Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Alabama, Mobile area
© 2002, © 2006 by Paul Freeman. Revised 7/31/06.
Barin NAAS (revised 5/30/006) - Faircloth NOLF (added 11/1/03)
Fort Morgan Airfield (revised 10/24/04) - Magnolia NOLF (revised 5/26/06)
Silverhill NOLF - Summerdale NOLF (revised 7/31/06) - Wolf NOLF (revised 7/31/06)
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Faircloth Naval Outlying Landing Field, Lillian, AL
30.45 North / 87.47 West (West of Pensacola, FL)
"Faircloth (Navy)", as depicted on the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.
Fairlcloth NOLF was one of the large numbers of satellite airfields used to support Navy flight training in the Pensacola area.
The date of construction of the Faircloth has not been determined.
It was evidently built at some point between 1943-45,
as it was not depicted at all on the 1943 USGS topo map.
It was also not listed among active airfields
in the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer).
The earliest depiction of Faircloth which has been located
was on the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
"Faircloth (Navy)" was still depicted as an active Navy airfield
on the 1949 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
A 1955 Soil Conservation Service Photo,
courtesy of Thomas Kallsen of the University of Alabama Map Library.
According to Brian Rehwinkel, Faircloth was attached to NAAS Bronson,
and was apparently the last grass airfield the Navy used for fixed wing aircraft
(used by the Navy into some point in the 1960's).
The date of closure of Faircloth has not been determined.
It was evidently closed by the Navy prior to 1964,
as it was not depicted at all on the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
However, Gordy Paige recalled, “Regarding Faircloth, I can attest to it’s having been active as late as June 1964
as it was my favorite field for touch & go's in the T-34B when I was in primary training at NAAS Saufley.
At that time it was 'active' in the sense that a crash crew would be parked there during operating hours.
There were no other facilities at the field.”
Although the field was apparently already closed for flying operations,
the 1970 USGS topo map (from the University of Alabama Map Library)
still depicted the property as "U.S. Naval Reservation Faircloth Field".
It depicted the field as consisting of three grass runways,
with the longest being the 3,000' north/south strip.
In the January 22 1973 aerial photo of Faircloth (courtesy of the FL DOT, via Brian Rehwinkel),
the grass runways at Faircloth were very sharply outlined.
A 1987 photo of Faircloth NOLF by John Voss.
The three grass runways at Faircloth were still depicted on the 1987 USGS topo map,
but the property was not labeled at all.
In the 1997 USGS aerial photo, the former airfield area had been reused for farming,
and no trace of the former military airfield appeared to remain.
Paul Freeman visited the site of Faircloth NOLF in 2006.
Not a trace of a former airfield was still perceptible.
The site of Faircloth NOLF is located northeast of the intersection of Faircloth Road & Sycamore Road.
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Fort Morgan Airfield, Fort Morgan, AL
30.23 North / 88.02 West (Southwest of Pensacola, FL)
Fort Morgan Airfield, as depicted on the August 1954 Mobile USAF Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.
This former airfield is located on the tip of a peninsula at the entrance to Mobile Bay,
next to the much-older Fort Morgan (which was used during WW2 as a coastal defense installation).
The date of construction of the Fort Morgan Airfield is unknown.
It may have been built at some point after 1949,
as it was not depicted at all on the 1942 USGS topo map
or the 1949 Mobile Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
However, Blanton Blankenship of the Fort Morgan State Historical Site
thought that the airfield was installed by the Army during WW2.
The purpose of the airfield is unknown,
but it may have been built to support the coastal defense mission of the Fort during WW2.
The earliest depiction of the Fort Morgan airfield which has been located
is on a 1950 County Highway Map (according to Thomas Kallsen of the University of AL Map Library).
The Aerodromes table on the August 1954 Mobile USAF Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described the Fort Morgan Airfield as having two runways, with the longest being an 1,800' turf strip.
The airfield type was categorized as "Limited",
which was defined as "Not regularly attended, or without services and facilities for public, but public at large not prohibited."
On the 1958 USGS topo map (from the University of Alabama Map Library),
the airfield was depicted as consisting of two 2,000' unpaved runways.
A building was directly south of the runway intersection,
but it is not known if this was a hangar or any other building directly related to the airfield.
According to Blanton Blankenship, the airfield was paved in 1959.
The Aerodromes table on the August 1962 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Fort Morgan as having two runways, with the longest being a 2,500' bituminous strip.
The 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
described Fort Morgan has having two runways, with the longest being a 2,500' bituminous strip.
According to Blanton Blankenship, the Fort Morgan airfield was officially closed in 1970,
as the Coast Guard had put a tower right at the end of the strip.
A 1974 Soil Conservation Service aerial photo of the Fort Morgan airfield,
courtesy of Thomas Kallsen of the University of Alabama Map Library.
By the time of the 1980 New Orleans Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown),
the airfield was no longer depicted at all.
The Fort Morgan airfield was still depicted on the 1982 USGS topo map,
but labeled simply "Landing Strip".
It was depicted as consisting of a single 2,500' east/west runway.
In the 1997 USGS aerial photo, the former runway was still quite recognizable,
although it appeared to be quite deteriorated.
A parallel taxiway ran along the south side of the runway.
Thomas Kallsen reported, "I was last at Fort Morgan in 2000,
and the runway was full of potholes & weeds."
John Wienand reported in 2006, “The Fort Morgan strip is not traversable today except in a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
There are potholes that would flip your plane; you cannot see them until you are right up on them.”
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Barin Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NBJ), Foley, AL
30.39 North / 87.64 West (West of Pensacola, FL)
A WW2-era view of Barin NAAS (National Archives photo).
A WW2-era photo by Curtiss Silvernail of the Barin's hangars & flightline.
A WW2-era photo by Curtiss Silvernail of endless rows of SNJ trainers at Barin.
With the outbreak of WW2, the Navy determined the need for additional auxiliary airfields
to support flight training at Pensacola NAS.
The Navy leased the Foley Municipal Airport in 1942,
and purchased 656 adjoining acres to the east.
The former Foley Municipal Airport became the West Field,
and a new East Field was constructed alongside.
Together these two fields were commissioned as NAAS Barin Field.
The two fields at Barin shared a common ramp & four large hangars, one with a control tower.
Each field had four asphalt runways (the longest 4,100').
Barin had several paved outlying fields in Alabama:
Magnolia, Wolf, Canal (later reused as Jack Edwards Airport), Silverhill, and Summerdale.
Barin training at first consisted of torpedo bomber & fighter instruction.
In 1943, the torpedo training moved to Corry Field,
leaving Barin to concentrate on the fighter program.
SNJs were the primary trainer used.
Other aircraft used at Barin included OS2U Kingfishers, SNVs, and N2S Stearmans.
At one point Barin had one of the highest fatality rates among all Navy & Army airfields:
with 40 fatalities in its first 2 years,
earning it the nickname "Bloody Barin".
W. Gibson served at Barin as an instructor in SNJs, and recalled,
"My memory of the high loss rate at Barin Field
is that the CO insisted on having trainees fly when the weather was not suitable.
My memory also is that Walter Winchell (the radio & newspaper reporter) had a son killed there
and that Winchell raised a major stink, bringing the loss-rate problem to such a high level
that the Navy could not avoid do something about it.
Bronson, which did the same training, had a very minor loss rate."
A 1956 USN photo of a T-28C Trojan at NAAS Barin (courtesy of John Voss).
Barin closed in 1947, but was reopened in 1948 for maneuver training as an Outlying Field.
It was then fully reactivated in 1952 during the Korean War
to train pilots in TBMs, ADs, F8Fs, and F6Fs.
Barin closed for a second time in 1958,
but kept some aircraft for day field training, mainly simulated carrier landings.
In 1962, Barin’s West Field, the original Foley Municipal Airport, was returned to the City of Foley.
It was apparently never reused as an airfield again.
According to John Wienand, “The navy sold the cantonment area to a private owner in 1962.
All the military buildings were removed.”
"OLF Barin (Navy)" was depicted on the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss),
but the remarks said, "Closed. OLF to NAS Pensacola."
A 1966 Soil Conservation Service Photo (courtesy of Thomas Kallsen of the University of Alabama Map Library).
An undated photo of the Barin control tower on top of a hangar.
The windows of the control tower appeared to be covered, so presumably this photo is from after the base was closed.
"OLF Barin (Navy)" was still listed as closed
on the January 1976 New Orleans Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
At some point after 1976,
Barin was reopened as a Navy satellite airfield.
A 1987 photo by John Voss of hangars which remain at Barin Field.
A recent aerial photo of Barin, showing the currently active East Field in the background,
and the abandoned West Field in the foreground, with a new 4-lane highway being built right through it.
West Field, before recent highway construction.
Today, the East Field is still used
as a satellite airfield for nearby Pensacola Naval Air Station.
Two runways are still maintained (9/27: 3,275' long & 15/33: 4,000' long).
The Airport Facility Directory includes the remarks,
"Used for practice instrument approaches by military T-34 aircraft."
According to Whiting Field T-34 instructor Bob Adair,
"Barin OLF is manned daily by a Runway Duty Officer
(a T-34 pilot manning a UHF radio & coordinating incoming traffic) and a crash crew.
The RDO is provided by Whiting Field (Training Air Wing 5)
and the field is used mostly for Student Pilot landing practice.
Every so often a civilian inbound to Jack Edwards tries to land here."
The Navy plans to eventually conduct training at Barin using the new T-6A Texan II,
the replacement for the T-34.
To accommodate the longer runway requirements of the T-6A,
this will require acquiring Clear Zone land under the runway 27 approach at Barin.
The West Field of four runways is abandoned,
and a new 4-lane highway is being built right through the center of the runways.
A 2005 photo by Tom Marcotte of a Navy T-34C Turbo Mentor at Barin East Field.
Tom Marcotte reported in 2005, “The East Field is still in use by the Navy.
I saw a T-34C parked there, some emergency vehicles, and some T-34C's doing circuits.
The facility seemed to be in good condition save for the fence being corroded.”
A 2005 photo by Tom Marcotte looking at the east/west runway on the east side of the highway at the abandoned Barin West Field.
Tom Marcotte reported in 2005, “Barin West is of course closed long ago,
and is now bisected by the new Gulf Shores Beach Access 4-lane road.
The elevation of the new road is a good bit lower than the field elevation of Barin West,
so it took me a while to find it.
The surface is in poor condition as the asphalt has released a great deal of pebbles & other FOD.
I could not find any other airport related signs at Barin West.”
A 2006 photo by John Wienand of the massive steel tracks which previously held the doors of a hangar at Barin.
John Wienand reported in 2006, “The East Field is still used by the Navy.
The West Field is bisected by a highway & used for hurricane debris storage (until it rots).
I am standing in the middle of an aircraft ramp that at one time held 400 aircraft.
There is the occasional sound of a T-6 buzzing the field doing touch & go's.
I am in the middle of what had to be millions of dollars of infrastructure all now quiet,
except the sound of passing cars & that pesky trainer.”
A 2006 photo by John Wienand of a Navy T-34C at Barin.
John observed, “There is always this one plane parked there. Someone gets to fly to work.”
A 2006 photo by John Wienand, “At the southernmost portion of the West Field ramp looking north.
A huge ramp. Now a huge waste.”
See also: http://www.pafw.com/barin.htm
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Magnolia Naval Outer Landing Field, Marlow, AL
30.46 North / 87.77 West (Northwest of Pensacola, FL)
A 1966 Soil Conservation Service Photo (courtesy of Thomas Kallsen of the University of Alabama Map Library).
This airfield was built as one of the large number of WW2-era satellite airfields used by NAS Pensacola.
The date of construction of Magnolia is unknown, but it was built prior to 1945.
The earliest depiction of the field which has been located
was on the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
"OLF Magnolia (Navy)" was depicted on the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss),
along with the remarks, "Intensive Student Pilot Training."
The runway configuration was listed as four asphalt runways, with the longest being 2,850'.
"OLF Magnolia (Navy)" was still depicted as an active airfield
on the January 1976 New Orleans Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It was labeled "Magnolia Airport (Navy)" on the 1978 USGS topo map,
but that does not necessarily prove the airfield was still open at that point.
Magnolia was evidently closed at some point between 1976-80,
as it was labeled "OLF Magnolia (Navy) (Closed)"
on the 1980 New Orleans Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown).
As depicted on the 1986 USGS topo map,
the Magnolia airfield consisted of three 2,800' runways.
The outlines of the former four paved runways were still (barely) recognizable in the 1997 USGS aerial photo,
as all of the runway pavement had evidently been removed at some point between 1976-97.
A 2006 photo by John Wienand of the what is presumed to be
the former entrance to the Magolia airfield (on the south side of the property),
now the entrance to the “Magnolia Landfill”.
Nearby resident John Wienand reported in 2006, “Magnolia OLF has been used as a landfill for 20 years.
The runways are all gone, all infrastructure is all gone.
I live about 3 nautical miles from it & never know it was there (I'm upwind though).
You can't find so much as a chunk of asphalt, the did such a wonderful job of converting it.
Retention ponds are spread all over the property.”
A 2006 photo by John Wienand of the southwest corner of the former Magnolia airfield property.
The road in the foreground is of recent construction (does not date from the property's airfield days).
A 2006 photo by John Wienand of a building on the south side of the former Magnolia airfield property
which may be an original Navy building.
According to John, “It looks like that old Navy building code to me.
The building looks like a 1960's government-type building
(there would have been no reason to build it out there for a landfill).
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Silverhill Naval Outer Landing Field (NQB), Silverhill, AL
30.56 North / 87.82 West (Northwest of Pensacola, FL)
USGS topo map 1953 (courtesy of the University of Alabama Map Library).
This airfield was built as one of the large number of WW2-era satellite airfields used by NAS Pensacola.
The date of construction of Silverhill is unknown, but it was built prior to 1945.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located is the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
"OLF Silverhill (Navy)" was depicted on the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss),
along with the remarks, "Intensive Student Pilot Training."
The runway configuration was listed as three asphalt runways, with the longest being 3,000'.
Nearby resident John Wienand recalled, “It seems like they used the fields a lot when I was a Cub Scout, about 1968,
but by 1972 a lot of activities had stopped at a lot of the fields
and they became abandoned in place.
They used to be able to leave the fire trucks in the stations at night unattended.”
A 1987 photo by John Voss of a T-34C Turbo Mentor at Silverhill.
As seen in the 1997 USGS aerial photo,
the airfield consists of three 3,150' runways: 5/23, 9/27 & 16/34.
According to Whiting Field T-34 instructor Bob Adair,
"Silverhill is an active OLF, its Runway Duty Officer is from Wing 6 at NAS Sherman.
It is used by both Whiting & Sherman T-34s for the bounce pattern."
The Navy plans to eventually conduct training at Silverhill using the new T-6A Texan II,
the replacement for the T-34.
To accommodate the longer runway requirements of the T-6A,
this will require the extension of a Silverhill runway.
Strangely, although Silverhill is still used by the Navy,
it is not listed among active airfields in the published FAA data.
Nearby resident John Wienand repored in 2006, “Crash trucks drive out everyday though now,
and the town has a policeman there.”
See also: http://www.pafw.com/aerial_photos11.htm
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Summerdale Naval Outer Landing Field (NFD), Summerdale, AL
30.5 North / 87.66 West (Northwest of Pensacola, FL)
A 1955 Soil Conservation Service Photo (courtesy of Thomas Kallsen of the University of Alabama Map Library).
This airfield was built as one of the large number of WW2-era satellite airfields used by NAS Pensacola.
The date of construction of Summerdale is unknown, but it was built prior to 1945.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located is the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
Strangely, the Summerdale airfield was not on depicted on the 1949 Mobile Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),
but rather than was a circular "Danger Area" at that location.
"OLF Summerdale (Navy)" was depicted on the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss),
along with the remarks, "Auxiliary practice field."
The runway configuration was listed as three asphalt runways, with the longest being 2,850'.
Summerdale is still used as satellite airfield for Whiting Field Naval Air Station.
The airfield consists of three 2,850' runways: 4/22, 10/28 & 16/34.
The Airport Facility Directory data includes the remark: "Airport used for touch & go's only.
Attended by crash crew for training of military T-34 aircraft."
According to Whiting Field T-34 instructor Bob Adair,
"Summerdale is kept in working order, and when another field in Alert Area 292 is closed
the Runway Duty Officer relocates to Summerdale.
Summerdale is utilized for practice emergency landing patterns by T-34s
but they are limited to one aircraft at a time & only to low approaches due to it being unmanned."
The Navy plans to eventually conduct training at Summerdale using the new T-6A Texan II,
the replacement for the T-34.
To accommodate the longer runway requirements of the T-6A,
this will require the extension of a Summerdale runway.
As seen in the 2004 aerial photo, all 3 of Summerdale's runways remain marked as active.
See also: http://www.pafw.com/aerial_photos12.htm
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Wolf Naval Outer Landing Field (NHL), Orange Beach, AL
30.31 North / 87.56 West (West of Pensacola, FL)
A 1955 Soil Conservation Service Photo,
courtesy of Thomas Kallsen of the University of Alabama Map Library.
This airfield was built as one of the large number of WW2-era satellite airfields used by NAS Pensacola.
The date of construction of Wolf is unknown, but it was built prior to 1945.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located is the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
"OLF Wolfe (Navy)" was depicted on the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
The runway configuration was listed as three asphalt runways, with the longest being 3,000'.
A 1987 photo of Wolf NOLF by John Voss.
According to Whiting Field T-34 instructor Bob Adair,
"Wolf is not used but kept in working order.
It was cleared & painted this year [2002].
It is too close to the Pensacola Class C airspace,
but some T-34 pilots use it as a 'Low Altitude Power Loss to a paved field' training aid."
As seen in a 2003 aerial photo, Wolf still had three 3,000' runways: 18/36, 9/27 & 4/22.
See also: http://www.pafw.com/aerial_photos9.htm
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