Spirit of St. Louis Airport

SUS originated in 1964 as the brainchild of Paul Haglin, an aerospace engineer. At the time of its opening, the airport had a 5,100-foot runway and was the largest privately owned airport in the world. Growth continued throughout the 1960s, and in 1966 the first jets arrived at SUS. However, the airport ran into difficulties in the mid-1970s, as in those days, private airports were not eligible for public funding. To overcome these difficulties, the airport owners persuaded St. Louis County to pursue a grant from the FAA, and in 1980 the airport became the county's property.
Furthermore, during the 1980s, the airport became so busy that a second parallel runway and a 110-foot FAA air traffic control tower were added. In 1993, a massive flood inflicted 13 airports across the Midwest, including SUS. Although the airport was under 13 feet of water, it was rebuilt in record time, reopening after 90 days and achieving full operation after 180 days. In 1995 further development occurred, with over 50 acres of FBOs, large maintenance operators, and various buildings. Furthermore, a sizeable state-of-the-art stormwater detention system has been installed under The Landings at Spirit, a 200-acre 18-hole golf course (opened in 2000), which lies south of the main runway. In 2007, a taxiway with extended infrastructure was built for the north runway. Moreover, a state-of-the-art U.S. Customs and Border Patrol General Aviation facility were constructed to allow the airport to handle more traffic.

The airport is located in Chesterfield, 17 miles west of the central business district of St. Louis. 

• On May 3-4, 2014, the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show returned to SUS (having left in 2007), headlined by the US Navy Blue Angels. In addition, it featured an interactive STEM Expo and a Veteran's Village. The annual show focuses on science, technology, engineering, and math. 
• Future plans include expanding the north runway to 5,500 by 100 feet so that it can handle all jets when maintenance is being done on the main runway. Access road construction is also planned.
• The FBOs at SUS are Aero Charter Jet Center, Million Air, and Signature Flight Support.