Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, Kansas City

By 1930, TWA operated one of the first coast-to-coast air routes, which included an overnight stop in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1931, TWA moved its headquarters there from New York City. Today, 21 years after TWA was acquired by American Airlines, flyers can relive the glory days with a visit to the TWA Museum at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City (Missouri).

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC)

As its name suggests, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport is in downtown Kansas City, on a sharp bend in the Missouri River. The airport replaced the first Kansas City airport and was dedicated as New Richards Field in 1927 by Charles Lindbergh. Later, it became Kansas City Municipal Airport until Kansas City International Airport (MCI) was built for the jet age in 1972, when it was renamed for the mayor. Today, Charles B. Wheeler is used for corporate and recreational aviation.

It’s also home to two museums dedicated to the history of airlines, the National Airline History Museum and the TWA Museum. Obviously, the TWA Museum primarily contains artifacts from TWA, but so does the National Airline History Museum, although it is dedicated to airline history in general. The TWA Museum is housed in the original airport terminal building and the National Airline History Museum is in a hangar across the field.

The National Airline History Museum displays numerous historic airliners, including a Lockheed Constellation, Boeing 727, Douglas DC–8, Lockheed L–1011 TriStar, Martin 404, and more. But, maybe the most interesting artifact is not an airliner, but a spacecraft...or a model of one.

In the mid-1950s, Walt Disney collaborated with Wernher Von Braun and Howard Hughes (owner of TWA) to envision what a passenger moon rocket might look like. From 1955 to 1967, a 76-foot-tall “TWA Moonliner” model stood outside the “Rocket to the Moon” ride at Disneyland, which gave visitors the sensation of a moon flight. By 1967, when TWA sponsorship ended, the Moonliner was removed, and its fate is currently unknown. In 1956, Hughes placed a smaller, 38-foot replica of the Moonliner on the Kansas City TWA headquarters, and this replica now resides at the National Airline History Museum.

The TWA Museum tells the story of the airline’s role in pioneering commercial aviation, primarily through exhibits of memorabilia collected from past employees. Visitors can view TWA uniforms, first-class China dinnerware, tiki glasses, playing cards, and even cigarettes that were offered to passengers. The museum also features flight simulators, aircraft models, and some historic TWA airliners.

Barbecue

It’s worth a landing at Charles B. Wheeler just to pick up some Kansas City barbecue, a style characterized by slowly smoked meat seasoned with a dry spice rub, and slathered with thick, sweet sauce made of brown sugar, molasses, and tomatoes. KC barbecue uses a variety of meats, including pork, beef, chicken, turkey, and sausage, and restaurants offer their own unique sauces with varying balances of sweet and spicy.

Kansas City is home to more than 100 barbecue joints, several which are nationally known. Each year, the city hosts major barbecue cooking contests, including the American Royal World Series of Barbecue, the world’s largest barbecue competition. For serious meat heads, you should join the Kansas City Barbeque Society.

Sights to see in KC

Kansas City’s National World War I Museum and Memorial is the nation’s official World War I memorial and museum. The museum’s collection is one of the world’s largest, with more than 75,000 artifacts, including a French Renault tank, weapons, uniforms, and personal objects that were carried into battle. Climb to the top of the 217-foot Liberty Tower for a view of the city.

The Frontier Army Museum is an Army-operated museum, located on Fort Leavenworth, and tells the story of the Frontier Army’s role in the Western expansion of America and the fort’s history. The collection includes a “prairie schooner” that carried settlers across the frontier and a Curtiss “Jenny” aircraft flown in Mexico during the hunt for Pancho Villa.

The Shoal Creek Living History Museum is an 80-acre museum that recreates a typical nineteenth-century village with 13 authentic buildings, dating from 1807 to 1885, relocated from the surrounding area. The museum really comes to life during special events when historic reenactors populate the village. The grounds are open daily, but the buildings are only open during special events.

Getting There

Kansas City makes a good stop on a cross-country flight, being along a direct route from Houston to Minneapolis or between Washington, D.C., and Denver. Wheeler Downtown Airport has two runways: 1/19 is 6,827 by 150 feet and 3/21 is 5,050 by 100 feet. Atlantic Aviation and Signature Flight Support can provide all the aircraft services you may need and self-serve 100LL is available 24/7. Numerous businesses offer aircraft maintenance and servicing, aircraft sales, charters, and flight instruction.

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