Airfields in Hawai'i: Hilo International Airport

Hilo Airport was initially constructed during the 1920s, and regular flights began in 1929. The airport was constructed and expanded using prison labor and Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor. When World War II broke out, the field was taken over by the War Department. Hilo Airport was renamed General Lyman Field in 1943 in honor of Brigadier General Albert Kualii Brickwood Lyman , who was born in Hawai`i. Also in 1943, a Naval Air Station was established. The airport was returned to Territorial control in 1947, although the Army and Air Force continued operations there until 1948. Its name was changed to Hilo International Airport in 1989.

​Hilo International Airport, 1992

Image Source: http://www.hawaii.gov 

Hilo International Airport, 1995 (Detail from USGS topographic quadrangle map)

General Lyman Field, 1954 (USGS)