The first recorded flight in Lansing took place on October 15, 1911, at an old racecourse (later the Red Cedar Golf Course). More than 20,000 spectators watched pilot Jimmy Ward perform stunts in the Shooting Star, his Curtiss biplane. In 1919, the first airfield in Lansing opened approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of downtown. The second airfield opened the following year 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of downtown.[note 2] From 1922 to 1926, Lansing's airport was Creyts Field, located 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the current airport. The 80 acres (32 ha) field was operated by Chamber of commerce Secretary Charley Davis. In 1925, Lt Harry Warner arrived in Lansing to help Davis and others select the current site for Capital City Airport. The selected site was a 300 acres (121 ha) state-owned hayfield and marsh (known as Chandler's Marsh), originally planned to be a boys' vocational school. The first planes flew from the site northwest of Lansing on May 1, 1926. The formal dedication of Capital City Airport was held on the weekend of July 14–15, 1928, and was attended by 70,000 people, including arctic explorer George Hubert Wilkins and aviator Carl Eielson. Pilots from Selfridge Field and members of the Michigan National Guard 107th Observation Squadron performed in an exhibition air show. A Stinson Detroiter plane arrived at the airport with Lansing's first air mail delivery on July 5, 1928. Mayor Laird J. Troyer, Chamber of Commerce President Alton J. Hager, and airport committee chairman Clyde B. Smith, among others, were present to witness the plane's arrival. Regular cargo service from Capital City Airport began on July 17, 1928, via Transamerican Airlines. That day pilot C.V. Pickup departed with five sacks of mail en route to New York City. Lansing postmaster Walter G. Rogers was among those present to witness the event. In 1929, J.D. Foster completed construction on a 60-by-120-foot, 7,200 square feet (669 m2) aircraft hangar, the first building in what would become known as the Francis Aviation Complex at Capital City Airport. By the end of the year, fixed-base operators Foster Airways, SKF Air Service, Inc., and Wolverine Flying Service, Ltd. had constructed hangars at the airport. Passenger service commenced on September 1, 1929, by Kohler Aviation Corp. to Detroit and Milwaukee. By 1934, Pennsylvania Airlines and Transport was providing air mail and passenger service to Detroit, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and across Lake Michigan. The Foster Hangar housed a flight school operated by Harvey Hughes from 1934 to 1936. In the late 1930s, Lansing aviator Lt Arthur J. Davis operated Michigan Airways, Inc. out of the hangar. During World War II, Francis Aviation and Hughes Flying Service provided ground and flight training to 300 pilots per month as part of the U.S. Government's Civilian Pilot Training Program and War Training Service. The training included three weeks of instruction at Michigan State College and continued at Capital City Airport. In 1940, the original terminal building, a 100-by-100-foot concrete hangar, and an adjoining office wing at the west end of the airport were built. The airport acquired 67 acres (27 ha) next to the north side of the airport, and runway 06/24 was extended by 1,000 feet (305 m). Pennsylvania Central Airlines began Douglas DC-3 service on June 5, 1940. The same year, the airport unsuccessfully bid for an $8.4 million Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Demand for air service led to the building of the current terminal building in 1959. The terminal has had several renovations and additions since then. In April 1967, a new $38,000 observation room opened, where viewers can hear radio communications between pilots and the control tower through a loud speaker. In the early 1960s, Lansing Community College leased the Francis Aviation Complex at Capital City Airport. The college moved to a new facility near the airport terminal in 1974.