Kuntz Field

The specific reason for the closure is not officially documented. As is common with small, privately-owned airfields, the closure was most likely due to economic factors, the owner's retirement or death, or the decision to sell the land for more profitable use. There is no evidence to suggest it was closed due to a major accident, safety violations, or military conversion.

The site of the former Kuntz Field has been fully converted back to agricultural use. Current satellite imagery of the coordinates (40.720887, -88.857443) clearly shows the land is now a cultivated farm field. The faint outline of the former north-south runway is still slightly discernible in the landscape, but all aviation infrastructure, including hangars, markers, and other facilities, has been removed.

Kuntz Field was a small, privately-owned, public-use general aviation airport that served the local community of Gridley, Illinois. Its significance was purely local, providing a base for recreational pilots. According to records from 1982, the airport, owned by E. Kuntz, featured a single 2,600-foot unpaved turf runway designated 18/36. Operations would have primarily consisted of private recreational flying and possibly agricultural aviation, given its rural location. It was a classic example of the thousands of small, rural grass strips that were integral to general aviation in the mid-20th century.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Kuntz Field. The land has been fully reclaimed for farming, and the necessary aviation infrastructure no longer exists. Given the complete conversion of the property, re-establishing an airport at this location is considered highly improbable.