Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Georgia: Atlanta area
© 2002, © 2024 by Paul Freeman. Revised 8/16/24.
This site covers airfields in all 50 states: Click here for the site's main menu.
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Bellah Field (revised 8/16/24) - Bishop Airfield (revised 3/18/22) - City-Count Airport / Carrollton Municipal (revised 8/16/24) - Cline Ranch Strip (revised 3/18/22)
Cobb Airport / Cobb Air Park / South Cobb Airport (added 3/17/22) - Cole Field (revised 8/7/20) - Edwards Sky-Port / South Fulton Airport / South Fulton Skyport (revised 11/14/23)
Gunn Airfield (revised 3/18/22) - Lakewood Airport (revised 3/10/22) - Mathis Airport / Mathis Field (revised 11/28/23) - Morris AAF (revised 3/18/22)
Parkaire Field (revised 8/16/24) - South Expressway Airport (revised 11/28/23) - Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport (revised 11/28/23) - Sunset Strip (revised 8/8/20)
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Cobb Airport / Cobb Air Park / South Cobb Airport, Atlanta, GA
33.869, -84.591 (Northwest of Downtown Atlanta, GA)
Cobb Airport, as depicted on the April 1946 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Henderson).
David Henderson reported, “Located on 40 acres along Austell Road between Marietta & Mableton, Cobb Airport was opened on 3/15/46
by pilots Roy Manning, Herbert Hunter and T.G. Shaw, who was also the airport business manager.”
The earliest depiction which has been located of Cobb Airport was on the April 1946 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Cobb as a commercial/municipal airport.
David Henderson reported, “A June 1946 Marietta Journal article reported that 17 aircraft were based at Cobb Airfield at the time:
6 Taylorcrafts owned by the airport along with 11 private aircraft including Piper Cubs, a Stinson, a Stearman, Fairchilds and additional Taylorcrafts.
Flight training & student flights evidently kept the airport busy in the early years.
The earliest photo which has been located of Cobb Airport was an undated photo from a June 1946 article (courtesy of David Henderson)
of instructor Bill Brannen congratulating 21-year-old Nora Sentell after her first solo flight.
An undated photo (courtesy of David Henderson) of W.A. Reed surveying his Piper Cub after a 5/27/48 lightning strike at Cobb Airport, which burned the fabric off, leaving only the frame.
The earliest aerial photo which has been located of Cobb Airport was a 1952 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Cobb as having 2 unpaved runways, with 2 light single-engine planes parked near a few small buildings at the north end.
The earliest topo map depiction which has been located of Cobb Airport was the 1954 USGS topo map (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Cobb Airfield as an open area, with no runways depicted, and a few small buildings at the north end.
David Henderson reported, “As development began to surround the field during the 1950s, airport neighbors complained of constant noise,
revving engines, 'enormous' dust clouds, dangerously low aircraft, declining property values & unauthorized tree cutting along property lines.
In 1958, the Cobb Superior Court temporarily restricted airport activity following a lawsuit from the owners of the neighboring orchard
who claimed the airfield was damaging its property and commercial operations.
Cobb County opened the nearby McCollum general aviation airport in 1960,
with a 4,000' paved runway & modern facilities, and it seemed that Cobb Airfield's days were numbered.”
The last photo which has been located of Cobb Airport was a 1960 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson).
The runway & building configuration was the same as depicted in the 1952 photo, but the number of aircraft visible on the field had increased to 6.
David Henderson reported, “During the early 1960s, flight instruction continued at the field,
cadets from the Civil Air Patrol regularly trained during evenings & occasional skydiving exhibitions were held on weekends.”
A 1961 advertisement for Cobb Airport's Nye Aero Service (courtesy of David Henderson).
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Cobb Airport was on the February 1961 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Cobb as having a mere 1,600' unpaved runway.
David Henderson reported, “Following years of decline, the airport was closed sometime in the mid-1960s.”
Cobb Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1961-65,
as it was no longer depicted on the April 1965 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
David Henderson reported, the Cobb Airport property “was sold in 1967 to make way for the Marbro Twin Drive-In Theatre which held its grand opening 12/20/68.”
A 1968 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson) showed the Marbro Twin Drive-In Theatre occupying the majority of the Cobb Airport site, but a small portion of the southwest runway end remained clear.
A 1968 aerial view looking north (courtesy of David Henderson) showed the Marbro Twin Drive-In Theatre occupying the majority of the Cobb Airport site, but a small portion of the southwest runway end remained clear.
David Henderson reported, “The Drive-In lasted until 1987 when it was replaced by a shopping center & apartments.”
A 2019 aerial view looking north, annotated by David Henderson to show the site of the Cobb Airport runways.
No trace of Cobb Airport appears to remain.
Cobb Airfield was located at the current-day intersection of Austell Road & Station Club Drive.
Thanks to David Henderson for pointing out this airfield.
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33.71, -84.394 (South of Downtown Atlanta, GA)
Lakewood Airport, as depicted on the October 1942 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
This small general aviation airport on the south side of Atlanta was evidently established at some point between 1941-42,
as it was not yet depicted on a 1940 GA land use map (courtesy of Jim Daigneau) or the 1941 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
The earliest depiction which has been located of Lakewood Airport was on the October 1942 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
It depicted Lakewood as a commercial/municipal airport.
The earliest photo which has been located of Lakewood Airport was an undated photo from a 8/14/44 article
of Lakewood Airport manager Bob Wylie & instructor A.H. Johnson with a Taylorcraft (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
Jim Daigneau reported, “I talked to Ed Cole... he remembered 2 runways with one long & one short.
He said the short one was a real challenge because there was a church at one end that you'd had to slip around to get on the ground in time & bushes at the other end.
He said that he started flying when he came home on leave from the Merchant Marine. One of his dad's friends had a Cub there at Lakewood & he got the friend to take Ed for a ride.
Ed said he was afraid of heights but he got in the back seat of the Cub anyway. He said he closed his eyes & held on to the structure.
The pilot looked back & yelled at to open his eyes & look out or he would roll the airplane upside down.
Ed opened his eyes & looked down on the trailer trucks on Stewart Avenue & was struck by the fact that they looked like toys. And that was that... he was hooked.
He flew everyday & soloed before he had to go back from leave. Then, whenever he had time in port, he would rent an airplane & build time.”
Jim continued, “After the war, he said his dad had bid on 2 T-6s being auctioned off by the government.
He was a successful bidder & got the 2 airplanes for $300 a piece.
He went down to Augusta to retrieve the first one & was horrified that it cost him $50 to top off the fuel.
He never went to get the other one figuring that he couldn't afford to fly them.
But then, Ed said a South American government offered him 'a large amount of money for the airplane.'
Ed said his dad replied with an astonished 'Are you kidding?'
Language being what it is, the government thought Ed's dad was angry at a low offer & came back with an even higher offer.”
An undated photo printed in 7/18/45 of a PT-19 & 2 Taylorcrafts at Lakewood Airport (courtesy of David Henderson).
Originally captioned: “New planes at Lakewood Airport –
Among the several new planes purchased by the Lakewood Airoirt are the PT-19 & 2 Taylorcrafts shown with 2 of the field's instructors, Al Johnson & Pete Eberhart.”
An undated photo from a 2/24/46 article of instructor Albert Johnson, Paul Reynolds, and Ollie Goings at Lakewood Airport (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
Reynolds & Goings were the first veterans in GA to solo under the GI Bill.
An undated photo from a 6/17/46 article of a student pilot & a Piper Cub at Lakewood Airport (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
An undated photo from an 11/21/48 article of the Thrasher Brothers performing a pick-up in a Piper Cub as part of Lakewood Airport's Air Circus (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
Charlie Brown recalled, “Lakewood Airport [was] on a hill overlooking Lakewood Park.
It had 3 dirt runways, and the end of one overflew the Lakewood Fairgrounds.
My Dad was leasing the airport & doing aircraft maintenance there until the owner, Mr Vandiver, sold in 1948 to the City of Atlanta (or state), and government housing was built.”
Jim Daigneau reported, “Charlie said the east side of the airport was bounded by Pryor Road.”
A 1949 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted Lakewood Airport as having 2 unpaved runways, oriented northeast/southwest & northwest/southeast,
with a few small buildings on the south side.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Lakewood Airport was on the February 1950 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
It depicted Lakewood as having a 2,800' unpaved runway.
Lakewood Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1950-51,
as it was no longer depicted on the 1951 Birmingham Sectional Chart (according to Jim Daigneau).
It was evidently overtaken by construction in the rapidly-developing Atlanta metro area.
A 1952 aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson) showed dense apartment construction having covered the Lakewood Airport site,
but the remains of the northeast/southwest airport were still visible on the west side, just east of the new highway.
A 2018 aerial view looking north, annotated by David Henderson to show the site of the Lakewood Airport runways.
No trace of Lakewood Airport appears to remain.
Thanks to Jim Daigneau for pointing out this airfield.
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Edwards Sky-Port / South Fulton Airport / South Fulton Skyport (8A9), Palmetto, GA
33.538, -84.638 (Southwest of Atlanta, GA)
Edwards Sky-Port, as depicted on the 1954 USGS topo map.
Yet another of America's disappearing small grassroots airports.
The date of construction of Edwards Sky-Port has not been determined.
The earliest depiction which has been located of Edwards Sky-Port was on the 1954 USGS topo map.
It depicted a single unpaved east/west runway, labeled simply as “Landing Field”, with 1 small building on the southeast side.
Edwards Sky-Port was not yet depicted on the January 1955 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
The earliest photo which has been located of Edwards Sky-Port was a 1955 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Edwards Sky-Port as having 2 unpaved runways, with a building on the southeast corner. No aircraft were visible on the field.
According to its FAA Airport/Facility Directory data, Edwards Sky-Port (South Fulton Airport) was activated in March 1957.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Edwards Sky-Port was on the August 1957 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
It had apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1954-57, as it was depicted as having a 2,600' paved runway.
A 1958 advertisement (courtesy of David Henderson) touted drag races at “Ted Edwards Skyport”.
The 1959 Atlanta Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Tim Zukas) depicted Edwards Sky-Port as having a 2,700' paved runway.
An undated photo from a November 1964 article (courtesy of David Henderson) showed Ted Edwards, Thomas Carey, and Tom Florence of Ted Edwards Skysports Inc. in front of 3 new Pipers.
A February 1965 advertisement (courtesy of David Henderson) for Ted Edwards Skyport.
An undated aerial view from a June 1965 article (courtesy of David Henderson) looking west at Ted Edwards Skyport.
The 1968 USGS topo map depicted Edwards Sky-Port as having a single paved east/west runway, labeled simply as “Landing Field”.
A few more small buildings had been added on the south & north sides of the runway.
Edwards Sky-Port was evidently renamed South Fulton Airport at some point between 1957-71,
as that is how it was labeled on the 1971 Atlanta Sectional Chart.
It depicted South Fulton as having a single 2,700' paved northeast/southwest runway.
A 1972 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted South Fulton Airport as having a paved Runway 9/27, with a row of hangars having been built along the former crosswind runway.
A total of 27 light single-engine aircraft were seen parked on the field.
David Henderson recalled, “South Fulton Airport... We used to fly into it in the late 1970s / early 1980s.
There was a huge tree behind a house on the east end of the runway & you'd have to slip around it sometimes.
The owners at the Fixed-Base Operator, a husband & wife, seemed insulted that anyone would slip their plane on landing.
I remember the woman shook her head & said, 'We just cut all those branches!'
She also told me that there were wild dogs in the woods north of the field & tearfully said they had killed her cat. I was nervous to go out on the ramp after that!”
The 1982 USGS topo map showed “South Fulton Skyport” had gained northwest/southeast taxiway, along with a long hangar on the north side.
A 1982 photo by Charlie Evans looking down South Fulton Airport's Runway 9/27.
Charlie recalled, “My father & I bought a 1962 Cessna 172D in early 1982; the first 3 months we tied it down at [Hoppy’s] South Fulton Sky Port.”
A 1982 photo by Charlie Evans of his 1962 Cessna 172D in front of the South Fulton Airport hangars.
The 1985 GA Airport Directory (courtesy of Charlie Evans) depicted South Fulton Airport as having a 2,960' Runway 9/27, with hangars & an administration building on the southeast side & T-hangars on the northeast side.
A 1993 USGS aerial view looking northwest depicted South Fulton Airport as being very popular, with 30 light single-engine aircraft parked on the airport.
However, the long hangar depicted on the 1982 topo map was gone.
An undated photo from a June 1999 article (courtesy of David Henderson) of South Fulton Airport owner Ron Gause in front of a Cessna 172.
The 2001 GA Airport Directory (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted South Fulton as having a 2,690' Runway 9/27, with hangars & an administration building on the east side.
A 2005 aerial view looking south showed a number of light aircraft parked at South Fulton Airport.
A 2016 aerial view looking northwest showed South Fulton Airport in a sad state, with the number of aircraft visible having fallen to only 2.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of South Fulton Airport was on the August 2016 Atlanta Sectional Chart.
It showed that South Fulton's status had changed to a private airfield, having a 2,700' paved east/west runway.
As of 2016, South Fulton Airport's FAA Airport/Facility Directory data described it as having a 2,690' asphalt Runway 9/27,
“in poor condition”, with “extensive cracking throughout paved areas”.
The owner & manager was listed as Lynn Gause.
Jim Daigneau reported, “Scott Gerkin flew quite a bit out of South Fulton in the 1990s doing fire patrols for the state in a Cessna 172.
He remembered that Ron Gause, the owner, had started talks with FedEx about expanding the runway in length & width to handle their small cargo carriers, Caravans I assume.
He said that when the discussion was brought up to the FAA, ATL operations said that it was too close to the big airport & they would not release the required airspace. So the idea died quickly & quietly.”
A sad sight: a December 2016 photo of a Cessna 172 looking across the runway at the bulldozers which were gathered to remove South Fulton Airport.
A December 2016 photo looking along South Fulton Airport's forlorn Runway 27.
A 5/8/17 aerial view by Jim Daigneau looking northeast at the demolition of South Fulton Airport. Jim observed, “It's being plowed up for, it looks like, another warehouse.”
A 5/12/17 photo by Jim Daigneau looking west along South Fulton Airport's Runway 27.
Jim observed, “The larger hangar south of the runway is closed up tight with no easy view points.
The small T-hangar is empty except for trash, an aileron & a seat.”
A 5/12/17 photo by Jim Daigneau of a Cessna 140 inside the open hangar on the north side of South Fulton Airport.
Jim observed, “ The open hangar on the north side contains the 2 abandoned airplanes & 1 ultralight. The Cessna 140 is still registered.”
A 5/12/17 photo by Jim Daigneau of a Taylorcraft inside the open hangar on the north side of South Fulton Airport.
Jim observed, “The other airplane had no obvious registration. I think it is a Taylorcraft or a Luscombe.
All 3 look mostly stripped & derelict, although the Taylorcraft/Luscombe tires looked normally inflated.”
A 12/14/17 aerial view by Jim Daigneau looking east at the warehouse built over the site of South Fulton Airport.
Jim observed, “Atlanta has a bumper crop of warehouses coming in, regardless of the growing season!”
An 11/3/19 photo by John Evans looking along the remains of South Fulton Airport's runway.
An 11/3/19 photo by John Evans of the remains of a South Fulton Airport hangar.
An 11/3/19 photo by John Evans of the former South Fulton Airport office building.
An 11/3/19 photo by John Evans of a sign at the site of South Fulton Airport.
A 2023 aerial view shows no trace remaining of South Fulton Airport, with 2 large warehouses covering the site.
The site of South Fulton Airport is located northwest of the intersection of Route 29 & Hobgood Road.
Thanks to Jim Daigneau for pointing out this airfield.
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Mathis Airport / Mathis Field (84A, GA27), Suwanee, GA
34.1, -84.162 (Northeast of Atlanta, GA)
Mathis Airport, as depicted on the August 1967 Chattanooga Sectional Chart.
No airfield was yet depicted at this location on a 1955 aerial view or the 1959 Atlanta Local Chart.
According to Wikipedia, “L.G. Mathis founded Mathis Airport in 1959 as a privately-owned / public-use airport.”
The earliest depiction which has been located of Mathis Airport was a 1963 aerial view,
which depicted it as having a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway, with 1 row of hangars & 1 light single-engine plane on the east side.
Mathis Airport was still not yet depicted on the February 1967 Chattanooga Sectional Chart.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Mathis Airport was on the August 1967 Chattanooga Sectional Chart,
which depicted Mathis as a public-use airport having a single 1,500' paved northeast/southwest runway.
According to Wikipedia, “In 1979 L.G. Mathis & Patrick McLaughlin began Mathis Airpark as a fly-in residential community adjacent to the airport.”
The earliest topo map depiction which has been located of Mathis Airport was on the 1981 USGS topo map,
which depicted it as having a single northeast/southwest runway.
The 1985 USGS topo map depicted “Mathis Landing Strip” as having a single northeast/southwest runway,
with several small buildings on the east side,
The 1985 GA Airport Directory (courtesy of Charlie Evans) depicted Mathis Airport as having a 1,550' Runway 3/21 with hangars on both sides.
According to Wikipedia, “In 1985 L.G. Mathis sold half of the airport to his brother, C.J.”
The September 1986 Atlanta Terminal Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Stu Sibitzky) depicted Mathis as a public-use airport having a single 1,500' paved northeast/southwest runway.
According to Wikipedia, “In 1990 C.J. Mathis bought the remaining half of the airport. In 1992 C.J. sold the airport to 7 Oaks, LLC.”
The earliest photo which is available of Mathis Airport was a 1993 USGS aerial view looking northwest.
It depicted a total of 15 light single-engine aircraft parked on the airport.
According to Wikipedia, “In 1995, 7 Oaks LLC sold the airport back to C.J. Mathis.”
The 1999 USGS topo map depicted Mathis Airport as having a single northeast/southwest runway,
with several rows of hangars on either side of the runway.
The 2001 GA Airport Directory (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted Mathis Airport as having a 1,550' Runway 3/21, with hangars on both sides.
Note also the depiction of this little airport's most unique feature: “Concrete grave markers flush with surface of ground”.
A 2004 aerial view looking northwest depicted a total of 10 light single-engine aircraft parked on either side of the Mathis Airport runway.
According to Wikipedia, “In June 2004 C.J. sold the airport (11 acres) & an adjacent subdivision lot (4 acres) in the airpark to Flyboy Aviation Properties LLC (Flyboy Aviation).
In 2004, Flyboy Aviation expanded the airport in many ways: tore down the original wooden hangars & cinder-block FBO,
added 17 new metal T-hangars, built a new club house, widened & lengthened the asphalt runway, asphalted taxiways & hangar aprons.
From 2004-2009, Mathis was home to Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1415,
but in 2009 this chapter moved to Air Acres airport in Woodstock, GA.”
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Mathis Airport
was on the March 2009 Atlanta Terminal Aeronautical Chart.
It depicted Mathis as a private airfield having a single paved northeast/southwest runway.
A circa 2010 aerial view looking east showed a considerable number of T-hangars at Mathis Airport, but no aircraft.
A 2013 photo looking along Mathis Airport's runway, showing perhaps a unique feature – headstones for graves which were flush with the runways surface.
A circa 2014 photo of the entrance gate to Mathis Field.
A 2014 aerial view looking northwest showed Mathis Airport remained intact, though devoid of aircraft.
A circa 2014 photo of several planes under a shade hangar at Mathis Airport.
According to its FAA Airport/Facility Directory data, Mathis Airport had an 1,800' asphalt Runway 3/21, and consisted of 11 acres.
According to Wikipedia, “In October 2014 the airport was closed, all hangars [to be] removed & the land [to] be converted to built houses on the property.”
An undated (2015 or earlier) aerial view looking south along the Mathis Airport runway.
Marc Obensahin reported in 2015, “The property is terraced; Mr. Mathis had to do some work to get that runway in there. And it's not a lot.
A coworker said he went up there, years ago, so his son could see the planes & asked someone he met if they gave flight lessons.
The guy said this wasn't the kind of place [where] you wanted to learn to fly.”
Chet Myerson used a UAV on 5/25/15 to record the scene at Mathis Airpark, showing that most of the hangars have been removed,
and yellow closed-runway “X” symbols painted on the runway.
Chet reported, “For 40+ years & a ton of aviation heritage, Mathis Airport in Forsyth County is no more!
The land developers finally got it. In it's heyday (early 2000) it became a member club aerodrome & I flew in there often my the light sport aircraft we were representing.
Soon to be a subdivision, here is a last look at some real aviation history.”
A 7/5/15 photo by Marc Obenshain looking south along Mathis Airport's Runway 21.
Marc observed, “This leaves Forsyth county with a couple of private grass strips, which I'm sure our hyper-development trend will eventually push out, as well.”
A 7/5/15 photo by Marc Obenshain of the former Mathis Airport clubhouse, with the closed-runway “X” symbol in the foreground.
A 7/5/15 photo by Marc Obenshain of Mathis Airport's most unique feature – a grave marker embedded in the runway.
Marc observed this is the “most Northern grave marker - no markings, half missing, half filled with concrete.”
A 7/5/15 photo by Marc Obenshain of Mathis Airport, “Facing South over T-hangar foundations to the North side of the clubhouse.”
A later 2015 aerial view showed construction starting on the Mathis Airport property to build houses.
A 2017 aerial view showed all traces of Mathis Airport had been removed, with houses & streets having been built on the site.
Mathis Airport is located at the northern terminus of Mathis Airport Drive.
Thanks to Marc Obenshain for pointing out this airfield.
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Cline Ranch Strip (GA81), Social Circle, GA
33.618, -83.782 (East of Atlanta, GA)
A 1974 infrared aerial photo of Cline Ranch Strip (courtesy of David Henderson).
No airfield was yet depicted at this location on a 1962 aerial photo.
David Henderson reported, “Cline Ranch Strip was a private grass airstrip located between Covington & Social Circle, about 35 miles east of Atlanta.
The single runway airfield was evidently constructed between 1966-74 as a 1966 topo map shows no sign of an airstrip
while a 1974 infrared aerial clearly shows the runway.
It appears as a white stripe north of Interstate I-20.”
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Cline Ranch Strip was on the 1974 Atlanta Sectional Chart.
It depicted Cline Ranch as a private airfield having a 3,000' unpaved runway.
The 1986 USGS topo map depicted Cline Ranch Strip as a single unpaved east/west runway, labeled simply as “Landing Strip”.
David Henderson reported, “In a 2/12/88 aerial photo, the runway appears as an extension of the road leading to the airport.
A building that may have served as a hangar is just south of the field.”
The last photo which has been located showing Cline Ranch Strip still relatively intact was a 2000 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson).
David Henderson observed, “Trees were beginning to sprout along the runway edges. The runway still appeared to be in good condition.”
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Cline Ranch Strip was on the September 2003 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Henderson).
David Henderson observed, it depicted “the runway length as 2,800', down from 3,000' on the 1978 chart.”
David Henderson reported, “By 2005 [an aerial photo showed] the airport was being transformed into the River Cove subdivision with single family houses on multi-acre lots.”
Cline Ranch Strip was no longer depicted on the March 2009 Atlanta Terminal Chart.
A 2011 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson) showed that houses covered the site of Cline Ranch Strip,
but the alignment of the runway was still barely recognizable.
The site of Cline Ranch Strip is located at the intersection of River Cove Road & River Cove Meadows.
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Bishop Airfield, Fayetteville, GA
33.446, -84.406 (South of Atlanta, GA)
A 1968 aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted Bishop Airfield.
This small private airfield was evidently built at some point between 1965-68,
as it was not yet depicted on a 1965 aerial photo (according to David Henderson).
The earliest photo which has been located of Bishop Airfield was a 1968 aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson).
David Henderson remarked, “The 1968 photo shows a single unpaved east/west runway with 3 light aircraft at the northeast corner of the field.
One of the planes appears to be missing a wing.”
A 1971 aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted Bishop Airfield.
David Henderson remarked, “It was obviously a popular neighborhood with pilots:
three private airstrips are seen within a half-mile of each other. Bishop is at bottom left.”
Bishop Airfield was not yet depicted on the 1974 Atlanta Sectional Chart.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Bishop Airfield was on the 1978 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Bishop as a private airfield with a 1,600' unpaved runway.
Three light aircraft could be seen at Bishop Airfield on an 1978 aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson).
Bishop Airfield was not depicted on the 1979 USGS topo map.
The September 1986 Atlanta Terminal Chart depicted Bishop as a private airfield having a 2,500' unpaved runway.
The last photo which has been located depicting an aircraft at Bishop Airfield was a 1/26/93 aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson),
which depicted one single-engine aircraft.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Bishops Airfield was on the March 1995 Atlanta Sectional Chart.
It depicted Bishops as a private airfield having a 2,500' unpaved runway.
A 1999 aerial photo showed the airfield remained intact, but no aircraft were visible on the field.
A circa 2005 aerial view looking north (courtesy of David Henderson).
David remarked, the photo “shows the runway still in good condition although there was no evidence that it was still being used as an airfield.”
A 2006 aerial photo showed the airfield remained intact.
David Henderson reported, “Construction of a new subdivision on the site of Bishop airfield began in 2007 with a road built parallel to the former runway.
I presume the development fell victim to the real estate crash because work on the site stopped after the road was built.”
A 10/31/12 aerial view looking northwest at the site of Bishop Airfield.
What a shame – a nice little airfield was abandoned for housing construction that never happened.
David Henderson reported in 2013, “Today the runway is still clearly visible.”
The site of Bishop Airfield is located west of the intersection of County Line Road & County Line Court.
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Cole Field / Coles Field (GA88), Stockbridge, GA
33.637, -84.207 (Southeast of Atlanta, GA)
Coles Field, as depicted on the 1978 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Henderson).
Jim Daigneau reported, “Ed Cole grew up on a farm in south Fulton County.
He was featured in the winter, 2020 edition of the Henry County Magazine, from which this information was taken.
After serving in the Merchant Marine & Air Force, Ed & his wife Ruth bought land just south of Panola Road in the mid-1960s.”
Cole Field was not yet depicted on a 1972 aerial photo or the 1975 Atlanta Terminal Aeronautical Chart (according to Jonathan Westerling).
Jim Daigneau continued, “Fortunately, Ed’s father had a beloved D-9 Caterpillar bulldozer. Ed remembered that his father used a compass to help cut the northeast-southwest runway out of the trees.
With a creek running just north of the runway area, there was a fair amount of leveling to do also. Ed remembered that his father had backed into something with the bulldozer.
There were magnesium parts that caught fire & nearly burned the vehicle to the ground.
Fortunately the fire department was able to extinguish the fire, but not before it had caused extensive damage.
Ed helped with the restoration, and with much work & skillful welding, brought the old dozer back to a productive life.”
Jim continued, “Ed remembered that getting the FAA to recognize his airport in the 1970s was a challenge.
There were many pasture runways, especially on the south side of Atlanta, and the FAA likely didn’t want to be bothered.
He said he got a little 6 inch ruler & a pen, went to the county & drew the runway on a county map, basically editing the official plat.
When the FAA said they wouldn’t recognize his airport, he showed them it was right there on the plat.
That’s when it was added to the Sectional chart noted as a private field at 2,100' in length.”
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Cole Field was on the 1978 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Coles as a private airfield with a 2,100' unpaved runway.
The earliest photo which has been located of Cole Field was a 1978 aerial view.
It depicted Cole Field as having 2 unpaved northeast/southwest runways, with 2 light single-engine aircraft on the northwest side.
There were no buildings on the field.
Cole Field was not yet listed in the 1978 AOPA Airport Directory (according to Jonathan Westerling).
The earliest airfield directory listing which has been located of Cole Field was in the 1979 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It described Coles Field as a private airfield having 2 turf runways: 2,100' Runway 8/26 & 1,200' Runway 4/22.
Jim Daigneau reported, “The Coles were very active in EAA Chapter 468.
As an EAA pilot, Ed restored & built small general aviation airplanes both on his own & with the EAA group. Over time, Ed owned an Aeronca Champ & Aeronca Chief.
He built & flew an RLU-1 Breezy homebuilt. Rogers Martin remembered that Ed repurposed Cessna 120 wings for the Breezy.
Ed delighted in giving rides in the Breezy as it was literally 'breezy'.
It would fly at 60 mph & there was no cockpit: the tandem seats were bolted to keel spar & the pilot & passenger were open to the breeze.
When Ed was president, Chapter 468 built a Pietenpol Air Camper but sold the airframe before it was completely finished.
Mary Cole Braun remembered that Ed & her brother built a BD-5 their basement.”
Jim continued, “Ed also was a flight instructor & said that teaching some of the homebuilt aircraft was a special challenge since some models had but one seat.
He remembered a young man had bought a single seat ultalight but had no flying experience. Ed told him to first get used to taxiing & slowly increase speed.
Then, he should get just airborne & fly in ground effect for a bit to get the feel of the controls. Good progress was made & the young pilot was ready to fly.
Ed remembered telling him not to fly too far from the field because everything looked different from the air & trees obscure many landmarks that are easily seen from ground level.
The pilot assured Ed that he was very familiar with the area & subsequently got lost. He did eventually find Cole Field & saw a relieved Ed Cole standing by the runway awaiting his return.”
Cole Field was not depicted at all on the 1981 or 1983 USGS topo maps.
The last airfield directory listing which has been located of Cole Field was in the 1983 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It described Coles Field as a private airfield having 2 turf runways: 2,100' Runway 8/26 & 1,200' Runway 4/22.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Cole Field was on the September 1986 Atlanta Terminal Chart (courtesy of Stu Sibitzky).
It depicted Cole as a private airfield having a 2,100' unpaved runway.
Cole Field was no longer listed in the 1988 AOPA Airport Directory (according to Jonathan Westerling).
Jim Daigneau reported, “Gloria Barlow remembered that around 1989, she met Bruce Erion, a local reporter at a school event.
At the time, Bruce was the Channel 11 reporter & helicopter pilot (he was also a West Point graduate & Vietnam veteran).
She invited him to fly the 'Channel 11 Alive' helicopter in for the EAA picnic.
He accepted & it was such a success the next year Gloria invited WSB Channel 2 & WAGA Channel 5, Atlanta TV stations with helicopters, to fly in.”
A 1989 photo by Gloria Barlow (courtesy of Jim Daigneau) of 3 Bell JetRangers (news helicopters from Channels 2, 5, and 11) making a formation approach to Cole Field.
A 1989 photo by Gloria Barlow (courtesy of Jim Daigneau) of 3 Bell JetRangers (news helicopters from Channels 2, 5, and 11) making a formation landing at Cole Field.
Jim Daigneau recalled, “They flew in & landed in formation, conducting a formation bow while hovering just before touching down.”
A 1989 photo by Gloria Barlow (courtesy of Jim Daigneau) of the Bell JetRanger from 11 Alive landing at Cole Field.
A 1989 photo by Gloria Barlow (courtesy of Jim Daigneau) of Ed Cole presenting Channel 11 reporter Bruce Erion with an EAA ball cap at Cole Field, with Ed’s Cub in the background.
A 1989 photo by Gloria Barlow (courtesy of Jim Daigneau) of Ed Cole with video camera in hand, in front of his Aeronca Chief at Cole Field.
Jim Daigneau reported, “Rogers Martin remembered flying into to Ed’s field to pick up one or two of Ed’s daughters to take them flying.
For one such excursion, Rogers was flying a Cessna 206 for a local construction company & flew into to Cole Field.
Ed was a little concerned that Rogers would not be able to the relatively large airplane safely over the trees.
Rogers said, with a light load, the airplane handled the confines of Cole Field with no problem.
Rogers Martin grew up and flew out of his father’s Sunset Strip, just a few miles to the west of Cole Field.”
Jim continued, “Ed [reluctantly] remembered a story about propping his Aeronca Chief.
He had found a bird’s nest in the intake & cleaned it out before he started up to go flying. He throttled up at the end of the runway to pivot around for takeoff.
As he turned he smelled smoke & immediately cut the mags off to kill the engine. He went out to inspect the engine again but realized it was 'his neighbors were burning weeds.'
Relieved, he went back to turn the mags on but didn’t adjust the throttle. When he pulled the prop through it started up & immediately started to move forward with the extra throttle.
Ed couldn’t get to the door so he just held on to the strut to get one wheel off the ground.
As he drug the airplane around in circles, he looked at the windsock & figured 'if he let go at the right time, the airplane would take itself into the pine trees & not the neighbor’s house.'
It was a good plan: when he let go he was able to get to the door & pull the throttle back & kill the engine. He then 'looked around to see if anyone had seen' the proceedings.”
The last photo which has been located of Cole Field was a 1993 aerial view.
The 2 unpaved northeast/southwest runways were still intact, but the airfield may have been closed by that point, as there were no aircraft visible on the field.
Jim Daigneau reported, “Ed sold the property in 1997. It was quickly converted into the current Waverly Place subdivision: a fate common to many small, private airfields.”
A 1999 aerial photo showed the housing development having erased all traces of Cole Field.
A 2018 aerial photo showed no trace of Cole Field.
Jim Daigneau reported, “Ed & Ruth’s old home is still visible on the south corner of Waverly Boulevard & Panola Road.”
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33.623, -84.26 (Southeast of Atlanta, GA)
A 1962 aerial view by Rogers Martin looking north at Sunset Strip under construction, with the house having just been started (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
Jim Daigneau reported, “Sunset Strip was owned by Ken Martin, an aircraft mechanic, businessman and pilot.
Ken started a small company named 'Piedmont Engineering' which rebuilt engines & performed aircraft maintenance & inspections.
Rogers Martin, Ken’s son, grew up on the field with a wrench in his & followed in his father’s footsteps as an aircraft mechanic.”
The earliest depiction which has been located of Sunset Strip was a 1962 aerial view by Rogers Martin (courtesy of Jim Daigneau),
which showed the airfield under construction & the adjacent house having just been started.
According to David Henderson, “One of the distinguishing features in the airport photos is the semi-circular building with a zig-zag roofline adjacent to the runway.”
Jim Daigneau reported, “The semi-circular building is the house that Ken built.
It had a long connecting hallway & picture windows on the west side that looked out to a pond & mansion that are visible in aerial photos.”
Sunset Strip, as depicted on a 3/9/66 USDA aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson).
David Henderson observed, “The airport had a single 2,100' north/south grass runway
and was located about 9 miles directly east of Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport & 3.5 miles east of the old Ft. Gillem Airport.”
The 1968 USGS topo map depicted Sunset Strip as a single unpaved north/south runway, labeled simply as “Landing strip”,
with 2 small buildings along the west side.
Sunset Strip was not yet depicted on the 1974 Atlanta Sectional Chart (or subsequent aeronautical charts from 1978 or 1986).
David Henderson recalled, “The airport is shown as 'Private landing strip' on a 1978 Atlanta street atlas.”
A 1978 aerial photo showed the airfield configuration remained unchanged.
An undated photo by Rogers Martin of N591WK, one of the Martin's Chipmunks (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
Jim Daigneau reported, “There are many stories to tell from the 1970s & 1980s when general aviation was very popular.
The south side of Atlanta was particularly suited to a robust general aviation community with plentiful, generally level & obstacle-free pasture
as well as two major & several smaller airlines with large bases at Atlanta International Airport.
If you could find a few thousand feet of turf or dirt, you could build yourself an airport. Many smaller general aviation airplanes do quite well operating from such fields.
But Rogers remembered when Sunset would get too muddy, the airplanes would disperse to other close fields that had better surfaces such as Berry Hill & Bellah.
Rogers recalled that the family owned several de Havilland Chipmunks, a Thorp 18, a 1953 Beechcraft Bonanza, a gyrocopter & various light sport aircraft.
Sunset Strip was located one mile due south of the old REX VOR, right under the west approach path to Atlanta Airport.
He noted that one had to be careful when Atlanta was landing to the west because the big airplanes could be as low as 2,000' above going overhead.
He said he was rocked numerous times by wake turbulence from jets passing close by.”
Jim continued, “Rogers said his father was pretty picky about who he allowed to land at his airport.
He recalled one pilot clipped the trees on landing & flipped the airplane over on its back.
Ken & Rogers were able to fix the airplane but then the pilot tried to sue the Martins.
Subsequently, Mr. Martin let it be known that his airport was 'invitation only', or in today’s term Prior Permission Required.
Rogers also remembered that a pilot, who was somewhat notorious around the country, arrived at Sunset Strip by spinning down nearly to the runway, recovering extremely low but in time to land.
Mr. Ken was not impressed; the pilot was 'banished' from Sunset.”
A circa 1983 photo by Rogers Martin of Kristy & Kerry Martin & their dog Kitty (the dog) in front of a Sunset Strip hangar (courtesy of Jim Daigneau).
Jim Daigneau reported, “Visible in the hangar is N8476Q the Cessna 206 Stationair the Rogers flew for a local construction company.”
A 1988 aerial photo showed that a hangar had been added at some point between 1978-88 nested adjacent to the semi-circular structure.
Jim Daigneau reported, “There was a disagreement with the neighbors, so Ken built the hangar in the curve of the house to block the view.”
David Henderson recalled, “The airport was still clearly visible in a 1993 USGS aerial photo but the runway doesn't appear to have been mowed.
By 1999, the runway had largely disappeared beneath the trees.”
A circa 2012 aerial view looking west (courtesy of David Henderson) at Sunset Strip. David remarked, “The odd semi-circular building & hangar are still present.”
A 2/8/13 aerial view looking southwest at the site of Sunset Strip.
David Henderson observed, “It's easy to find the former runway in the recent aerial views... It can be spotted by the straight line of pines in an otherwise mostly hardwood canopy.
It appears that the center of the runway is maintained as a private road.”
A 2020 photo (courtesy of Jim Daigneau) showing the overgrowth around Sunset Strip's house & hangar.
Jim Daigneau reported, “The property was sold in 2020 & the disposition of the land & buildings are unknown.”
The site of Sunset Strip is located southwest of the intersection of Anvil Block Road & Fairview Road.
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South Expressway Airport (9A7), Jonesboro, GA
33.505, -84.36 (South of Atlanta, GA)
South Expressway Airport, as depicted on the February 1960 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
This general aviation airport was not yet depicted on the 1958 USGS topo map.
The origins of the field were described by Ed Bernd.
He recalled that airport owner-manager W.H. 'Bill' Galloway “has been flying forever.
He met up with a farmer who owned some land in Jonesboro,
and they went into a partnership on the airport.
Galloway & the farmer each owned 40% of the business, and their wives each owned 10%.
The idea was to have a grass strip, but they never could get grass to grow.
Before I showed up there, they had fertilized the runway to get grass to grow.
It rained & the wet fertilizer got throw all over the place very time a plane landed.
They had to wash every plan that landed during that time. So they stuck with the dirt strip.”
According to the 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson),
“South Expressway Airport... was developed in the late 1950s.”
The earliest depiction which has been located of South Expressway Airport was on the February 1960 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
It depicted South Expressway Airport as having a 2,800' unpaved runway.
Ed Bernd recalled of South Expressway Airport, “I first stopped at the field in October of 1960.
Just a single dirt strip about the length [2,600'], and talked with the owner-manager, W.H. 'Bill' Galloway.
I didn't take my first lesson that afternoon despite the great selling job that Bill Galloway did on me... but I came back the next day.
He told me a 'secret' about the best time to learn to fly:
'Today, because that's the only time you can ever do it.'
I could hardly sleep that night. The next day of course the weather was horrible.
The radio said wind gusts to 50 mph (perhaps they exaggerated somewhat).
It was very late afternoon by the time I got back over there.
By that time I was scared that he might not take me up because of the lateness & the weather.
But he was too good a salesman for that.
We climbed into his personal plane, a Cessna 140 complete with wheelpants, and I got my first lesson.”
Ed continued, “When I first went there, they owned 4 airplanes:
Galloway's personal Cessna 140; 2 Cessna 120's that were used to train students
(he never let me in his 140 again); and a Piper J3 Cub.
I don't know why they had the J3, but I finally talked them into checking me out in it & I loved it.”
Ed continued, “I got my private license on 7/13/61. Somewhere along the way I went to work at the airport, as a line boy.
Somehow it seemed better than being managing editor of our family newspaper.”
Ed continued, “When the Cessna 150 first came out, they bought one.
That might have been in late 1961, or it might have been 1962.
They sold one of the 120's, and then one of his flight instructors flipped the other 120 one day.
So all he had left was the 150 & the Cub, until he got the 120 fix.
Later they bought a Air Coupe - not the old Ercoupe with the controls tied together,
but a nice low wing airplane with a bubble canopy & a 90 hp engine... I loved to fly it.
He had about 3 flight instructors there as I recall.”
Ed Bernd recalled, “Finally they had a strip of asphalt laid over the dirt. I'd guess that could have been 1962.
They had one hangar, on the south side of the airport, and one mechanic. They tied down airplanes on both sides.
I remember at one time race driver Joe Weatherly hid his airplane way back at the back of the tiedown area for a couple of months
until he made enough money to get caught up on the payments.
It was an interesting layout: The airport was right up against the southern edge of the Atlanta control zone,
so we had to fly all our patterns on the south side of the airport.
At the east end of the runway was a 4-lane highway.
There were power lines, a fence, and the runway went downhill for the first few hundred feet.
It was a bit of a challenge to land that way. After that first few hundred feet the runway leveled out.
At the west end, the ground dropped off again... and there was a big stand of tall Georgia pine trees.”
Ed continued, “Naturally we preferred to land uphill... heading east.
The wind would come down the runway, then across the area that had been cleared, and then hit those pines...
giving us a stiff updraft just before we got to the end of the runway.
We'd drop a ways (depending on how strong the wind was of course)
so we'd juice the throttle to keep from dropping to far, then settle down & land.”
Ed continued, “We had one really nice airplane based there, a Piper Cherokee.
It was the only plane they kept in the hangar.
One day the owner came in a little too low - landing downhill - and sat it down on the fence.
The fence posts punched holes in the wings, but didn't hurt them.
They hustled it into the hangar very quickly so nobody would know.
I was working there at the time & didn't even know about it for several days.”
Ed continued, “Like most businesses in the South back then,
they got the sign for the establishment from the Cocoa Cola company.
They would provide a big red sign with the big red Coca Cola log & big red letters that said 'Drink Coca Cola',
and leave you a little white space to put the name of your business.
I think all that he had there was the word 'Airport' in the biggest letters he could fit on there.
So we always loved to tease the Chief about his 'Cocoa Cola Airport'."
The earliest directory listing of South Expressway Airport which has been located was in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory,
which described the field as having a single 2,600' paved Runway 6/24.
The operator was listed as South Expressway Airport Inc.
The earliest photo which has been located of South Expressway Airport was a 1963 photo (courtesy of John Lipscomb) of John's father's Cessna 170.
The airport office is visible in the background.
A 1963 photo of an unidentified man in front of a Stinson at the South Expressway Airport avgas pump.
A 1963 photo of a Twin Commander & other general aviation aircraft at South Expressway Airport.
David Bryan recalled, “My Dad learned to fly at South Expressway back in the late early 1960s
in an Aeronca Champ that belonged to the Hill Hoppers Flying Club, which had a lot of Delta Airlines people in it.
When he got his ticket he bought the Cessna 140 from Galloway & had the good fortune of having a good friend, Dick Borrelli who flew for Eastern.
Dick got hurt & was on leave, so they flew like maniacs off South Expressway for about 2 months obtaining Dad's licenses.
I fondly remember sitting on the hill (where they put the school in the late 1980s) watching him do touch & goes.
Dad was able to transition from maintenance to flying at Delta due to this.”
Dick Borrelli recalled, “I was just a friend of Gerald’s, doing him a favor. I didn’t charge him for the instruction.
The gentleman who owned the airport got really mad that Gerald wasn’t using one of his instructors
and put Gerald on a cash-only basis & refused to let him run a tab like everyone else. They were pretty nasty to him.
We went out every morning & flew from South Expressway – MCN – CSG - South Expressway
on a flight plan with multiple variations & then flew every approach to every airport we visited.
Every other day we reversed it. We always stopped in CSG to refuel & have lunch with his sister.
At the end of the summer he got his commercial & his instrument ratings & got hired a few months later by Delta. & retired as a Delta pilot.”
John Lipscomb recalled, “I grew up near the South Expressway Airport in the 1960s.
My father had a Cessna at the airport. Later my dad bought a Piper Comanche from Mr. Galloway.
He missed the fun of the Cessna so much he sold the Piper & bought back the Cessna.
My Father was Bill Galloway’s doctor & Mr. Galloway lived across the street from us.
I remember going to the airport to fly with my father & I always remember Mr. Galloway fondly.
I remember Mr. Galloway used to take me to the airport with him in the summer time before I started elementary school.
I used to tell my mother I was going to work.
I’m sure she enjoyed someone taking a rambunctious little 6 year old off of her hands for a few hours.
The airport office was a small building with model airplanes hanging from the ceiling.
I provided the Sopwith Camel biplane model to the collection.
This was also the first place I learned to put peanuts in my bottle of Coke.
Mr. Galloway was teaching me the southern traditions every little boy needs to learn.
One of the ways Mr. Galloway made money was to take aerial photos.
I can still remember going up with him during those times.
I bet I logged just as many hours as he did during those summer days.”
The 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson)
depicted South Expressway Airport as having a single Runway 6/24, with an office, shop, and T-hangar on the southeast side.
The 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson)
described South Expressway Airport as the “Busiest privately-owned general aviation field in the metropolitan area.
The 50-acre airport site fronts on U.S. Highways 19 & 41, a major regional thoroughfare,
about 6 miles south of its interchange with Interstate 75.
The most heavily developed & rapidly growing part of Clayton County extends northward from Jonesboro,
and the area around the airport is still relatively open; however, almost all of the development in its immediate vicinity has occurred during the past 10 years.
Despite the relative absence of suburban encroachment, there appears to be little possibility for a large scale expansion of the airport.
A highway is immediately to the east, and westward extension of the runway would require substantial fill & a culvert or bridge to cross Swamp Creek
and the adjoining marshy areas (which are 1,000' or more in breadth & up to 40' lower than the end of the runway).
The runway already runs downhill in this direction, with approximately 35' difference in elevation between its highest & lowest points.
It is 2,700' long & 150' wide, turf, with pavement 30' wideband is equipped with medium intensity runway lights, operated from dusk to 9PM (later on request).
The field is attended from 8:30AM-9PM. There are underground tanks for storage of aviation gasoline, with a capacity of 3,980 gallons.”
The 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson) continued,
“These general aviation facilities & services are provided:
Major & minor repair to power plant, airframe, radio & accessories, Aircraft services: painting, stripping, washing, waxing,
Aircraft storage: hangar 6 spaces, T-hangars 10 spaces, ramp 46 spaces, tie-down 80 spaces,
Aircraft for lease - 2 planes, charter - 6 planes, rental - 9 planes, air taxi - 3 planes, sight-seeing - 2 planes,
Sales of new & used aircraft, accessories, radio, instruments.
Ground school & flight instruction for all ratings except glider & helicopter flying: Instructors – 6, Aircraft – 10,
Aerial photography (color, black & white).
In 1965, the following general aviation aircraft were reported based at the airport: single-engine 1-3 places (68);
single-engine, 4 or more places (34); multi-engine (6).”
The earliest topo map depiction which has been located of South Expressway Airport was on the 1968 USGS topo map.
It depicted the field as having a paved northeast/southwest runway with a parallel taxiway, and several buildings on the southeast side.
The earliest aerial photo which has been located of South Expressway Airport was a 1968 USGS aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted a very popular general aviation airport, with nearly 100 light aircraft parked all around the field.
The 1968 Flight Guide (courtesy of Robert Levittan) depicted the South Expressway Airport as having a single 2,700' paved Runway 6/24.
A parallel taxiway on the south side of the runway led to 2 ramps, along which were 3 buildings (hangars?).
South Expressway Airport, as depicted on the 1970 USGS topo map.
John Lipscomb recalled, “Mr. Galloway died of a sudden heart attack in the mid-1970s at his home.
I used to cut the grass for Mrs. Galloway until I went off to college in 1979.”
The 1972 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted the South Expressway Airport
as having a single 2,700' paved Runway 6/24.
A parallel taxiway on the south side of the runway led to 2 ramps, along which were 3 buildings (hangars?).
Trish Phillips recalled, “In the mid-1970s, I was a passenger in a friend's Luscombe & we landed at South Expressway Airport.
I remember how friendly the folks were & we were even loaned a station wagon so we could drive to lunch.”
The 1978-79 GA Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of David Stevenson) depicted South Expressway Airport as having a single 2,700' paved runway.
An October 1980 photo (courtesy of David Henderson) of a Pheonix Airlines De Havilland Heron N507FW at South Expressway Airport.
David recalled, “Phoenix airlines parked their de Havilland Heron there for a few months after they went out business in 1980.”
David Bryan recalled, “In 1980, I learned to fly there also & we [he & his father] taught students together in the early 1980s.”
South Expressway Airport was described in an unchanged same manner in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury).
Charlie recalled, “My father & I bought a 1962 Cessna 172D in early 1982. We moved it from South Fulton Sky Port to South Expressway Airport where it was kept in a T-hangar until selling it.”
A circa mid-1980s photo by Charlie Evans of his 1962 Cessna 172D under a South Expressway Airport shade hangar.
The 1985 GA Airport Directory (courtesy of Charlie Evans) depicted South Expressway Airport as having a 2,980' Runway 6/24, with hangars & an administration building on the southeast side.
A still from a November 1987 movie by Charlie Evans showing aircraft parked at Expressway Airport.
As of the 1993 USGS aerial photo, South Expressway Airport was apparently quite healthy,
as a total of 30 aircraft were visible parked outside, in addition to the 4 hangars which were at the airport.
An undated photo of Jason Porter mowing the grass in front of a Beech Bonanza at South Expressway Airport, from an 8/13/93 article (courtesy of David Henderson).
The article entitled “Days numbered for airport” described how Clayton County was about to complete a deal
that would close the privately-owned South Expressway Airport & relocate operations to the county-owned Tara Field.
South Expressway Airport was owned by Lucy Huie & her husband.
David Lopez reported that he flew into & out of South Expressway Airport in the early 1990s.
He recalled, “This airport was unlike many of our current airports in that it was 'Spectator Friendly'.
If you went out to this airport on a weekend, you would find open hangars
with lawn chairs strewed about facing the runway & bar-b-q grills scenting the air with the aroma of hotdogs & hamburgers.
Kids, parents, family & friends would gather to watch as the planes would take-off & land.”
David Bryan recalled, “Some lawyer owned it for awhile then it was acquired by Delta pilot Ron Smith.
Ron built a large hangar there where he ran a cargo op with D18s & turboprops.
Later, Ron moved his operation to Tara Field, and flying at South Expressway dried up.
When Ron died is when it was sold to the county.”
According to Glen Boyd (manager of LaGrange-Callaway Airport),
a fairly large tract of houses was located on the opposite (northeast) side of Route 19-41,
"from which the usual barrage of complaints often came.
Off-airport emergency landings didn't help much,
especially one that crashed on the roof of a house in the development
(yes, of course the airport was there LONG before the development)."
According to Ronald Willard, "South Expressway Airport closed in approximately 1994
as part of a transaction brokered between Henry & Clayton counties
over the use of then named Bear Creek Airport (now known as Tara Field),
located less than 10 miles south of South Expressway Airport just off Highway 19-41.
Most private pilots who once used South Expressway likely now use Tara.
Tara Field doesn’t have quite the character South Expressway had.
There was nothing like the sight of cruising up Highway 19-41
and suddenly having a small plane zip across just overhead on final approach."
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of South Expressway Airport was on the March 1995 Atlanta Sectional Chart.
It depicted South Expressway Airport as a private airfield having a 3,000' paved runway.
The last photo which has been located of an aircraft flying from South Expressway Airport was an undated photo of Ken Lamarca flying his ultralight from a 2/26/98 article (courtesy of David Henderson).
The land of the former South Expressway Airport was purchased in 1998,
and construction began that same year to build the Clayton County Justice Center on the site.
Glen Boyd points out the irony in how the complaints of neighboring residents
contributed in replacing an airport with a prison:
"I often wonder about how happy having a penal institute in this location makes residents of that development."
In the words of Ronald Willard, "The community should have left well enough alone,
a small airfield is a much better neighbor than a jail."
A 2002 USGS aerial view showed South Expressway Airport's runway had been removed,
and the building of the Justice Center had been constructed over most of the former airport property.
However, note the 8 airplanes that were still parked around the former airport building northeast of the center of the photo.
According to Glen Boyd, the building was the Clayton College & State University A&P school.
These were apparently the aircraft which were used in maintenance instruction at the school.
Boyd notes that the A&P school itself has recently been threatened with closure,
so it may not still be operational.
Ronald Willard reported in 2004,"I was at the old site of South Expressway [Airport] earlier today
and found that a portion of the old runway is still in place.
It is cracked, of course, with a lot of grass growing through but an old bed is still there."
According to David Lopez, “I miss this kind of atmosphere & I'm pretty sure that we have seen the last of such public airports.
Apparently the local community preferred a prison instead of a small airstrip.”
A circa 2008 aerial photo looking north at the 6 airplanes that were still parked around the Clayton College & State University A&P school at the South Expressway Airport site.
An 8/19/05 aerial photo showed 6 airplanes that were still parked around the former South Expressway Airport building
on the north side of the runway (even after the runway had been removed).
According to Glen Boyd, the building was the Clayton College & State University A&P school.
These were apparently the aircraft which were used in maintenance instruction at the school.
Boyd notes that the A&P school itself has recently been threatened with closure, so it may not still be operational.
A 6/15/06 aerial photo still showed 6 airplanes parked around the A&P school building.
A 6/25/07 aerial photo showed that the planes had been removed from the A&P school building, erasing this curious trace of the South Expressway Airport.
A 2016 aerial view showed that the last remaining traces of the South Expressway Airport were the southwest end of the runway, and the former A&P school building on the north side.
A 2018 photo looking west at a small remaining trace of South Expressway Airport: the southwest end of the runway.
The site of South Expressway Airport is located west of the intersection of Tara Boulevard & Poston Road.
Thanks to Larry Judy for pointing out this airfield.
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33.55, -84.17 (Southeast of Atlanta, GA)
Bellah Field, as depicted on the April 1938 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
Bellah Field was dedicated on 7/10/32, according to an article in the 7/11/32 The Palm Beach Post (courtesy of David Henderson).
According to Gordon Bellah's obituary (courtesy of David Henderson),“Early in his career, he built Bellah Airport at his home on a 2,300' pasture.
It was traditional for pilots from far & near & from other countries to gather at his airport on Sunday afternoons for 'Hangar Flying,'
and to mingle with skydivers who used his airfield as a base.
As 'Dean' of aviation at the Bellah School of Aeronautics in Stockbridge,
Bellah was credited with turning out more fledglings than any other pilot in the southeast.
One of the first skydiving schools in the south was at Bellah Field.
It is believed that the modern parachute evolved based on what was leaned there.
The jumpers were protective of their silk parachutes.
They packed & sewed & made repairs themselves until finally the 'chutes' became more fragile & smaller.
They discovered that some maneuvering was possible & they could land where they wanted to land.
A traditional story is that at one point, Gordon’s group challenged the Army to a contest to see who could land more accurately.
The Army jumped first & they never hit their target, but everyone of Bellah’s boys landed on their target.”
Bellah Field was not yet depicted on the April 1933 or October 1935 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
The earliest depiction of Bellah Field which has been located was on the April 1937 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
It depicted Bellah as a commercial/municipal airport.
Bellah Field was still depicted on the October 1942 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
Bellah Field may have gone through a period of closure during WW2 (like many other small civilian airfields near the coasts due to wartime restrictions),
as it was not depicted on the April 1945 or April 1946 Birmingham Sectional Charts.
Bellah Field was evidently reopened at some point between 1946-48,
as it was once again depicted on the October 1948 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
The August 1951 Atlanta Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Bellah as having a 2,100' unpaved runway.
The earliest photo which has been located of Bellah Field was a 3/9/55 USGS aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Bellah as having 3 unpaved runways, with a few small buildings (hangars?) along the northeast side.
No aircraft were visible on the field.
According to Jeremy Pirtle, the field was listed at one point as the "Gerald E. Bellah International Airport...
which was obviously a joke since the now-deceased owner operated a small light aircraft out of there.”
Bellah Field may have gone through a period of closure, as it was not depicted at all on the 1959 Atlanta Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Tim Zukas).
The 1964 USGS topo map depicted Bellah Field t depicted the field as having 3 unpaved runways,
and 3 small buildings along the east side.
Bellah Field had gained a 4th runway along its east side at some point between 1964-80,
as that is how it was depicted on a 1980 highway map (courtesy of Jeremy Pirtle).
The 1982 USGS topo map labeled Bellah Field simply as “Landing Field”.
It depicted the field as having a total of 4 unpaved runways, with a few small buildings along the east side.
The 2/12/88 USGS aerial photo depicted the runways of Bellah Field,
but did not show any aircraft or other signs of recent aviation usage.
The buildings seen in earlier photos along the east side appeared to have been removed.
According to Gordon Bellah's obituary (courtesy of David Henderson), “Gordon Bellah continued to promote aviation until his death at age 90 in 1996.
Many aviation careers were launched under his tutelage.”
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Bellah Field was on the September 2004 Atlanta Terminal Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted “Bellah International” as a private field having a 4,500' unpaved runway.
An 11/30/05 aerial view looking south showed the Bellah Field runways continued to be kept clear.
Bellah Field was evidently closed at some point between 2004-2009,
as it was no longer depicted on the March 2009 Atlanta Terminal Aeronautical Chart.
Jeremy Pirtle visited the site of Bellah Field in 2009 & reported,
“The airstrip has been mauled in preparation for yet another subdivision, but the general layout is still discernible.
There is nothing that looks like removed paving, other than a couple of piles that probably came from 2 smallish concrete slabs.
No evidence remains of any runways visible from ground level.
I was able to locate an elderly gentleman from another nearby strip who told me that the former owner was an old barnstormer
who just wanted a large airfield of his own & had the ability to build one himself.”
A 2009 aerial view by Jeremy Pirtle looking north at the site of Bellah Field shows that the property is being cleared for construction.
Jeremy noted, “The devastation is worse from the air than I thought, but you can still sort of see the layout.”
A 12/7/14 photo by David Henderson “looking northeast along a new road that parallels the old southwest/northeast runway” of the former Bellah Field.
David reported “The runway would have been immediately to the left of the road in this shot. The roads have aviation-themed names.
The subdivision construction [Bellah Landing] is in full swing. There is enough space for hundreds of homes.”
A 2024 aerial view showed sadly no trace remained of Bellah Field.
The site of Bellah Field is located south of the intersection of Hemphill Road & Moseley Road.
____________________________________________________
33.965, -84.41 (Northeast of Atlanta, GA)
A 1946 photo of a group including Jack Dunn (2nd from right) at Parkaire Field in front of a Stinson Voyager 108-2 which had been newly-painted with the Parkaire logo.
According to the 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson),
Parkaire Field was built in 1945.
According to Phil Bonner Jr., "Walt Nix bought the property around 1946 after being a Captain in the Army Air Corps
in which he met a fellow whose dad owned a new company called Piper Aircraft.
Walt became the southeast distributor for Piper & made good money in the aviation boom of the era.”
The earliest photo which has been located of Parkaire Field was a 1946 photo of a group including Jack Dunn
in front of a Stinson Voyager 108-2 which had been newly-painted with the Parkaire logo.
Parkaire Field was not yet depicted on the April 1946 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
Patricia Ovbey Thomas recalled, “I flew out of Parkaire many times as a child of about 7-8 years old in about 1946-50
when Jack Dunn (who became a test pilot for the C-5A) & Pete Davidson were managers.
Bobby Moor, one of 3-4 pilots out at Parkaire, flew out of there & flew my 2 siblings & I
as trade-off for my dad's repair services to maintenance equipment in the shop at the airport.
The shop was full of tools that used air compressors to operate them & Dad, Tim Ovbey, could fix about anything that was broken.
Dad had virtigo & couldn't fly so they took us kids up. My first trip up was in the Red Cherokee!
Bobby was one of the pilots for hire for the planes chartered around the area for trips to from Atlanta & pleasure & entertainment.
The Chattahoochee River would rise & flood over it's many bridges, no Bufford dam at that time,
and folks wanted to come out of Atlanta to their weekend homes
and Parkaire air service became very popular for the doctors & Atlanta store owners who had weekend homes on Bishop's Lake & Mountain Park.”
Patricia continued, “They'd leave Candler Field in Atlanta & fly out to Parkaire.
At that time in my life, I began a love affair for small planes, small airports & anything that flew!
Bobby Moor had a history. He loved to perform & did tail spins over our house for 3-4 years. He'd fly low enough for us to talk.
Jack Dunn went to Lockheed & not sure where Pete Davidson & family went.
The road near Parkaire, Davidson Road was named for Pete, as his house sat over to the side & the road started as his driveway!
Yes, I became an incurable airport & airplane junkie from a bunch of sweet guys
that put up with a little curious girl & her siblngs who were crammed in the back seat of those baby planes.”
Patricia continued, “My brother, Jim Ovbey, who was younger than me; he got to sit in front every now & then, next to Bobby.
We'd take the Piper Cubs out most of the time & one of them had a missing passenger door
and he sat & strapped Jim into that doorless plane & those blue eyes got really big & that head full of blond straight hair swished all around
as he looked & asked hundreds of questions!
Bobby told him 'We use this one to take pictures' Jim, you can see better, also.
Bobby laughed his boyish laugh & revved up that engine as he loved to so we would shutter just a little & he knew that.
He'd ask us if we liked to hear that & we told him it was scarey; that's all Bobby needed because he was nothing but a tease.
When we got airborne, he tipped that doorless plane on its side & told Jim to look out & asked Jim what do you see;
Jim told him he could see the river & some houses. We were at the Chattahoochee.”
Patricia continued, “We lived a mile down on the other side of Johnson's Ferry Road on Roswell Road
and Dad worked in Buckhead at that time & often stopped in at the airfield to see if anything was broken or out of operation before he came home.
Those guys were his buddies & between Dad & Bobby, who were the cutups, there were always tricks on the other guys going on.
Pete & Jack were more serious, more refined, officers & gentlemen of the military, thank you.
So you see why I liked to go up to Parkaire, I loved the laughter of guys,
those deep, loud laughs that tell kids things are all right even with a war going on or just coming to an end, somewhere in the world.”
A 1947 aerial view by Jack Dunn depicted Parkaire Field as having 2 unpaved runways, with 3 rows of T-hangars on the northwest side of the field.
Joe Rao recalled, “When I was at GA Tech 1947-51, the Tech flying club flew out of Parkaire.
The aircraft I flew there there were: Ercoupe NC94761, Aeronca Champ NC1650E, Cub J-3 NC40605,
Cub Cruiser NC2824M, Cessna 120 NC2217N, Cessna 140 NC77011, Stearman PT-17 NC1208M (Donated by the Navy).
I know the PT-17 & Champ were owned by the club, the others by the FBO.”
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Parkaire Field was on the October 1948 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
It depicted Parkaire as a commercial/municipal airport.
Alan Dameron reported, “I have a letter & invoice dated 1949 from Parkaire Field listing the owners as Hal Davison & Peter Davison.
Dad kept his Stearman tied down at Parkaire.”
According to Phil Bonner Jr., "Walt Nix was like an uncle to me & taught my dad Phil Bonner to fly there around 1951 or so."
Ed Leonard recalled, “I took flying lessons as a 17-year-old at Parkaire in 1951.
The next year my father bought a Bellanca & kept it at Parkaire.
Walter & Kitty Nix owned & operated the field during the early 1950s.
Although Walt was a licensed instructor, I took my lessons from his 22-year-old employee, Johnny Orr.
The 2,200' main runway was dirt, but there was, of all things, a paved taxiway along its north side.
Once when I was there, a DC-3 (which did not try to make contact by Unicom) wanted to land.
It kept making approaches to the narrow, somewhat obstructed, paved taxiway.
We tried to wave it over to the dirt runway, and finally succeeded.
The 1,800' cross runway was dirt, and had a LARGE tree partly obstructing the south approach.”
Ed continued, “There were several incidents at Parkaire.
The biggest one was a tornado (!) which damaged the T-hangars & several of the planes.
Another was in fall of 1952 when my father was practicing precision landings,
landed short, turned the Bellanca up on its nose, and broke off one of its (wooden) wings. He was not injured.
Flying was exciting (and inexpensive) in the early 1950s!”
Parkaire Field, as depicted on the 1953 USGS topo map.
A 1955 aerial view depicted Parkaire Field as having 2 unpaved runways, with 3 rows of T-hangars on the northwest side of the field.
The 1955 USGS topo map depicted Parkaire Field as having 2 unpaved runways.
The 1959 Atlanta Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Tim Zukas) depicted Parkaire as having a 2,400' unpaved runway.
In 1959, a meeting was held at at Parkaire Field to reorganize the North Georgia Soaring Society (NoGass).
The Club purchased a Schweizer 2-22 for the sum of $2,000.
A flying fee of 3 cents/minute & a tow fee of $1.00 / thousand feet was established.
The operator of Parkaire, Walter Nix, agreed to let the club operate at Parkaire Field.
Parkaire had evidently gained a paved runway at some point between 1955-60,
as a 1960 aerial view depicted a paved northwest/southeast runway.
Several buildings & hangars had also been added along the north side of the field.
There were a total of a dozen light aircraft visible on the field.
In the Spring of 1962 the North Georgia Soaring Society's 2-22 was flipped & destroyed in a windstorm at Parkaire
and as a result, flying activity by the soaring club was severely curtailed.
In the late Spring of 1962 the NoGass Club & MGSA Club were merged
and continued to operate from Parkaire Field under the MGSA name.
Later members of the club constructed a new airfield at Monroe, GA airport,
and moved their operations there,
as suburban development was beginning to encroach on Parkaire Field.
Parkaire had evidently gained a paved runway at some point between 1954-62,
as the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Parkaire Field
as having a 2,200' asphalt Runway 12/30 & a 2,000' sod Runway 18/36.
The operator was listed as Walter Nix.
A 1964 street map (courtesy of Robert Brown) still depicted Parkaire as having two runways.
According to the 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson),
“In 1965, these aircraft were reported based at the airport: single-engine, 1-3 places (9);
single-engine, 4 or more places (19).”
The 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson)
depicted Parkaire Field as having a single Runway 12/30, with T-hangars & a shop on the northwest side.
According to the 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson),
“Parkaire is the oldest of the privately-owned general aviation fields in the region.
In recent years residential subdivision development has begun in the general vicinity of the field.
The 74-acre site is not suitable for airport expansion.
Nearby development prevents runway extension to the west, while to the east the land falls off sharply toward the Chattahoochee River.
The single runway is 2,200' long, with pavement 40' wide;
it & the associated taxiway & apron are in good condition but are not lighted, and the field is attended only during daylight hours.
Although open to the public, Parkaire is maintained primarily as a necessary adjunct to an aircraft distributorship, principal business of the owner.
There is underground storage for 4,000 gallons of aviation gasoline.
The following facilities & services are also available: Major & minor repairs to power plant, airframe, instruments & accessories,
Aircraft services: washing & waxing, Aircraft storage: T-hangars 22 spaces, Tie-down 5 spaces,
Sales of new aircraft, engines, instruments, radios, Sales of used aircraft,
Flight instruction for all ratings available by special arrangement.”
A circa 1968 photo of Roger Truelove & Tom Sieswerda's Piper J-4E Cub in front of a Parkaire hangar.
Tom Sieswerda recalled, “I had a Piper J-4E there in Hangar 2 from 1966-70.
Perhaps 1968 we had Charlie Hillard & Gene Soucy fly in, before the Red Devils.”
Joe Price recalled, “In 1968 I experienced my first small plane flights from its runway
in the local Civil Air Patrol squadron’s Aeronca L-16 & in Noel DeChar’s clipped-wing Piper J-3.”
A 1968 aerial view depicted Parkaire at perhaps the zenith of its popularity,
with over 30 light aircraft visible on the field.
The 1968 Flight Guide (courtesy of Robert Levittan) depicted Parkaire Field as having a single paved 2,200' Runway 12/30,
as well as a parallel taxiway on the north side leading to a long ramp.
A total of 10 buildings were situated on the north side of the ramp.
Andrew Croft recalled, “Parkaire in Marietta.. my Dad used to work on a J3 there that he restored.
I flew in & out of there many times & it could get pretty scary.
here was high-tension power lines on one end & almost a cliff on the other, you would disappear over a hill on take off.
The power lines were lowered with orange balls on them & the last time I was there they still ran across the shopping center parking lot.”
A circa 1970-71 photo (courtesy of Joe Price) of students around an unidentified aircraft at Parkaire Field
from North Springs High School’s 1971 yearbook.
According to Joe, “The American Field Service did its annual spread there in late 1970 or early 1971.”
Parkaire was still depicted as an active airfield on the 1971 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown),
which depicted the field as having a single 2,200' paved runway.
According to Phil Bonner Jr., "Walt Nix… sold the airstrip around 1972."
A Summer 1972 photo by Robert Brown of “Gordon Dunnagan's Stearman from PDK visiting Parkaire to shoot landings.
If you've ever been to PDK you'll understand why it wasn't practical to shoot landings in a Stearman there.”
The 1972 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Parkaire Field as having a single 2,200' paved Runway 12/30,
as well as a parallel taxiway on the north side leading to a long ramp.
A total of 7 buildings were situated on the north side of the ramp.
The last photo which has been located showing Parkaire Field in operation was a 1972 aerial view.
A total of 25 light aircraft were parked at the northwest corner of the field.
A 5/17/72 article entitled “Cobb Airport Sold, Homes Due” (courtesy of David Henderson)
described how Sharp-Boyleston Company announced that Parkaire Field had been sold for almost $1 million to Post Properties,
which planned to build 500 condominium units on the land, with development to begin in 6 months.
Parkaire Field was closed at some point during 1972.
A series of August 1972 photos of the abandoned Parkaire Field by Joe Price.
Joe recalled, “I motorcycled to the site on 8/27/72, shot the black & whites, then had the presence of mind to map the shoot.
The photos show a distinct ghost town quality; the overgrowth suggests it had been abandoned since spring of that year, possibly before.”
The top picture depicted the main operations building.
Joe observed, “The office was on the right next to the fuel pumps. Building 'C' is in the background, but I don’t know what its use was.”
The second picture is of the main operations & maintenance building.
The third picture is of the southern end of Hangar 2 (note “Parkaire Field” painted on the roof. The last picture is of Hangars 1 & 2.
A layout by Joe Price of the arrangement of Parkaire Field as it existed in August 1972.
Patrick Burchins recalled, “Parkaire Field... In 1973, my family moved to Georgia from Florida
and my father was the General Superintendent for Holder Construction on the Parkaire Project.
Between Summer of 1973 & 1974 my dad was in charge of demolishing & new construction
of a mall with an ice skating rink in the middle of it & a Kroger grocery store attached.”
According to Robert Brown, "Parkaire was replaced by Parkaire Mall.
Davidson Rd was the access road to the airport & the runway ran parallel to it.
When the mall was first built, there was a section of runway still visible but the original mall was torn down & replaced by a new one
and the whole area has been developed more."
Parkaire was no longer depicted at all on the April 1974 Atlanta Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
A 1978 aerial photo appeared to show no trace remaining of the airport.
Patrick Burchins reported in 2009, “There is one thing left from the old Parkaire Field.
There are large red cones attached to the high-tension wires for the power company warning the aviators that were landing at the old airport.”
As seen in a 2023 aerial photo, the site of Parkaire Field has been densely redeveloped.
The site of Parkaire Field is located southeast of the intersection of Lower Roswell Road & Davidson Road.
____________________________________________________
33.728, -84.161 (East-southeast of Atlanta, GA)
Gunn Airfield, as depicted on the October 1948 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
According to an article (courtesy of David Henderson), Gunn Airfield was built in 1945 by George Gunn for his own use in a field behind his house.
Gunn Airfield was not yet depicted on the October 1947 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
The earliest depiction of Gunn Airfield which has been located was on the October 1948 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
It depicted Gunn as an auxiliary airfield.
The August 1954 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Gunn as having a 2,000' unpaved runway.
The earliest photo which has been located of Gunn Airfield was a 1955 aerial view.
It depicted the field as having a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway.
Two rows of T-hangars sat on the northwest side of the field, near which were 2 light aircraft.
John Wyrick recalled, “My Aunt, Uncle & 2 cousins learned to fly & all soloed at Gunn Field in the mid 1950s.
I flew with them a lot. It was quite an adventure.
One of the perils was that quite often there was a pretty good cross wind too!
If you learned to fly at Gunn you could fly anywhere!”
The 1956 USGS topo map depicted "Gunn Airfield" as having a northeast/southwest runway,
with 4 rows of hangars on the north side.
John Towler recalled, “I soloed a Piper Super Cub N2779A on 9/20/58 at Gunn Field.
My instructor was Red Goodman. The Super Cub & a Navion belonged to the Atlanta Army Depot Flying Club.”
The 1959 Atlanta Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Tim Zukas) depicted Gunn as having a 2,000' unpaved runway.
Gunn apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1959-60,
as the 1960 USDA aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted the field as having a single paved runway,
with 4 rows of T-hangars on the northwest corner of the field.
The 1961 Great Smoky Mountains World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Gunn as having a 2,000' hard-surface runway.
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Gunn as having a single 2,100' asphalt Runway 8/26.
The operator was listed as George Gunn.
The 1963 Birmingham Sectional Chart depicted Gunn as having an east/west 2,100' paved runway.
Fred Bieser recalled, "I have memories of going to Gunn Airfield with my dad when I was young.
It looked to me to be the world's most dangerous airport.
It seemed to be short, bumpy & with trees way too close to the runway."
Dave Forrest recalled, “I flew several airplanes in & out of Gunn, including the P-51 shown in the Stone Mountain photo.
During the 1960s & 1970s I flew a Beech 18, T-6,and the P-51 at Gunn Field.
During that same time frame there was a Delta pilot Bob Jenkins that owned a Stearman, a PT-22, and a T-6, all were based at Gunn.”
Gunn was described on the 1964 Savannah Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
as having a single 2,100' hard-surfaced runway.
According to the 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson),
“The following aircraft were reported based at Gunn in 1965:
single-engine, 1-3 places (16); single-engine, 4 or more places (49).”
Thom Riddle recalled, “I got my private ticket in 1966 at Gunn Airfield in Lithonia.
I was a member of the Georgia Tech Flying Club which leased an old straight-tail Cessna 150 from George Gunn.
We paid $7/hour wet plus $4/hr for the instructor.”
The 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson)
depicted Gunn Air Field as having a single Runway 8/26, with an office, shop, and hangars on the north side.
The 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson)
described Gunn as the “Second busiest of the privately-owned general aviation fields in the region.
The field is accessible via Panola-Stone Mountain Road, a regional thoroughfare, approximately 1.5 miles north of its interchange with Interstate highway 20.
DeKalb County's suburban growth has spread farther to the north & east,
and intensive subdivision development has not yet reached the vicinity of the field.
However, the 60-acre site is insufficient. The airport is handling as many aircraft as can be accommodated, and cannot be expanded.
The single paved runway is 2,130' long & 30' wide, and is equipped with low intensity lights.
Its grade is pronounced & runs downward to the east, with an overall difference in elevation of approximately 51'.
Because the approaches are extremely restricted by trees near the ends of the runway, lights are operated only on call for pilots who are familiar with the airport.
The field is normally attended during daylight hours.
There are underground storage tanks for 4,000 gallons of aviation gasoline.”
The 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson) continued,
“Other facilities & services for general aviation aircraft & pilots include:
Major & minor repair of power plant, airframe, Aircraft services: washing, waxing,
Aircraft storage: T-hangar - 37 spaces, Tie-down - 40 spaces,
Aircraft for rental & sight-seeing use, Sale of new & used aircraft & accessories,
Sale of used instruments & radios, Ground school & flight instruction for all ratings except glider & helicopter flying: Instructors 2, Aircraft 7.”
Tom Abarr recalled, “I began hanging out at Gunn Field around 1967.”
An August 1969 photo by Tom Abarr of a Cessna “170 that has been ripped from its tiedown,
blown across the driveway, and is resting against the fence abutting George Gunn's back pasture Gunn Field.”
This was from a tornado that hit Gunn Field.
Tom Abarr recalled, “About 1970, Mr. Gunn leased the airport to Johnny Allison (not the race car driver),
who subsequently sub-leased to Harold Dean.
Mr. Dean ran Dean Aviation, Inc., a flight school that was FAA & VA approved.
The school provided flight instruction from primary to advanced
using a fleet of C150's, C172's, a C182, Mooney Executive, and a Beech B95 Travelair.
I started working for Mr. Dean in 1970 as counter clerk, fuel jockey,
floor sweeper, etc., and soloed in 1971 at age 16.”
A 1971 airfield directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Gunn as having a parallel taxiway on the north side of the runway,
leading to a ramp area with four rows of t-hangars.
The remarks said, "Due to obstructions in approach, landings are limited to pilots familiar with airport."
In the words of Chris Kennedy, "I got a kick out of the comment about limited landings.
I wonder how you get familiar with an airport without landing there?"
A circa 1971 aerial photo by Tom Abarr, “that I took as I turned final for Runway 26 in a Cessna 150.
You can see the taxiway & T-hangars just to the north of the runway.
Trees were very close to the approach end of Runway 26, which had an uphill slope.
Taking off on Runway 9 could be an adventure, downhill aiming for the trees,
but not as much of one as taking off from Runway 26 on a hot day; uphill all the way!
We did not fill fuel tanks during the summer & paid close attention to density altitude & gross weights.”
The last photo which has been located of Gunn Airfield was a 1972 aerial view.
It depicted an amazing number of aircraft at such a small airport – a total of at least 43 light aircraft.
Tom Abarr recalled, “The flight school stayed quite busy with returning Vietnam War vets.
George Gunn took the field back from Allison around 1974, ran everybody off & sold the property.
He retired to Florida.”
The precise date of closure of Gunn Airfield has not been determined.
Fred Bieser recalled, "I remember watching the runway being dug up to make way for the subdivsion."
Jon Berndsen recalled, “In the early 1970s Gunn Field was closed
and my glider club, Mid Georgia Soaring Association,
bought the large 50x50 hangar that was there (depicted on the north end of airport in the diagram),
dismantled it, and re-erected it at the Monroe (GA) Airport.”
A 1978 aerial view showed that all of the hangars & other airport buildings had been removed.
It appeared as if the runway pavement had been removed as well,
but the property was otherwise not yet redeveloped.
Moser recalled, “Gunn Airfield... I used to live near this airfield from about 1978-81, when the area was first being developed for subdivisions.
I recall seeing the airfield on an older topo map in either the summer of 1979 or 1980.
Curious, I found the entrance to the airfield, which was relatively overgrown & abandoned, and I raced my motorcycle up & down the runway.
I don't recall there being any buildings (hangars) around at all, just the runway.
A police officer one time pulled in to see what I was up to, but didn't mind that I was running up & down it.
I recall that the runway surface was poor, but obviously not bad enough for me to have a little fun.”
Gunn Airfield was no longer listed among active airfields in the 1982 AOPA Airport directory.
"Gunn Airfield" was still depicted on the 1983 USGS topo map.
Note that the depiction of the 4 hangars was erroneous, as photos showed they had all been removed since at least 1978.
A 1/25/93 aerial photo showed that the site of the former airport had been completely redeveloped with housing.
As can be seen in the 2005 USGS aerial photo,
the site of the former airport had been completely redeveloped with housing.
Jon Berndsen reported in 2005, “That old hangar is still being used by MGSA to this day [at the Monroe Airport] to house its fleet of sailplanes.
So, a little piece of Gunn Field lives on today.”
An 8/4/12 photo by Graham Watkins of the site of Gunn Field, “looking west from the location of the taxiway.
The bumps & hills are still there & the trees at the end have grown up even taller by now.”
John Towler reported in 2015, “Now the old runway is a part of a large subdivision. I go & drive down this street often. My wife thinks I am crazy.”
A 2016 photo by Robert Brown of a vintage sign for Gunn Airfield,
which Robert noted, “is reported to be in a secure location from whence it will emerge on the day
when developers begin tearing down shopping centers & subdivisions to make room for general aviation airports.”
The site of Gunn Field is located northeast of the intersection of Covington Highway & Panola Road.
____________________________________________________
City-County Airport / Carrollton Municipal Airport, Carrollton, GA
33.597, -85.047 (Southwest of Atlanta, GA)
City-County Airport, as depicted on the April 1946 Birmngham Sectional Chart.
This general aviation airport was apparently built at some point between 1945-46,
as it was not yet depicted on the April 1945 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
The earliest depiction of City-County Airport which has been located was on the April 1946 Birmingham Sectional Chart
It depicted City-County as a commerical/municipal airport.
City-County Airport was evidently renamed Carrollton Airport at some point between 1946-48,
as that is how it was labeled on the October 1948 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
The August 1954 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Carrollton as having a 2,300' unpaved runway.
The earliest photo of Carrollton Municipal Airport which has been located was a 1/20/55 USGS aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Carrollton as having a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway, with 3 small hangars along the southeast side.
The 1958 USGS topo map depicted Carrollton as having a northeast/southwest unpaved runway.
Carrollton Airport apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1958-60,
as the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the field as having a 3,100' paved Runway 13/31 & a 2,300 unpaved Runway 2/20.
A taxiway led to a hangar on the west side of Runway 13/31, and a ramp just south of the runway intersection had a few small hangars.
The 1961 Great Smoky Mountains World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Carrollton Airport as having a 3,100' hard-surface runway.
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Carrollton as having a 3,100' asphalt Runway 14/32 & a 2,300' sod Runway 3/21.
The operator was listed as Carroll Flying Service.
Kenneth Husby recalled, “The old airport in Carrollton... where I grow up at. My parents ran the airport from 1965.
We use to live in a trailer house that was beside the operations building.
I was able to meet many politicians while my parents operated the airport.
I met Jimmy Carter there when he was a Representative for Georgia;
he had flown in to go to a Jaycee's meeting with a lawyer friend that lived in Carrollton.
My mother became known as one of the few women to operate an airport when they first took over operating the airport,
because at first my father stayed employed as a mechanic with Delta.”
Tony Garrett recalled, “I flew out of the Carrollton Airport from 9/20/66-9/18/67 when I got my Private Pilot license.
Bob Husby was my instructor & managed the airport.
It was a beautiful sight flying left downwind over Lake Carroll for Runway 30.”
The 1968 Flight Guide (courtesy of Robert Levittan) depicted Carrollton Municipal Airport
as having a 3,100' paved Runway 14/32 & a closed unpaved crosswind runway.
Three small buildings were depicted around the periphery of the field.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Carrollton Airport was on the 1963 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
It depicted Carrollton Airport as having a northwest/southeast 3,100' paved runway.
Kenneth Husby recalled, “My parents ran the airport until it was closed when West Georgia Regional Airport opened up in 1969.
The old airport was closed because of the increased concerns of the residents around Lake Carroll
about the air traffic that was coming in & the airport authority wanting to get it moved to a more rural area.”
Carrollton Airport was still depicted on the 1970 USGS topo map,
and was still listed as an active airfield in the 1971 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy).
Carrollton Municipal Airport was apparently closed at some point between 1971-72,
after it was replaced by the new West Georgia Regional Airport, a few miles west.
A 2/10/72 USGS aerial view (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted Carrollton shortly after its closure, with closed-runway “X” symbols painted along Runway 13/31.
Carrollton Municipal Airport was depicted as an abandoned airfield on the October 1975 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
According to Mike Carpenter (who has lived in Carrollton since 1967), the building west of the runway is a hangar once owned by Southwire,
since it had the name of that company written all over it.
The terminal was located just north of the southeast end of the runway, up until the late 1970s when it was serving as a driving range shop.
After the ballfields were built the terminal was torn down, in the 1980s.
The buildings adjacent to the southeast runway end are modern buildings not related to the airfield.
There was up to the late 1980s a small control tower located west of the runway midpoint.
It was used in the 1980s for a truck driver training facility.
The property adjacent to the south side of the airport was previously a fairgrounds, but it is now occupied by a shopping mall.
The 1982 USGS topo map depicted the paved northwest/southeast runway & unpaved northeast/southwest runway, labeled “Airport (Abandoned)”.
In a 1/27/93 aerial photo, the areas of the 2 runways were still cleared, although most of the pavement of Runway 14/32 had been removed.
In the 1998 USGS aerial photo, the areas of the 2 runways were still cleared,
although most of the pavement of Runway 14/32 had been removed.
The airport was no longer depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on the 2002 aeronautical charts.
A 2006 photo by Graham Watkins at the site of Carrollton Municipal Airport, showing “the yellow X over the old runway, facing northwest.”
A 2006 photo by Graham Watkins at the site of Carrollton Municipal Airport, “of the old hangar, now a city building.”
A 2023 aerial view looking west showed the 2 former Carrollton Municipal Airport runways to remain recognizable, and the former hangar still remained standing (center of photo).
The site of Carrollton Municipal Airport is located northwest of the intersection of Route 166 & Airport Road (appropriately enough), adjacent to the fairgrounds to the south.
Thanks to Lee Parmeter for pointing out this field.
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Morris Army Airfield (AGD), Forest Park, GA
33.623, -84.34 (Southeast of Atlanta, GA)
Morris AAF, as depicted in the 1959 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)..
This military airfield was located on the property of Fort Gillem, also known as the Atlanta General Depot.
The Depot was built in 1941, and specialized in repairing equipment for the Engineer & Ordnance Corps.
It also expanded into aircraft maintenance in the post-WW2 era.
No airfield at this location was yet depicted on a 1955 aerial photo.
According to Thomas Houston, the airfield at Morris AAF originally was a grass strip.
He worked on the construction of the paved runway at Morris AAF in 1958.
"At the time the airfield was built, the Atlanta General Depot was an aircraft rework & maintenance facility for all Army Aircraft in Third U. S. Army.
The fixed-wing aircraft that were stationed at the field & were transitory there
were the Cessna O-1 Birddog, the deHavilland U-1 Otter, the deHavilland U-6 Beaver,
the deHavilland CV-7 Carribou, and the Beech U-8 Seminole.
The rotary wing aircraft that were there were the Hiller OH-23, the Bell H-13,
the Piasacki CH-21, the Sikorsky CH-25, CH-37, and CH-41."
Houston continued, “As I recall it was a very short strip.
A Bird Dog (Cessna O-1) could get in & out OK but Seminole was very tricky.
Of Course the Otter & the Beaver could get in & out easily. I don't know when the grass strip was built.
It was less than 2,000' long , and the Southern Railroad telegraph wires were across the South end.
The new strip made life a lot easier for the Army Aviator of that day!
One incident I remember, was that they had to go to Fort Benning to pick up a 1957 Chevrolet sedan with a Mohave helicopter.
They had hauled 1956 Chevrolets in them before but not a 1957.
The Airfield Ops Officer Major asked to borrow my Government 1957 Chevy sedan
to try to load to be sure that the nose doors would close on the helicopter,
before they made the trip to Benning. It worked with 2 inches to spare.”
According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, Morris AAF was dedicated on 9/22/59.
Inexplicably, Morris AAF was still not yet depicted on the 1959 Atlanta Local Aeronautical Chart.
The 1959 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Morris AAF as having a single 3,000' paved Runway 3/21,
with a taxiway leading to a ramp on the southwest side with a single building (a hangar?).
A 1960 USDA aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted Morris AAF as having a single paved Runway 2/20,
with a hangar on the west side of the field.
A closeup of the 1960 aerial view depicted a total of 17 aircraft on the ramp at Morris AAF,
including 3 large Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave helicopters.
An early 1960s aerial view looking northeast at Morris AAF,
depicted 4 helicopters on the southern ramp (bottom-right) & 21 fixed-wing aircraft on the ramp next to the hangar.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Morris AAF
was on the February 1960 Birmingham Sectional Chart.
It depicted Morris as having a single 2,500' paved northeast/southwest runway.
A 9/15/66 Army map (courtesy of Ron Plante) depicted Morris AAF as having a 3,500' runway plus an apron with a hangar & 2 smaller structures."
A 1968 USGS aerial view of Morris AAF (courtesy of David Henderson) showed a single C-47 on the ramp.
A 12/17/68 aerial view looking west at the ramp of the Atlanta Army Depot's Air Maintenance Division (courtesy of David Henderson),
showing 14 fixed-wing aircraft & helicopters (including 2 large CH-37 Mojaves).
The original caption read, “Aerial View of Air Maintenance Division where 10 of 18 different types of Army planes await attention of personnel.
Planes of the National Guard & Reserve of this region as well as those of Puerto Rican National Guard serviced here.”
The 1968 USGS topo map depicted Morris AAF as a northeast/southwest runway labeled simply as “Landing Strip”.
Morris AAF was depicted as an active airfield on the 1971 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown),
which described the field as having a single 3,000' paved runway.
A 1972 aerial photo showed 11 aircraft & 3 fixed-wing aircraft on the Morris AAF ramp.
Morris AAF was evidently closed at some point between 1972-74,
as it was labeled "Closed" on the April 1974 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The closure of this airfield was no doubt ensured by its location,
a mere 4 miles east of what has become one of the world's busiest airports, Atlanta's Hartsfield International.
Thomas Houston said, "After the airfield was closed, they used the runways to store mobilization trailers.
There were inklings that FAA didn't want the airfield there before we finished it.
The mission was moved to Lawson Field at Fort Benning."
Morris AAF was still depicted but labeled "Closed" on the 1978 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Henderson).
Edward Shelton recalled, “Back in 1987, I was involved in a major furniture installation project at Ft. McPherson.
The product had to be shipped to & stored at Ft. Gillem in Forest Park, just to the east of Hartsfield.
I was there every day for several weeks. As you entered the base, you could see the airfield on the left.
It was obvious it was no longer in use as there were several trailers & other equipment parked either on the strip or right next to it.
I came to find out later through a friend of mine that did some contract work for FEMA,
that these were trailers used for temporary shelter during national emergencies during floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.
They were old trailers refitted & stored on the airstrip until needed.
Hartsfield Airport underwent a transformation in 1980 which relocated its star-type runways crossing diagonally, to 4 parallel runways running east/west.
This put the Morris AAF right in the landing pattern for air traffic into Hartsfield.
You could stand & watch an almost endless parade of commercial jets fly low over Ft. Gillem in 2 lines, 4-5 planes deep when they landed to the west.”
A 1993 USGS aerial view looking east showed Morris AAF remained intact, though the runway was marked with closed “X” symbols.
The 1995 USGS topo map depicted the runway, ramp, and hangar, labeled “Landing Strip (Abandoned)”.
A 2002 aerial view showed that the Morris AAF hangar had been removed at some point between 1995-2002.
A 2004 photo by Chris Ness looking southwest at Morris AAF, showing the runway & ramp remained intact.
A circa 2007 aerial view looking north at the closed runway at Morris AAF, the ramp, and the foundation of the hangar.
Brian Fasano reported in 2005, “I flew over it last week, and it was full of RVs & campers.”
A 11/3/14 photo by Ron Plante looking along the closed runway at Morris AAF.
Ron reported, “Although Ft. Gillem was closed under BRAC, a small area remains under Army control as the Gillem Enclave with a mix of active duty & reserve component units.
The airstrip is inside this area, and a military ID is required to enter the post. After a few wrong turns, I found the ramp & then the runway.
The yellow 'X' & '2' markings are still visible, and the runway has been converted into a Physical Training / running area for the soldiers.”
A 2017 aerial view looking east showed Morris AAF's runway & ramp remained intact, with the hangar foundation in the foreground.
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Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport (00A), Stone Mountain, GA
33.813, -84.12 (East of Atlanta, GA)
Stone Mountain Airport, as depicted on a 1959 USGS aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson).
This general aviation airport was not yet depicted on a 1955 aerial photo.
According to the 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson),
“Stone Mountain Airport... was developed in the late 1950's.”
The earliest depiction which has been located of Stone Mountain Airport was a 1959 USGS aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson).
It depicted Stone Mountain Airport as having a single unpaved northwest/southeast runway,
with a few small hangars & a few light aircraft on the west side.
However, Stone Mountain Airport was not yet depicted on the August 1962 Birmingham Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Stone Mountain Airport which has been located
was on the 1964 Savannah Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss),
which depicted it with a 3,000' hard-surfaced runway.
Doug Rounds recalled, “Stone Mountain Airport... In the mid-1960s I was president of a group that leased the airport from Mark Britt.
There was a 2nd grass/sand runway running along Bermuda Road - you can see where it was by the sand - it began at the south end of the paved runway.
At that time the Stone Mountain golf course was being built & other than that the airport was in the country.
There were a number of Stearmans & a 1929 & 1930s Stinsons based there at the time.”
According to the 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson),
“Low intensity runway lights were programed to be installed in 1965.
These aircraft were reported based at the field in 1965: single-engine, 1-3 places (5); single-engine, 4 or more places (9).”
The 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson)
depicted Stone Mountain Airport as having a single Runway 17/35, with an office & T-hangars on the west side.
According to the 1966 “Atlanta Metropolitan Region Comprehensive Plan” (courtesy of David Henderson),
“Access to the field is provided by Bermuda Road, an unpaved rural road leading from a portion of old U.S. Highway 78
(which has been diverted to pass north of Stone Mountain Memorial Park).
The single runway is paved, in good condition (as are the taxiway & apron) & is 2,500' long with a width of 40';
it cannot be extended within existing property limits.
The airport is attended during daylight hours.
Aviation fuel is stored in underground tanks with a capacity of 4,000 gallons.
The following facilities & services are also available: Major & minor repairs to power plant, airframe, radio,
Aircraft services: painting, stripping, washing, Aircraft storage: T-hangar 18 spaces, tie-down 50 spaces,
Sales of new & used aircraft, accessories, radios & instruments, Aircraft available for charter – 2, rental – 3, sightseeing – 2,
Flight instruction for all airplane flying ratings: Instructors – 2, Aircraft – 2.”
Travis Britt recalled, “I was raised at the Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport (no relation to the name).
My earliest memory of Stone Mountain Airport was as a small child.
My father, Benny, was a sky diver & used to jump there.
This would probably have been somewhere around 1967 or 68 that I first remember being at Stone Mountain Airport.
He then restored a PT-19 at Stone Mountain Airport which he completed in 1969.
From that time, I was at the airport almost every day.
Stone Mountain Airport is a place that is very dear to my heart.
The reason that it was called Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport was to honor the memory of Mamie Britt.
She was the wife of the founder of the airport Mark Britt.”
The 1968 Flight Guide (courtesy of Robert Levittan) depicted Stone Mountain Airport
as having a single 2,500' paved Runway 17/35.
A parallel taxiway on the west side of the runway led to a ramp & 2 buildings.
A circa late 1960s photo by Robert Brown of Dave Forrest in his P-51D Mustang passing through Stone Mountain Airport, pictured near the gas pumps.
Dave Forrest recalled, “I also landed there in a FG-1D Corsair.”
According to a 1969 article (courtesy of Robert Brown),
a corporation was formed on 4/1/67 to lease Stone Mountain Airport for 20 years with an option to buy.
The purpose of the new operation: “For the enhancement & advancement of tail-draggers.”
The 1968 USGS topo map depicted Stone Mountain “Airport”
as having a paved NNW/SSE runway with a parallel taxiway, and an unpaved WNW/ESE crosswind runway.
According to a 1969 article (courtesy of Robert Brown), Stone Mountain Airport was described
as having a “narrow, dipping 2,600' hard-surfaced runway faced by a string of high tension wires at one end,
while the world's largest & hardest Omni [Stone Mountain] juts up on one side.”
An undated photo from a 1969 article (courtesy of Robert Brown)
showing Mike Rettke's rare flyable FM-2 Wildcat fighter, with Stone Mountain looming in the background.
A 1971 photo by Robert Brown of a Cessna 195, N195RE, at Stone Mountain Airport.
Robert remarked, “No prize for guessing how the airport got it's name.”
Edward Shelton recalled, “As early as I can remember, we would go to Stone Mountain & climb to the top.
From there you could see the glider tugs taking off from SMBM so the gliders could float around the mountain for awhile.”
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury) listed the operator as Stone Mountain Aviation Inc.
According to Travis Britt, airport owner Mark Britt “owned the property until the mid 1980s
when he sold it to a partnership that was trying to save the airport from its eventual demise.
Until this time the airport was always known as Stone Mountain Airport.
Stone Mountain Aviation was the Fixed Base Operator that operated the airport under a lease agreement with Mark.”
The 1985 GA Airport Directory (courtesy of Charlie Evans) depicted Stone Mountain Airport as having a single 3,000' Runway 17/35,
and an administration building & 3 hangars on the west side.
The last aeronautical chart depiction of Stone Mountain Airport which has been located
was on the September 1986 Atlanta Terminal Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Stu Sibitzky).
It depicted Stone Mountain – Britt Memorial Airport as having a single 3,000' paved northwest/southeast runway.
Note the WW2 surplus Grumman TBM-3E Avenger torpedo bomber at far right.
Roy Elks recalled, “Stone Mountain Airport... I first started to hang out at the airfield in mid-1989 & commenced flight training early in 1990 in one of their two 172s (N52741 & N13221).
In March 1991 I based my Piper Archer on the field. I remember with great fondness the pilots based on the field.
There were many true aviators: WW2 pilots, and airline pilots who still found a need to punch through the clouds in their single-engine planes despite choosing flying as a daily occupation.
Along with other private pilots, I learned much from the profuse amount of hangar flying with these very remarkable aviators.
Even during the most adverse winter weather we would sit in front of a crackling wood fire in the old FBO talking about flying.
What marvelous times were had & dear memories remain of Stone Mountain, Brit Memorial Airport.”
An undated photo from an 11/19/92 article (courtesy of David Henderson) showing glider pilot Ken Sailer loading Kimberly Christianson & Benny Britt for a Schweizer 232 glider flight at Stone Mountain Airport.
Nearby resident David Henderson recalled, “Stone Mountain Airport... Sailplanes were a common sight during the 1990s.
The updrafts created by wind hitting the mountain & the heat rising off of the rock were perfect for sailing.”
The 1992 USGS topo map depicted Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport
as having a runway, parallel taxiway, and several small buildings on the west side.
A 1/25/93 USGS aerial view looking northeast at Stone Mountain Airport showed a total of 52 aircraft visible parked outside on the field – obviously a well-used airport.
The field consisted of a single paved 2,700' runway, a crosswind grass runway, taxiways, a ramp & several hangars.
Edward Shelton recalled, “There is a white-roofed building right at the northeast end of the runway.
This is an industrial HVAC equipment manufacturer called Heatcraft.
It was always a little startling to be in their parking lot & seeing a light plane come over the tree line (only barely sometimes) just after takeoff.
The trees masked the sound of the engine until the plane was visible so its arrival was quite a surprise.
The only time I went to the airport itself was the early 1990s. It had fallen out of use, but there were still a few planes there.
In one of the hangars somebody was trying to restore a Dauntless.”
Miranda Skonie recalled of Stone Mountain Airport, “I had my first lesson on New Year's Day 1994, I was 17 years old.
I soloed on 3/26/94. I began working for the FBO in February of that year.
I scheduled the planes, instructors, fueled airplanes, and pretty much whatever needed to be done.
I have very fond memories of the airport & the people that used to hang out there.
I heard so many stories & many of them several times.
I was very sad when the airport did not open back up after the Olympics.
I had hoped to take my kids there someday.”
David Groza recalled, “I started flying back & forth from Stone Mountain Airport in 1994.
The last photo which has been located showing Stone Mountain Airport still open was a 4/16/95 photo of a WW2 surplus Grumman TBM-3E Avenger torpedo bomber.
David Groza recalled, “I was flying back & forth from Stone Mountain Airport until it closed in 1996 to be turned into a parking lot for the 1996 Olympics!
I remember an old-timer named Bob who I used to hang out with at his hangar, [he] was the last one to leave!
He hated the fact that it was being closed along with all of us who flew out there!
I remember loading up my best friends Cessna 150 & barely clearing the trees on our first cross-country trip to the Oshkosh Air Show!
That was one bumpy short runway & the trees were at both ends which always made for an exciting take off or landing!
My best friend Rob Ketchersid would fly into Stone Mountain Airport every weekend to pick me up so I could fly back with him to his airport.
Then Sunday evening we would fly back & land usually in the dark at the little Stone Mountain Airport.
I remember one night coming in for a landing we used a pair of Russian military-issued night vision binoculars to help us see the runway better.
We even landed there after they had painted a big yellow X on the runway & had already installed light poles all the way down the side of the strip!
We did this to visit our old friend Bob who was the last one to tear down his hangar & move!
We did several low passes to make sure there were no obstacles or anything that would endanger our lives before deciding to land on a closed runway!
That was in 1996 & shortly after that last visit it was turned into a gravel parking lot for the olympics!
We were really sad to see it go & will always remember the fun we had flying in & out of our little airport in the woods next to the giant rock!”
An undated photo from an 8/1/96 article (courtesy of David Henderson) looking along Stone Mountain Airport's Runway 35.
Stone Mountain Airport was closed in 1996, when it was converted into a parking lot
for the tennis & aquatic Olympic events being held at the adjacent Stone Mountain Park.
After the games, the airport owners decided that it would be too costly to reopen the airport,
and the airport site was reused as a parking lot for the Tennis Center.
A 1999 USGS aerial view showed all of the former Stone Mountain Airport buildings had been removed,
although the paved runway & taxiway still remained intact.
A circa 2002-2005 aerial photo looking north at the south end of the former Runway 35,
with the runway markings still visible (although X'd out).
A 2006 aerial view looking south at the south end of the former runway at Stone Mountain, by Graham Watkins.
A small portion of the former runway has been newly repaved,
and a small shelter has been constructed on the former taxiway.
Joerg Wekenborg reported in 2006, “The repaved portion of Stone Mountain Airport's runway
is now home of the Stone Mountain Flyers, a radio-control club flying mostly fixed-wing airplanes.”
A 2007 aerial view by Robert Morris looking northeast at the remains of the Stone Mountain runway.
A perfectly good general aviation airport, completely going to waste.
A 2008 photo of the portion of the Stone Mountain runway reused by a model aircraft club.
A 2018 aerial view looking northeast showed the site of Stone Mountain Airport remains unredeveloped, with the paved runway intact though deteriorated.
What a shame the property couldn't continue to serve as a grassroots airport.
Thanks to Paulo Santos for information about Stone Mountain.
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