Welcome to Saint Louis! Home of the Gateway Arch, St. Louis Cardinals and Blues, gooey butter cake, and toasted ravioli!
Originating as a balloon launching base named Kinloch Field in 1890, Lambert Airfield is the busiest airport in Missouri.
Fun Facts about Lambert Airfield:
- Named after Albert Bond Lambert, an Olympic silver medalist in the 1904 Summer Games, and the first person in Saint Louis to receive a piot's license.
- Became the first municipally-owned airport when Lambert sold the airport to the City of Saint Louis.
- Charles Lindbergh's first piloting job was flying airmail from Lambert Field for Robertson Aircraft Corporation.
- Lambert Airfield was the first airport with an air traffic control system, though at the time it was done by waving flags! The first air traffic controller was Archie League.
- The Wright Brothers visited Lambert Airfield while touring with their aircraft
- Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to fly when Arch Hoxley took him for a flight during his 1910 visit to Saint Louis.
- The design of the terminals, by Minoru Yamasaki, inspired terminals at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, as well as Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.
- In 2011 on Good Friday, Terminal 1 was hit by an EF4 tornado, damaging windows, jetways, and even a few passenger planes. Later that year, the airport would receive "Airport of the Year" award from the TSA for "exceptional courtesy [and] high-quality security" as well as the "excellent response by airport officials during and after the tornado".
- Lambert Airport frequently hosts temporary and semi-permanent historical display and artwork in both of its terminals.
WARNING: You must exit the secured area to find the answers for this virtual. The cache owner, Groundspeak, and Lambert International Airport are not responsible for missed flights. You are responsible for making sure you have time and the right paperwork to re-enter security to board your flight. People with quick plane changes might not have time to get this cache.
To log this virtual cache: Email me the answers to ONE of the following sets of questions based on the terminal that you are in, you only need to visit one terminal. You do not need to wait for my approval to log your find; however I may message you if you don't have the correct answers. Do not post the answers in your log or pictures of the objects in the questions on your log:
Terminal 1 - upstairs near Ticketing (American Airlines and others, but not Southwest/Frontier):
a. Find the mural dedicated to Albert Bond Lambert across from entry door 4. Nearby on the wall there is a sign describing the details. On the detailed sign, immediately below the name of the artist/mural, what is the sentence that describes the methods used to create the mural?
b. On the mural, what is the 7 digit US Patent number of the flying object in the upper left corner of the mural
Terminal 2 - upstairs near Ticketing (Southwest/Frontier):
a. What name, including nickname below the window of the airplane hanging from the ceiling? (might need to ask someone with good eyesight! I was able to see it okay from near the bathrooms near the TSA precheck line)
b. On the floor, there is a poem carved into the tile. What shape do the letters of the poem create (it's the same as two consecutive words in the poem)?
Bonus both Terminals: Post a picture of yourself with something identifying Saint Louis/Lambert Airport
Note: Exhibits are subject to change without notice. Questions will be updated appropriately. Last updated 11/16/2021
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.