Olmsted Air Force Base (1918-1969) grew to 11,400 civilian employees in 1969, when it was decommissioned and turned over the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Olmsted Air Force Base then became Harrisburg International Airport. State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... Harrisburg International Airport (IATA: MDT, ICAO: KMDT) is an airport located in Middletown, Pennsylvania, United States. ...

History

The first airplanes landed in 1918 at Olmsted Air Force Base, when it was under the administration of the Signal Corps of the United States Army. The National Security Act of 1947 created the separate Department of the Air Force and ownship of Olmsted was transferred from the Army to the new Air Force. Olmsted had an abundance of engine and airframe shops and a supply distribution system that made it a significant facility, but a poor runway that, it was felt, would be too expensive to improve. It would involve claiming marsh land and portions of the Susquehanna River (both of which have since been accomplished) and the Air Force leadership at that time determined that more land for supply and maintenance buildings was needed. The Signal Corps is a military branch, usually subordinate to a countrys army. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The National Security Act of 1947 signed July 26, 1947 by U.S. President Harry S. Truman realigned and reorganized the United States armed forces, foreign policy, and Intelligence Community apparatus in the aftermath of World War II. It merged the United States Department of War and the United States... Categories: Stub | U.S. Dept. ... The Susquehanna River is a river in the northeastern United States. ...

In 1966, the Air Force shut down Olmsted and turned the facilities over to the state government. At this point, Harrisburg International Airport began to serve the public, under the ownership of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 1998, the Commonwealth transferred ownership to the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA). In addition, in 1966, much of the property was converted into The Pennsylvania State University -- The Capital College, otherwise known as the Harrisburg Campus. This campus was originally chartered as a graduate and upper division (Jr/Sr only) school. The Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA) is the governing authority of Harrisburg International Airport, Capital City Airport, and Franklin County Regional Airport in south-central Pennsylvania. ...