Enstrom Company Owner Leads Fight to Save Indy Heliport
Many of us remember the destruction of Chicago’s Meigs Field in 2003, once the busiest single-strip airport in the United States. Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley forced its abrupt closure and ordered the midnight bulldozing of the runway to repurpose it into a park, dealing a major blow to commercial air travel for the city. The impact of Meigs Field can never be duplicated.
Many of us, if given the chance to go back in time, would have done more to oppose this closure and destruction. But today, in 2026, the downtown Indianapolis Heliport (8A4) faces similar prospects for demolition and repurposing – unless the aviation community states their opposition loud and clear.
Leading the charge is Enstrom company owner Chuck Surack. He’s joined by many high-profile business owners and politicians in helping submit public comment to the FAA through a new grassroots organization known as the Sunlight Coalition.
“I think the heliport is a great asset for the city of Indianapolis and frankly, the State of Indiana,” Surack told Indianapolis station WTHR. “We have cities all over the country now that are building these as fast as they can build them, and here, Indianapolis is tearing theirs down.”
The site has been closed since December 15, 2025. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has said he wants to decommission the 5.36 acres of land to build a Major League Soccer stadium on the property, a priority he has had for the past five years.
“I’m all about soccer. I’ve been an owner of the Indy Eleven team for several years. I just don’t believe the MLS stadium needs to be built over the heliport,” said Chuck. “I believe we could have a heliport and a major soccer stadium.”
Surack offered to buy the property for $15 million cash, promising to help operate and staff the heliport, but his bid was never seriously considered by the Indianapolis Airport Authority and never shared with the FAA. The property sold to the city for a lesser offer of $10.1 million. State Attorney General Todd Rokita alerted the FAA to Surack’s higher offer, urging them to pause post-closure decommissioning activities, and in an unprecedented move, the agency is now reconsidering its closure of the heliport.
Pending its final decision, the FAA has opened a new public comment period with an extended deadline of February 26. That’s where we need you in the aviation community to make your voices heard. Whether you regularly fly through the Circle City or are just passionate for preserving critical aviation infrastructure, your voice in solidarity is needed!
Here’s how you can offer that. Go to Regulations.gov to leave a comment. You can also submit comment through the Sunlight Coalition website.
Beyond its use for commercial aviation, the heliport serves important public functions, including emergency medical services, law enforcement activity, disaster response, and more.
Future air travel with electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will revolutionize urban mobility in the next decade, and the downtown Indianapolis heliport, as an FAA National Prototype Demonstration heliport, is in prime position to be at the forefront should it remain open.
Don’t let this vital aviation asset be erased when we have the opportunity to do something about it. It won’t be easily replaced. Leave a comment today. Don’t let 8A4 be another Meigs Field.
Randy is a dual rated Airline Transport Pilot with 13,000 flight hours in airplanes and helicopters. He has type ratings in the BE400 and CE500 and is a retired Designated Pilot Examiner. Currently he works for Sweet Helicopters, a northern Indiana Part 135 air carrier operator and serves as the Airport Manager of the Goshen Municipal Airport.
About Enstrom Helicopter
From Rudy Enstrom’s early designs in 1943 to initial testing in a Michigan Quarry in 1957 to aircraft operating on six continents, Enstrom Helicopter Corporation has maintained a reputation for safety, value and performance. Based in Menominee, Michigan and proudly made in the United States, Enstrom has a rich history for design innovation. The goal is to provide helicopters to the customer’s exact specification and deliver support and maintenance worldwide.