Airport of the Month – Sky Harbor/Duluth – DYT

Seven miles from end to end, Park Point in Duluth is the world's longest freshwater sand bar. In 1871 a ship channel was excavated on the northwest end making Park Point an island, after which ferry service was used for access. A gondola that carried goods and people across the channel replaced the ferry then the famous lift bridge was opened in 1930. The Duluth lift bridge is the world's fastest, being able to rise the required 138 feet in just 55 seconds.

At the other end of the sand bar, the Duluth Airport Authority has a new arrival/departure building at the Sky Harbor Airport. Accessibility and efficiency were among many issues with the old building, although its location was perfect. A short study indicated that replacement would be more cost effective than remodeling, so the design process was initiated and 18 months later the new building was dedicated. That timeline is close to a miracle in public works construction.

At the same time, a Snow Removal Equipment (SRE) building was constructed. Airport machinery was previously housed in the hangar adjacent to the A/D Building so now there's more space to store aircraft.

Recognizing the importance of Sky Harbor Airport to the state and national aviation systems, the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration funded significant percentages of the $2.66 million project.

The new terminal building has all the required amenities plus a gorgeous patio for meeting in the fresh air or a fly-in picnic. There's an indoor meeting space and a waiting area, plus restrooms and flight planning. WIFI is free. Lots of windows provide passive solar heating and a spectacular view of the Duluth/Superior Harbor.

Aircraft with floats, skis and wheels can all be accommodated at Sky Harbor. Next to the new building is a ramp allowing easy changeover to wheels for float planes or for amphibians to enter or leave the water. There's lots of apron space. Complete aircraft maintenance is available. There's fuel service at both the apron and the seaplane dock. The airport has a courtesy car with a two-hour limit on use or there's always a taxi.

Downtown Duluth is a convenient five miles away including the hotels and restaurants at Canal Park. Unlike many smaller airports there's public transportation from Sky Harbor. Four hundred meters north of the terminal building there's a bus stop in the city park. The neighborhood around the airport is a fun place too. The park has a beach house to change in for a "bracing" swim in Lake Superior. A nature trail parallels the shore to a pine grove east of the airport.

Park Point is also known as Minnesota Point and is where Duluth was born. Ojibwa called it 'Onigamiinsing," or Little Portage since it was a convenient place to carry canoes from the St. Louis River to Lake Superior. Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, visited the Ojibwa community in 1679. Sieur is roughly "sir" or man in English, and Lhut is a lute so Duluth is named for a Frenchman who probably had musical talent. Appropriately Duluth is well known for music that includes classical from the Duluth-Superior Symphony and several contemporary venues.

In 1852 the Europeans came to stay and built a trading post on Park Point followed by the first house in 1854 that later morphed into a saloon. About 1900 the Duluth Boat Club had a rather ornate building on Park Point. The Boat Club's structure wasn't as nice as the new terminal at Sky Harbor, but it did have a connection to aviation.

Julius Barnes was president of the Boat Club in 1913 when he purchased a Benoist flying boat that he named "The Lark of Duluth." He based it at the Boat Club and operated from the harbor that summer. Later the Benoist became the first airplane used for scheduled air service flying for the St. Petersburg – Tampa Airboat Line. The flight was 22 miles and took 23 minutes.

Barnes had the first airplane based at Park Point and might have been the first Minnesotan to own a practical aircraft, but it only had one passenger seat, so it wasn't much of an airliner. A century or so later about 25 airplanes called Sky Harbor home, and the owners probably find them more useful than the "Lark."