Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Florida, Northwestern Pensacola area
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 7/17/08.
Field 33615 / Site 8A NOLF (revised 6/1/08) - Fountain NOLF (revised 11/12/06)
Felton's Field / Saufley NOLF (revised 7/17/08) - V Field (added 4/2/05) - X Field NOLF (revised 11/12/06)
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Field 33615 / Site 8A Naval Outer Landing Field, Cantonment, FL
c West (Northwest of Pensacola, FL)
A December 2, 1940 U.S. Department of Agriculture aerial photo of Field 33615
(courtesy of the Digital Library Center / University of Florida Smathers Libraries).
This airfield was one of a large number of auxiliary airfields
which were eventually established to support the high volume of Navy flight training operations in the Pensacola area
during the Second World War years.
According to Brian Rehwinkel, “The recommendation to develop Site 8-A was made in late 1939
and the field was acquired & developed sometime in early or mid-1940.
It consisted on 640 acres & was purchased for approximately $9,150.
I say 'approximately' because that is how much a Navy memo said it cost in 1941.
Sometimes the condemnation cases were in court for years…
and the Navy may have had to pay more than the initial 'purchase price'.”
The earliest depiction of the field which has been located
was a December 2, 1940 U.S. Department of Agriculture aerial photo
(courtesy of the Digital Library Center / University of Florida Smathers Libraries).
According to Brian Rehwinkel, “The field was brand new when this photograph was taken -
in fact I am not absolutely sure it was operational yet.
Although, because there is a landing circle on the Northeast portion of the field,
I am guessing it was probably being used at the time.”
Field “33615 / Site 8A” was depicted on a 1942 Navy map of Pensacola-area airfields (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel)
as a rectangular plot of land.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Field 33615
was on the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
It depicted Field “33615" as an auxiliary airfield.
The 1949 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) depicted the field as having a 3,400' unpaved runway.
However, note that the designation of the field was apparently printed erroneously, as “33515”.
A January 5, 1951 U.S. Department of Agriculture aerial photograph of Field 33615
(courtesy of the Digital Library Center / University of Florida Smathers Libraries).
A close-up from the January 5, 1951 aerial photograph,
which depicted 2 aircraft (presumably Navy trainers) on the northern portion of the field.
Brian Rehwinkel also noted that he has a 1956 photograph which shows planes on the field.
Field 33615 was evidently abandoned by the Navy at some point between 1956-64,
as no airfield was depicted at this location on the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart.
At some point between 1964-81, the site of the WW2-era Field 33615 was evidently reused
as an Outlying Landing Field to support helicopter flight training operations at nearby NAS Whiting Field,
as the 1981 USGS topo map labeled the site as “OLF Site 8A U.S. Navy”.
The 1987 USGS topo map depicted the “U.S. Naval Reservation”
as consisting of a large open grass field.
A 1987 photo by John Voss looking southwest at a Navy TH-57 helicopter over the little control tower on the north side of Site 8A.
The 1999 USGS aerial photo depicted Site 8A as a large grass field,
on which were laid out a number of lines & landing targets
(including several numbered Confined Area Landing zones,
in small clearings in the woods along the southwest corner of the site).
A 2004 aerial photo depicted Site 8A as a large grass field,
on which were laid out a number of lines & landing targets
(including several numbered Confined Area Landing zones,
in small clearings in the woods along the southwest corner of the site).
A January 2006 photo by Paul Freeman, looking northwest at Site 8A,
showing a windsock pole (sans windsock) along the southern edge of the field.
According to GlobalSecurity.org, as of 2006,
“NAS Whiting Field provides aviation & ground fuel support services at Outlying Field Site 8.
[Site 8 is] supported by the deployment of 2,000-gallon JP5 fuel servicing trucks to service helicopters.”
However, inexplicably, as of 2006, the FAA Airport/Facility Directory did not list any active airfield at all at Site 8A,
and no airfield facility was depicted at Site 8A on the 2006 Sectional Chart.
Brian Rehwinkel noted in 2006, “I believe the field has been continually used by the Navy since it was opened.
Since it was purchased approximately 66 years ago,
I think Navy has retained ownership of the land - and used it for training most of that time.
I believe this airfield (along with Spencer OLF & Pace OLF/Site 14)
are the 3 oldest Outlying Fields still used by the Navy in Pensacola.
All were developed in 1940 & are currently used by NAS Whiting Field.”
A circa 2007 aerial view looking north at Site 8's control tower.
A circa 2007 aerial view looking north at the 3 CAL sites on the southwest side of Site 8
(Confined Area Landing zones, small clearings in the woods used to teach helicopter approaches to confined locations).
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Fountain Naval Outlying Landing Field, Pensacola, FL
30.55 North / 87.33 West (Northwest of Pensacola Regional Airport, FL)
"Fountain Field", as depicted on a 1939 map of NAS Pensacola & its satellite fields (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
Fountain Field was one of the large number of auxiliary fields which were established by the Navy
in the late 1930s to support flight training operations at the Pensacola Flight School.
The date of establishment of Fountain Field has not been determined.
It was not listed in The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The earliest depiction of Fountain Field which has been located
was on a 1939 map of NAS Pensacola & its satellite fields (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
It depicted Fountain Field simply as a rectangular outline.
A 1940 USDA aerial view of Fountain Field,
from the Digital Library Center / University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
The airfield consisted of an irregularly-shaped grass area,
with runways oriented northeast/southwest & northwest/southeast.
There did not appear to be any buildings or other aviation facilities associated with the field.
According to Brian Rehwinkel, Fountain Field was evidently abandoned by the Navy in 1941 or early 1942.
It was no longer listed in the April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
or depicted on the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
In the January 3, 1958 USDA aerial photo of the site
(from the Digital Library Center / University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries, via Brian Rehwinkel),
at least 3 of the former landing circles were still barely recognizable on the abandoned field,
15 or 16 years after the field was evidently last used.
As seen in the 1999 USGS aerial photo, the site of Fountain Field had been covered with housing,
and no recognizable trace appeared to remain of the former Navy airfield.
As seen in a 2004 aerial photo, the site of Fountain Field has been covered with housing,
and no recognizable trace appears to remain of the former Navy airfield.
The site of Fountain Field is located south of the intersection of Jacks Branch Road & Bristol Park Road.
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X Field Naval Outlying Landing Field, Pensacola, FL
30.5 North / 87.33 West (Northwest of Pensacola Regional Airport, FL)
"X Field", as depicted on a 1939 map of NAS Pensacola & its satellite fields (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
X Field was one of the large number of auxiliary fields which were established by the Navy
in the late 1930s to support flight training operations at the Pensacola Flight School.
The date of establishment of X Field has not been determined.
It was not listed in The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The earliest depiction of X Field which has been located
was on a 1939 map of NAS Pensacola & its satellite fields (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
It depicted X Field as having 2 runways, in the shape of an "X" (thus the name).
The 1940 USDA aerial view of X Field
(from the Digital Library Center / University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries, courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel)
showed the airfield to have 2 grass runways,
but there did not appear to be any buildings or other aviation facilities associated with the field.
It has not been determined how much longer X Field was used by the Navy.
It was apparently abandoned at some point between 1940-44,
as it was not listed in the April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
or depicted on the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
As seen in the 1999 USGS aerial photo of the site of X Field,
the site of X Field had been covered with housing,
and not a trace appeared to remain of the former Navy airfield.
A 2004 aerial photo of the site of X Field showed no trace appeared to remain of the former Navy airfield.
The site of X Field is located north of the intersection of Route 90 & Lockhart Street.
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30.45 North / 87.31 West (North NAS Pensacola, FL)
A December 6, 1940 USDA aerial photo of V Field
(courtesy of the Digital Library Center / University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries, via Brian Rehwinkel).
Note what appears to be a single aircraft at the southeast end of the northwest/southeast runway.
According to Brian Rehwinkel, "V" Field was another pre-war outlying field the used for training by NAS Pensacola.
Although the field may have been used earlier than 1935,
it was first leased by the Navy in late 1935.
At that time the Navy leased a total of 370 acres from 3 different landowners for a total of $110 per year.
"V" Field was typical of the early outlying fields in Pensacola -
it was a fairly primitive sod field (with 3 sod runways).
There were apparently no other improvements to the land.
Interestingly enough, even though the Navy leased nearly 400 acres,
the runways only occupied a small portion of the total acreage
(a portion of Marcus Bayou made up the southern portion of the land).
The earliest depiction of V Field which has been located
was a December 6, 1940 USDA aerial photo
(courtesy of the Digital Library Center / University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries, via Brian Rehwinkel).
The photo appeared to depict a single aircraft on (or flying over) the airfield.
"V" Field was apparently used (or at least kept as an emergency field)
by the Navy until sometime during WW2.
The last depiction which has been located of V Field as an active airfield
was on a June 30, 1942 Navy map, which showed V Field in relation to Saufley Field, Y Field, and Corry Field (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
V Field was evidently abandoned by the Navy at some point between 1942-45,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
A January 5, 1951 USDA aerial photo of V Field
(courtesy of the Digital Library Center / University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries, via Brian Rehwinkel).
Although the airfield was abandoned, the 3 grass runways remained mostly intact.
The 1999 USGS aerial photo of the site of V Field
shows that is has been densely covered with housing,
with not a trace of the former airfield appearing to remain.
The site of V Field is location south of the intersection of Mariane Drive & Gelndora Street.
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Felton's Field / Saufley Naval Outer Landing Field (NUN), Bellview, FL
30.47 North / 87.34 West (North of Pensacola NAS, FL)
What was originally known as "Felton's Field",
as depicted on a 1939 map of NAS Pensacola & its satellite fields (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
A Navy airfield known as Felton's Farm Field was originally constructed on leased land on this location in 1933,
as a satellite airfield for nearby Pensacola Naval Air Station.
A 1939 Navy aerial photo depicted Felton Field as an outlying field (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
The field consisted simply of a square grass field,
without any buildings or other improvements.
Note the aircraft (presumably a Navy trainer) crossing the Northeast corner of the field.
Due to the pre-WW2 military buildup,
the Navy purchased 867 acres of land at the site in order to significantly expand the airfield,
opening Saufley Field in 1940.
It conducted primary training, instrument training, and fighter training.
A WW2-era view looking north at Saufley Field (National Archives photo).
The airfield had been expanded so as to be unrecognizable compared to the 1939 photo,
with a large rectangular asphalt mat in the center, over which extended 4 asphalt runways.
Four hangars at the south end bracketed a control tower.
Saufley was commissioned in 1943 as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station.
For the rest of WW2, Saufley Field was used for a variety of training
in PBY5A, SBD, SNJ & N2S aircraft.
In 1944, the number of aircraft at the field peaked at 160,
and the station complement was over 2,200 men.
"Saufley (Navy)", as depicted on the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Saufley had a large number of outlying airfields during the WW2 era, including:
Helm Airport (12 miles NW of Pensacola), Pensacola Field #1 (14 miles NW of Pensacola),
Pensacola Field #5 (3 miles SE of Gonzales), Pensacola Field #6 (2.5 miles N of Gonzales),
Pensacola Field #7 (7 miles NW of Pensacola), and Pensacola Field #9 (1.5 miles S of Gonzales).
Due to its substantial pre-war construction,
Saufley remained open following the end of WW2.
An undated USN photo of Navy fliers in front of a T-28B at NAAS Saufley (courtesy of John Voss).
The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted "Saufley NAAS" as having 4 paved runways, with the longest being the 6,035' Runway 4/22.
Saufley was redesignated a Naval Air Station in 1968.
The A-4 Skyhawks of the Blue Angels do a flyby of the Saufley Field tower in September 1976.
Saufley Field was decommissioned in 1976 & designated an outlying landing field.
Saufley Field was reactivated in 1979
when the Naval Education & Training Program Development Center relocated from Ellyson Field,
and it also served as an outlying field for NAS Whiting Field pilot training.
Also on the base is a minimum security Federal Prison Camp,
one of the so-called "Country Club prisons".
The 1987 USGS topo map depicted “U.S. Navy Air Base Sufley Field”
as having numerous paved runways & a large number of hangars & other buildings.
A circa 1990s aerial view looking west at Saufley Field.
As of 2002, two runways were still active (5/23 & 14/32, each 4,000' long).
Saufley also had in excess of 34,425 square ft of hangar space.
A 2000 photo by William Larkins of a Saufley hangar.
Whiting Field T-34 instructor Bob Adair reported in 2002,
“Saufley has been repaved & painted this year.
It is manned by a Whiting Runway Duty Officer
and is the primary student pilot solo field in what we call Area 1.
The instrument approaches practiced at Saufley are done using the Saufley VOR
above 4,500' to avoid the PNS Class C airspace."
The Navy plans to eventually conduct training at Saufley using the new T-6A Texan II,
the replacement for the T-34.
A September 20, 2004 DOD aerial view looking west at Saufley Field,
showing over one hundred 18-wheeler trucks filled with ice, food and drinking water,
staged on the Saufley ramp to provide relief for victims of Hurricane Ivan.
A circa 2006 aerial view looking south at the control tower building
shows that the control tower cab was removed from the top of the building at some point after 1976.
A circa 2006 aerial view looking east at a hangar & helipad at Saufley.
A January 2006 photo by Paul Freeman, looking west at the gate to Saufley.
A January 2006 photo by Paul Freeman, looking west at the hangars which remain at Saufley Field,
with the decayed asphalt runway pavement of one of the unmaintained runways visible in the foreground.
A January 2006 photo by Paul Freeman, looking northwest along the still-maintained Runway 32.
Note the FEMA trailers on the right side.
A January 2006 photo by Paul Freeman, looking west at the “FEMA Saufley Field” facility.
Most of Saufley Field's former north/south runway was being used to house trailers
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, used to house displaced hurricane damage victims.
See also: http://www.tailhook.org/Saufley.htm
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