Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Florida, Tallahassee area

Florida, Tallahassee area

Alliance Aux AAF #4 (revised 4/24/04) - Bascom Aux AAF #3 (revised 3/12/04) - Chipley Municipal Airport (revised 3/21/09)

Dale Mabry Field (revised 1/12/08) - Ellis Aux AAF #1 (revised 12/30/06) - Faceville Aux AAF #3 (added 11/21/03) - Malone Aux AAF #2 (revised 3/12/04)

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Chipley Municipal Airport, Chipley, FL

30.76 North / 85.52 West (Northwest of Tallahassee, FL)

Chipley Municipal Airport, as depicted on the February 1945 Memphis Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The date of construction of this small general aviation airport has not been determined.

The earliest depiction which has been located of the Chipley Airport

was on the February 1945 Memphis Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted Chipley as an auxiliary airfield on the southeast side of the town.

The only photo which has been located showing the Chipley Airport while it was operational was a 1955 aerial view.

It depicted Chipley as having 2 perpendicular grass runways,

with a circular airport marking visible at the runway intersection.

There did not appear to be an hangars or other buildings at the airport,

and there were no planes visible either.

The 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)

depicted Chipley as having a 2,400' unpaved runway.

Lindy Kirkland recalled, “I flew my first airplane flight from this field around 1970.”

The 1976 USGS topo map depicted Chipley Municipal Airport as having 2 perpendicular runways.

The last depiction which has been located of the Chipley Airport

was on the December 1976 New Orleans Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

It depicted Chipley as having a single north/south paved 2,300' runway.

The field had evidently been paved at some point between 1964-76.

Lindy Kirkland recalled of the Chipley Airport, “I flew from it several times with a friend in the summer of 1981.

It was a very small runway, probably only 3,000', paved, with just some tie-downs in the grass around it was all that was there.

It closed between 1981 when I last flew from there, and around 1984 when the West Point plant & the industrial park was built.

The airport was replaced by the Tri County Airport (1J0) in Bonifay, a few miles to the northeast.”

A January 4, 1994 USGS aerial photo showed that both runways had been reused as streets,

and several industrial buildings had been built around the former airport site.

A December 30, 2004 aerial view showed the remains of the 2 Chipley runways still were recognizable.

According to Lindy Kirkland, “The buildings have all been built since the airport closed.”

A circa 2006 aerial view looking north along the remains of Chipley Airport's north/south paved runway.

A circa 2007 photo looking south along the remains of Chipley Airport's north/south paved runway, now reused as a street.

Lindy Kirkland reported in 2009, “The area is now an industrial park with the primary tenant being West Point Stevens.

They make curtains in the plant there now.”

The site of Chipley Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Orange Hill Road & Airport Road,

appropriately enough.

Thanks to Lindy Kirkland for pointing out this airfield.

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Faceville Auxiliary Army Airfield #3, Faceville, FL

30.7 North / 84.63 West (Northwest of Tallahassee, FL)

Faceville Aux #3, as depicted on the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).

Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.

This field was used during WW2 as one of 6 satellite airfields for Bainbridge AAF,

a training field for the 50,000 Pilot Training Program.

Faceville was evidently not a pre-war civilian airport,

as it was not listed in The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).

According to Brian Rehwinkel, a 1946-47 War Assets Administration report

described the Faceville auxiliary field property as having been acquired in 1942 & attached to Bainbridge AAF.

The field consisted of a total of 329 acres, including 311 acres acquired by the government for $13,022

and 17 acres of leased property.

The field had 2 runways, both "bituminous base, mixed-in-place" (apparently a very thin layer of asphalt):

a 3,800' north/south runway & a 3,600' east/west strip.

The field also had one building, described as being of "temporary construction, one story".

The total cost of the field - including acquisition cost & betterments - was $92,113.

The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)

described Faceville Aux #3 as having a 3,000' hard-surface runway,

and the remarks said "Auxiliary to Bainbridge Field."

It also erroneously listed Faceville in the Georgia section of the directory,

even though the field is entirely within the State of Florida

(with the northern end of the runway just a few feet south of the state line).

The date of closure of Faceville by the military has not been determined.

Faceville Aux #3 was still depicted as a military airfield

on the 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).

According to Brian Rehwinkel, the 1946-47 War Assets Administration report

recommended the land be disposed of & returned to its "highest & best use" as "Farm Land".

A March 17 1947 USDA aerial photo of Faceville Aux #3,

from the Digital Library Center / University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).

In this photo it appeared as if the airfield had already been abandoned.

The outline of 2 runways was still quite apparent,

as well as the much more faint trace of parallel taxiways along both runways.

There was no trace of any buildings or other facilities.

The Faceville airfield was definitely abandoned by 1949,

as it was not depicted at all on the 1949 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).

By the time of this February 13 1955 aerial view of Faceville Aux #3 from the FL DOT (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel),

the east/west runway had been replaced by a plowed field,

but most of the north/south runway remained intact.

As seen in the 1994 USGS aerial photo,

the "ghosted" outline of the north/south runway was still barely recognizable.

Brian Rehwinkel reported in 2003, "I have visited this site recently & it is (and has been) used for agricultural purposes.

There is nothing left of the runways."

The site of Faceville Aux #3 is located on the west side of Florida Route 267,

3 miles south of Faceville, GA.

Thanks to Brian Rehwinkel for pointing out this airfield.

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Dale Mabry Field, Tallahassee, FL

30.45 North / 84.34 West (West of Jacksonville, FL)

Dale Mabry Field, as depicted on the November 1936 "Official Airway Map of FL" (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The City of Tallahassee purchased a 200-acre tract for its first municipal airport in 1928.

The land was purchased for $7,075,

and the airfield (one grass runway) was built with the assistance of federal WPA funds.

Local officials named the airport Dale Mabry Field in honor of Tallahassee native Army Captain Dale Mabry,

son of former Florida Supreme Court Justice Milton Mabry.

The new airport was dedicated on 11/11/29,

and the first manager was Ivan Munroe.

Atlantic Gulf Coast Airlines began commercial flights at the new airport during its first month.

Airport manager Ivan Munroe began giving flying lessons at the new airport in the early 1930s in a Travelaire.

The 1934 Department of Commerce Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy)

described Dale Mabry Field as having 4 sod runways, with the longest being 2,600'.

An aerial view of Dale Mabry Field, looking east,

from The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).

The directory described Dale Mabry Field as having two 2,400' paved runways, under construction.

The aerial photo in the directory depicted a single hangar on the northwest corner of the airfield.

The operator was listed as Ivan Munroe.

Eastern Airlines began service at Dale Mabry Field in 1938,

with 4 daily flights to Memphis, Birmingham, and Montgomery.

National Airlines began serving Tallahassee in the same year,

offering flights to Jacksonville, Pensacola, Mobile, and New Orleans.

A circa 1930s aerial view of a hangar at Dale Mabry Field.

This had been built by the WPA with material bought by the city.

In 1938-39, the Army's 3^rd Air Force established a fighter pilot training school at Mabry

and developed 3 runways to serve their needs.

An aerial view of Dale Mabry Field from The Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

Compare this view with the 1937 aerial photo above, to see how dramatically the airport had been expanded in 4 years.

The field was described as having 2 paved runways (4,000' northwest/southeast & 2,500' north/south),

along with a 3,400' sand & sod east/west runway.

A single hangar was depicted on the field.

The manager was listed as Ivan Munroe,

and the operators were Ivan Monroe, Eastern Air Lines, and National Air Lines.

Through the political influence of U.S. Senator Claude Pepper & Florida Governor Spessard Holland,

Dale Mabry Field became an Army base in 1941

and aircraft & trainees arrived in May that same year.

Aircraft used at Dale Mabry for training during the early part of WW2

included the P-39 Airacobra, P-40 Warhawk, and P-47 Thunderbolt.

A 1942 aerial view of Dale Mabry AAF.

Chinese & French cadets also trained at Dale Mabry Field in 1942 & 1944.

Despite being closed to general aviation during WW2,

the commercial airlines (Eastern & National) continued to use the field during the war.

Training on the P-51 Mustang fighter occurred at Dale Mabry later in the war.

Originally 530 acres, the airfield grew to 1,720 acres & 133 buildings during the course of the war.

Training activity peaked in mid-1944 with base complement averaging 1,300 officers,

3,000 enlisted men & women, and 800 civilian employees.

Students used a gunnery base at Alligator Point & a bombing range at Sopchoppy on the Gulf for their training needs.

Mabry had satellite fields at Thomasville & Harris Neck, GA.

The pilots also utilized auxiliary bases in Perry, Alachua, Cross City & Dunnellon.

More than 8,000 pilots trained at Dale Mabry during WW2,

and, tragically, more than a dozen pilots died in training accidents.

A branch Prisoner of War compound at Mabry held 150 POWs who worked on the base.

Dale Mabry AAF, as depicted on the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

Mabry was placed on inactive status in 1945,

and eventually resumed its role as a civilian airport after WW2.

When the airfield was transferred from the military to the city,

Dale Mabry Field's original 1930s-vintage hangar was dismantled & moved to St. Marks,

reassembled & used as a warehouse & office for the Tallahassee Electric System.

Later it was moved again to the new Tallahassee Municipal Airport.

A March 1949 U.S. Government aerial view of Dale Mabry Field,

after it had been returned to the City of Tallahassee (courtesy of the FL DOT, via Brian Rehwinkel).

A March 22 1960 USDA aerial view (courtesy of the FL DOT, via Brian Rehwinkel) of Dale Mabry,

only one year before the airfield was closed.

A closeup from the March 22 1960 USDA aerial view (courtesy of the FL DOT, via Brian Rehwinkel)

of numerous planes on the ramp at Dale Mabry.

Dale Mabry Field, as depicted in its very last year of operation, in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The field was depicted as having 3 paved runways, with the longest being the 5,243' Runway 12/30.

Dale Mabry Field was abandoned in 1961,

when a new Tallahassee Airport was built several miles to the southwest.

The 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) depicted the site of the field as "Aband airport".

A February 15 1973 USDA aerial view (courtesy of the FL DOT, via Brian Rehwinkel) of the site of Dale Mabry Field,

showing the redevelopment of the property in progress.

Several roads had been built directly over the former runways, the outlines of which were still perceptible.

The buildings of the Tallahassee Junior College had begun to cover the north end of the former airfield.

The property of Mabry Field eventually became the home of Tallahassee Community College,

the Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy, and a variety of other public & private applications.

The 1976 USGS topo map (courtesy of William Stanton) still outlined the runway layout of the former Dale Mabry Field.

A 1999 USGS aerial photo of the site of the former Mabry AAF, now the campus of the Tallahassee Community College.

According to Tallahassee resident Richard Travis, "In the 1999 USGS photo,

the north-south road running vertically through the center of the frame is now Appleyard Road,

which runs in front of the TCC campus.

My calculations indicate that Appleyard Road is virtually superimposed over the north/south runway of the old Dale Mabry Field."

Richard Travis continued, "Some remnants of the runways are still in much evidence.

In the northwest corner of the Appleyard Road / Pensacola Street intersection,

on the TCC campus (at almost dead-center of the frame),

is a patch of aging pavement, sometimes used for over-flow parking,

which once was part of the north/south runway.

A commemorative plaque designating Dale Mabry Field was erected at the site

and dedicated during a ceremony in October 2001."

"To the southeast of this location, in the lower right quadrant of [the above] photo,

are some additional remnant patches of runway.

This area along Jackson Bluff Road contains a sports complex with numerous ball fields -

the 2 circles forming a figure 8.

Just to the east of these fields, on the south side of Jackson Bluff,

is a fairly large parking area, with aging pavement similar to the TCC patch,

commonly understood to be runway remnants,

and my figures indicate it was once part of the northwest/southeast diagonal runway."

In 2003, the City of Tallahassee unveiled a sculpture at the Tallahassee Regional Airport

memorializing the Dale Mabry Air Field & the pilots that served there.

The sculpture will be permanently on display in the second-floor Observation Room of the Ivan B. Munroe Terminal.

A 2004 photo by Richard Travis of the historical marker

at the northwest corner of the intersection of Pensacola Street & Appleyard Road.

Note that the text on the plaque has 2 fairly significant errors:

the plaque is located on the site of the north/south runway (not the northwest/southeast runway as stated, which is located some distance to the south),

and the airfield opened in 1929, whereas the plaque seems to indicate that it was established in 1940.

A 2004 photo by Richard Travis looking southeast at a portion of remaining runway pavement

which now serves as a parking lot for the Jim Messer Sports Complex.

Note the wear grooves in the former runway pavement,

which are aligned with the longitudinal direction of the runway.

Craig Hiers reported in 2005, “I grew up on what was the old Dale Mabry Airport.

The community we lived in was called Mabry Manor, and all the streets were named after military generals & admirals.

The buildings of the elementary school I went to (Sable Palm Elementary) were part of the base.”

The site of Mabry Field is located northwest of the intersection of West Pensacola Street & Appleyard Drive.

Thanks to Lawrence Sharp (who once flew out of Mabry) for pointing out this airfield.