Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Arizona - Northern Tucson area
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 5/22/08.
Avra Aux AAF #4 (revised 5/22/08) - Coronado Army Aux #3 (revised 9/23/03)
Gilpin Airport / Freeway Airport (revised 5/22/08) - Marana AAF / Pinal Airpark (revised 5/22/08)
Picacho Aux AAF #1 (revised 2/22/04) - Redrock Airport (added 2/22/04) - Sahuaro Aux AAF #5 (revised 9/21/03)
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Gilpin Airport / Freeway Airport, Tucson, AZ
32.28 North / 111 West (Northeast of Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ)
A 1940 aerial photo by Cooper Aerial Survey, looking east at Gillpin Airport (courtesy of Thomas McAllister).
Tomas recalled, “My father & grandfather farmed land in & around the airport.
In the photo there are crops being raised alongside the runways & taxiways.
I don't know how long this farming on the airport went on but it did for a few years.”
This field was originally known as Gilpin Airport.
It was founded by flight instructor Walter Douglas,
who also later went on to found Grand Canyon Airlines.
An article in the 12/1/04 issue of the Arizona Daily Star (courtesy of John Sparks)
stated that Gilpin Airport "moved" from nearby David-Monthan Field in 1940.
The earliest depiction of Gilpin Airport which has been located
was a 1940 aerial photo by Cooper Aerial Survey (courtesy of Thomas McAllister).
It depicted Gilpin as having a total of 4 runways,
with traces of a 5th runway also visible.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Gilpin Airport which has been located
was on the September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
According to the book "Best Place in the Country" by Steve Hoza & Mike Hoza,
in 1944 Gilpin was used by a flight school owned by Bill Marsh & Herb Franklin,
which conducted contract flight training for Navy flight students using the Waco UPF & the Fairchild PT-19.
An advertisement for Gilpin Airport from the Haire Publishing Company's 1945 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This photo appeared in the book "Airport Operation & Management",
by Charles Zweng, 1947 (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
It was captioned, "Gilpin Airport, Tucson, AZ (Courtesy Gilpin Air Lines)."
It depicted the airport as having a 2-story terminal building, with control tower on top, and hangars on either side.
A 1951 photo of Aldine von Isser in a Ryan PT-21 at Giplin Airport (courtesy of Jon Karkow).
According to an article in the 12/1/04 issue of the Arizona Daily Star (courtesy of John Sparks),
in 1955 the airport property was annexed by the City of Tucson
and local developer Arthur Pack started to upgrade the facility.
The 1956 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Gilpin Airport as having a 5,600' unpaved runway.
Thomas McAllister recalled, “Having spent the first 14 years of my life just a mile from Gillpin
I have many fond memories of the airport.
My Father & Grandfather knew Walter Douglas well.”
Gregory Gustafson reported that his father, J. Shannon Gustafson, and his friend John Kim
established Flysafe Aviation at Freeway Airport in the 1950s.
"I have very fond memories of the place as a child
and later when in the 1970s I earned my pilots license there."
A 1956 photo of Ike Russell & Malcolm Parker at Gilpin Airport (courtesy of Jon Karkow).
Ike was well known around Tucson as a bush pilot.
His biography was recently published: "Backcountry Pilot: Flying adventures with Ike Russell".
The 1956 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
depicted Gilpin Airport as having a 5,500' unpaved runway.
The last photo which has been located showing the Gilpin Airport in operation was a 1958 aerial view.
It depicted the field as having 4 unpaved runways.
The hangars & terminal were visible on the east side of the field.
The airport did not appear very healthy, though, as there was a total of only 3 light aircraft visible on the whole field,
parked on the ramp in front of the terminal.
Gilpin Airport apparently closed at some point between 1958 (for reasons unknown),
as no airfield was depicted at its location on the March 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)).
The chart did depict a "Gilpin" radio fan marker beacon at the site, but no airfield.
At some point between 1958-60, the field was evidently reopened as Freeway Airport,
as that is how it was depicted in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The airport was in a radically different configuration though, compared to its previous incarnation,
as the new field had only a single 4,500' Runway 12/30.
Several new hangars on the southwest side evidently replaced the original hangars & terminal on the east side,
which were evidently never used again by the airport (for reasons unknown).
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Freeway Airport as having a single 4,500' paved runway,
and listed the operators as ANP Airports & Flysafe Aviation.
Jim Branch recalled of Freeway Airport, “My father [Ken Branch] owned it during the 1960s & sold it to Mr. Borst.”
Freeway Airport came under the ownership of Thomas Borst in 1970,
according to an article in the 6/15/78 issue of the Arizona Daily Star (courtesy of John Cramer).
Lufthansa 747 Flight Engineer John Barnitz recalled, "I too grew up around Freeway Airport.
A fella named Tony Prosser had a PA-12
and lived right on the property next to the hangar pictured with the rum bottles next to the plane.
This is the southern of the two hangars pictured.
We also had a Super Cruiser parked there in 1970-1972
and we were flying a J-3 Cub owned by Al Freeze out of there up until around 1980."
John continued, "The other hangar (with the tower which is still there!)
is over near Romero Road near the Coca Cola warehouse.
I guess this main hangar for the Gilpin Airlines venture.
Al's Cub was parked on the end of Walter Douglas' maintenance & parts shack
which was located near Walter's southern hangar.
I got to see inside that building when Al was working on engines or whatever.
All of the tools he needed were in there, and in the back,
all covered in dust, was an old Link Trainer,
the kind that would spin around slowly for instrument training.
Mister Douglas probably used this to train pilots during WW II."
John continued, "Tony used to take me through the old hangar now & again, rummaging.
There was a Fleet Bipe, and other airframes & even an old Dusseldorfer automobile.
Pretty impressive to an boy of 11.
All of the Walter Douglas collection was donated to the Pima Air Museum
and the Fleet Bipe has even been restored.
Some fine Arizona aviation history around that airport."
The earliest photo which has been located showing the Freeway Airport in operation was a 1972 aerial view.
It depicted the field as having a single northwest/southeast runway.
Several rows of T-hangars were on the southwest side of the runway.
The airport appeared very well-used, with over 36 light aircraft visible on the field.
Strangely though, the original Gilpin hangars & terminal on the east side appeared to have been fenced-off from the remainder of the airport.
Kerry Tiller recalled, “Sometime circa 1974/75 (recently out of college) myself & a couple of other young bachelors
took up residency in a house on Windsor Street, not far from the Freeway Airport.
There wasn't much activity at the airport at that time (although the windsock was clearly maintained & the runway was serviceable).
My fondest memory of that time in my life is of an old Cessna 195 parked near one of the hangars.
The tires were flat & the paint was badly faded.
As I recall, the most recent registration sticker indicated it had been registered in Florida in 1962.
That brutish looking radial engine & large tail-dragging rudder reminded me of half of a DC-3.”
Kerry recalled the "Dusseldorfer" automobile in the old Gilpin hangar:
“I remember that car, but a little differently.
There was a bar down the street from our house & across the street from the airport called 'The Idle Hour'.
One night after a few beers a couple of us hopped the airport fence to go exploring
(we may have been trespassing, but we took no souvenirs & committed no vandalism).
We went into one of the Gilpin Airlines hangars (the one to the West of the tower).
I don't remember how we got in, but I don't guess it was secured very well.
Anyway, there was a lot of neat stuff in there (we only looked at it, honest!)
and among the stuff was a Duesenberg with the bodywork cutaway behind the front seat
and a flat bed fashioned in its place, turning the vehicle into a utility truck.
The Gilpin Airlines logo was on the doors to the 'cab'.
I suspect this was the "Dusseldorfer" car John Barnitz recalled at age 11.”
An article entitled "Airport closes, but runway still in use"
in the 6/14/78 issue of the Arizona Daily Star (courtesy of John Cramer)
reported that Freeway Airport was closed on 6/5/78.
"The owner of Freeway Airport in Tucson has closed the airport, but pilots are still using the runways,
an FAA official said last night.
The FAA was notified June 5 that Freeway Airport was closed until further notice,
said James Gould, air traffic control specialist.
But planes are still landing on & taking off from the runway, at Prince Road & Interstate 10,
because airport owner Thomas Borst failed to paint an 'X',
the FAA's official closure symbol on the runway, Gould said.
Fuel has not been sold at the airport for the past several weeks
and some planes are still stored on the field, said Walter Douglas Jr.,
owner of a small tract near the airport & operator of Gilpin Airlines Ltd.
The airport had been rumored as the site for a multinational industrial operation,
but a deal to sell the airport & adjacent land fell through last year."
A 1978 photo of the office at Freeway Airport (by Jack Sheaffer, courtesy of John Cramer).
A 1978 photo of a Cessna 182 in front of a hangar at Freeway Airport (by Jack Sheaffer, courtesy of John Cramer).
Another article entitled "Bankruptcy filing furls Freeway Airport windsock"
appeared in the 6/15/78 issue of the Arizona Daily Star (courtesy of John Cramer).
"Last week, Freeway Aviation Inc. filed for bankruptcy.
FAA official Carl Swanson said the bankruptcy filing came at a time Tucson needs more airports, not fewer.
'It's a terrible tragedy', he said. 'The airport has been a great asset to many people for a long time.'"
John Cramer also reported that "The movie 'Stir Crazy' [released in 1980] filmed the ending of the movie there,
and it appears abandoned then."
Dave Fagan reported that "I visited Freeway in 1981… The airfield was definitely closed by then.
The runway was obstructed by parked vehicles.
From the state of everything I would guess it had been closed for years rather than months
although it was still shown on a 1980 issue Rand McNally road map as an airfield.
Some of the buildings that remained were in use by various non-aviation businesses.
The only aircraft present was N6411C, a very badly damaged Beech 18,
which looked like it had been there a long time."
Freeway Airport was not depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on the 1998 World Aeronautical Chart.
In the 1992 USGS aerial photo,
the remains of the single northwest/southeast runway were still barely perceptible.
According to John Edwards,
the tower building still exists in the commercial buildings east of the runway,
and seems to still be in good shape.
The area surrounding the runway is heavily developed.
The road running parallel to the west side of the runway is named North Runway Drive.
In the words of Gregory Gustafson,
Freeway Airport founder "Walter Douglas was a wonderful person
and fully deserves the elementary school named after him a few blocks from Freeway."
A 2003 aerial photo of the remains of Freeway Airport (courtesy of John Sparks).
The arched silver roofs of the hangars were still visible in the bottom-right corner of the photo,
with the former control tower building in between them.
John Sparks reported in 2003 that the county GIS system
indicated the former airport property had been subdivided by "Abrams Airborne Manufacturing Inc."
According to John, "As far as I know the hangars were converted for manufacturing
and used by R.E. Darling company until it closed this last year.
The property seems to have various companies listed as users."
A 2004 photo by Jonathan Westerling of the southern exterior of the former Gilpin Airport control tower & terminal building.
"The building is maintained as the headquarters for the R.E. Darling fabrication company.
Happily, the receptionist was well aware & proud of the building’s history.
A sandstone of the Gilpin Airlines logo persists as a nice Art Deco touch to the entrance of the old terminal building."
Jonathan Westerling reported, "I visited the site of the Gilpin/Freeway Airport in September 2004.
Unfortunately, the city has negotiated a right-of-way, and constructed a new road bisecting the old runway in the middle.
Other than that 80% of the runway remains intact, with a few shrubs poking up through the pavement.
It appears that at some point after 1960 the runway was repaved,
creating a narrower airstrip with a parallel taxiway on top of the older wide runway.
I am trying to work with the Arizona Historical Society
who has literally hundreds of knockout beautiful 8x10 shots of the airport in its heyday."
A 2004 photo by Jonathan Westerling looking south down Runway 12.
A 2004 photo by Jonathan Westerling of Walter Douglas’ former maintenance & parts hangar.
A 2004 photo by Jonathan Westerling of "One of the hangars adjacent to the control tower.
The logo for Gilpin Air Lines can still be easily made out."
[This hangar was visible on the left side of the 1947 photo.]
A 2004 photo by Jonathan Westerling of "The rear of the other, larger hangar adjacent to the terminal at Gilpin/Freeway Airport."
[This hangar was visible on the right side of the 1947 photo.]
A 2004 photo by Jonathan Westerling of a Fleet Model 2 Biplane,
formerly operated by Gilpin Airlines, as restored & on display at Tucson's Pima Air Museum.
A circa 2005 aerial view looking west at the former Freeway Airport control tower,
flanked by former hangars.
The site of Freeway Airport is located east of Interstate 10, north of West Prince Road. ____________________________________________________
Marana Army Airfield / Pinal Airpark (MZJ), Marana, AZ
32.51 North / 111.32 West (Northwest of Tucson, AZ)
Marana AAF & its satellite fields, as depicted on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This base was originally built in 1942 by the Sundt & Del Webb Construction Companies as an Army Airfield,
as part of the 50,000 Pilot Training Program.
Marana conducted basic flight training & the training of transport pilots in instrument flying & navigation.
Chinese pilots were also trained here.
The earliest depiction which has been located of Marana AAF
was on the 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Five satellite airfields were established for Marana during WW2:
Picacho Aux #1, Ritillo Aux #2 (currently reused as Avra Valley Airport),
Coronado Aux #3, Avra Aux #4, and Sahuaro Aux #5.
According to Jack Young (who attended pilot training at Marana in 1957),
the U-shaped complex below the ramp
was the student quarters for the 3 classes that were usually in training at a time.
At the bottom of the U was the O-club,
and if you look closely you can see the swimming pool where everyone who soloed got dunked.
According to John Falkenstine (former Chief Engineer at Marana),
the infrastructure installed at Marana during WW2 was extensive.
This included water, sewer & gas systems that were still used until some problems developed in the 1990s.
There was also a massive storm drain system,
That wasn't even known about by postwar civil occupants of the airfield until a massive rainstorm in 1999
showed that the system was still fully functional as it was forced to "clear its throat".
The fuel tank farm installed in the 1940s remained fully functional well into the 1990s,
complete with a railroad spur line & railroad station.
In 1948, Pinal County accepted a deed to the property,
subsequent to the Air Force's disposal of most of the buildings, waterlines, gas lines, and electrical lines.
From 1948-51, Pinal County leased the property to multiple tenants.
"Marana" was depicted as a civilian airport on the 1949 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
From 1951-56, Marana was reused as a contractor-operated USAF flying school,
operated by Darr Aeronautical Technical Company.
Beiser Aviation Corporation assumed Darr Aero Tech's lease upon the death of Hal Darr in 1956,
and operated the school until 1957.
The 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy) labeled the field as "Marana AF",
and the remarks in the Aerodromes table said, "Private. Flying school under contract to USAF."
The earliest photo which has been located of Marana was a 1958 aerial view.
It depicted the field as having 6 paved runways,
a huge paved ramp, and 2 hangars.
A closeup of the 1958 aerial view showed the curious sight of the only airplane on Marana's huge ramp.
In 1960 a new lease was granted to Sonora Flying Service, which purchased Beiser Aviation.
In 1961 a new lease was granted by the County to Marana Air Park, Inc.,
following their purchase of Sonora Flying Service.
Marana was listed among active airports in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory,
with 6 paved runways, and the operator listed as Sonora Flying Service.
In 1966 Marana Air Park, Inc., was sold to Intermountain Aviation,
but continued to use the name Marana Air Park, Inc.
Marana became the headquarters of all CIA air operations during the Vietnam War years,
when it was the primary facility of Intermountain Airways/Airlines/Aviation,
a wholly owned CIA "front" company which was used to supply covert operations in Southeast Asia & elsewhere.
Intermountain was quite famous for it's thinly veiled CIA special ops
which included development & use of the Fulton Skyhook,
but it's cover was it's non-scheduled freight & maintenance operations.
Marana was the principal continental United States maintenance base
for southeast Asia CIA operations ops: Air America, Continental Air Services, etc.
In 1971 a new 10-year lease with Marana Air Park, Inc., was approved & signed by the County.
Mike Beloud recalled, “My father was a Marine Corps pilot during the early years of the Vietnam War.
After a couple of tours he returned to Laos & Thailand to work for Continental Air Service & Air America.
I lived with my mother in Thailand until 1974 when we all returned to Marana & lived at the Airpark.
When we moved back to the states, my father’s kicker/crew chief & his family came with us to Marana.
They had twins that were the same age as I & we were the only children on the base.
Security was very high & the school bus had to pick us up at the main gate.
As you could imagine the base was very active
and the hangars & the areas between the runways were stacked with military hardware waiting to be shipped overseas.
It was a great time to be a child, my father had the equivalent civilian rank as an O-6 & I went everywhere on that base.”
Mike continued, “We lived there for 5 years & it was some of the best times of my life.
The men my father worked with were characters & when he was gone I always had about 10 pilots trying to keep me out of trouble.
Some of those men would come to the house to bar-b-q & then we would never see them again.
It wasn’t until I was a little older did I understand what happened to them.”
In 1975, Intermountain Aviation was sold to Evergreen International,
which took over the lease for the Airpark.
A 1978 aerial view of Marana, looking northeast, by Chris Kennedy.
In 1982 Evergreen Air Center, Inc., received a 25-year extension to the existing Airpark lease from Pinal County.
In 1986 the new aircraft maintenance hangar was completed & dedicated by Evergreen Air Center, Inc.
In 1988 the 1950s vintage officer's club was still fully functional,
ditto the bar, which still was decorated with much memorabilia from the CIA era.
However, a private firm was given the officer's club to manage,
and ended up vandalizing the interior of the club.
The operations at Marana achieved some unwanted attention in 1990,
when a cargo 707 crashed on takeoff during a ferry flight to Davis-Monthan.
A composite of 1995 USGS aerial photos by David Brooks,
showing the arrangement of Marana AAF along with its WW2-era auxiliary airfields.
Aerial view of Marana, looking southwest, 2001.
Close-up of the many airliners (including numerous 747s) stored at Marana, 2002.
Photo by Sam Chui, used by permission.
Today, the primary occupant of the field is
a subsidiary of Evergreen International, named Evergreen Air Center.
They offer a variety of services, such as heavy maintenance
with a hangar capable of completely enclosing a 747.
Evergreen also serves as "the world's largest storage facility for non-military aircraft",
with a total capacity of 300 aircraft
(over 73 large aircraft - 747's, DC-10's, etc - are visible in above photo).
The airfield at Marana is now known as Pinal Airpark, a public-use non-towered airport.
The Marana airfield originally consisted of three paved runways.
Today, two of those former runways are used for aircraft storage,
and runway 12/30 (6,850' long) is the only active runway.
There is also a large paved ramp & numerous large hangars.
Lufthansa Cargo 747 Flight Engineer John Barnitz reported in 2003,
"We had some of our birds parked out at Marana (Pinal County Airpark)
and I picked one of them up last year & we flew it up to Alaska
on the way to China where it got a 'D' check (a major overhaul of the airframe).
It made quite a big cloud of dust as we took off from there!
Full power takeoff & an empty airplane... YEEE HAWWW!
Sort of a childhood dream-come-true."
Military activities have at Marana never completely died down.
The Air Force proposed a complete installation of a new runway in the eighties,
but Evergreen never bit on the project.
Military activities (at times) are very, very heavy.
During inclement conditions,
even the USMC from Yuma will use the facilities for extensive flight training,
so even though it is NOT a military facility
there are times when military aircraft are swarming everywhere.
Returning to its original purpose, Marana is once again hosting Army aviation,
as the Silverbell Army Heliport has recently been built
adjacent to the northern edge of the field (bottom right of above photo).
This is the location of the Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site
(a complex of AH-64 & AH-1 simulators),
as well as an Attack Helicopter Battalion operating AH-64 Apaches.
A 2003 close-up of the former cantonment area of Marana AAF (at the top)
and some of the many aircraft stored at the Evergreen facilities.
Photo is courtesy of John Sparks.
John Sparks reported in 2003 that "There has been talk in local news about removing the Evergreen lease
and returning the park to local use to obtain federal money to improve it for regional use.
This would be a loss of jobs in the Pinal county area but would bring the unit back into full use."
According to an article in the 10/1/03 issue of the Arizona Daily Star,
"The county wants to change Pinal Air Park from a private facility rented by Evergreen into a public airport.
Evergreen President Trevor Van Horn rejected the county's proposed terms
and is exploring other locations in California & Oregon."
"An economic impact study of Evergreen Air Center,
commissioned this summer by the company &conducted by a consultant,
found the firm has 626 workers - 376 of them permanent, plus 250 contract workers.
More than 400 live in Pima County & took in at least $12 million in wages last year."
"Representatives of Gov. Janet Napolitano, the state Commerce Department,
Pinal County & Evergreen are planning to meet Friday at the state Capitol to see if they can help keep the jobs here."
"'We just hope we can get everyone sitting around the table for a moment,
to see if we can get some communication & maybe resolve the issue,'
said Jan Lesher, the director of the governor's Southern Arizona office."
"For now, Van Horn & Pinal County Manager Stan Griffis are not negotiating at all,
and Pinal County has hired an attorney to determine how the county can break the lease."
"Griffis said the problems are Evergreen's poor maintenance of the airport
and its unwillingness to make the airport public, as required under the lease.
Once the airport is opened to the public,
it can qualify for airport improvement program grants from the Federal Aviation Administration
and attract more business, Griffis said."
"'That airport has a lot of potential, but we can't realize it until we're in compliance with the FAA', Griffis said.
'We are going to come in compliance either with or without Evergreen.'
Beyond the stalled negotiations, Griffis complained that Evergreen is a poor tenant
that drives away other tenants who might sublease from Evergreen.
'We get $380,000 a year lease for the facility, and we get a whole truckload of headaches', Griffis said."
"Van Horn said Evergreen also wants to open the airport to the public,
in part because an FAA grant would pay for maintenance & improvements that otherwise Evergreen must complete.
Over the last 15 years, Evergreen has put $24 million into the repair & upgrade of the airport, he said."
"But Van Horn said he rejected a change in the lease proposed by the county:
that Evergreen's customers would be charged a fee to use the airport.
'They wanted into our revenue base', Van Horn said.
'That's not acceptable to Evergreen.'"
"So, Van Horn said, he has researched other sites for the air center
and found two possibilities, in Portland, OR, and San Bernardino, CA.
He said the idea that Evergreen would leave is not an idle threat."
____________________________________________________
Picacho Auxiliary Army Airfield #1, Picacho, AZ
32.66 North / 111.48 West (Northwest of Marana, AZ)
Picacho Aux #1, as depicted on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This field was built during WW2 as one of 5 satellite airfields for Marana Army Airfield (located a few miles southeast),
which conducted basic flight training & the training of transport pilots in instrument flying & navigation.
The airfield was not depicted at all on the 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
"Picacho #1" was still depicted as an active airfield
on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
Picacho Aux #1 was listed in a directory of AZ Airports
in the 5/47 issue of Arizona Highways (courtesy of George Miller),
which described the field as consisting of a 3,000' square landing mat, and being unattended.
Marana #1, as depicted on the 1948 El Paso - Los Angeles Flight Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).
It was labeled "Marana #1" on the 1949 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
It was still in use by the USAF in 1957, which operated T-34 & T-28 training aircraft into the field.
The 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
labeled the field as "Marana #1 (Pvt)",
and the remarks in the Aerodromes table said "Private. Flying school under contract to USAF."
Picacho Aux #1 was apparently abandoned at some point between 1958-64,
as it was labeled It was labeled "Abandoned airport"
on the 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The 1981 USGS topo map labeled the field as "Marana Auxiliary Landing Field",
and depicted two perpendicular runways (the largest is 4,400') which had been overlaid on the original square landing mat.
In the 1995 USGS aerial photo, the original square landing mat was still visible,
as well as two perpendicular paved runways (the largest is 4,400') had been overlaid on the square mat.
A 1997 aerial view of Picacho Aux #1 by Steve Hoza.
The photo is courtesy of Steve Hoza, from the book "Best Place in the Country", by Mike & Steve Hoza.
It shows that thing here have come full-circle,
as at some point between 1995-97 Picacho Aux #1 was reused as the site of a newly constructed heliport.
The heliport consists of six short paved runways,
built over the center of the original square landing mat, but set an angle.
The heliport is used by helicopters of the AZ National Guard,
based at the nearby Silverbell Army Heliport (at the former Marana AAF).
Thanks to Jack Young & James Smith for information about Picacho.
____________________________________________________
Coronado Auxiliary Army Airfield #3, Red Rock, AZ
32.69 North / 111.28 West (North of Marana, AZ)
Coronado Aux #3, as depicted on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This field was built during WW2 as one of 5 satellite airfields
for Marana Army Airfield (located a few miles south),
which conducted basic flight training & the training of transport pilots in instrument flying & navigation.
The Army Air Force acquired 632 acres for Coronado Auxiliary Field #3 starting in 1943.
Improvements consisted of a 3,000' square asphalt landing mat, a crash truck station,
a tower, and a perimeter fence.
The airfield was not depicted at all on the 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Coronado #3 was still depicted as an active airfield
on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
An Army Corps of Engineers report said that Coronado Auxiliary Field #3 was classified as surplus in 1946.
Marana #3, as depicted on the 1948 El Paso - Los Angeles Flight Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).
It was labeled "Marana #3" on the 1949 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
However, it was apparently still operated as a contract flying school into the 1950s.
"Marana #3" was listed among active airfields in the "Aerodromes" table
on the 1956 Phoenix Sectional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
It described the field as consisting of a 3,000 foot asphalt "All way" landing area,
and included the remark, "Private. Flying school under contract to USAF."
The 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
labeled the field as "Marana #3 (Pvt)",
and the remarks in the Aerodromes table said "Private. Flying school under contract to USAF."
Coronado #3 was apparently abandoned at some point between 1958-64,
as it was labeled It was labeled "Abandoned airport"
on the 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
USGS aerial photo 1992.
According to an Army Corps of Engineers Report,
the current owners of the property include the Bureau of Land Management & the State of Arizona.
Their on-site investigation concluded that remains were still barely visible
of the airfield's diamond-shaped asphalt landing mat (3,500' square),
which was in an advanced stage of decay due to heavy vegetative overgrowth.
The only remaining building was a collapsed wooden structure, believed to be the crash truck station.
A 1997 aerial photo of the Coronado airfield by Steve Hoza,
from the book "Best Place in the Country" by Mike Hoza & Steve Hoza (courtesy of Steve Hoza).
Mike Hoza, pictured on the remains of the Coronado airfield pavement in a 2003 photo by Steve Hoza,
from the book "Best Place in the Country" by Mike Hoza & Steve Hoza (courtesy of Steve Hoza).
Mike Hoza, pictured among the remains of the Coronado control tower building in a 2003 photo by Steve Hoza,
from the book "Best Place in the Country" by Mike Hoza & Steve Hoza (courtesy of Steve Hoza).
The auxiliary field is currently used by the Arizona Army National Guard based in Marana
for occasional touch-and-go helicopter landings.
Coronado Auxiliary Field #3 was not depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield)
on recent aeronautical charts or USGS topo maps.
____________________________________________________
Avra Auxiliary Army Airfield #4, Marana, AZ
32.38 North / 111.3 West (Northwest of Tucson, AZ)
Avra Aux #4, as depicted on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This field was built in 1942 as one of 5 satellite airfields for Marana Army Airfield (located a few miles north),
which conducted basic flight training & the training of transport pilots in instrument flying & navigation.
The site consisted of a total of 575 acres.
Facilities included a 3,000' square landing mat, stage house, crash truck shelter, and latrine.
The airfield was not depicted at all on the 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Avra #4 was still depicted as an active airfield
on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
A series of photos of a 1945 accident at Avra Aux #4,
from the book "Best Place in the Country" by Steve Hoza & Mike Hoza (courtesy of Steve Hoza).
"The accident happened January 17, 1945.
Chinese cadet Fei-Peng Wu was waiting to take off from Marana Auxiliary Field #4 (Avra) at night.
He got the green light from the control building.
He became disoriented & headed straight for the light.
His BT-13 crashed into the building, killing Private Thomas Burch, a truck driver,
who was asleep inside at the time of the accident."
The airfield was declared surplus in 1945,
and portions of the property were sold to a private owner & transferred to Pima County.
Marana Aux AAF #4 was still listed in a directory of AZ Airports
in the 5/47 issue of Arizona Highways (courtesy of George Miller),
which described the field as being unattended.
It was labeled "Marana #4" on the 1949 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
A 1958 aerial view depicted the square landing mat of the Marana #4 airfield,
but a road had been cut across the airfield area.
The 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
labeled the field as "Marana #4 (Pvt)",
and the remarks in the Aerodromes table said "Private. Flying school under contract to USAF."
The use of this field as a contract flying school apparently came to an end at some point between 1958-64,
and it was reused as a private field.
It was labeled "WB Ranch (Pvt)" on the 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The Aerodromes table on the on the January 1966 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described the WB Ranch Airfield as having three runways,
with the longest being 2,450', and with "Disintegrated asphalt" surface.
The remarks said "Private. Restricted by pole lines. Land with caution. Runway 12R/30L closed."
"Sounds like a pretty inhospitable airport", in the word of Chris Kennedy.
The WB Ranch was described as a private airfield in the 1967 AOPA Airport Directory.
It was described as having three asphalt runways,
including a 2,450' Runway 17/35, and two parallel runways: a 2,400' Runway 12L/30R & a 1,750' Runway 12R/30L.
Quite an elaborate runway configuration for a private ranch airfield!
Those multiple runways were presumably marked off over the former square landing pad.
The operator was listed as Mona Wong.
The WB Ranch Airfield was apparently abandoned at some point between 1967-93.
According to a 1993 Army Corps of Engineers Report,
none of the original military structures still existed at Avra at that point.
The 1996 USGS aerial photo shows that the original square landing mat area was still quite recognizable, although somewhat deteriorated.
Several small buildings had been built at some point between 1958-96 over the southwest portion of the landing mat.
A 1997 aerial view looking south at Avra Aux #4 by Steve Hoza,
author of the book "Best Place in the Country".
Steve said, "Mike [Hoza] has visited this one
and said that it was difficult to realize you were on it once you were on it."
The Avra airfield was not depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield)
on recent aeronautical charts or USGS topo maps.
A 2003 aerial photo of the remains of Avra Aux #4 (courtesy of John Sparks).
John Sparks reported in 2003, "The land has been divided up
and is held mostly by "Bench S Partnership".
The small block (40 acres) is held by the Federal Government still
although it could never bee used as a strip again.
I am unable to find a reason for this still being in federal hands
other than it has some strategic reason that is not visible from the air.
I have checked the Superfund site [EPA cleanup] list & it does not appear on the list.
Trico Road runs through the property & the vegetation has taken back more of the property."
Note that the small structure visible in the 1996 & 1997 aerial photos on the southwest portion of the airfield
was apparently removed at some point between 1997-2003,
as it was no longer present in the 2003 aerial photo.
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Sahuaro Auxiliary Army Airfield #5 (AZ67), Marana, AZ
32.43 North / 111.39 West (Northwest of Tucson, AZ)
Sahuaro Aux #5, as depicted on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This field was built in 1942 to build one of 5 satellite airfields for Marana Army Airfield (located a few miles north),
which conducted basic flight training & the training of transport pilots in instrument flying & navigation.
The property consisted of a total of 579 acres.
Facilities consisted of fencing, a landing mat, and three buildings.
The airfield was not depicted at all on the 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Sahuaro #5 was still depicted as an active airfield
on the 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
This field was listed in a directory of AZ Airports
in the 5/47 issue of Arizona Highways (courtesy of George Miller),
which described the field as consisting of a 3,000' square landing mat, and being unattended.
The property was relinquished to the War Assets Administration in 1947.
It was labeled "Marana #5" on the 1949 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
However, it was once again used by the USAF in 1957,
which operated T-34 & T-28 training aircraft into the field.
The 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
labeled the field as "Marana #5 (Pvt)",
and the remarks in the Aerodromes table said "Private. Flying school under contract to USAF."
Sahuaro #5 was apparently abandoned at some point between 1958-64,
as it was labeled It was labeled "Abandoned airport"
on the 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
According to a 1992 Army Corps of Engineers Report,
the property is currently owned by the State of Arizona & the Department of the Interior.
Most of the portion owned by the Department of the Interior has been leased by the Tucson Soaring Club since 1983,
which has made numerous improvements to the property,
and operates it under the name of the El Tiro Gliderport.
A 1997 aerial view of Sahuaro Aux #5 by Steve Hoza.
The photo is courtesy of Steve Hoza, from the book "Best Place in the Country", by Mike & Steve Hoza.
There are no signs of the previous military facilities except the general outline of the landing pad.
Airport facilities, including runways & taxiways, have been constructed over the old landing pad.
There is no sign of the original military buildings & the current occupants have no recollection of any being present.
The airfield consists of five 5,000' runways, both dirt & paved.
Thanks to Jack Young for information about Sahuaro.
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32.6 North / 111.34 West (Northwest of Tucson, AZ)
Redrock Airport, as depicted on the 1935 Phoenix Sectional Chart.
The Redrock Airport was originally built as one of the Department of Commerce's network of Intermediate Fields,
which were established in the 1920s & 1930s to serve as emergency landing fields
for commercial aircraft flying along airways between major cities.
The date of construction of the Redrock Airport has not been determined.
The earliest reference to the airfield which has been located
was on the 1935 Phoenix Sectional Chart,
which depicted it as Site 38B along the San Diego - El Paso Airway.
The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo)
described Redrock as being the Department of Commerce's Site 38 along the San Diego - El Paso Airway.
The field was said to have two gravel runways: 3,040' northeast/southwest & 2,700' northwest/southeast.
By the time of the 1943 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks),
the Redrock Airport had been redesignated as Site 7B of the Phoenix - El Paso Airway.
A fan radio range had also been added to the Redrock site.
The Redrock Airport was still designated as CAA Site 7B
on the 1948 El Paso - Los Angeles Flight Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).
The Redrock Airport was apparently closed at some point between 1948-56,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the 1956 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
The 1980 USGS topo map still bore the legend of a survey monument named "Airport",
although nothing else was depicted at the site of the former airfield.
As seen in the above 1992 USGS aerial photo,
the site of Redrock Airport contains an irregularly-shaped outline,
which may be the boundaries of the former airfield,
but there are no other recognizable remnants of a former airfield.
The site of Redrock Airport is located on the southwest side of Interstate 10,
two miles northwest of Redrock, AZ.
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