Irish immigrant and ship's carpenter William Hinde settled in Huron in 1833 and married another Irish immigrant, Ellen O'Beirne whose parents had a farm in Huron Township. Several years later the couple bought 150 acres on both sides of Boos Road. They built a house and barns in 1881 (which have since been destroyed by fire). The Hindes had nine children, one of whom, James, became a co-owner with Jacob Dauch of the Hinde and Dauch Paper Company in Sandusky.
In 1885 another son of William and Ellen also named William bought a farm from Joe Camp on Boos Road. It is on that land that William Hinde's son, another William, built Hinde Airport. Today the airport is operated by William's daughter, Elaine and her husband Joe Bores.
As a young boy, Bill Hinde fished in Sawmill Creek and walked to the one-room Rye Beach School, just across the tracks from his family's home and farm on Boos Road. Having the fever to fly, Bill soloed his first flight in an Aeronica C-3 at Parker Airfield at the age of 25.In 1935 Bill purchased the first of over 75 planes he would own over the years and erected the first hangar on his parents farm. A wind sock, large circle of lime marking the airport from the air, and the pilot's eyes aided in the landing procedure. The plane's landing gear touched ground on grass strips with corn stalks as edges. The air traffic control was a friendly wave and a hot cup of coffee. Farmers not yet used to flying aircraft would often cut across these grassy strips without bothering to look up.While maintaining the Huron Township landing strip, Bill operated the Sandusky airport for ten years, renaming it Hinde Airport. He had a stint as owner and operator of a seaplane base at Big Island in Sandusky,which served the Lake Erie islands in the summers. As the WWII war effort ramped up, Bill instructed cadets in an accelerated piloting program. The men became pilots, navigators, or bombardiers.The Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 50 has had its home at Huron Airport for years. They restore and build aircraft, attend fly-ins, and support young aviators with scholarships and share the love of aviation with local scouts who pitch tents for an overnight adventure.
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