The new Hillsdale terminal was unveiled Sept. 14. Alessia Sandala | Collegian
The Hillsdale Municipal Airport unveiled its new terminal during the annual Patriots Day Fly-in Sept. 14.
“Modern facilities are always a welcome sight,” said new Airport Manager Travis Stebelton. “The new terminal brings Hillsdale into modern times, from 1963 to today, that’s a significant gap.”
Construction on the terminal began in June 2024. It is the culmination of former Airport Manager Ginger Moore’s hard work to improve the airport, according to Ward 3 Councilman Bob Flynn.
Flynn said the airport’s new terminal highlights its growth and will make the airport a more integral part of the community.
“For the longest time it was a recreational airport,” Flynn said. “Private pilots would come out and use it, go flying around, take their family and friends, and that’s what it was for. But, there was a point in time when the folks at the airport and the folks with the City of Hillsdale decided this could be so much more.”
Four-year-old Owen Rhoades took his first ride in a helicopter at the airport’s fly-in. Kacey Rhoades, his mother, said she had never been to the airport, despite seeing planes flying overhead for years.
“It is the first time we’ve been to the airport, and we live three miles down the road,” Kacey Rhoades said.
After finding out about the fly-in from a flyer while at work, Kacey Rhoades said attending and going for a flight was meant to be a surprise for her son.
“He was so excited that I had to tell him,” Kacey Rhoades said.
When considering whether to fly in an airplane or a helicopter, Kacey Rhoades said Owen knew he wanted to go for a helicopter ride.
“My 4-year-old makes the decisions,” she said, adding that she had only ever flown commercially when she was a kid, and never in a helicopter.
‘I thought it was amazing,” Kacey Rhoades said. “Seeing all the green and just how big the land really is from up top, it makes you feel so small. It’s just amazing seeing all the places you go to and the same roads you drive on from up there.”
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