The international business center that Rickenbacker has become is the result of a strategic initiative launched to redevelop the former Rickenbacker Air Force Base into a private sector, international logistics center.

1941-1949
World War II: From Columbus soil grows a new Army airfield

Rickenbacker's beginning dates back to 1941. On December 8, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army announced that a $7.5 million airbase would be built just east of the Village of Lockbourne. Engineering and surveying work began the following month and the first tracts of land were purchased in April 1942. Also in April, Norfolk and Western Railroad began laying new mainline tracks along the western side of the base. Lockbourne Army Air Base opened in June 1942 as a glider and B-17 training facility. After the war, flight-training activities were halted and the base was used as a development and testing facility for all-weather military flight operations. The primary unit at the base was the all-Black 447th Composite Group, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen. This unit merged with the 477th Composite Group in 1947, becoming the 332nd Fighter wing, one of the first all-Black flying units in the newly created United States Air Force. However, in June 1949, the 332nd was reassigned, the base was deactivated, and control transferred to the Ohio Air National Guard. For the next 18 months, the Air National Guard used the base for training.

Eddie Rickenbacker: An American Hero

1950 - 1959
The Korean War, the jet age, and command changes

With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, and as a response to the ensuing military buildup, the base was reactivated as Lockbourne Air Force Base in January 1951, and placed under the control of the Strategic Air Command in March of that year. In 1953, a reconstruction program was completed with the addition of a second and longer runway, several jumbo hangars and a permanent air traffic control tower. Two years later, a major expansion was completed which doubled the land area of the base to approximately 4,400 acres. New construction included the two current 12,000-foot parallel runways, a 3,500-foot assault strip and a number of new buildings. Throughout the 1950s, the Strategic Air Command used the base as a training facility and stationed aircraft on full-time alert duty for national defense.

1960 - 1969
Simmering cold war

The base population grew further during the Vietnam War years of 1964-72, reaching an all-time peak of more than 18,000 service people in 1967.

1970 - 1979
Cold war cools; Rickenbacker changes

In 1974, the base was renamed Rickenbacker Air Force Base in honor of World War I flying ace and Congressional Medal of Honor winner Eddie Rickenbacker, a Columbus native. With the cessation of hostilities in Vietnam and the ending of the military draft, the number of Armed Forces personnel declined sharply, resulting in downsizing and closures of military bases around the country. In April 1978, the Air Force announced that Strategic Air Command functions at Rickenbacker were to be transferred elsewhere, estimating that 12,000 jobs would be lost as a result. In September 1979, with the base population at 2,800 military and civilian employees, the Base Closure Commission announced plans for the phased closing of the base, which at the time consisted of approximately 4,400 acres, including an estimated 265 buildings with approximately 3.7 million square feet of floor space. In April 1980, Rickenbacker Air Force Base closed. The facility was turned over to the Ohio Air National Guard and renamed Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base.

The Franklin County Commissioners recognized that Rickenbacker's closure would have a "significant impact on the Central Ohio area, and... early reuse of the base would be in the best interest of these communities." As a result, the Commissioners formed a steering committee late in 1978 to propose alternative ways of using the excessed military property. This committee was formed out of the Central Ohio Economic Development Council and was headed by the president of Battelle Memorial Institute. The committee's report, released in March 1979, proposed that the County Commissioners create a port authority under Section 4582.02 of the Ohio Revised Code to receive and redevelop the property released by the military. This Section (the "Port Authority Law") was enacted in 1955 and allowed local governments to create agencies whose purpose was to oversee water or air transportation facilities and to promote their use and economic development. In the 1960s, a port authority in Toledo acquired a former municipally owned airport; this port authority was the precedent for the steering committee's proposal. On April 2, 1979, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners voted to establish the Rickenbacker Port Authority (RPA). The mission of RPA, as defined in the resolution, was to receive and redevelop any land released for civilian use and to enter into a joint-use agreement with the Air Force to maintain the operation of the airfield. The Commissioners envisioned that the property would be a good site for an industrial park.

1980 - 1990
The Rickenbacker Port Authority emerges

On June 23, 1980, RPA was activated with the appointment of the first members of the Board. The initial staff of RPA was provided by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Council. That agency's director, Lynn F. Kusy, was named as RPA's first director. The nine-member board was composed of Columbus Mayor Tom Moody; County Commissioners Michael J. Dorrian, Harold M. Cooper, and Jack Foulk; Realtor Roger C. Perry; local banking executives Norman Folpe, John P. Hamill, and Warren Tyler; and the local AFL-CIO President John Hodges. (The County Commissioners continued to serve on the RPA Board until 1987, when they were advised by legal staff that this might constitute a conflict of interest).

RPA and the United States Government entered into a joint use agreement and lease on January 21, 1982. Under this agreement, RPA was authorized to permit civil aircraft to use the airfield and agreed to assume responsibility for airfield operation and maintenance by January 1987. (An amendment to the agreement dated November 17, 1989 extended this transition date to September 30, 1990). The Air Force was to be airfield manager and RPA a tenant until the transition to RPA control, when these roles would be reversed. The government agreed to coordinate the operation of any military aircraft with scheduled civil operations, except in the event of the need for prompt military aircraft movements. The military was to provide fire protection for both military and civil operations, but only so long as such services were needed for military activity. As reimbursement for the government's costs, RPA agreed to pay a joint-use fee of $150,000 per year plus any expenses incurred for fire-fighting and other services. In October 1990, the Department of the Air Force transferred control of the airport to RPA.

The first development occurred at Rickenbacker in 1985 with the establishment of an air cargo hub and bulk sorting facility for the Flying Tigers. Flying Tigers was sold to Federal Express in 1989 and most operations moved.

To encourage development, Rickenbacker established Foreign-Trade Zone No. 138 in 1987.

1991-2001
Industrial Development Takes-Off

Throughout the 1990s Rickenbacker developed into the high-speed logistics hub that it is today.

In 1992, Development of the Rickenbacker Industrial Park started with the location of Spiegel/Eddie Bauer and Siemens.

The Franklin County Commissioners and RPA created the Franklin Community Improvement Corporation (FCIC) in 1994 as a private, non-profit corporation under Chapter 1728 of the Ohio Revised Code to assist with development at Rickenbacker.

U.S. Customs relocated their offices to Rickenbacker in 1996.

2002
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority

In late 2002, the City of Columbus, Franklin County and the Columbus Municipal Airport Authority approved the merger of Rickenbacker Port Authority and the Columbus Airport Authority, forming the new Columbus Regional Airport Authority effective January 1, 2003.

2007
Rickenbacker Celebrates 65th Anniversary; Hosts the Gathering of Mustangs & Legends 

In 2007, Rickenbacker International Airport celebrated 65 years of rich aviation history and hosted the Gathering of Mustangs & Legends, a once-in-a-lifetime aviation event that shared the history of the P-51 Mustang aircraft and honored the heroes of World War II. The four-day event attracted more than 150,000 guests from around the world and allowed the Columbus Regional Airport Authority to highlight the history of Rickenbacker, including the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen.

More information on the history of Rickenbacker can be found in the book "Crossroads of Liberty" by Rob Stroup. Learn about the book at www.Crossroadsofliberty.com.