Airport

The Airport pinball machine, designed by Ed Krynski and manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in April 1969, is a notable entry in electromechanical (EM) pinball history: it was the first game ever to use a Vari-target, a spring-loaded target that scores progressively more the harder it is hit. With artwork by Art Stenholm and a confirmed production run of 1,900 units, it is a solid example of Gottlieb's late-1960s two-player games.

Airport features two flippers, four pop bumpers, two slingshots, four standup targets, and its two pioneering vari-targets, along with a free ball return lane. The maximum displayed score is 9,999 points per player, the replay wheel tops out at 15 credits, and the sound package consists of two bells and a knocker — the classic Gottlieb EM formula of its day.

Stenholm's aviation-themed artwork suits the title, wrapping the game in the imagery of airplanes, airports, and jet-age travel. Interestingly, the same design was also produced as a 4-player version, Gottlieb's 1969 'College Queens', with different artwork. As the debut of the Vari-target, Airport occupies a genuine place in the lineage of pinball innovations that carried through the rest of the EM era and beyond.