Balloon Launches
Fleming Field is a small airfield located in the City of South St. Paul and managed by the local government. Situated less than 10 minutes from Saint Paul, the airport features a paved runway measuring 4,002 feet in length.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the airport served as a primary launch site for Winzen Research Inc., a leading company in the development and operation of stratospheric balloons. Its close proximity to the company’s headquarters in Minneapolis made it an ideal location for testing new balloon models, conducting technological flights, and supporting a range of scientific experiments.
In 1957, Fleming Field was selected as the launch site for the first manned flight of the Air Force’s MANHIGH program, piloted by Lieutenant Joseph Kittinger. Records indicate that the most recent balloon flights from this site occurred in the mid-1960s.