Duncan McIntyre, known as the "Father of Tulsa Aviation," was a former Air Force instructor and military barnstormer who stopped in Tulsa in 1919 while traveling to Spokane, Washington, to visit an old war buddy and remained until 1940, helping make commercial aviation a reality in the city. Seeing opportunity in oil-booming Tulsa, he and pilot Bert Brookins rented part of the Curtis Southwest Airplane Field and established an airport, offering sightseeing tours over the city and round trips to Houston, TX. He later bought 80 acres at Admiral Place and Sheridan Road, where three hangars provided sales, service, and repair, and the airport became official. Within a few years, many early flyers regarded it as one of Oklahoma's finest airports, and its sod runway and fields led to its selection as the site of a military fly-in in 1925, when the Army and Navy brought about 35-40 aircraft, including the all-aluminum Hamilton fighter plane and Vought Naval aircraft. On September 30, 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis there after his non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, prompting Tulsa schools and businesses to close for "Lindbergh Day" as thousands gathered to cheer. Lindbergh spoke with Cyrus Avery and other business leaders, including Warren Skelly and J. Paul Getty, who recognized the need for Tulsa to have a more formal airport, and their bond effort helped open Tulsa Municipal Airport in 1928. McIntyre moved to California in 1940 to work for Lockheed and returned to Tulsa in 1961 to dedicate the new terminal that would be renamed Tulsa International Airport.
