A 1940's WACO Biplane parked in the “Cottage” where Tina and Steve Thomas and their guests visit while grounded at the Poplar Grove Airport.
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POPLAR GROVE — In the 1960s, the world was changing steadily. In the countryside of Boone County, things weren’t much different.
Side-by-side, dairy farmer Dick Thomas and his son, Steve, tended to cows and worked the land that had been in their family since the 1800s.
A fellow farmer came by to purchase an outbuilding from Dick in 1967. Rather than come up the lane in a pickup truck, he arrived in a small craft airplane, landing alongside the pasture.
“He took me up for a ride. I was 15. I said, ‘Ooh! This is it! This is a whole new world.’ And it seemed more exciting and more fun than milking cows, baling hay and shoveling manure,” Steve said.
From that moment forward, flying would become an instrumental part of his life.
His father also was bit by the bug. Their mutual and instant attraction to flight got the wheels rolling and in 1972, using a portion of the farmland, Dick opened the first airport in Boone County.
Both received their pilot’s license and learned the ins and outs of running a successful small airport.
The lay of the land has changed dramatically. The two cattle sheds became hangars, the fields became runways, and the fresh dairy air has given way to flight patterns with contrails.
Dick sold the property to Steve, and over time, it was annexed and Belvidere Airport got more than a new name.
Poplar Grove Airport has since grown into a complete aeronautics community.
Adjoining the airport, Aircraft Maintenance Poplar Grove Airmotive isn’t just a maintenance shop, Steve said They inspect, provide maintenance and complete large tasks, including overhauling piston aircraft engines.
“We have customers we ship to as far away as Guam, Indonesia and Korea,” he said.
Bordering the outskirts as well is Bel Air Estates, a subdivision where residents have access to runways adjacent to their driveways. They have hangars next to their garages, all of which was another one of Steve’s visions that came to fruition.
Neighboring Poplar Grove Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum land was donated by the Thomas family. It offers outreach programs, flight camps and scholarships.
There is also a flight school at the airport where students as young as 14 can learn to fly.
“We have lots of past students who became instructors and are now captains for major airlines,” Steve said. “One of our instructors now looks to be headed in that direction, too.”
His wife, Tina, who he met in college, was studying to be a nurse. He took her up for her first flight in 1975. She ended up falling head-over-heels in love, and not just with Steve. By 1976, she had her pilot’s license.
“She had another instructor," Steve said. "Like teaching your wife to drive a car, it’s not a good idea,” he joked.
The former RN who worked at OSF St. Anthony's Medical Center underwent a career change and became an instructor.
“We had kids, and she took some time off,” Steve said. “She has since more than made up for it. She flies much more than I do.”
“I love it. Everyone here is very passionate," said Tina. "We have a great student base, great people from all walks of life coming through.”
As the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, a fly-in convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that attracts more than 500,000 people and 10,000 airplanes each July, approached hundreds of pilots landed on their doorstep.
"We are a part of the traditional pilgrimage to Oshkosh and we are very honored to have them," Tina said.
“It’s the largest airshow in the world. Lots of people come from all over the United States," Steve said. "They fly all day and end up here to rest, fuel up, take a break or visit. Some stay the night, pitch a tent or stop for a meal. They love to come here and have fun, and we love having them.”
Myrna Siegrist, 57, of Kirkland, recently began taking lessons. Her husband, Gary, is a pilot and she wanted to be prepared in case something ever went wrong when he's at the helm.
A few short months ago, Myrna said she was so tense her body would ache during those first classes.
“It’s intimidating, but fun. It was scary, but also gives you confidence, so you grow as a person,” she said.
Although the Thomas’ love what they do, it isn’t all fun and games. It is big business. Three years ago, the Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study revealed that aviation contributes $41 billion annually to the Illinois economy.
On May 14, at the Illinois Aviation Conference held in Rockford, Poplar Grove Airport was one of seven Illinois airports to be recognized by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“They awarded us the best privately owned, open to the public airport in the state. We are really proud of it,” Steve said.
About Poplar Grove Airport
Address: 11619 Route 76, Poplar Grove
Information: 815-544-3471; poplargroveairmotive.com
Story and photo gallery: http://www.rrstar.com
Myrna Siegrist cleans her Cessna 150, after returning from a lesson at the Poplar Grove Airport.
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