Lloyd's Field

The closure was not due to a single event but was a gradual process typical for small, privately-owned airfields. The primary reasons were likely the retirement of its owner/operator, Lloyd Pross, and the economic value of converting the private land back to agricultural use. Small general aviation fields often cease operations when the founding owner can no longer maintain them.

The site of the former Lloyd's Field has been completely reclaimed for agricultural purposes. Current satellite imagery of the coordinates shows plowed and planted farmland. There are no visible remnants of the runway, hangars, or any other airport infrastructure.

Lloyd's Field was a significant local general aviation hub for the Clear Lake community from the 1950s through the early 1980s. It was owned and operated by Lloyd and Marge Pross. Lloyd Pross was a prominent local aviator, flight instructor, and aircraft mechanic who was inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame in 1994. The airfield served as a base for flight training, aircraft rental, fuel sales, and maintenance. It featured an unpaved turf runway, listed as 2,600 feet in its later years, and primarily handled single-engine propeller aircraft. It represents a classic example of the numerous small, privately-owned airports that supported American aviation in the post-WWII era.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Lloyd's Field. The land is privately owned and actively farmed. The aviation needs of the Clear Lake and Mason City area are fully served by the nearby Mason City Municipal Airport (KMCW), a much larger, publicly-owned facility with paved runways and instrument approaches.