Lunken (KLUK)

In 1936, over 75,000 residents of Cincinnati gathered to dedicate a new passenger terminal. The terminal boasted nine ticket counters and a restaurant. Although the ticket counters are long gone, you can still visit and get a bite to eat in the Sky Galley restaurant.

Lunken has deep roots in aviation. The largest U.S. airline, American Airlines, was born here in the 1940's. Embry-Riddle started here. Aeronca produced the C-3 at Lunken; one now hangs in the terminal lobby. Charles Lindbergh landed here after flying the Spirit of St. Louis. One of the first all metal monoplanes, The Flamingo, was built here. The Beatles even flew in for a concert.

Yet, the best part of Lunken is that all those great moments aren't in the past. The airport is alive and well with a fairly large number of aircraft based on the field. One of the more notable is Flamingo Air (www.flamingoair.net ; 513-321-7465). They offer service to and from Chicago in a Cherokee Six. They also offer "Romantic Airplane Rides," which include Champagne, chocolates, and a very discreet pilot.

The local EAA Squadron 18 also calls themselves the Cincinnati Warbirds (www.cincinnatiwarbirds.org). They schedule rides in historic warbirds.

Lunken is also located in Cincinnati, a cosmopolitan Midwestern city. You can see the Bengals or Reds play a game, visit the Taft Museum of Art, or watch sharks swim over your head at the Newport Aquarium. You can rent from Enterprise in the terminal lobby or from Hertz at Odyssey Aviation.

When heading to Lunken, be sure to watch out for terrain. The airport's nickname is "Sunken Lunken" because it sits in a valley with some surrounding hills. The name also refers to some floods that practically covered the two story terminal.