Bickel Airport

Keokuk, US πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ Closed Airport

ICAO

US-11354

IATA

-

Elevation

680 ft

Region

US-IA

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 40.391701Β° N, -91.416801Β° E

Continent: NA

Type: Closed Airport

Keywords: IA59

Terminal Information Not Available
Terminal arrivals and departures are only available for airports with scheduled commercial service and IATA codes.

External Links

Nearby Points of Interest

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Airport Information

Technical Information

For Aviation Geeks

Designation Length Width Surface Status
N/S 1600 ft 50 ft TURF Active
NE/SW 1300 ft 100 ft TURF Active

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 27, 2025
Closure Date

Approximately between 1970 and 1982. The airport was depicted on the 1970 Des Moines Sectional Aeronautical Chart but was no longer shown on the 1982 chart or subsequent editions.

Reason for Closure

The specific reason is not officially documented, which is common for small, private airfields. However, the closure was most likely due to economic factors or the personal decision of its owner/operator, Irwin Bickel. Small private airports from this era often closed when the owner could no longer maintain them, sold the land, or passed away. The existence of the larger, public Keokuk Municipal Airport (KEOK) nearby meant there was no public necessity to keep Bickel Airport operational.

Current Status

The site of the former airport has been completely converted back to agricultural use. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows open farmland. A faint outline of the former north-south runway can still be discerned in the fields under certain conditions. There are no remaining airport structures such as hangars or buildings. A nearby road is named 'Bickel Lane', serving as a geographic reminder of the former airfield and its owner.

Historical Significance

Bickel Airport was a small, private general aviation airfield. Its significance was primarily local, serving as a base for private pilots in the area. Established sometime between 1945 and 1953, it was typical of the thousands of small, privately owned turf strips that emerged across the United States after World War II to support a boom in civil aviation. Operations would have consisted of light, single-engine aircraft for recreational flying and possibly agricultural use. It featured a single unpaved, north-south turf runway approximately 2,200 feet long. It was never the primary airport for Keokuk and did not handle commercial, scheduled, or military operations.

Reopening Prospects

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Bickel Airport. The land is privately owned and actively farmed. With the city of Keokuk being adequately served by the Keokuk Municipal Airport (KEOK), there is no practical or economic incentive to re-establish an airfield at this location. The prospect for reopening is considered nonexistent.

Nearby Airports

UnityPoint Keokuk Heliport
3IA8
Keokuk, US
Heliport
~3 km away
Jan Knipe Airport
95IS
Warsaw, US
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~3 km away
Warsaw Airport
US-5636
Warsaw, US
Closed Airport
~7 km away
Keokuk Municipal Airport
EOK β€’ KEOK
Keokuk, US
Small Airport
~8 km away
Sullivan Airport
39LL
Hamilton, US
Small Airport
~10 km away
Long Pond Airport
US-5530
Wilcox Township, US
Closed Airport
~11 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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