A look back: April 5, 1972

The Lehighton Airport is being phased out after 44 years. The era will end April 15. After that, it will be illegal to land a plane at the airport, according to Jacob Arner, head of the Arner Flying Service which is in the process of moving its operation to the new Carbon County Airport about 4 miles west in the Mahoning Valley.

Arner said the operation is about 50 percent moved. Only four planes remain in the hangar at the old airport at the west end of Lehighton, near the fairgrounds.

Fifteen planes already have been moved to the newly constructed hangar at the new airport, which has a capacity of 20 planes.

The Lehighton Airport was opened in 1928.