Groundbreaking for Ohio State Airport enhancements set for National Aviation Day, August 19

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Austin E. Knowlton Executive Terminal and Aviation Learning Center at The Ohio State University Airport
Austin E. Knowlton Executive Terminal and Aviation Learning Center at The Ohio State University Airport to be open January, 2019.
University leaders will celebrate the groundbreaking of the Austin E. Knowlton Executive Terminal and Aviation Learning Center at The Ohio State University Airport at Don Scott Field at 10 a.m. on National Aviation Day (8/19).

President Michael V. Drake and College of Engineering Dean David B. Williams will be joined by representatives of the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation and other esteemed guests to celebrate upcoming enhancements to the airport. The two-phase project will support construction of a new aviation education and research facility with state-of-the-art flight simulators, research labs and classrooms. Combined with a modern flight terminal, the new facilities will integrate education with airport operations, benefiting Ohio State students as well as Columbus-area residents and visitors.

These modernization efforts are vital because the airport’s current infrastructure has remained largely unchanged for more than 50 years. The improvements will allow Ohio State to remain at the forefront of aviation innovation. Total budget for project is $20 million, half of which was donated by the Knowlton Foundation. The opening of the new facility is slated for January 2019.

The groundbreaking coincides with aviation milestones at Ohio State­­—2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the university’s aviation education program and the

terminal demolition
terminal demolition
 75th anniversary of its airport.