for four years during World War II, and finally, it was returned to the cities of Auburn and Lewiston for joint operation. This is just a glimpse into one decade of Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport's history. Periodically we will feature a different decade, so make sure you check back often! If you have any information you would like to share or a certain decade you would like to see featured, PLEASE email us.

1970s

July 1971: Cessna aircraft, flown by an unknown pilot, had to land on Washington Street in Auburn, just five miles from the runways at Auburn-Lewiston Airport. The plane ran out of fuel while coming in for a landing. Airport personnel brought enough gas from the Auburn-Lewiston Airport so the pilot would be able to make it to the airport. The pilot then took off and landed safely, moments later, at the airport.

 

August 1972: Executive Airlines provided commuter aviation services to the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. While Executive Airlines provided excellent service to its customers, they began to struggle as they lost passengers to the Portland and Boston airports. This was because many people preferred to travel to New York City, and the larger airports could offer direct flights. Richard Rooney, airport manager, did not believe that the Auburn-Lewiston Airport was very well known. There were people that had lived in the Lewiston-Auburn area for many years that did not realize the airport existed, let alone the extent of the services that were offered. Rooney solicited funds from the Airport Committee in an attempt to improve public relations and increase awareness of the airport, but the funding was denied. Rooney wanted to install at the airport a sophisticated instrument landing system that would improve the airport's reliability. He felt that this would entice people to use the airport. Having this complex equipment, the Auburn-Lewiston Airport would cancel fewer flights due to inclement weather than would be the case at the Portland airport. A planning grant to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Auburn-Lewiston Airport by Wilbur-Smith Associates of New Haven, Connecticut was approved. The purpose of this survey was to find out how much air traffic was in the area of the airport and whether or not the airport should close, maintain status quo, or grow.

 

November 1972:  Isaac Russell from Norway, Maine, owned and operated Russell's Ambulance and Air Service, an air ambulance service that was based at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. In November, Russell's company expanded the services that they offered by purchasing a twin-engine airplane, a new 1973 Piper Seneca at a cost of $74,000. This was the only plane of its kind in the state. The airplane was equipped with state-of-the-art first-aid equipment that made it able to handle several types of emergency cases. It also had a special cargo door that allowed easy loading and unloading of patients and crewmembers. Russell's company was approved by the state's Department of Health and Welfare and by the Medicare Health Insurance program. Russell's Ambulance and Air Service handled seven to eight calls a month and Russell felt the new airplane would increase the demand for his services.

 

1973:  John C. Orestis, Mayor of Lewiston used the Auburn-Lewiston Airport to fly to a meeting with Department of Transportation officials in Boston. This meeting was to review the current situation of Lewiston's transit system with the Department of Transportation. He found his experience flying with Executive Airlines to be "...convenient, efficient, the Executive Airline personnel courteous and helpful, and the flight smooth." From a monetary stand point, he felt that the $48 charged by the airlines verses the cost of driving, calculated at 10 cents per mile plus tolls which totaled about $35 round trip, was economical in order to avoid the inconveniences of the 2½-hour trip each way by car. According to Mayor Orestis, "...it is certainly more sensible to fly."

 

Summer 1974:  Richard Rooney received three bids for the 2,500-foot rehabilitation and reconstruction of Runway 4-22. The bids received were from Blue Rock Industries for $415,181; Bridge Construction Company for $350,356.50; and H. E. Sargent, Inc., for $309,047.50. H. E. Sargent, Inc., won the bid and they began construction in July at the south end of the runway by excavating a portion of the pavement and replacing the drainage system. The airport sent notices to pilots to advise them of the work that was being done and of any possible closures to the runway. In the beginning stages of construction it was not expected that the airline service schedule would be affected. H. E. Sargent, Inc., completed the entire project for a cost of $380,000. Local funds were not used to carry out this project, 75% was paid by federal funds and the other 25% was with state funds.

 

1978:  This year was full of improvements and honors for the Auburn-Lewiston Airport.  In May, the airport maintenance crew received national recognition when they were the only New England airport to receive First Runner-up Honors in the Colonel Bernt Balchen Awards for outstanding snow and ice removal. The Auburn-Lewiston Airport was the First Runner-up in the non-hub category, and fifth overall in performance across the entire country. Sixty-six airports nationwide were considered for this award. 

For the first time in 20 years, the terminal building had renovations done inside and out. A new roof replaced the old leaky one that had been in place since the building was built in 1957. The broken asbestos siding was replaced by vinyl siding and the trim was painted. On the inside, new furniture was placed in the waiting area to make it more comfortable for passengers. New carpeting and flooring accompanied the furniture in making the terminal building more inviting to everyone who used it. The ceiling, which had been water damaged, was repaired and more efficient lights were installed. To finish everything off, new paint, curtains, shades and plants were all added.

The largest project of the year was centered on Runway 4 and involved the reconstruction of 1,100 feet of the runway in order improve the pilots' visibility from one end of the runway to the other by raising the threshold 16 feet. Also included was pavement for over 40% of the terminal ramp area, five new tiedowns, and a new drainage system. The total cost of this project was $655,356.24.

In August, after the completion of the runway project, the airport began construction on a building to house the airport's snow removal and crash, fire, rescue equipment. The airport maintenance crew even helped in the construction of the building. It was dedicated on December 5, 1978, and named the Fernand A. Giguere Equipment Storage Building after the airport's maintenance supervisor to commemorate his many years of service. Officials from both cities, representatives of county government, federal agency representatives, friends, family and pilots, who depended on Giguere and his maintenance crew to keep the runways in operating condition, attended the dedication of the building. The structure is 4,300 square feet and was built at a cost of $137,466.30.

January 1979:  Air New England which provided commuter airline service at the airport announced its:

WINTER FLIGHT SALE
Lewiston-Boston-$20 Round Trip-$39

 

May 1979: The Auburn-Lewiston Airport was named the recipient of the prestigious, international, Colonel Bernt Balchen Award for efficient control and removal of snow and ice. The airport was one of 70 airports in five different categories, which had been nominated for the award. The Auburn-Lewiston Airport received the award in the non-hub airports category. Credit for the award went to airport maintenance superintendent, Fernand Giguere, and his crew for keeping the runways clear and ready for use by airlines and other airport users.

 

September 1979:  On September 17, 1979, the manager for Auburn-Lewiston Airport announced a major change in the approach and landing lights at the airport. This change was so significant that Augusta, Portland and Boston airports were all contacted. All of this commotion was caused by the installation of two lighting systems at the airport. One system, high-intensity runway edge lights (HIRLs), identifies the perimeter of the runway for pilots landing at night and the other, medium-intensity approach lighting system with sequential flashers (MALSF), identifies the center line of the runway and the landing direction for pilots landing at night. The unique part of this project was that the pilots could now control the lighting systems from their aircraft. A simple click of a pilot's microphone will turn on the lights for 15 minutes. In the past, the lighting systems were on from dusk to dawn. The new pilot-controlled system is more efficient and will reduce the airport's electric bill.

 

October 1979:  The airport added a "segmented circle" to the airfield using barrels painted bright orange and white, which are easily spotted from the air. Located in the center of the circle is a wind sock to let pilots know which direction the wind is blowing and how strong the wind is blowing. The windsock had been at the airport for several years and the circle made it easier to spot.