Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Eastern Kansas
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 6/8/08.
(Original) Coffeyville Municipal Airport (revised 2/17/07) - Coffeyville Aux AAF #3 / Independence Aux AAF #3 / Edna Municipal (revised 10/21/05)
Sweeney Airport / Fairfax Airport / Fairfax AAF (revised 6/8/08) - State Line Airpark (revised 8/19/07)
Strother South Aux AAF #5 / Winfield – Arkansas City #5 / Strother #2 (revised 9/7/05)
____________________________________________________
State Line Airpark (3KC), Leawood, KS
38.89 North / 94.61 West (West of Kansas City, MO)
An October 1928 photo (courtesy of Noah Dunker) of an unidentified biplane at State Line Airpark.
This former general aviation airport was located directly along the Kansas/Missouri border (thus the name),
with the eastern boundary of the airport property being State Line Road.
The date of construction of State Line Airpark is unknown.
The earliest depiction of the field which has been located
was the above October 1928 photo of a biplane at the field (courtesy of Noah Dunker).
Noah reported, "My grandparents lived less than 1/4 mile north of the airfield."
He said of his grandmother, "She recalled that there were no buildings
and that it was little more than a smoothed-over strip in a field."
The earliest chart depiction of State Line Airpark which has been located
was on the September 1946 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted State Line as a commercial airport.
According to John Shields (referencing obituaries), “Murl Johnston & his brother, Alva Leroy Johnston, a TWA pilot,
owned the airport from 1946-63.”
The 1949 KS Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described State Line Airpark as having 4 sod runways, with the longest being the 2,200' north/south strip.
Three buildings (hangars?) were situated on the southeast corner of the field.
The airport was said to offer repairs & fuel, 6 the manager was listed as M. L. Johnston.
The 1949 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described State Line as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.
John Shields recalled, “I learned to fly at State Line in 1951, where I worked as a line-boy,
up through flight instructor, 1951-53, before joining the Naval Aviation Cadet program.
My boss at the time was Murl Johnston”, the joint owner of State Line Airpark.
An aerial view looking north at State Line Airpark, from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
State Line had evidently gained a paved runway at some point between 1949-61,
as the field was depicted as having a 2,200' hard-surface Runway 17/35, along with 2 shorter turf runways.
Several rows of hangars were depicted on the south side of the field,
including some which stood directly under the final approach to the field's primary runway
The field was said to offer fuel, hangars, tiedowns, and major repairs.
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described State Line Airpark as having a 2,200' concrete Runway 18/36,
a 2,000' turf & concrete Runway 14/32, and a 2,000' turf Runway 4/22.
The operator was listed as Murl Johnston.
The directory erroneously listed State Line Airpark in its Missouri section.
According to John Shields (referencing obituaries), Murl Johnston & his brother, Alva Leroy Johnston owned State Line Airpark until 1963.
John reported, “All I have heard, from one old pilot, who responded to my ad in the KC Star,
was that some guy named Fisher had the airport after the Johnstons,
but that the operation was 'not well-run'”.
According to Ron Schauble, “State Line Airport had several operators after Johnson, several of short duration.
One of these was Bill Stutesman, who had been operating at Hillside Airport.
Don Fisher took it over in 1965.
He built this into a thriving operation, and he remained until the end.
During Don’s operation the flight school was built up to include large ground school classes & a complete flight training program.
The Johnsons had used primarily Aeronca 7AC Champs as trainers.
At one time there were probably 20 of them.
Many of these succumbed to hard landings by students learning how to land a tailwheel aircraft.
For a while these were stashed around the airport wherever they would be out of the way.
The instrument trainer in 1964 was an 11AC Champ with fight instruments in a separate panel above the instrument panel.
In the fall of 1964 two new Cessna 150s were added.
A new Cessna 172 was added shortly thereafter.
There was an active charter service & aircraft sales operation.
State Line had numerous highly experienced & colorful pilots employed for a number of years.
Ken Fairchild had been a TWA pilot.
He had also flown open cockpit biplane fighters for at least one South American country.”
Ron continued, “I learned to fly there in 1964-65, instructed there in 1967-68,
and continued to fly out of there until its close.
My father kept one of several airplanes in a T-hangar until the end.”
Ron continued, “Shortly after passenger operations moved [from Fairfax Airport] to MCI,
Don Fisher inaugurated a scheduled commuter service between State Line & International.”
State Line Airpark, as depicted on the July 1973 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Joe Moylan recalled, “I soloed here in 1976.”
The 1979 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted State Line Airpark as having a single 2,200' paved Runway 18/36,
as well as 2 unpaved runways to the west.
According to Senior Airport Planner Brad Weisenburger,
"There were a few hangars all at the far southern end.
The ground falls away from the runway end at the south by about 10 feet.
As the story goes, a pilot could land & then taxi straight in to the hangar on the south.
The hangars were not an obstruction because the roof line was below the runway end elevation."
Weisenburger said that FAA records show that the State Line Airpark was closed in 1982.
Jim Foulk recalled, “As a child in the mid-1980's I played many soccer games at the airport after it was closed.
We played just west of the main runway & the parents would park
on the runway & taxiway depending on what side you team was on.
The pavement was in really bad shape at the time & is more than likely the reason for it to close.”
Noah Dunker recalled, "My grandparents lived less than 1/4 mile north of the airfield.
In the early- and mid-1990's, long after it had shut down,
my grandfather would take me to the old, blighted runways to launch our model rockets.
The site offered ample acreage to keep our rockets away from traffic & homes."
State Line Airpark was still depicted on the 1995 USGS topo map, even though it had been closed by that point for 13 years.
USGS photo 1996.
According to Brad Weisenburger,
the State line Airpark property remained in row crops until 2002.
A 2003 photo by Brad Weisenburger looking northeast from the former apron area
along the remains of Runway 18/36 at State Line Airpark,.
He reported the property was in the process of being developed.
He observed, “There are not any remaining buildings, only some piles of rocks & concrete."
State Line Airpark was no longer depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on 2003 aeronautical charts.
A 2005 photo by Noah Dunker, looking north along the pavement remains of the runway at the site of State Line Airpark.
Noah reported, “133rd Street was built & cut through the old runway.”
A circa 2001-2005 USGS aerial view of the site of State Line Airpark.
An August 2007 aerial view by Joe Moylan looking northwest at the site of State Line Aipark
shows that a majority of the the pavement of Runway 18/36 remains intact.
The site of State Line Airpark is located northwest of the intersection of State Line Road & West 135th Street.
____________________________________________________
Strother South Auxiliary Army Airfield #5 /
Winfield – Arkansas City #5 / Strother #2, Arkansas City, KS
37.05 North / 97.16 West (Southeast of Wichita, KS)
Strother “South #5 (Aux)”, as depicted on the February 1944 Wichita Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.
The Army Air Force acquired this 655 acre site in 1942
to build one of 5 satellite airfields for Strother AAF (9 miles northeast),
which provided basic flight training as part of the 70,000 Pilot Training Program.
The Army constructed two 4,000' concrete runways, one concrete taxiway, a stage house,
a crash truck station, a control tower, and a surface drainage system.
The earliest depiction of this field which has been located
was on the February 1944 Wichita Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted “South #5 (Aux)” as a military airfield.
Note, however, that this chart's location of the airfield may have been somewhat erroneous,
as the airfield was depicted to the southeast of Geuda Springs,
whereas every subsequent chart depicted this airfield to the southwest of Geuda Springs.
Strother “South #5 (Aux)”, as depicted on the March 1945 Wichita Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The airfield was declared surplus in 1946 & was conveyed to the cities of Arkansas City & Winfield in 1948.
In the post-WW2 years, the name of this airfield went through a confusing series of changes.
It was depicted as "Winfield-Arkansas City #5" on the 1949 Wichita Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It was listed as "Winfield-Arkansas City Municipal #2" in the 1949 KS Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It was depicted as having two 4,000' concrete runways, connected by a taxiway, forming a triangle.
Two taxiways on the northern end of the field led to a group of small buildings & one larger building (a hangar?).
The operator was listed as Walter Grant.
It was labeled as "Strother #2" on the USAF edition of the 1950 Wichita Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
“Strother #2” was still depicted as an active civil airfield
on the 1971 Wichita Sectional Chart (courtesy of Vince Granato).
It was depicted as having 2 paved runways,
with the longest being 4,000'.
Strother #2 was apparently closed as an airfield at some point between 1974-75.
The North/South runway was subsequently reused as a drag strip, named the Mid-American Dragway.
Dave Law recalled, "A friend of mine used to race at the drag strip in the mid to late 1970s.
I asked him when the airport was closed & he thought it was about 1974 or 1975.
The owner of one of the auto parts stores in Arkansas City
was able to lease the property & opened it as a drag strip about that same time.
The operator was a former NHRA mechanic & was able to attract some big name racers to the venue."
As seen in the 1991 USGS aerial photo, both runways & the taxiway still remained in very good condition.
According to a 1992 Army Corps of Engineers report,
the Northwest/Southeast runway was being used by the State of Kansas Asphalt Recycling Program to store asphalt debris.
None of the original military buildings remained at the site.
Strother #2 was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 1998 World Aeronautical Chart.
Dave Law reported in 2003, "The drag strip closed this past summer."
A May 2005 aerial photo by Tom Kramer, looking north at Strother #2 from 8,000'.
____________________________________________________
Sweeney Airport / Fairfax Airport / Fairfax Army Airfield (KCK), North Kansas City, KS
39.15 North / 94.6 West (Northeast of Kansas City, MO)
Fairfax Airport, as depicted on the 1929 Rand McNally Standard Indexed Map with Air Trails of KS (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This airfield was located along the banks of the Missouri River,
just across the river from the present-day Kansas City Downtown Airport.
The property was first used for aviation in 1921,
when it was said to have been used for an American Legion air meet.
Then, operating under a lease, E.J. Sweeny put up a single hangar-workshop
holding approximately 6 planes & started a flying school.
In 1925 the field became known as the Sweeny Airport.
In 1928 the field was taken over by Wood Brothers Corporation & named Fairfax Airport.
Thousands of people from all over the United States gathered to witness the dedication of the Fairfax Airport in 1929.
The crowd was reported to be one of the largest ever to visit an airport in the Midwest.
Various types of aircraft manufactured at the airport & in use there were on display for the opening.
The first plane for a new air mail & passenger line of the Universal Aviation corporation,
arrived at Fairfax from St. Louis in 1929.
The Mayor of Kansas City christened the ship with bottle of Missouri River water.
The plane was a Fokker Super Universal five-passenger cabin plane with 2 pilots.
It had mail & baggage compartments & a wash room,
and was powered with a 400-horsepower Wasp engine.
Air mail coming to Kansas City in the 1920s was postmarked Kansas City, Kansas,
because it was flown into the airport & then trucked to Missouri.
The earliest depiction of Fairfax Airport which has been located
was on the 1929 Rand McNally Standard Indexed Map with Air Trails of KS (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described Fairfax as a commercial field operated by the Fairfax Airport Company.
The field was described as measuring 3,000' x 2,500'.
A 1930 postcard of Fairfax Municipal Airport, with the administration building in the lower photo (courtesy of Rex Ricks).
An aerial view of the terminal building & hangars at Fairfax Airport,
from The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The directory described Fairfax Airport as having a total of 4 asphalt runways,
with the entire field measuring 5,400' x 2,400'.
The aerial photo in the directory pictured a substantial two-story terminal building with control tower on top,
and several large arch-roofed hangars.
The manager was listed as R. F. Craig.
The operators were listed as American Airways, Inc., (schedule mail & transport service),
American Eagle Lincoln Corporation (manufacture & service), Ben Gregory (commercial operator),
B. F. Flanery (commercial operator), Braniff Airways, Inc. (schedule mail & transport service),
Curtiss-Wright Flying Service (repairs, sales, service),
Fred Kane (commercial operator), Rearwin Airplanes, Inc. (school, manufacture, and service),
U.S. Airways, Inc. (schedule mail & transport service), and W.H. Ellis (commercial operator).
An aerial view looking east at Fairfax Airport,
from The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described Fairfax Airport as having a total of 4 asphalt runways,
with the longest being 2,700'.
The 1940 USGS topo map depicted Fairfax Airport as having 4 runways, with a row of hangars along the west side of the field.
Fairfax Airport, as depicted on the January 1941 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
An aerial view of Fairfax Airport
from The Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described Fairfax Airport as having 2 asphalt runways: 2,640' north/south & 1,800' east/west.
KCK purchased Fairfax Airport for $600,000 in 1941 from the Kansas City Industrial Land Company.
The city leased it to the US as a prerequisite to acquire the North American Bomber Production Plant.
The plant was a $10 million project built & owned by the government
and operated by North American Aviation to build B-25 bombers.
The Air Technical Service Command & the Air Transport Command also operated from the field during WW2.
An October 1942 photo by Alfred Palmer of B-25 Mitchel bombers
undergoing assembly at North American Aviation's Kansas City plant at Fairfax Airport (US Library of Congress photo).
A total of 6,608 B-25 Mitchells were built at Fairfax - more half of the 10,000 B-25s built during war.
After WW2 the Air Force took over the field for use by the Air Defense Command.
After that the field once again reverted to civil use as Fairfax Municipal Airport.
According to Bill Flett, “Trans World [Airlines] had a large hangar at Fairfax
and did heavy overhaul for the aircraft operated in domestic operations.
This was from about mid 1940s to late 1950s.
My dad hired on at TWA in the fall of 1945
and spent a few of those early years testing aircraft coming out of maintenance at Fairfax.
They’d take them up, fly them around & check them out,
then return to the old Downtown Airport & put them back into the line.”
The 1949 KS Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Fairfax Municipal Airport as having 4 concrete runways,
with the longest being the 6,500' northeast/southwest strip.
A row of buildings (hangars?) were depicted along the ramp on the west side of the field,
as well as a large building (the former B-25 factory?) on a ramp on the south side of the field.
The airport was said to offer repairs & fuel, and the manager was listed as William Green.
In 1950 Mid-Continent Airlines got a lucrative contract to deliver airmail on the North Central Route #106,
operating out of Fairfax.
A 1950 postcard of Fairfax Municipal Airport (courtesy of Rex Ricks).
A circa 1950 photo of the terminal building & control tower of Fairfax Municipal Airport.
In the Great Flood of 1951, TWA's Fairfax overhaul base was destroyed.
A 1951 aerial photo (from the Kansas City Library, courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
showed that the Fairfax Airport property was completely covered by floodwaters.
According to Bill Flett, “The airport property flooded & caused quite a bit of damage.
Fortunately all but a few aircraft were flyable & able to be moved out in time.”
In order to keep TWA in the metropolitan area,
Kansas City, Missouri, built a new airport for TWA away from the river in rural Platte County.
That airport, originally called Mid-Continent Airport, was to become Kansas City International Airport.
Following the 1951 flood, Mid Continent Airlines & its airmail operations also relocated to the Mid-Continent Airport.
Commonwealth Aircraft Company's first post-war production run
of their Skyranger (a light single engine general aviation aircraft)
was almost hand-made at Fairfax Airport,
before the production line was transferred to the former Columbia Aircraft factory in Valley Stream, NY.
An aerial view looking northeast at Fairfax Airport, from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The field was described as having 4 concrete runways, with the longest being a 6,500' northwest/southeast strip.
A row of hangars & buildings was depicted on the west side,
and the former B-25 factory was still standing on the southeast side of the field.
The field was said to offer fuel, hangars, tiedowns, and major repairs.
According to Mark Ingram, starting in at least the early 1960s
"the old terminal on the west side of the airport was home to the FAA General Aviation District Office."
A 1981 airport diagram (courtesy of Eric James)
depicted Fairfax Municipal Airport as having 3 paved runways (with the longest being the 7,300' Runway 17/35),
along with numerous taxiways, ramps, and buildings.
Fairfax Municipal Airport was listed among active airfields in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury),
which described the field as having 3 concrete runways (the primary runway, 17/35, was 7,301'),
and listed the operators as Meisinger Beechcraft, Air Cargo Terminals, and Central Aviation Services.
The last flight out of Fairfax Airport was made at midnight, March 31, 1985.
For Hugh "Holly" Hollinger his midnight flight from Fairfax Municipal Airport had a special meaning.
Which was the reason he scheduled it for exactly midnight.
As Hollinger opened the throttles wide on his twin Cessna 402 at exactly midnight
his wheels were on the concrete runway at least a few seconds into the new day April 1.
For Holly that also meant that it had been 45 years to the day when he took for his first solo flight off Fairfax.
Hollinger estimated that he had flown more than 20,000 hours off Fairfax, mostly for his employer, Tobin Construction Company.
As the rubber tires of Hollinger's Cessna 402 lifted off the concrete runway at 11:59:59pm, the airport formally closed its runways behind him
Fairfax Airport was closed on April 1, 1985.
The site was taken over by General Motors,
which converted & expanded the former bomber plant into its Fairfax Assembly Plant,
eventually covering much of the former airfield.
As seen in the 1996 USGS aerial photo,
portions of 5 paved runways, taxiways & a ramp still existed,
while the factory covered the center of the former airfield.
A 2002 photo by Tim Tyler of the GM factory which occupies the site of Fairfax AAF.
A 2002 photo by Tim Tyler of a portion of remaining airfield pavement from Fairfax AAF.
A 2002 photo by Tim Tyler of the entrance sign of GM's Fairfax Assembly plant which occupies the site of Fairfax AAF.
A circa 2001-2005 USGS aerial view of the site of Fairfax Airport.
See also: The Kansas City Kansan, 5/5/85.
____________________________________________________
(Original) Coffeyville Municipal Airport, Coffeyville, KS
37.06 North / 95.64 West (Southeast of Wichita, KS)
The original Coffeyville Municipal Airport was depicted as a commercial/municipal airport
on the August 1934 Tulsa Airway Chart.
The original municipal airport for the town of Coffeyville was located on the northwest side of the town.
According to Chris Decker, “It was constructed as a Works Progress Administration project
and dedicated in 1933 as Pfister Park Airport.”
The airport's hangar was also constructed by the WPA in 1933,
according to the Coffeyville Aviation Heritage Museum.
The earliest depiction of the original Coffeyville Municipal Airport which has been located
was on the August 1934 Tulsa Airway Chart.
It depicted Coffeyville as a municipal/commercial airport.
According to Chris Decker, “It was a hub with a terminal for N.A.T. Safeway & TWA Airlines until 1935.”
According to Cary Finder, “The Coffeyville Airport was designated by the Post Office Department on August 1, 1936
for use as of September 1, 1936 as a stop point on the airmail route AM-26 between Kansas City & Tulsa OK.”
An aerial photo looking at at the original Coffeyville Municipal Airport
from The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airport Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
It described Coffeyville as a 172 acre sod field, with three 2,800' crushed rock runways.
An undated aerial view looking north at the original Coffeyville Municipal Airport, showing a hangar & several aircraft (courtesy of Chris Decker).
An undated aerial view of looking east at the original Coffeyville Municipal Airport,
showing a hangar & 17 single-engine aircraft (courtesy of Chris Decker).
The April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described the Coffeyville Airport as having a 2,700' hard-surface runway.
It indicated that Army flight operations were conducted, along with “intensive training”.
When the to the former Coffeyville Army Airfield (located to the northeast of Coffeyville) was relinquished by the military for civilian use,
some civilian flight operations relocated there from the original Coffeyville Municipal Airport.
According to Chris Decker, this happened in 1952.
The original Coffeyville Municipal Airport was still depicted as an active airport
on the December 1955 Tulsa Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Note that the former Coffeyville AAF (to the northeast) was also depicted as a civilian airport, named “McGugin”.
The original Coffeyville Municipal Airport (also known as the Big Hill Airport)
was closed in 1960, according to the Coffeyville Aviation Heritage Museum.
By the time of the 1973 USGS topo map, the original Coffeyville Municipal Airport was no longer depicted at all.
The 1991 USGS aerial photo
showed that the hangar from the original Coffeyville airport still existed,
although all traces of the paved runways had been removed, with their area now a park.
A 2005 photo Chris Decker of the hangar which remains from the Coffeyville Municipal Airport.
Chris Decker reported in 2005, “It had three 3500 ft. runways that were asphalted at some point.
Some residual of the runways can be found in the area,
however, the terrain has changed & it would not be possible to land an aircraft in the area.
Currently, the only thing that remains are several of the support buildings & the large hangar.
The main hangar houses the Coffeyville Aviation Heritage Museum.”
Dedicated to early aviation & pioneer pilots of the area,
the Aviation Heritage Museum features memorabilia from the Coffeyville Air Base,
a Funk airplane & Breezy, owned by Joe Funk & donated to the museum, plus many other displays.
The museum is housed the original airport's 1933 hangar.
A 2006 photo by Kevin Patrick of a Republic F-84F which has been mounted on a pylon in front of the original Coffeyville hangar.
Kevin reported, “This F-84F used to be on Route 60 in Peoria AZ.
It was dismantled & moved to Coffeyville KS in 2006.”
The site of the original Coffeyville Municipal Airport is located
northwest of the intersection of North Buckeye Street & Valley View Drive.
____________________________________________________
Coffeyville Auxiliary Army Airfield #3 /
Independence Auxiliary Army Airfield #3 / Edna Municipal Airport, Edna, KS
37.13 North / 95.35 West (Southeast of Wichita, KS)
"Coffeyville #3", as depicted on the March 1944 Tulsa Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.
This field was built during WW2 as one of 5 satellite airfields used by Independence AAF (located to the west)
and one of 4 satellite airfields used by Coffeyville AAF (located to the southwest).
Coffeyville Aux #3 was not yet depicted on the July 1942 Tulsa Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
According to Chris Decker, “It was built in early 1942.”
The earliest depiction of the Coffeyville Aux #3 airfield which has been located
was on the March 1944 Tulsa Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described "Coffeyville AAF Aux #3" as having a 4,200' hard-surface runway.
At some point between 1944-45, the airfield had evidently been renamed to "Independence #3",
after another auxiliary airfield (“Coffeyville #2”) had been constructed nearby to the southeast,
as depicted on the 1945 Tulsa Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The date of closure of the Independence Aux #3 airfield by the military has not been determined,
but Independence AAF & Coffeyville AAF were placed on standby status in 1945,
at which point their auxiliary airfields were most likely closed.
At some point between 1945-49,
the Independence Aux #3 airfield was relinquished by the military & was reused as a civilian airport,
as that is how “Edna Municipal Airport” was listed in the 1949 KS Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Edna as having three 4,000' concrete runways, with 2 connecting taxiways.
The airport was described as not attended, and the manager was listed as the Mayor of Edna.
Edna Municipal Airport was described in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory
as having 3 paved runways, and the operator was listed as the City of Edna.
Edna Airport was depicted on the October 1976 CG-20 World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
as having 3 paved runways, with the longest being 4,000'.
Edna Municipal Airport was described in the "Low Use" section of the 1979 Flight Guide
as having a single 4,000' paved Runway 17/35.
Edna Municipal Airport apparently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1979-82,
as it was not listed among active airfields in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory.
According to Edna resident Ed Baker, "The airfield here is in private ownership now.
It's owned by Beachners now, a large construction & grain elevator company out of Erie, KS.
When I was a kid I used to drag race up there.
The city of Edna… the deal with the Federal Government
was if they would maintain the airstrip for so many years then they would own it.
I helped repair it when I was a kid too.
I don't know what happened but the Feds took it back & put it up for auction.
Can't remember just when but 1982 would have been close."
As of the 1995 USGS aerial photo,
three 3,500' paved runways & taxiways still existed.
It was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2002 aeronautical charts.
Chris Decker reported in 2005, “The field is about a 1/4 mile off the road in all directions.
Unfortunately it can not be seen from the road due to the land being excavated to a level above the roadway to make it level.
If you know what your looking at you can pick out the berms that make up the corners of the runways.
I spoke with the folks that live directly south of the north/south runway.
They had farmed the property until Beachners bought it.
They stated that the runways are still there although the northwest/southeast & northeast/southwest diagonal runways
were in bad shape in locations due to heaving in the concrete.
I could also see from the road that there were several large piles of concrete
that I believe were at the northeast intersection of the runway that runs northeast/southwest.
These folks said the the north/south runway was the only one that was maintained by the City of Edna.
They said they thought you could still land on the north/south runway if you had to,
however, they said there are often obstructions on the runways.
Interestingly, They said the Army National Guard Unit out of Owasso, OK
had used the airfield on several occasions the last couple of summers,
to practice night operations & night-vision equipment.
They said there had been helicopters flying in every night for over a month without lights on last summer,
when someone finally called the sheriff to find out what was going on.
The neighbors thought drug runners were coming in & out... nope, just the Army.”
A May 2005 aerial photo by Tom Kramer, looking northwest at Coffeyville Aux #3 from 8,000'.
A 2005 photo by Robert Pearson, looking at the intersection of the North/South & Northeast/Southwest runways.
A 2005 photo by Robert Pearson, looking at the intersection of the North/South & Northwest/Southeast runways.
Coffeyville Aux #3 is located in the section between County Road 9,000 & 10,000, west of KS Highway 101,
approximately 3.5 miles north of Edna.
____________________________________________________