Originally called Hulman Field, the airport dates to 1943 when ground was broken on a 638-acre (2.58 km2) site donated to the city of Terre Haute by businessman Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. The airport was dedicated on October 3, 1944, and had three runways, taxiways, apron area, and a terminal building. Trans World Airlines (TWA) began the first commercial air service to the airport. In 1953, a new terminal and control tower were completed and the apron expanded. Since 1954, the 181st Intelligence Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard has been stationed at the airport.
In 1976, the city of Terre Haute and Vigo County jointly formed an authority to manage the airport. The Terre Haute Regional Airport Authority has six board members, with three appointed by the mayor of Terre Haute and three appointed by the Vigo County commissioners. The terminal was expanded in 1977 and 1981. In 1998 the name was changed from Hulman Regional Airport to Terre Haute International Airport - Hulman Field, primarily due to U.S. Postal Service contractor Evergreen Airlines using the airport as a hub, which has since closed.
Hulman Field formerly hosted the Terre Haute Air Fair. Performers included the USAF Thunderbirds, the Red Baron Pizza Squadron, and Michael Hunter, the world's only insulin-dependent aerobatics pilot. The Air Fair was run almost entirely by volunteers, including some from community organizations and school organizations looking for fundraising opportunities.
In 2016, the airport received a $3.5 million federal grant to fund repairs to a runway.[3] The airport was the third busiest airport in the state of Indiana in 2016.[4]
In 2017, work began on a $1.1 million project to upgrade the exterior of a terminal building at the airport.[5] The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 included a $24 million federal grant for a military construction project at the airport that will support the operations of the Indiana National Guard's 181st Intelligence Wing.[6]
In summer 2018, the United States Navy's flight exhibition team, the Blue Angels, performed at Terre Haute Regional Airport.[7][8] The airshow attracted more than 55,000 people over the course of the weekend and was a major success for the airport.[9]
Lake Central Airlines served Terre Haute from 1954, replacing Delta-C&S, with flights to Chicago and Indianapolis, each making one-stop. Lake Central merged into Allegheny Airlines in 1968 and service continued until 1973.[12]
Britt Airways, which had its headquarters at Terre Haute, took over for Allegheny in 1973 operating as Allegheny Commuter to Chicago and Indianapolis. In 1981, Britt began operating under its own identity and added new service to St. Louis. Britt was sold to People Express in 1985 and the flights to Chicago then began operating under a code-share relationship with People Express. Service to Indianapolis and St. Louis was discontinued. New service to Dayton was operated in 1985 and 1986 as Piedmont Commuter on behalf of Piedmont Airlines. In 1986 People Express was sold to Texas Air Corporation which also owned Continental Airlines and by 1987, the flights to Chicago began operating as Continental Express. Britt's scheduled service to Terre Haute ended in 1989 but the company continued operating its headquarters at the airport until 1996 while it became the primary regional feeder carrier for Continental Airlines.[13]
American Eagle, operating on behalf of American Airlines, briefly served Terre Haute in 1986 with flights to Nashville. American Eagle returned in 1989 taking over the service to Chicago which continued into 1993.[16]
Lone Star Airlines served the airport from 1991 through 1994 with flights to St. Louis.[17]
Branson Air Express announced service in February 2010, but the airline later cancelled those plans, citing weak demand.[20] There is currently no scheduled commercial service at Terre Haute Regional Airport.
The unit served in World War II, flying anti-submarine patrol along the East Coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. It was also activated for the Korean War and the Berlin Crisis of 1961. In 1962 it was established as a fighter unit, the 181st Tactical Fighter Group (181 TFG), operationally-gained by the Tactical Air Command (TAC). Initially using the RF-84F Thunderstreak, the unit transitioned to the F-84F Thunderstreak in 1964, the F-100D/F Super Sabre in 1971, the F-4 Phantom II in 1979, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1991. Known as the Racers, the then-181 TFG participated in the first Gulf War from 1990 to 1991. With the disestablishment of TAC in 1992, the unit was redesignated the 181st Fighter Group (181 FG) and operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC). In 1995, it was redesignated as the 181st Fighter Wing (181 FW) and deployed to Kuwait on two separate occasions in support of Operation Southern Watch.
On September 11, 2001, the 181 FW flew combat air patrols over the Midwestern United States less than four hours after the attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. The wing drastically increased its operations tempo, deployed members and equipment to 19 countries, and simultaneously supported seven different military operations, including Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Joint Forge, Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Deep Freeze, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In 2005, concurrent with an Air Force initiative to phase out F-16C/D aircraft Block 30 and older, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) mandated the end of flying operations for the 181 FW. On September 8, 2007, the wing's F-16C Block 30s flew their last training mission out of Terre Haute Regional Airport/Hulman Field Air National Guard Base. The wing's squadrons were redesignated as a Distributive Ground Station (DGS) and an Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) and on May 3, 2008, the 181st Fighter Wing was re-designated as the 181st Intelligence Wing (181 IW).
Runway 5/23: 9,021 ft × 150 ft (2,750 m × 46 m), surface: asphalt
Runway 14/32: 7,200 ft × 150 ft (2,195 m × 46 m), surface: asphalt/concrete
Indiana State University uses Hulman Field for its aviation program. The USAF uses Hulman Field for worldwide command and control of remote control surveillance aircraft. Hulman Field can also support the F-16 and larger military aircraft on an "as needed" basis.
Accidents
On January 30, 1984, a Swearingen Merlin operated by Britt Airways entered a steep descent after takeoff from HUF and crashed 6,300 feet (1,900 m) past the runway end and 1,800 feet (550 m) left of the extended centerline. All three occupants, employees of Britt Airways, were killed.[21]
^"Terre Haute International Airport gets $3.5 million grant for runway work". Pharos-Tribune (Logansport, Indiana). November 3, 2016.
^"Terre Haute Regional airport wins state honor". The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Indiana).
^Greninger, Howard (June 22, 2017). "Airport ready to unveil renovation work". The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Indiana).
^"President Trump Signs Sen. Donnelly's Provision Into Law Requiring Comprehensive Strategy to Confront North Korea" (press release). Office of Senator Joe Donnelly. December 12, 2017.
^Greninger, Howard (January 3, 2017). "Blue Angels coming to Terre Haute in 2018". The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Indiana).
^Taylor, Dave (August 15, 2018). "Valley women thrilled to fly with Navy's Blue Angels". The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Indiana).
^"Air Show still weighing refunds". The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Indiana). August 30, 2018.
