George "Pappy" Wedekind first flew into what became the Middletown Hook Field Airport in 1924.By 1926 he was operating a flying service from a barn on the field.In 1932 Larry Schmidlapp and Pappy formed Wedekind-Schmidlapp Flying Service and later in the yearpurchased the Queen City Flying Service of Cincinnati. Pappy continued to operate from both 

locations until after the business was sold in1961. George Crout used this slide, No. 46 of 80, ina slide program titled "Middletown Story Pt.2."They can be found by using exact phrase search;"Slide File 18 (1-80)."The text reads:The plant was built on a site adjacent to the Middletown Municipal Airport, which had opened in 1926.

Updated: 10:52 p.m.Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009 | Posted: 10:51 p.m.Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009

Business jumping at Middletown airport
Skydiving team to base operations at Hook Field

By Ryan Gauthier

Staff Writer

    MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Municipal Airport has finally received “theshot in the arm it has been looking for,” said manager Rich Bevis.

    CityCouncil approved a lease with Start Skydiving on Dec. 1, agreeing to constructa $350,000 hangar expansion to lure the company’s premier skydiving team fromthe Warren County Airport to Middletown. Team Fast Trax —encompassing nearly 70 employees — have packed their bags and will soon make Middletown their home.

    Founderand team member John Hart said his team is hoping to create a world-classskydiving center in Middletown.

    “Cincinnati has the Bengals, now Middletown has Fast Trax,” he said. “We’re excited to get in here andstart jumping.”

    Beviscalled the deal a “coup for Middletown,” noting the businesshad an estimated $13 million economic impact in Warren County last year.

    “Peopleare going to come from as far away as Japan, China and Russia just to learn skydiving from these guys,” Bevis said.“Restaurants, hotels, bars, you name it and it will probably benefit from theteam coming to Middletown.”

    Thelease is currently being finalized by the city, Bevis said, with constructionon the new hangar expected to begin in early 2010.

    “In atime where things are going down for most businesses, we’re actually going up,”Bevis said.

    Inaddition to paying rent on the new facility, Bevis said the team also will burnthrough approximately 60,000 gallons of jet fuel every year. The going rate fora gallon of jet fuel is approximately $3.50, he said.

    Hartsaid he has been looking to relocate to Middletown for several years now, as the operation has outgrown itscurrent facilities. Hart said the group did more than 30,000 separate diveslast year alone, training an estimated 1,400 new students in the process.

    “Ourgoal is to be here indefinitely,” Hart said. “We know we’ll be goodfor Middletown. This community has really embraced us in the past and we justflat-out want to be here.”

    DavidDuritsch, Middletown’s public works and utilities director, said Fast Traxcoming to town is an “important first step in turning the corner” for theairport. Four years after pouring $1.5 million into the facility to purchasethe airport’s hangars, he said the city is still paying off that debt.

    Duritschestimates the up to $350,000 investment will be paid off within the first fiveyears of Fast Trax’s 20-year lease. The team also is investing as much as$225,000 of its own to cover the interior of the expansion, Duritsch said.