Ortner’s Airport Article – October 10, 1968

1956 Lorain Telephone Directory Ad

1947 Lorain Telephone Directory Listings

Many Lorainites are familiar with the various airports that were located on Leavitt Road near the intersection with Meister Road. Originally there was Port Mills (which opened in 1929); later there was the Lorain Skyport (on the east side of Leavitt) and Long’s City Airport (on the west side).

But there was another airport listed in the Lorain phone book for years that many people (like me) may have heard of, but never knew much about it or where it was: Ortner’s.

That’s why I was happy to find the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 10, 1968. It provides a nice look at the impressive operation owned by Andrew Ortner, as well as a brief history.

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With the tragic deaths of Andy and Dean Ortner in separate airplane accidents, the company was left with no one to run it. It was eventually sold in the late 1970s, and continued on as a small country airfield. But in 2011 the airport came full circle, and is once again owned by the Ortner family. Here is the link to the Ortner Airport website.

Click here to read Richard Payerchin’s 2013 article about the Ortner family reacquiring the airport.

1963 Lorain Telephone Directory Ad