On 31 March 1912, the city council received a letter from the Ligue National Aéronautique (an aviation lobbying association whose president was Georges Clemenceau) suggesting that some land be provided for an airfield. With the help of the LNA, a "station aéronautique" is set on the military range of La Butte, one miles out of Romorantin, on the road leading to the futur Pruniers airfield, with one hangar at the edge of the field; the new aerodrome was inaugurated in June 1913. No civil aircraft were permanently based as the station was mostly designed to bring shelter for passing aircraft: in 1913, during military manoeuvres, some French Aeronautique Militaire's planes landed at the airfield, on a stop-over to Limoges.
