Macon Downtown Airport has its origins beginning in
World War I as "Camp Wheeler". As early as 1925,
Huff Daland Dusters, the precursor of
Delta Air Lines, based its crop dusting operation at Camp Wheeler. In 1936 the City of Macon purchased of airfield for $107,000 to replace its inadequate "Miller Field" to support
Eastern Air Transport's passenger and mail service to Macon. Then the
Works Project Administration began a $500,000 project that included a hangar, a by , administration building, and a concrete apron. The new airport was dedicated on November 11, 1937, and named in honor of the mayor, Herbert Smart. With the defense buildup in 1940 the Army reactivated Camp Wheeler, adjacent to Smart Field, in March 1941. The 4th Air Depot Group, set up a tent camp at
Herbert Smart Airport from September to December 1941 and took part in the "
Carolina Maneuvers." With
Warner Robins Field under construction, its prospective commanding officer, Col. Charles Thomas, set up a headquarters under canvas at the Herbert Smart airport in November 1941. On December 6, 1941, the 5th Air Depot Group arrived. Due to the United States' entry into the war, the 4th Air Depot Group shipped out on December 20. On January 7, 1942, the City of Macon leased the airport's to the Army for the duration, the name of the facility being changed to
Macon Army Air Base, although the facility was also known as "Smart Field". An additional was leased from an individual. The Army then spent approximately $1 million by adding a hangar, barracks for 120 officers and 2,500 men, and additional paving of the airfield among other improvements. In early 1942, a Douglas C-39 (DC-2), a Fairchild C-61, and a PT-18 Stearman were assigned to the airfield. In July, these aircraft moved to the newly opened Robins AAF south of the city. During the summer of 1942, the 1llth and the 154th Observation Squadrons spent two months at Macon AAF on maneuvers. In October, the training of chemical warfare troops in air operations and chemical depot duties began. The training unit, known as Chemical Company Air Operations, had 3,200 men present in October 1942. In January 1943, an Aeronca L-3C was assigned to the airfield. The base newspaper, "Smart News," kept the men informed of local, national, and war news. in July 1943, Smart reached a high-water mark with 4,119 enlisted men present. Air Operations companies were equipped and taught to use smoke pots, tear gas, chemical trailers, trucks, blasting caps, and how to fill aircraft spray tanks. The base reportedly received a weekly dosing of tear gas to develop the troop's ability to work with the gas. Smart's chemical warfare troops received small arms training at Camp Wheeler. By the end of 1943, 14 chemical companies had shipped out after having been trained and equipped. The chemical air warfare operations ended on May 16, 1944, when the last unit departed. For the remainder of the war, training of aviation quartermaster truck companies took place at the airfield. All air operations ended on October 7, 1944, when the airfield was placed on inactive status. The caretaker force numbered one officer and nine men.
Postwar use of Macon Downtown Airport is
Middle Georgia State University Following the war, Delta Air Lines joined Eastern in providing air service at Smart Airport on July 1, 1947; however, a tornado hit the airport destroying eleven airplanes and a hangar on January 31, 1947. The destruction prompted city officials to relocate commercial services to the then military-controlled
Cochran Field. On December 1, 1948 the airlines moved their operations to Cochran Field and Smart Airport became a general aviation airport. During the early 1980s, the City considered closing Smart and turning the property into an industrial park. This proposal was successfully fought by various businesses that used the field with their corporate aircraft. Today, the facility remains as a general aviation airport. All areas in Bibb County became a part of the Macon city limits effective January 1, 2014, due to the consolidation of the Macon and Bibb County governments. Previously the airport was in an
unincorporated area. In October 2015, the city-county government and
Middle Georgia State University entered into an agreement to add fixed-wing and airport management training programs at the airport, supplementing the university's existing aviation training programs at
Heart of Georgia Regional Airport in
Eastman, Georgia. At some point between 2014 and 2020, Runway 15/33 was closed. ==Facilities and aircraft==