Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Northeastern Nebraska
© 2002, © 2007 by Paul Freeman. Revised 9/8/07.
Arrow Airport (revised 8/27/05) - Blair Airport (added 12/28/04) - Harm Ranch Airfield (revised 8/22/06)
South Omaha Airport (added 9/8/07) - Union Airport (revised 8/27/05)
____________________________________________________
Harm Ranch Airfield (NE34), Lindy, NE
42.81 North / 97.72 West (Northwest of Omaha, NE)
The Harm Ranch Airfield was labeled simply as a “Landing Strip” on the 1974 USGS topo map.
This airfield was evidently established at some point between 1964-67,
as it was not yet depiction at all on the May 1964 Sioux City Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest reference to the Harm Ranch Airfield which has been located
was in the 1967 AOPA Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
According to Drew Lange, “There is an area northwest of Crofton
overlooking Lewis & Clark Lake known as the Devil's Nest.
A company in the early 1970's attempted to develop the land into an upper-class residential area
with attractions such as an equestrian club, golf course, yacht club, and even a ski area.
A sod landing strip was used to fly in some big-name celebrities for publicity.
Although all the attractions were built, few houses were ever built & the company went bankrupt.”
The earliest depiction of the airfield at Devil's Nest which has been located
was on the 1974 USGS topo map.
It depicted a single unpaved north/south runway, labeled simply as “Landing Strip”.
The September 1975 Omaha Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Harm Ranch as a private airfield having only a 1,300' unpaved runway.
According to Drew Lange, “Robert Harm was the owner of the land west of the line that says 'Santee Indian Reservation'.
The 1982 AOPA Airports USA Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Harm Ranch as a private airfield having 2 turf runways: 1,700' Runway 16/34 & 1,320' Runway 14/32.
The notes included “Advise experienced pilots only.”
The airfield was labeled as “Harm Ranch” on the 1980 USGS topo map.
The 1984 USGS topo map depicted the “Landing Strip” as having a single north/south runway.
The Harm Ranch Airfield was evidently abandoned at some point between 1982-97,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the February 1997 Omaha Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The 1999 USGS aerial photo depicted the single north/south unpaved runway, remaining largely intact.
A 2006 photo of the middle of the former Harm Ranch Airfield by Drew Lange.
Drew Lange reported in 2006 of the former Devil's Nest development, “Now all the 'attractions' sit vacant
and the few houses that are there are used as summer cabins.
There isn't much left, especially at the airstrip - it just looks like a dirt road now.”
The site of the Harm Ranch Airfield is located at the western terminus of 895 Road, West of 540 Avenue.
____________________________________________________
South Omaha Airport, Papillion, NE
41.16 North / 96.01 West (Southwest of Omaha, NE)
South Omaha Airport, as depicted on the November 1948 Lincoln Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This small general aviation airport was evidently established at some point between 1945-48
(like hundreds of other general aviation fields across the U.S.),
as it was not yet depicted on the September 1945 Lincoln Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of South Omaha Airport which has been located
was on the September 1948 Lincoln Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted the field as having a 2,400' unpaved runway.
David Gurkin provided details about 2 B-25 Mitchell bombers which sat at South Omaha Airport for years:
“The B-25s arrived at South Omaha airport in 1959 with the intent to be converted to tankers.
Due to unknown circumstances, they sat untouched for several years.
I can't remember the company name or the individuals who purchased the planes, but they were known as 'The B-25 King'.”
The 1965 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted South Omaha Airport as having two turf runways: 2,750' Runway 17/35 & 2,400' Runway 15/33.
A cluster of 5 buildings was depicted on the northeast corner of the field.
The manager was listed as Richard Whitted.
A 1971 photo by Nelson Carpenter of a Piper Cub at South Omaha Airport.
The McCandless Aircraft Fixed Base Operator is visible in the left background, with the T-hangars in the right background.
According to Nelson, “The Cub was the local trainer belonging to Harry McCandless who was the FBO.
He relocated from the former Council Bluffs Airport [in IA].”
The March 1977 Omaha Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted South Omaha Airport as having a 2,700' unpaved runway.
According to Nelson Carpenter, “Two B-25 bombers had sat idle along the edge of the airfield for years.
The original owner of the bombers was going to convert them into tankers for fighting forest fires.
That never matured. The planes were sold to a movie company that retrofitted new engines
and made them airworthy for flying off the sod field.”
A series of photos by David Gurkin showing B-25 N3442G departing South Omaha Airport on November 16, 1980.
David Gurkin provided additional details about the B-25s at South Omaha Airport:
“My brother was stationed at Offutt AFB in the early 1980s.
I was visiting with him in November 1980 when one of his friends mentioned there are 2 B-25s at South Omaha Airport
being readied for a ferry flight to California.
We grabbed our cameras & drove to the airport where there was a small group of people gathered to witness the event.
B-25 N3442G was the 1st of the planes to fly.
N3442G departed South Omaha airport in late afternoon with only enough fuel to fly to Eppley Field, Omaha's main airport.
The pilots said they wanted the maintenance crew to inspect the aircraft after the short flight
and if all was well, they would top the tanks & head west.
I can't recall when the 2nd aircraft was ferried from South Omaha.”
Mike Zimmer recalled, “While stationed at Offutt AFB,
I often rented a 152 or 172 from the South Omaha FBO.
The people who ran the operation were a husband & wife team.
He was a Lt Col who flew the E-4B (emergency airborne command center) at Offutt
and his wife handled the books (very nice folks).
During the summer, they would organize a mass launch from South Omaha to any nearby fly-in breakfast.”
The 1983 Flight Guide (courtesy of Nelson Carpenter) depicted South Omaha Airport
as having two turf runways: 2,630' Runway 17/35 & 2,550' Runway 15/33.
A cluster of several buildings was depicted on the northeast corner of the field.
The 1984 USGS topo map depicted South Omaha Airport
as having 2 turf runways, and several buildings on the northeast side.
Mike Zimmer recalled, “The Lt Col [who operated South Omaha Airport] retired from the Air Force in the summer of 1985
and they moved to MN where he flew for Northwest Airlines.
The FBO was shut down but the field remained operational for the people who hangared their planes there.”
According to Nelson Carpenter, “The airport closed in the mid-1980s following the early death of Harry McCandless.
The soon-to-be developer of Eagle Ridge had bought the airport leaving it open for a very short period until he finally closed it.
Apparently there was a better return on his investment with the construction and sale of new houses.”
The South Omaha Airport was closed by 1986,
as it was no longer listed among active airfields in the 1986 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy).
Mike Zimmer recalled, “By the time I left Offutt in 1987, the planes [at South Omaha Airport]
were gone as well as the hangars & FBO building.”
In the 1999 USGS aerial photo, the majority of the site of the former South Omaha Airport
had been covered by houses (the Eagle Ridge development).
However, the northern ends of the two former runways still remained intact,
with closed-runway “X” symbols still plainly recognizable.
In a later (circa 2005) aerial photo, the northern ends of the two former runways still remained intact,
but the closed-runway “X” symbols were no longer perceptible.
The site of South Omaha Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Cornhusker Road & Eagle Ridge Drive.
____________________________________________________
Blair Municipal Airport (83Y), Blair, NE
41.58 North / 96.16 West (Northeast of Lincoln, NE)
Blair Airport, as depicted on the February 1943 8M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport has not been located.
This small general aviation airport was evidently established at some point between 1938-41,
as it was not yet listed among active airfields in The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest reference to the Blair Airport which has been located
was in The Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described Blair Municipal Airport as consisting of a rectangular field,
measuring 2,650' north/south by 1,400' east/west.
The earliest depiction of Blair Airport which has been located
was on the February 1943 8M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1959 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Blair Airport as having two unpaved runways (2,730' Runway 1/19 & 2,000' Runway 16/34),
with a ramp & several buildings on the west side of the field.
Blair Airport was depicted on the March 1977 Omaha Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
as having a 2,800' unpaved runway.
Blair Airport was evidently upgraded with a paved runway at some point between 1977-83,
as the 1983 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the field as having one 2,900' paved Runway 1/19 & a 2,000' unpaved Runway 15/33.
A ramp on the west side of the field was depicted as having several small buildings.
Blair Airport was still depicted on the 1983 USGS topo map.
Dan Hunt reported, “Everyone in the aviation (and economic development) community
knew that the then current airport (83Y) needed to be upgraded.
A longer, wider runway was necessary to attract the kind of aircraft owned by larger corporations.
New hangars & better fuel service was needed.
We were interested in attracting an FBO.
But for several reasons, not the least of which was co-location with a golf course (which dates back to my grandfather's days),
it was decided that expansion at the then current location (83Y) was not our community's best option.”
Blair Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1983-99,
as the 1999 USGS aerial photo showed that the airport has been swallowed up by the adjacent golf course.
The southern portion of the former paved runway was still recognizable, though.
Dan Hunt reported in 2007, “The city purchased a private field south of town (K46)
and just last year completed a runway expansion that was voted
the best aviation construction project in the state for 2006 by our state Department of Aeronautics.”
The site of Blair Municipal Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Route 75 & North Creek Road.
____________________________________________________
40.88 North / 96.64 West (East of Lincoln Airport, NE)
A circa 1927-28 photo (courtesy of Wayne Galvin) of a Skylark,
the sole example of which was built as a class project by the students of the Lincoln Flying School.
A circa 1927-28 photo (courtesy of Wayne Galvin) of the Skylark in front of the hangar of the Lincoln Flying School.
A 1926 photo (courtesy of Wayne Galvin) of Arnold & Dorothy Galvin in front of a Lincoln Page aircraft which he flew often.
The Lincoln Airplane & Flying School operated a primary flying school at the Union Airport in the 1920s & 30s.
According to Wendell "Del" Harding Jr., "The airport was owned by my grandfather, E.J. Sias,
who also was president of the Lincoln Airplane & Flying School & Lincoln Aeronautical Institute.
He headed the flying school from 1920 until he retired about 1946."
According to Wayne Galvin, his father, Arnold Galvin, taught flying at the Lincoln Flying School.
As a class project, his students built one example of the Skylark, a high-wing monoplane.
An aerial photo looking north at Union Airport,
from the Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
proclaimed Union to be "Nebraska's largest airport."
The field was described to have two asphalt runways: 1,820 northwest/southeast & 1,650' north/south.
A single hangar was depicted on the southwest corner of the field.
The manager was listed as Harry Sidles,
and the operator was the Sidles Airways Corporation.
An unidentified biplane being refueled in front of the Sidles Airways Corporation hangar at Union Airport,
from the Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
A 1939 aerial view looking northwest at the hangar & ramp at Union Airport (courtesy of Del Harding).
At this point, the airport had only one hangar.
A 1964 article in a Lincoln newspaper (courtesy of Del Harding) provided the following:
"In 1939, the Lincoln Airplane & Flying School, owned by the late E. J. Sias,
was chosen as one of nine civilian schools in the U. S.
to give primary flight training to Army Air Corps cadets.
For 18 months Union Airport was literally buzzing
with cadets flying the Stearman biplane trainers in a two-way traffic pattern."
The article continued, "In 1940, Sias moved his cadet training school to Lakeland, FL,
and transferred his Civilian Pilot Training Program from the old Lincoln Municipal Airport to Union Airport.
At this time, Sias purchased Union Airport that he had been leasing from Harry Sidles.
The north (white) hangar at the airport was built in 1940
to serve as a field training base for Army Air Corps mechanics."
A circa 1942 aerial view looking northwest at the hangars & ramp at Union Airport (courtesy of Del Harding),
with a Piper Cub flying overhead.
Union was depicted as a commercial or municipal airport on the August 1944 Lincoln Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
"The Civilian Pilot Training Program... continued in operation at Union Airport until 1944.
Also, during the early part of this period,
hundreds of Army Air Corps mechanics received training in the north hangar,
which was built by Sias specifically for this mechanics training program."
This Inspection & Maintenance school was known as the Lincoln Aeronautical Institute.
After the war, the airport was operated as a commercial field
for the training of both civilian pilots & mechanics.
"Del" Harding recalled, "As a boy in 1946,
I worked at a miniature golf course adjacent to the rotating beacon [shown in a recent photo several paragraphs below].
I often climbed it at night for the view.
The main Union Airport runway was directly east of the present buildings.
I learned to drive on it in 1948."
The 1950 NE Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Union Airport as having as having two paved runways on the west side of the field (with the longest being the 1,800' Runway 13/31)
along with four unpaved runways on the east side of the field.
Taxiways led to the ramp at the southwest corner of the field
with the two main hangars.
According to the 1964 Lincoln newspaper article (courtesy of Del Harding),
"In 1952, to assist in the re-activation of the Lincoln Air Force Base,
Sias leased Union Airport to the City of Lincoln for use as a municipal airport.
Until 1964, the Lincoln Airport Authority operated Union Airport
for use by the flying public with fixed base operators in the two hangars."
The 1959 NE Airport Directory (courtesy of Rob Branting)
depicted Union Airport as having two paved runways on the west side of the field (with the longest being the 2,500' Runway 13/31)
along with two unpaved runways on the east side of the field.
Taxiways led to the ramp at the southwest corner of the field
with the two main hangars, and what appeared to be 3 rows of T-hangars.
The field was said to offer charter, flight training, ambulance and sales.
The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Union Airport of having a somewhat unusual runway layout,
with two paved runways on the west side of the field (the longest being the 2,500' Runway 12R/30L)
and two unpaved runways on the east side of the field (the longest being the 2,100' Runway 17R/35R).
Taxiways led to the ramp at the southwest corner of the field
with the two main hangars, and what appeared to be 5 rows of T-hangars.
Union Airport was listed among active airports in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory,
with two paved runways (the largest was 2,500' long) & two grass runways,
and the operators listed as Lincoln Aviation Institute & Flight Line.
Bill McKee recalled, "As a Civil Air Patrol cadet I swept the (masonry) hangar.
The hangars were west of the flight line & runways.
The empty field to the west of the hangars was empty then also.
I recall cattle in that area occasionally.
I have many memories getting rides & training as a swap for sweeping."
The 1964 Lincoln newspaper article (courtesy of Del Harding) reported that Union Airport closed in 1964.
"When the airport authority completed its 4,000' civil runway at the (now deactivated) air base [Lincoln AFB],
all flying ceased at Union Airport.
Many private pilots were saddened to see the runways closed out
and the all weather field plowed up preparatory to industrial development.
The last take-off & landing had been made at Union Airport."
The article also stated, "The 55' high beacon tower
whose green & white flashing light for almost four decades beckoned many grateful pilots to a safe night landing…
still rotates a welcoming light.
Only now the light is purple & its purpose is to bring new industry to Lincoln…
(to) the new Sias Industrial Center."
"Del" Harding recalled, "When the airport was closed, my father, Wendell W. Harding,
was the real estate broker who on behalf of my grandmother, Mrs. E.J. Sias,
developed the plans for & sold lots on what became an industrial park."
He added that "Union Airport's size was 320 acres."
The Union Airport was not depicted at all on the 1970 Lincoln Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Union Airport was not depicted at all on USGS topo maps of the area from 1980, 1981, or 1986.
A 2001 photo by Scott Murdock of one distinctive masonry hangar which remains standing.
Scott Murdock visited the site of Union Airport in 2001.
One distinctive masonry hangar remained standing,
as well as another building which may have been a hangar.
Just south of the masonry hangar was a rotating beacon -
an odd remaining piece of an airfield which has largely disappeared.
As seen in the 2002 USGS aerial photo, the site is not necessarily recognizable from the air as a former airfield,
as the surrounding area has been redeveloped as an industrial park.
However, several traces of the former Union Airport are still visible,
including the two hangars which remain standing (at the southeast corner of the site),
and remarkably the outline of the former paved Runway 12R/30L is still plainly recognizable in the grass,
just to the left of the center of the photo.
A close-up from the 2002 USGS aerial photo, showing the two hangars which remain standing,
as well as the former airport light beacon tower (bottom of photo, orange in color, and note its shadow extending to the northwest).
The site of Union Airport is located north of the intersection of Fletcher Avenue & North 70th Street.
According to Del Harding, the original boundaries of the airport were:
"U.S. Highway 77 on the west, Fletcher Avenue on the south, and North 70th Street on the east.
The hangars & other buildings all were located in the western portion of the airport.
The northern boundary was a large gully."
The former Arrow Airport was located only 1 mile west of Union Airport.
See also: http://www.airforcebase.net/trips/solo/solo.html
____________________________________________________
40.88 North / 96.63 West (East of Lincoln Airport, NE)
A map of airports in the Lincoln area,
from a 1929 Department of Commerce Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Steve Green, via Jeff King).
Arrow Airport is in the northeast corner.
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
The date of construction of this former general aviation airport has not been determined.
The earliest reference to the field which has been located
was on the 1929 Department of Commerce Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Steve Green, via Jeff King).
Arrow was depicted as an auxiliary airfield on the August 1944 Lincoln Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1950 NE Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Arrow Airport as having as having a total of 5 unpaved runways, with the longest being the 2,500' Runways 8/26 & 17/35.
along with two unpaved runways on the east side of the field.
A cluster of buildings were located along the east side of the field.
Arrow Airport apparently gained paved runways at some point between 1950-59,
as the 1959 NE Airport Directory (courtesy of Rob Branting)
depicted Arrow Airport as having a 3,300' paved Runway 13/31,
along with a 2,400' crosswind runway of which 1,200' was paved.
Several hangars were depicted along the east side of the field.
The operator was listed as Arrow Aviation.
Storage included hangars & tie-downs, and a restaurant was located on the field.
According to Rob Branting (Lincoln AFB Historian), "I believe this field was considered by the city of Lincoln as a new airport location
once SAC virtually took over the current Lincoln airport.
Plans never progressed, however Lincoln newspaper articles during the 1959 period
noted plans to build a new municipal airport east of the city; this was never built."
Arrow Airport was described in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory
as having with two bituminous runways (the largest was 3,300' long),
and the operator listed as Arrow Aviation.
Arrow Airport, as depicted on the 1970 Lincoln Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1972 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Arrow Airport
as having a small ramp on the east side of the field,
with a total of four buildings (hangars?).
Arrow Airport was still depicted on the 1980 USGS topo map.
Rob Branting (Lincoln AFB Historian) reported in 2004,
"I've heard stories of parachuters using the field up until at least the 1980's."
The field was still depicted on the 1986 USGS topo map, but was simply labeled "Landing Strip",
which most likely indicates that it was closed by that point.
The 1999 USGS aerial photo depicted that the airport site had become an empty field.
The 2002 USGS aerial photo depicted that the former Arrow Airport site still remained an empty field.
However, the faintest trace of the outline of the southeast end of the former Runway 13/31 was still perceptible.
Rob Branting (Lincoln AFB Historian) reported in 2004 that "Arrow sits near an old city landfill the way it looks,
I believe it is known as Boosalis Park today."
The former Union Airport was located only 1 mile east of Arrow Airport.
____________________________________________________