Among other pilots from the area, Clayton Folkerts of Bristow built a record-breaking racing plane in Waterloo and later designed a private plane for Charles Lindbergh and his wife. Lieutenant Carl Chapman from Waterloo was one of the first homegrown aviators. Chapman took the gamble to fly for the United States during World War I. His plane was shot down behind German lines on May 3, 1918. Another local hero, Lt. Milo Miller, flew from his base in Texas to Waterloo in 1918. Miller was an instructor at the Army Training grounds near San Antonio, Texas, and made the 1,350 mile flight in just under fifteen hours. Miller landed at what is now Byrnes Park playground and probably spent a lot of time answering questions from the eager onlookers. Miller returned to Waterloo after the war to establish Miller-Scales Aero Co. with George Scales, a local contractor. The company leased the landing strip at Byrnes Park where they taught people how to fly and gave countless numbers of rides. The company operated three-year-old army training airplanes and charged ten dollars for a ten-minute trip over the city. John Livingston, who would become one of the country's greatest race pilots, joined the company in 1919.

    With the roaring twenties came the sounds of roaring airplane engines in Waterloo. The "barnstormers" were granted use of Perry Canfield's landing area and a field on Hudson Road was opened by Fiske Marshall, an automobile dealer. He was joined by John Cable of Waterloo who invented the art of test piloting. He went on to fame and death as the chief test pilot for Lockheed. On July 12, 1928, Ernest Jones, aeronautical chief of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, told his listeners, "The future growth of Waterloo will be determined in large measure by its airport facilities." The group concurred with Jones and A.B. Chambers was set up to head a campaign for funds. Cable and Canfield both offered their own land for the airport.