Bickel's Cow Patch Airport

The airport was a private airstrip, and its closure appears directly linked to the death of its owner and operator, Richard L. Bickel, on October 2, 2015. Mr. Bickel was a lifelong farmer and a licensed pilot who maintained the strip for personal use. Following his passing, the family likely ceased aviation operations and converted the land back to its primary agricultural purpose, which is a common occurrence for private family-owned airfields.

The site is no longer an airport. The land where the runway was located has been fully reclaimed for agriculture and is now an active, cultivated farm field. Satellite imagery shows no remaining trace of the turf runway, as it has been plowed and integrated into the surrounding cropland. A small building on the north end of the former strip, which may have been a hangar or equipment shed, may still be present on the property.

Bickel's Cow Patch Airport was a classic example of a private, owner-operated farm strip. It consisted of a single, well-maintained north/south turf runway (approximately 2,200 feet long) located on an active farm. Its informal name, 'Cow Patch,' reflects its rural, non-commercial nature. The airport was used for personal and recreational general aviation flights by its owner. While it held no major commercial or military significance, it was marked on aeronautical charts as a private airfield, serving as a visual landmark for other pilots navigating the area. Its primary operation was to support the personal aircraft of its owner.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the airport. Given that the land has been returned to productive agricultural use by the property owners and the original operator is deceased, it is extremely unlikely that the site will be converted back into an airfield.