PLANS TO CHANGE AIRPORT NAME GROUNDED, FOR NOW
Plans to change the name of the Indianapolis International Airport have been grounded, for now. A proposal to change add H. Weir Cook’s name to the Airport failed to garner a do-pass recommendation from the Council’s Rules Committee. Cook was a World War I aviation hero, shooting down more than a half dozen German planes during the conflict. His name was part of the Airport’s name until 1976 when it was changed to the Indianapolis International Airport. The vote was 3-3, which still allows the full Council to take up the proposal at its next meeting in June.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I see the plaque on the wall in the airport everyday but never googled the history. Thanks for the info!
May 27th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
There is a bright side to all this “Naming” of facilities: thankfully, there’s only one Reagan Airport.
Which is one too many.
May 28th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Try thinking just once. I’m sure you support the naming of the U.S. Post Office branch on MLK Drive after the late Rep. Julia Carson. It would, indeed, be a monument to underachievers everywhere.
May 28th, 2008 at 2:21 am
Wow, the Republicans on the council are really hitting those hard issues that those pesky Democrats won’t touch…like renaming the airport. Way to go!
Next up, flag lapel pins!
May 28th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Do we still even have any International flights now that ATA left?
In my opinion, code-sharing connecting flights to real international gateways don’t count, and neither do Fed-Ex freighters.
No international departures – no “international” in the name.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Hadn’t thought of that, Varan…great point.
There are some international charters that leave from the international gate here.
Rico: try though you might to undermine her achievements, the late Ms. Carson was a champion for many. That post office, in that neighborhood, is fitting.
Try moving on, huh?
May 28th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Yea, the democrats renamed a post office before Carson’s body was even cold. Can you imagine the outcry from the left if someone tried to take her name OFF of it.
Yet that is EXACTLY what happened to Weir Cook. Now they are just trying to put the name back where it belonged.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:43 am
Canada is STILL an international destination.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:45 am
In 50 years NO ONE will no who Julia Carson was. Just because WWI was before most of us were born doesn’t make his contribution any less. If that were the case, no need to name the PO after Julia.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Oh yeah, flights to Canada. Good point. I had forgotten that someone flew up there from here.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:34 am
I’ll have to admit that Weir Cook International has nice ring to it.
Indianapolis International sounds a bit 1970′s generic kinda like the architecture of the City County Building looks.
I say rename it Weir Cook and get a WWI biplane to be placed on display as a trib to Cook and other WWI fliers. Would be nice for visitors to take in.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:47 am
How about:
The Weir Cook Indianapolis International Airport?
May 28th, 2008 at 9:09 am
As an Indy native who liked the name “Hoosier Dome” since it was an apt name, getting the Weir Cook name back is a grand idea…so is fixing up the Taggart Memorial and the Ruins in Holliday Park…I have grown weary of the recently arrived bashing Indy and our history…folks, we live in an agricultural area that happens to have a metro area in the middle of it that was a better place to live prior to all of the out of state companies coming here to build warehouses in Plainfield, office buildings in Carmel and cheap housing everywhere. Folks used to know when deer season began, now we just have pro sports.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:24 am
A WWI aeroplane? Are you barking mad? ;)
After all that money spent by a bunch who wouldn’t know “art” if it bit them on the behind paying tons of money for the driveway entrance installation? It wouldn’t “fit” in with the concept of Indy for the 21st century, and BEYOND!….
May 28th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Some of these might be wrong, this was just a quick search. Better yet, why don’t we just sell off the naming rights to the highest bidder???
Amarillo – Rick Husband International Airport (AMA/KAMA)
Anchorage – Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC/PANC)
Atlanta – Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL/KATL)
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS/KAUS)
Boston – Logan International Airport (BOS/KBOS)
Bozeman – Gallatin Field Airport (BZN/KBZN)
Burbank – Bob Hope Airport (BUR/KBUR)
Champaign – Willard Airport (CMI/KCMI)
Charleston – Yeager Airport (CRW/KCRW)
Charlotte – Douglas Int´l Airport (CLT/KCLT)
Cleveland – Hopkins International Airport (CLE/KCLE)
Fargo – Hector International Airport (FAR/KFAR)
Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (FLG/KFLG)
Flint – Bishop International Airport (FNT/KFNT)
Grand Junction – Walker Field Airport (GJT/KGJT)
Grand Rapids – Gerald R Ford Int´l Airport (GRR/KGRR)
Houston – Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH/KIAH)
Houston – Ellington Field (EFD/KEFD)
Houston – William P Hobby Airport (HOU/KHOU)
Jackson – Evers Int´l Airport (JAN/KJAN)
Joe Foss Field – Sioux Falls Airport (FSD/KFSD)
Kansas City – Charles B Wheeler Downtown Airport (MCI/KMKC)
Knoxville – McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS/KTYS)
Las Vegas – McCarran International Airport (LAS/KLAS)
Long Island – MacArthur Airport (ISP/KISP)
Milwaukee – General Mitchell Int´l Airport (MKE/KMKE)
Missoula Int´l – Johnson-Bell Field Airport (MSO/KMSO)
Morgantown Municipal – Walter L Bill Hart Airpor (MGW/KMGW)
New Orleans – Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY/KMSY)
New York – John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK/KJFK)
New York – La Guardia Airport (LGA/KLGA)
Oklahoma City-Will Rogers World Airport (OKC/KOKC)
Omaha-Eppley Airfield (OMA/KOMA)
Port Angeles-William R Fairchild Int´l Airport (CLM/KNOW)
Providence-Theodore Francis Green Airport (PVD/KPVD)
Redmond Municipal – Roberts Field Airport (RDM/KRDM)
Saint Louis – Lambert Int´l Airport (STL/KSTL)
San Angelo Regional/Mathis Field Airport (SJT/KSJT)
San Jose International Airport – Norman Y Mineta (SJC/KSJC)
Santa Ana – John Wayne Airport (SNA/KSNA)
Washington – Dulles International Airport (IAD/KIAD)
Washington – Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA/KDCA)
Winston-Salem – Smith Reynolds Airport (INT/KINT)
May 28th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Some of those names have been attached for a long time. Chicago’s O’Hare airport is named for a fallen aviator of WWII.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:17 am
The response to number 15 is that those other places must not have a bunch of whimpering, simpering liberal democrats that just lost their “juice” like we do here.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:20 am
You can’t even be serious.
May 28th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I’d prefer they name the airport after an Indiana politician named Harry Stewart New. A veteran of the Spanish-American War, a U.S. Senator, an anti-prohibitionist, and later as Postmaster General (in two separate administrations) proposed including gin-flavored glue on the back of postage stamps. What a guy!
And….then airport would become known as the “New Indianapolis International Airport”.
;)
May 28th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I’m surprised it never became the Hilbert International Airport, or some other such absurdity.
May 28th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
What??? I thought they were going to name it the “Julia Carson Memorial International Field of Dreams Got No Juice Airport”,
May 28th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
The WWI vintage biplane even when donated might be a bit too much Varangianaguard.
Hell, most people couldn’t tell you when the Vietnam War occured let alone ancient history like WWI.
How about naming it after former VP Thomas Marshall who had would have been President had it not been for the Prohibitionists busting a party at his mansion where the booze was flowing freely. And yes, America still needs a good 5 cent cigar.
The Taggert memorial is depressing. I can’t believe the city’s letting it go to hell. Taggert began the city’s park and boulevard system. The least we could do is repair the damn thing. Bring some stonecutters up from Bedford and let them do the deal. Most would donate the time and material.
May 28th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
The Monroe “Sweet Pea” Gray International Airport.
Get you some Pea Shake action before take-off!
May 28th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Name the terminal after Weir Cook and keep the aiport name the same. case closed.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
The Monroe Gray International Pavilion of Flying Concrete
May 28th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Change the ATC callsign to “No Juice”? lmao
May 28th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Taxpayer 834512 – THAT’S FUNNY!
May 29th, 2008 at 3:51 am
The “renaming” of the airport was in 1976. It’s time to un-rename it and restore honor to WC as originally planned. I still call it Wier Cook, and I still call the other place the Hoosier Dome.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:18 am
and I still say I feel gay when I’m feeling happy.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Indiana currently has more war memorials than Washington DC. Now military groups want to locate a new submarine memorial on the canal in landlocked Indiana, they want to eliminate the green space surrounding the Indianapolis War Memorial with a gaudy expansion, and now they want to rename the airport?
The Indianapolis International Airport has not been called Weir Cook in over 33 years. I think the current name is simple, descriptive, and more representative of our city and state than giving it a persons name.
We currently care for our military personnel very well and generously honor there service. Please add this request to the recently passed legislation giving Indiana military veterans free tuition to state colleges, extra property tax relief, gambling licenses for all VFW (Veteran Foreign Wars) lodges in the state, expanded state health benefits, free Veteran licence plates among many other state perks. This does not include Federal benefits of increased retirement and health benefits, significantly increased salaries, signing bonuses of $100,000+, and lifetime PX discounts.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Miggs said:
May 28th, 2008 at 10:20 am As an Indy native who liked the name “Hoosier Dome”
You can’t even be serious.
Yep, I am real serious, but you see, I am a real Hoosier and a real Indy native…not some ubane urban yuppie who wishes Indy was more like a bunch of other places…if you want that…move there..do you know who Taggart was?
May 29th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I like Hoosier Dome better than RCA dome. What’s RCA any more ?
And as one who was there when it blew up on 10/31/63, I strongly dislike “Pepsi Coliseum”. It is The Coliseum.
The Hilbert Circle Theatre is named after a crook.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Jay….you are spot on