Page "Gerald R. Ford International Airport" Paragraph 3

The first regularly scheduled air service in the United States was between Grand Rapids and Detroit ( actually Dearborn's Ford Airport ) on a Ford-Stout monoplane named Miss Grand Rapids, which commenced July 26, 1926.

The airport expanded across 44th Street in 1948, and for a time, movable gates were used to keep traffic off the runway while it was in use.

Another expansion was completed in 1952, however all signs pointed to the need for a completely new facility.