DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport

During World War II, the U.S. Navy chose DeKalb to be the site for the manufacture of drone TDR-1 aircraft and built an airport on the city's east side. This early airport consisted of an airfield and a large hangar that were fenced and guarded around the clock. DeKalb was chosen because Wurlitzer, a piano manufacturer known for its expertise in the production of wood products, was located there.

Interstate Aircraft and Engineering Corporation (based in El Segundo, California) assembled planes at the new airport in DeKalb.Selig, Nicholas C., "Forgotten Chicago Airfields." Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2014 -- Chapter on "DeKalb Airport" (ebook not paginated). Powered by two Lycoming O-435 engines of 220 horsepower (160 kW) each, the TDR-1 used a remarkably simple design, with a steel-tube frame constructed by the Schwinn bicycle company and covered with a molded wood skin.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_TDR%7Ctitle=Wikip article in "Interstate TDR." The TDR-1s were remote controlled and had a TV camera in the nose, and a rotary dial was used to steer them from another aircraft. About 200 drones were built, tested, and boxed at the DeKalb Airport. The aircraft were shipped to the South Pacific, where they were used against the enemy during World War II.″Flying high: On the record ... with Tom Cleveland" in The Midweek, Dec. 16, 2014 -- https://www.midweeknews.com/2014/12/12/flying-high/a75tihu/{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Interstate Aircraft went out of business in 1948, and, at that time, the City of DeKalb purchased the airport runways and modest facilities. The city named it the DeKalb Municipal Airport.

Willard Rue "Pete" Taylor was a DeKalb pilot, entrepreneur and airplane enthusiast. Even before the city of DeKalb had its own airport, Taylor ran two separate airfields in the cornfields around DeKalb. He also ran an airplane salvage business and sold airplane parts. As part of his flying service, he gave flying lessons, ran charter flights, flew his sick neighbors to hospitals, gave airplane rides to local children, and began crop dusting, which was a first for DeKalb. In 1948, Taylor was named the first airport manager of the new DeKalb Municipal Airport, and he held this position until 1962. He was also granted a lease at the new airport, and he moved his business, Taylor Flying Service, there."For Pete's Sake: DeKalb Airport was 'Taylor' Made," in "The Daily Chronicle," July 15, 2001: De Kalb, IL, page 25.

When the City of DeKalb acquired the airport in 1948, the buildings had not been in use since the end of World War II in 1945. The plumbing was in bad shape and the roofs in disrepair. Taylor handled repairs and improvements. He built 13 hangars and a repair shop, and even added a restaurant operated by his wife and fellow pilot, Ethel Taylor.

Taylor was a prominent DeKalb citizen, who served as a DeKalb Alderman, served on several city committees, and was influential in the airport's and community's history. After his death in 1983, in his honor, the city of DeKalb renamed the airport to DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport. In 2001, Taylor was inducted into the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilavhalloffame.org/members_01.htm|title=Illinois Aviation Hall Of Fame, 2001 Inductees|last=|first=|date=|website=www.ilavhalloffame.org|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080427203956/http://www.ilavhalloffame.org:80/members_01.htm |archive-date=2008-04-27 |access-date=2020-02-11}}

File:Interstate TDR parts at DeKalb.jpg, Sep 2017.jpg

In November 2019, Tom Cleveland, then Airport Manager, working with the Prairie State Aviation Museum in Bloomington, was able to secure a TDR-1 fuselage for the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport. Roger Keys, historian and DeKalb's local TDR-1 drone expert, currently has wings, a canopy, landing gear, propellers, and numerous other items in his collection. In the future, the airport hopes to reconstruct an entire TDR-1 and have a TDR-1 drone display.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityofdekalb.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=433|title=DeKalb, IL|access-date=2020-02-11|archive-date=2020-08-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807143647/https://cityofdekalb.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=433|url-status=dead}}

The airport accepted funds from the federal CARES Act during the COVID-19 pandemic to address issues such as personnel staffing and replacing snow equipment.{{Cite web |title= FAA Offering Airport Grants To Help With COVID-related Costs |url=https://www.northernpublicradio.org/news/2021-02-18/faa-offering-airport-grants-to-help-with-covid-related-costs |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=Northern Public Radio|date=18 February 2021 }}

The International Aerobatics Club, a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association, operates a chapter at DeKalb. The chapter celebrates International Aerobatics Day with aerobatics practice and club events.{{Cite web |title= DeKalb aviation group celebrates International Aerobatics Day with local events |url=https://www.shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/news/local/2022/06/21/dekalb-aviation-group-celebrates-international-aerobatics-day-with-local-events/ |access-date=2022-07-05 |website=Shaw Local News|date=21 June 2022 }}

KDKB has two runways: runway 2/20 measures 7,026 ft x 100 ft (2,142 m x 30 m), and runway 9/27 measures 4,201 ft x 75 ft (1,280 m x 23 m). All runways are surfaced with asphalt and grooved.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dekalbairport.com/facilities.htm |title=Runway Information Dekalb | GPS Approaches DeKalb | Pilot Controlled Lighting | Unicom Availability for Large end Aircraft | Self Serve Fuel |access-date=2009-09-03 |archive-date=2010-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100126153932/http://dekalbairport.com/facilities.htm |url-status=dead }} Runway 02 is equipped with an instrument landing system (ILS), which allows for precision instrument approaches. GPS approaches can be made to all runways.{{Cite web|url=http://www.airnav.com/airport/KDKB|title = AirNav: KDKB - de Kalb Taylor Municipal Airport}} Runway 2/20 is fully suitable for take-offs of corporate aircraft, such as the Boeing Business Jet, for non-stop flights to Europe and China.{{cite web | url=http://www.jetadvisors.com/aircrafts/bbj.htm | title=Boeing Business Jet Private Jet Consulting by Jet Advisors }}

For the 12 month period ending February 28, 2021, there were an average of 74 daily aircraft operations per day: 73% transient general aviation, 23% local general aviation, and 4% air taxi operations. For the same time period, there were 71 aircraft based at this airport: 60 single-engine and 11 multi-engine airplanes.{{cite web | title = AirNav: KDKB – De Kalb Taylor Municipal Airport|url=https://www.airnav.com/airport/KDKB | website=AirNav.com |access-date=2022-07-05}}{{cite web | title = KDKB – De Kalb Taylor Municipal Airport|url=https://skyvector.com/airport/DKB/De-Kalb-Taylor-Municipal-Airport | website=SkyVector|access-date=2022-07-05}}

DeKalb Flight Center, which is the airport's fixed-base operator (FBO), provides a wide range of airport services, including the following: Avgas 100LL and Jet A fuel, aircraft parking (ramp or tiedown), aircraft de-icing, hangars, hangar leasing / sales, GPU / power cart, flight training, charter services, aircraft rental and aircraft parts.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cityofdekalb.com/DTMA/DTMAINFO.pdf |title=DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport |access-date=2009-09-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128162007/http://www.cityofdekalb.com/DTMA/DTMAINFO.pdf |archive-date=2007-01-28 |url-status=dead }} Wireless LAN (WLAN) access is available to all DeKalb Flight Center customers.

While no public transit service is provided directly to the airport, DeKalb Public Transit provides bus service nearby.

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