Sitting on a stretch of farmland north of Lincoln Highway, the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport sprawls across more than 800 acres.

Originally sold to the city from the U.S. Navy in 1947, the one-runway base had been used to manufacture unmanned drones.

The drones were the first radio-controlled aircraft to be flown by camera and were used in World War II.

Air transport ships such as the DC-3 would take off and land, stopping to drop off and pick up production parts.

These days, the airport is much quieter, hosting flying lessons, corporate guests and chartered flights – about 43,000 take-offs and landings each year.

“We’ve gone from being a one-runway airport to one of the major players in the Chicago area,” said Airport Manager Tom Cleveland.

The airport now has two runways, including one 7,025 feet long, the other 4,201 feet long.

“We’ve expanded our taxiways so it is much safer,” Cleveland said, referring to the system of roads providing access. “So now, you’re only on the runway when you need to take off or land.”

DTMA has more than 60 city-owned hangars and two privately owned commercial hangars. These companies often make use of 90-foot long, $45 million Gulfstream V’s.

“We get a lot of corporate flights here, carrying executives for the businesses which are out here, such as Target, who has said they wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for us,” Cleveland said.

Some teams fly in and out of the airport, including NIU men’s basketball and volleyball, and many opposing teams.

“We’re trying to get the football team, instead of going all the way up to Rockford first,” Cleveland said. “I can picture them flying in and out of here with fans waiting for them and seeing them off. It’d be good for the community.”

Future plans for the airport include the construction of more hangars, a terminal area, an industrial park and a control tower, and plans for a developer to build a gas station, a retail center and a restaurant nearby in the style of an old World War II-era hangar.

“This airport is a great economic engine for all of DeKalb County, which many people don’t realize,” Cleveland said. “And it’s only going to get better from here.”

The airport also offers lessons through the Midwest Flight Academy, which owns their own planes for the private lessons. The MFA works with Kishwaukee Community College for a two-year degree program.

“It’s wonderful to see kids getting into this as young as they are with some of the volunteer programs we do,” Cleveland said. “I’ve been flying since I was 14 and I wish I could have had programs like this. I’ve always said ‘You get a mile of road, you can travel a mile. You get a mile of runway, you can travel anywhere in the world.'”