Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Ohio: Southeast Cleveland area
© 2002, © 2006 by Paul Freeman. Revised 11/19/06.
Chagrin Falls Airport (revised 6/28/04) - (Original) Sky Haven Airport / Welcome Airport (revised 11/19/06)
Sky Haven Airport (2nd location) (revised 11/19/06) - Youngstown Executive (revised 6/3/06)
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(Original) Sky Haven Airport / Welcome Airport, Northfield, OH
41.28 North / 81.51 West (Southeast of Cleveland, OH)
An aerial view looking east at Sky Haven Airport,
from The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The following information about Sky Haven / Welcome Airport was compiled by Jonathan Westerling:
"Welcome Airport remained open for some 50 years, serving local pilots with its nice turf runways.
The early history of the Welcome airport is best told by longtime pilot Russ Sholle,
who was intimately familiar with the airport."
Russ Sholle recalled, "Edward 'Slim' Honroth came to Northfield in 1933 and opened the Sky Haven Airport.
He came with a fellow pilot named Gail Mishler.
Slim had a 1927 WACO 9 Biplane & Gail had a Kinner Bird Biplane.
I tended to hang around the airport as often as possible [as a kid] since it was exactly one mile from our home.
When I was 14 years old I started doing odd jobs around the airport - greasing the valve rockers... etc.
As pay, Slim would give small bits of time in the air & I accumulated maybe 5 or 6 hours this way."
The 1934 Department of Commerce Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy)
described Sky Haven as having three sod runways.
The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Sky Haven as having three sod runways, with the longest being a 2,300' northwest/southeast strip.
The earliest chart depiction of Sky Haven Airport which has been located
was on the February 1941 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Sky Haven as a commercial airport.
Sky Haven was listed as an active airfield in the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer).
The June 1945 Cleveland Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
depicted Sky Haven as an active airfield.
A 1946 photo by Russ Sholle (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) of several taildraggers in front of a hangar at Sky Haven Airport.
Russ Sholle recalled, "I believe was late 1947 that Slim [Honroth]
lost his lease on his airport & we moved Sky Haven to its new location one mile north on Route 8.
A very interesting situation with two airports that close to each other having almost intermingling patterns."
The old Sky Haven airport location was bought by Mel Barron
and renamed Welcome Airport after Slim sued to give the name Sky Haven to his new airport.
However, strangely, there was no airport depicted at either location (Sky Haven or Welcome Airport)
on the 1949 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The 1955 Ohio Airport Directory (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) described Welcome Airport
as having three grass runways: 2,400' north/south, 2,450 northwest/southeast, and 1,300' east/west.
The owner was listed as Welcome Aviation.
Both Welcome Airport & the 2nd location of Sky Haven Airport were depicted
on the January 1955 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
and the January 1958 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Rich Peabody recalled, "I remember being perplexed about the proximity of these two airports when young.
It was even more confusing from the air... the patterns seemed to conflict in major ways.
Welcome had quite a few Swifts based there...
and the Swift can become fairly confusing in a hurry, what with hand cranked gear...
I recall that it became an almost annual event to learn that another Swift
had become captured by the trees that stood between the farm & Twinsburg Road...
especially hot, humid summer days, after rain, when the sod sucked the crafts to the ground a bit longer than expected."
By the time of the 1962 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling),
only Welcome Airport was still depicted.
A 1964 photo of the modest rural airport, with 5 planes parked on the field.
(Photo courtesy of the Historical Society of Olde Northfield, via Jonathan Westerling)
The 1964 Nordonia Hills directory of Community Organizations listed the Welcomaires as being based at the field.
"The Welcomaires was formed with the idea of promoting social & flying activities
among those who have an interest in flying, especially at Welcome Airport.
The Club has 45 members.
There is a clubhouse to be used as a lounge & meeting place for the club members
where they can plan & carry out their social functions."
The 1967 AOPA Airports USA guide listed the airport as having three active runways:
2,400' sod Runway 2/20, 2,500' turf Runway 14/32, and 2,500' sod Runway 17/35.
R.J. Grega reported that his father had designed & built a homebuilt airplane (a GN-1 Aircamper) at Welcome Airport.
"His EAA club met out of old Welcome Airport, and he flew the airplane he designed out of that airport."
The 1972 USGS topo map depicted the field as "Northfield" Airport.
In 1981 the lease for the airport was transferred to the Northfield Pilots Association
whose 82 members stored about 40 aircraft on the field.
In 1987, the landowner, the DeBartolo Corp., offered the land to the association for $2 million.
Unable to pay that amount, the airport lease was revoked in favor of a "new project" on the site.
A 1987 photo by Ross Sholle (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
of the main hangar at Welcome Airport, taken on the day of the airport's closure.
A 1987 aerial view of Welcome Airport taken by Ross Sholle (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
from his "Baby Lakes" biplane on the day of the airport's closure.
Ann Reville, who still lives across from the airport site, wrote on occasion of the airports closing,
"We moved our business out here because we liked the area & especially enjoyed the airport.
Many events have taken place [at the airport] including clambakes, parties, airshows, and more.
These events have brought people out to Northfield from Portage, Geauga, Cuyahoga and Lake counties.
We have been involved with the airport as long as we have lived here...
the closing is a shock to our family & other area pilots."
The 1994 USGS topo map still depicted Welcome Airport, with two grass runways.
According to Jonathan Westerling,
"In the mid 1990's, a housing development was erected where the airport had been for decades.
I visited the site in 1996, and the rooftops of the 'Charter Lakes Estates' had recently been completed.
I couldn't see any remnants of the airfield,
though I believe the proprietor's quarters & clubhouse at the north end of the field are now a private residence."
A 2006 aerial photo of the site of the Welcome Airport,
annotated by Chris Kennedy to show the layout of the 2 former runways.
The site of the former Welcome Airport is located at the intersection of Olde 8 Road & Twinsburg Road.
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Sky Haven Airport (2nd location), Northfield, OH
41.29 North / 81.52 West (Southeast of Cleveland, OH)
A 1949 photo (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) of Slim Honroth, the founder of Sky Haven Airport,
pictured in front of an experimental plane, presumably at the 2nd location of Sky Haven Airport.
According to longtime pilot Russ Sholle, "I believe was late 1947
that Slim [Honroth] lost his lease on his airport [the original Sky Haven Airport]
and we moved Sky Haven to its new location one mile north on Route 8.
[It was] A very interesting situation with two airports that close to each other having almost intermingling patterns."
Inexplicably, there was no airport depicted at either location (Sky Haven or Welcome Airport)
on the 1949 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Russ continued, "The name Sky Haven continued in our new location.
Unfortunately, Slim was killed two years later testing a midget Racer that he had refurbished at Akron airport.
His wife Lucille continued to operate the new Sky Haven
and I went back to help her with the Civil Air Patrol program."
Both Welcome Airport & the 2nd location of Sky Haven Airport were depicted
on the January 1955 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The "new" Sky Haven Airport was depicted as having a 2,400' unpaved runway.
The 1956 OH Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Sky Haven as having two sod runways, with the longest being the 2,400' east/west strip.
Two small buildings were depicted just southwest of the runway intersection.
The field was said to offer fuel & storage,
and the manager was listed as Mrs. E. P. Honroth.
The field was depicted as being located on the northwest corner of Route 8 & Hazel Drive,
directly across Hazel Drive from Welcome Airport.
The last chart depiction of Sky Haven Airport as an active airport which has been located
was on the January 1958 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Rich Peabody recalled, "I remember being perplexed about the proximity of these two airports when young.
It was even more confusing from the air... the patterns seemed to conflict in major ways.
Welcome prevailed... I remember there were rumors that Sky Haven was going to be a 'fly-in' community,
but upon aerial inspection, there were no runways."
According to Russ Sholle, "I don't know exactly when she [Lucille Honroth] closed the airport
but it became a housing development."
The 2nd location of Sky Haven Airport was closed at some point between 1958-62,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the 1962 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
or the 1972 USGS topo map.
A 2001 USGS aerial photo of the site of the 2nd location of Sky Haven Airport
did not show any trace of a former airport - the site was covered by housing & trees.
A 2006 aerial photo of the site of the 2nd location of Sky Haven Airport,
annotated by Chris Kennedy to show the layout of the 2 former runways.
The site of the 2nd location of Sky Haven Airport is located northwest of the intersection of Route 8 & Hazel Drive.
The former airport is commemorated by the names of one of the streets
in the residential development which occupies the site - Skyhaven Road.
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Chagrin Falls Airport (5G1), Chagrin Falls, OH
41.43 North / 81.33 West (East of Cleveland, OH)
A 1937 aerial view looking northeast at Chagrin Falls Airport,
from The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
An article in the 7/14/32 issue of the "The Chagrin Falls Exponent" (courtesy of Phil Sasak)
was entitled "Thousands at Airport Sunday - Dedication & Air Show Attracts Crowds Beyond All Expectations".
It described the dedication of the Chagrin Falls Airport:
"Over 10,000 Estimated In Attendance - David Ingalls Delivers Dedication Address -
Roads Blocked For Miles While Stunts Were In Progress -
Many Famous Flyers Guests - 28 Ships in Attendance.
Chagrin Falls on Sunday was the aviation center of the country
when it had as its guests a majority of the most important flyers of the United States, at the dedication of its new airport."
"David Ingalls, naval war ace, flew from his home in Hunting Valley to the airport & made the dedicatory speech.
He told the thousands that had gathered that, 'airports are the backlog of aeronautical development.
It is a great tribute to the progressiveness of Chagrin Falls that your citizens are taking up this most modern form of transportation.'"
"The dedication service was held in the new hangar
and the voices of F.J. Rowe, chairman of the arrangements,
Mayor J.C. Steel, and David S. Ingalls were carried over the loud speaker system on the field,
so the thousands that had flocked to the airport to see the imposing array of famous flyers
whose aerial demonstrations were part of the dedication, could hear the program."
"The list of visiting pilots included Major 'Jimmy' Doolittle
(winner of the Bendix trophy race & holder of the west-east transcontinental record),
Major Alexander deSeversky (Russian war ace), and Eddie Rickenbacker."
"Three planes of the 112th Observation Squadron of the OH National Guard
opened the program with an exhibition of formation flying.
Then, Major Seversky, flying a gold & white biplane,
gave an exhibition of stunt flying which included some of the most intricate maneuvers known to aviation."
"A stiff wind aided James Ray, of Philadelphia, the country's leading autogyro pilot,
in taking off in his 'windmill' ship with practically no running start.
He climbed steeply & after hovering about the field for some minutes, came straight down to an easy landing."
"At four o'clock Postmaster Howard Foster dispatched a special pouch of mail
containing 388 letters with a special dedication stamp.
This was the first mail from the airport.
D.C. Stem flew the plane carrying the postmaster & the mail to the Cleveland airport."
"It was hard to estimate the exact size of the crowd as there was no way to check them,
but it is safe to say that over 10,000 people visited the airport on Sunday.
Some 28 different ships landed at the airport during Sunday, and the last of the flyers departed Monday afternoon.
No accidents occurred except for the Standard Oil ship nosing over in the strong wind during the morning.
The airport is on the Albert Warren farm two miles east of Chagrin Falls on Bell Road."
The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Chagrin Falls as a commercial airport having two sod runways: 2,850' east/west & 2,650' north/south.
A hangar & other buildings were said to be located on the northeast side of the field.
The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo)
described Chagrin Falls as having two sod runways: an 1,800' north/south strip & a 1,600' east/west strip.
The hangar was described as having "Chagrin Falls" painted on the roof.
According to a history of the area,
many famous Americans visited or flew into the airport
and hundreds of pilots trained there during & after WW2.
Ruth Mc Ilrath Cavanagh reported, "My dad was David Mc Ilrath
who was the lead instructor at Horn's Flying School for a long time.
He grew up with that airport.
Don Hein did manage the place for Wilbur Horn.
He took less pay but made up for it in that he slowly became owner of the place over a long period of time.
Clifford Rentz… he & his brother Gene were custodians & flyers at the airport.
My dad part-owned a plane with the Rentz brothers in the late 1940's,
how they loved flying, but had no money to support the habit.
I am sure it is why my dad taught."
As depicted on the 1953 Flight Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell),
Chagrin Falls Airport had a 2,600' unpaved runway.
The 1955 OH Airport Directory (courtesy of Stephen Mahaley)
depicted Chagrin Falls as having an all-way landing area, measuring 2,600' x 1,500'.
Several small hangars were located along the north side of the field.
The operator was listed as Horns Flying School Inc.,
and the manager was listed as Don Hein.
In the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory,
Chagrin Falls Airport was described as having a total of four sod runways, with the longest being 2,600'.
The operator was listed as Donald Hein.
Chagrin Falls Airport, as depicted on the 1963 Cleveland Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
The northeast/southwest runways at Chagrin Falls Airport was apparently paved at some point between 1962-66,
as the 1966 OH Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted in as a 2,000' bituminous strip.
Don Hein was part owner & manager of Chagrin Falls Airport,
and was described as a stickler for all of the planes to be fully functional.
Bill Pine was the chief pilot at Chagrin Falls Airport.
Bill Lipstreu recalled, "I was the Cessna salesman who frequented the airport,
but actually, I learned to fly there in the 1960’s.
Bill Pyne was my flight instructor,
but I finished with Tina DeBlaey & Bill Pfarr in 1975, shortly after returning from college.
I then got a job with Cessna & based my factory demonstrator at Chagrin."
James Akers recalled that "I soloed there June 16, 1970.
One of my instructors was Bill Pyne.
The airport at the time had a concrete runway that was 2,400'.
There were also one or two sod strips & a hangar/office.
Don Hein was an FAA examiner & a great pilot."
John Blosser recalled, "As a youngster, I lived in Chagrin Falls & frequently visited the airport.
I began to visit the airport in 1977, when I was about 12 years old.
I completed a private pilot ground school there during that year.
The airport's operator was Horn's Flying School; its owner was Horn & Hein Realty.
Don Hein was the airport manager.
The school had Cessna 150s & 172s as well as a 152 acquired in 1978.
One of the 150s was N19463, one of the Skyhawks was N19683.
I believe the 152 was N734RN or 737RN.
They also owned a J3 Cub which was painted in a bicentennial paint scheme.
The airport had FAA identifier 5G1.
It had an approximately 2,0000' paved Runway 6/24.
The runway was rather narrow & had some undulations in it.
It was on Bell Road just east of Route 306,
at the site of the current Kensington Greens housing development in South Russell.
I recall that at night, Flight Service would contact the South Russell Police
to come & turn on the runway lights if you needed them.
There was a large hangar at the northwest corner of the property
which had an office & pilot lounge/classroom attached to it.
There was a maintenance hangar a little east of it
and I believe some t-hangars further east of that."
"There were some really fine people associated with the airport.
Besides Don Hein, I remember instructors Bill Pyne, Al Kovar & Christine DeBlaey.
They had an excellent mechanic named Lyle
and a lineman named Andy Borsi who I believe became an aircraft & powerplant mechanic.
The local Cessna salesman was Bill Lipstreu. He frequented the airport.
There was Dennis Agin, a dentist who paid me to update his extremely overdue Jeppesen instrument approach charts,
and Bert Ragsdale, a very genteel man who owned a Cessna 172.
Reed Kinloch, a friend of my parents took me to the airport for the first time when he was a student pilot.
Harold & Bee Reiske were in my ground school class & usually gave me rides there.
Oakley Lawson owned a Cessna 182, N3360F.
He was always willing to answer my questions & pose more.
He was one of the few pilots (besides Tina DeBlaey) who my parents trusted to take me flying.
I still have the copy of Instrument Flying by Taylor that Oak gave me.
Several of the Chagrin Falls Airport regulars autographed it for me.
The people there kindled a lifelong love for aviation in me
and helped teach me many important lessons about life in the process.
I have lost touch with most of them, but I hope they know how special they all were & are to me."
Bill Lipstreu recalled, "Chagrin officially closed May of 1979.
I was the last airplane out.
I was still working for Cessna at the time & ended up moving the company airplane down to KSU Airport."
According to Bill Meyer, "I made a precautionary landing there in March, 1981 due to icing.
It was closed then although all the facilities were in good shape.
There was a Quonset type hangar on the North side.
For many years Horn's Flying School operated there, under Bill Horn.
The name remained on the hangar until it was razed.
Don Hine operated the school until the airport closed, I believe.
I also recall one or possibly two rows of T hangars to the northeast of the big hangar.
Runway 6/24 was paved & at least 2,400' as I recall, not much more.
There was also a sod strip North/South which was used very little.
An observant pilot can still drive down Bell Street,
and looking behind the houses on the North side see the what-used-to-be orange balls on the power lines behind the houses.
The development on the site is called Kensington Greens.
Great little airport, many pilots trained there, including my father in the late 1930's."
Ruth Mc Ilrath Cavanagh recalled, "When the place was sold by Hein's to become Kensington Green, I was sick about it.
I took my Super 8 movie camera & took a 360 degree shot of the old place.
I spent very much good time their as a child."
According to Hans Friedebach, “When the Chagrin Falls Airport closed,
the old Horn's Flying Service hangar steel structure was acquired by a local volunteer aviation history group.
It was intended to be re-erected at Ravenna, OH airport as part of a planned aviation museum.
The museum plans stalled when its financial backing fell through,
but not until the foundation for the Chagrin Falls hangar had been poured next to the completed 10,000 sq ft museum hangar.
The hangar structural steel was acquired by a Florida man
to be re-erected at an airfield he was planning in Florida.
His airfield plans fell through over regulatory approval problems.
I don't know whatever happened to the hangar structure.”
According to Hans Friedebach, “Horn's J-3 Piper Cub with the bi-centennial paint job
eventually turned up in Fortuna, on the northern California coast near the Oregon border.
It has been restored to Cub Yellow & is owned by Charlie Jones, A&P & USFS Fire Bomber pilot
who gave me a ride in it during a visit there in the 1990s.”
The 1996 USGS topo map still depicted the airfield, labeled simply "Landing Strip".
It depicted a single 2,200' northeast/southwest runway,
along with several buildings (hangars?) along the north side of the field.
At some point before 2001, the site of the airport was redeveloped into the Burlington Green housing development,
as this circa-2001 aerial photo appeared to show not a trace remaining of the old airport.
The site of Chagrin Falls Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Route 306 & Bell Road.
Thanks to Bill Meyer (who flew out of Chagrin Falls Airport) for pointing it out.
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Youngstown Executive Airport (06G), Youngstown, OH
41.06 North / 80.83 West (Southeast of Cleveland, OH)
Youngstown Executive Airport, as depicted on the 1963 Cleveland Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
This former small general aviation airport was apparently built at some point between 1960-63,
as it was not depicted on the 1960 Cleveland Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
The earliest depiction of this field which has been located
was on the 1963 Cleveland Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
The Aerodromes table on the chart described the field as having a single 3,000' asphalt runway.
The runway at Youngstown Executive was apparently lengthened within the next two years,
as the 1965 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described the field as having a single 4,200' asphalt runway.
The 1966 OH Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted two rows of T-hangars on the north side of the runway,
as well as a new hangar & administration building.
Jay McMurray recalled of Youngstown Executive Airport, "I started flying there in 1973
and worked as a 'Lineboy' fueling airplanes that summer.
We closed for the races on weekend nights.
The field was also used for a lot of cargo flights. Beech 18's were common.
I used to work till sundown & hop on a Beech 18 or some other lighter twin
and fly all night with the cargo pilot flying Packard Electric car parts
around to the various cities making cars: Oshawa Canada, Detroit, Andersen Indiana etc."
Dan Anthony recalled, “I took my first flight lessons out of Youngstown Executive Airport
and was one of the 'line boys' from about 1973-75.
With my employee discount my hourly rate for a Cessna 150 or 152 & the instructor
was about $15 but I was making only minimum wage ($1.65 / hour at the time).
The airport was a Cessna Dealer & sold many new Cessnas
that ended up getting leased back into the flight training program.
One nice thing about taking lessons at this airport was there were always new airplanes to fly.
As a line boy one of my jobs was to clean & wax the airplanes.
The instructors liked when I scheduled a lesson because the plane I scheduled for myself
was pulled from the line & cleaned spotless just prior to my lesson, I made sure of that!”
Dan continued, “They also had a thriving charter service with a Cessna 421 (Golden Eagle),
a C-410, C-310s, Piper Navaho and the Beech 18s.
The Beeches were used as freight haulers & passenger planes
(as a line boy I was required to load & unload the freight & install/remove the seats).
They had a very active A&P shop to maintain the fleet of training aircraft
and the private planes hangared on the field as well as many that would fly in for their maintenance needs.
They also had an active radio shop.”
Dan continued, “During my time there they had an annual Fly-In
and planes from all over the country would drop in.
At the Fly-In the training fleet was used to give 'penny-a-pound' rides to anyone that wanted a ride in a small plane.
We had a bathroom scale & the person would step on & get weighed
and we collected a Penney for every pound & off they went.”
Dan continued, “The drag-racing that was every Friday & Saturday Night during the racing season...
One of my jobs was to work the radios once the FBO’s daytime staff left.
The pilots based at 06G didn’t like the fact that the airport closed for drag racing
and many would takeoff just prior to race time & then buzz the runway or interrupt the racing by landing.
One of the charter pilots would often take the B-18 down
and blow the racing timing lights or the 'Christmas tree' & starter shack over
with his prop-wash & run-up prior to a late evening take-off.
Because of these intentional pilot-induced delays the race sponsors hired an off-duty, uniformed police officer
to operate the radios & 'talk' to any pilot that wanted to land or takeoff.”
A Douglas DC-3 of Mannion Air Charter departing Youngstown Executive Airport in 1978.
Photo by Charles Brasile, used by permission.
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
described Youngstown Executive as having a single 4,155' asphalt Runway 11/29.
Dan Anthony recalled, “The large hangar to the right of the FBO building...
This hangar & most of the airplanes inside & tied-down all over the airport
were destroyed by a tornado sometime in the mid 1980s.
Shortly after that the FBO folded & then the rest of the place fell apart.”
As of the 1994 USGS aerial photo,
the airfield consisted of a single paved 4,100' runway & some small hangars.
Youngstown Executive was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1994-2002,
as it was depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2002 aeronautical charts.
A circa 2001-2005 aerial view looking north at Younstown Executive Airport,
showing that the hangars & runway remain in fine condition.
In the words of Gene Zeigler, "Much aviation history in Northeast Ohio is lost
and very few of these facts have been recorded for the future generations to know about."
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