The Rise of Ogden’s Airport
Written By Lynn R. Blamires & Catherine Tarbet-Webb for My Local Utah
Commercial Photography by 360 ELEVATED™ Marketing. Advertising and Public Relations.
The Rise of Ogden’s Airport
The Legacy of Car Dealerships to Disneyland®
Ogden-Hinckley Airport’s beginnings started 130 miles south, in the little town of Mount Pleasant, Utah, with Robert H. Hinckley. He was successful in his early years serving as Mayor of Mount Pleasant, as a state legislator, and as the owner of the first Hinckley Dodge dealership. While life in a small town suited him well, he had family ties in Ogden. Hoping for opportunities in the big city, he and his wife Abrelia moved to Ogden and opened the second Hinckley Dodge dealership. It was a big success, but his heart was not on the ground in automobiles but in the air as in aviation. The same year he opened the Dodge dealership, he co-founded Utah Pacific Airways (UPA) with his missionary companion, Dean Brimhall. They both shared a great interest in flight and hoped to advance and bring this incredible method of travel closer to home.
The original airport was in South Ogden, near where Ogden Regional Hospital, formerly St. Benedict’s Hospital, currently sits. UPA sold airplanes, offered charter flights, and operated a flight school. The airport consisted of three gravel runways, and despite the airport’s reputation for risky landings, the flight school had a perfect safety record with no pilot, student, or passenger deaths. Ardeth “Art” Mortenson managed the first airport and said, “In the early days, they were all close calls; every flight was.” Eventually, Art bought Utah Pacific Airways from Robert and Dean, and it became the most significant fixed base operation in the Western region. The United States Army Air Force used the airfield during World War II. These three became friends. Art stayed in Ogden and later became the operator of the new Ogden-Hinckley Airport after it moved to its current location in 1943.
Hinckley had a knack for bringing people together to get things done. He used these talents to help with relief efforts during the Great Depression. President Roosevelt noticed his work and was asked to oversee the Roosevelt New Deal projects. He used WPA labor to build airports. In 1938, he was appointed to head the Civil Aeronautics Authority, which later became the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Robert brought Dean to Washington as his assistant and tackled their first job – the construction of the Washington National Airport, now Reagan National Airport.
Focusing on his love of flying, Hinckley wanted to get as many pilots trained to fly as possible. He saw aviation as critical to the future of the nation. He envisioned training civilian pilots in partnership with colleges and universities nationwide. Weber College in Ogden was one of the first training centers to come on board. The original Ogden Airport became a non-college training site. Trainees could focus on the principles of flying without the additional load of a college curriculum. Between Hinckley, Brimhall, and Mortenson, a lot of effort went into making a workable nationwide effort to train pilots. Because of this program, the nation avoided a severe shortage of qualified pilots as the country entered World War II.
The number of pilots prepared for military duty went from 25,000 to 100,000 because of Hinckley’s program. Overall, the program produced over 80,000 pilots. A remarkable note about this program is that women and people of color were welcome to learn how to fly. The famous Tuskegee Airmen came out of this training program. Gail Halverson, the famed “Candy Bomber,” also trained in this program. He thought he was “too poor” to go to college. Hinckley signed his pilot’s license in Germany and became fast friends.
With the war, the program moved from civilian to military training. While Mortenson managed the Ogden Airport, he oversaw the training of 500 Navy V5 Cadets. Both Hinckley and Brimhall sent sons to war. While Hinckley’s boys came home, Brimhall’s son did not. After the war, Robert wanted to move the airport to a more secure location where wind and weather conditions would improve. He also felt that it was ready for expansion. Hinckley successfully lobbied Washington, and land was procured where the Ogden Airport is currently situated. The community wanted Hinckley’s name to be associated with the airport, so it became The Ogden-Hinckley Airport and was dedicated on October 4, 1943.
With the opening of the new airport, Western Airlines arrived in 1944, operating a route between Los Angeles and Great Falls, Montana. Ogden was one of many stops on the route falling between Salt Lake City and Pocatello, Idaho. Western Airlines offered both mail and passenger service. United Airlines began serving Ogden in 1946 as one of many stops on a transcontinental route between San Francisco and New York. Both carriers pulled out in 1959. West Coast Airlines replaced them until it pulled out in 1961. In 1964, Thunderbird Airlines began air taxi flights to Salt Lake City. The carrier changed its name to Key Airlines in 1969 and again to Sun Valley Key in 1972.
All service ended by 1976, and Ogden saw no other service for the next 36 years. Allegiant Air began passenger service in 2012 to Mesa/Phoenix. They successfully used the A-320 Airbus, which can hold 180 passengers. In May 2021, Avelo Airlines started service to Burbank-Los Angeles with Boeing -737-800 aircraft with 188 seats. Both companies ended service in 2022. Allegiant because of a lack of pilots to fly the route, and Avelo cited the high fuel cost.
Today, the airport is home to general aviation, flight schools, and aviation companies. Three fixed-base operators (FBOs) provide fueling services at Ogden-Hinckley Airport and other aviation services: Kemp Jet Services, CB Jet Center, and Mountain Valley Aviation. Other companies at the airport offer aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul. There are also two flight schools at OGD. Ogden-Hinckley Airport is billed as Utah’s busiest municipal airport for private planes. More than 400 General Aviation airplanes call the facility home. With the recent addition of commercial and charter passenger services, the airport is growing rapidly.
On February 21, 2024, OGD began to offer commercial air service again. Breeze Airways’ Ogden-Hinckley service to the John Wayne-Orange County Airport in California is scheduled four days a week. Breeze Airways is a local, low-cost airline headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, and has been serving Provo since 2022. They currently have nonstop service to 49 destinations. David Neeleman, co-founder of Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul Linhas Aereas, founded the airline. Breeze’s inaugural flight from Tampa International Airport to Charleston International Airport on May 27, 2021, launched the airline’s operation. Ogden City is excited to increase tourism to the vibrant city, including events, outdoor recreation, local restaurants, and more!
Our team recently visited the Ogden Airport to see the return of commercial airline service to Ogden-Hinckley Airport on Wednesday. Breeze Airways’ inaugural flight from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, to Ogden brought the airport’s first commercial airline passengers since 2022. In addition to the assembled crowd and event platters filled with sandwiches and fruit, passengers were greeted with balloons, mini confetti cannons, and gift bags as they entered the terminal. Many on hand witnessed and were impressed by the airport’s expansion in preparation for Breeze Airways’ first flight. The work is significant, and the facilities will serve commercial travel well.
Maintenance complex & airport improvements on the west side began in May 2022. Creating a west entrance and grading/cleanup was completed by November of that same year. Utility upgrades (gas, sewage, power, water, & telecommunications) were ongoing but completed in December 2023. A new 120-foot air traffic control tower replaces the old 64-foot tower; the project was 100% funded and managed by the FAA. Give yourself extra time and go hungry; we noticed the eatery inside the building – The Bickering Sisters. They have elevated diner food that will have you visiting the airport without flight plans.
Flights to the John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, with airfare costing as little as $44 per flight, are scheduled for mid-day on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Their planes offer three comfort levels – Nice, Nicer, and Nicest, with premium seating options in the aircraft’s “Ascent” cabin, including large windows and internet access via Wi-Fi. But why start with the Orange County destination? The simple answer is Disneyland®. While most Disneyland® guests come from somewhere in California, people also come from other states. Chief among those states is Utah and Nevada. In short, flying from Ogden to Disneyland® is a BREEZE!