Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Northwestern Ohio
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 1/11/09.
Bellefontaine Municipal (revised 6/27/04) - Camp Perry National Guard (revised 8/22/04)
Lima Airport / Allen County Airport (revised 9/3/07) - National Airport (revised 1/11/09) - Waco Aircraft Company (revised 8/28/04)
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National Aviation Airport / National Airport, Toledo, OH
41.72 North / 83.54 West (Northwest of Columbus, OH)
National Airport, as depicted on the February 1942 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This general aviation airport was evidently established at some point between 1935-42,
as it was not yet depicted on the 1935 Regional Aeronautical Chart.
The earliest depiction which has been located of National Airport
was on the February 1942 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted National as a commercial/municipal airfield.
The 1945 Haire Publishing Company Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described “National Aviation Airport” as a “class 3” airfield, owned & operated by National Aviation Corporation.
The manager was listed as W.J. Thompson.
The field was said to have 3 sandy & loam runways, with the longest being the 3,800' northeast/southwest strip.
The field was said to have 2 hangars.
National Aviation Airport, as depicted on the 1948 USGS topo map.
A circa 1950 aerial view looking south at National Aviation Airport (from the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, courtesy of Brian Nelson).
It depicted the field as having a grass airfield area, with several hangars on the southwest side,
and a large number of light aircraft.
The 1953 OH Airport Directory (courtesy of Hank Lehrer)
depicted National Aviation Airport as having 3 runways, including a 3,800' northeast/southwest unpaved runway
and a 2,950' east/west cinder runway.
Several hangars were depicted on the southeast side.
The manager was listed as J.E. Akin.
Tgsaul recalled, “National Airport... I learned to fly there from Aiken Aircraft Corporation starting in 1954,
and later becoming a commercial pilot & flight instructor for John Aiken.”
National Aviation Airport gained a paved runway at some point between 1953-61,
as the 1961 OH Airport Directory (courtesy of Hank Lehrer)
depicted National Airport as having 2 runways, including a 3,800' northeast/southwest runway within which was a 3,000' paved section.
Several hangars were depicted on the southeast side.
The manager was listed as Richard Macauley.
A 1964 aerial photo showed an airfield configuration that contradicted the 1961 diagram,
with a paved east/west runway, but a grass northeast/southwest runway.
An undated (circa pre-1965) aerial view looking east at National Airport (courtesy of Tom McClain).
The airport had a single asphalt east/west runway, with several hangars on the south side of the field.
The airport appeared well-used, with several single-engine aircraft parked on the field.
Note the building which appeared to be directly at the west end of the runway.
According to Hans Friedebach, “National Airport... During the 1960s it was the home base & operated by National Flightservices Inc.”
A circa 1965 photo of the National Flight Service Inc. hangar at National Airport (from the Toledo Lucas County Public Library).
Roger Johnson recalled of National Airport, “As a kid in the 1960s growing up on the north side of Toledo,
an east wind would have private planes approaching subject airport right over my parent's house.”
The 1969 USGS topo map still depicted National Airport.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of National Airport
was on the May 1971 Detroit Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted National as having a single 3,100' paved east/west runway.
According to Tom McClain, National Airport was “closed sometime in the early 1970s.
I remember it a an open field where people would fly their radio-controlled planes.”
According to Hans Friedebach, “National was closed sometime around the early 1970s since it could not support itself financially.
It was developed as a shopping center site without a trace of the former airport.”
According to Roger Johnson, “A major regional mall was built on the site of National during the late 1970s,
obliterating every hint of the very active site.”
By the time of the December 1976 CF-18 World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
National Airport was depicted as an abandoned airfield.
Tom McClain recalled of National Airport, “I'm pretty sure that some time in the 1980s
a small plane was forced to use the field in an emergency landing.”
The 1981 USGS topo map still depicted the east/west paved runway at National Airport,
as well as the taxiways, ramp, and hangars at the southwest corner.
The property was labeled as “Landing Strip (Abandoned)”.
A February 2005 aerial photo showed the mall covering the site, with no trace visible of the former National Airport.
Roger Johnson reported in 2008, “NorthTowne Mall didn't remain viable very long, and while the buildings remain, there is little or no activity
and the parking lots are used for vehicle staging by Chrysler's Jeep plant nearby.”
The site of National Airport is located northwest of the intersection of North Detroit Avenue & East Alexis Road.
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Lima Airport / Allen County Airport (LIA), Lima, OH
40.76 North / 84.18 West (Northwest of Columbus, OH)
Lima Airport, as depicted on a 1936-37 Chicago Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
According to the website of WTLW 44, the Allen County Airport was built in 1933.
The earliest directory listing of the field which has been located
was in the 1934 Department of Commerce Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described Lima as a Municipal Airport, located three miles northwest of the town of Lima.
The airfield was said to consist of three sod runways,
with the longest being a 2,640' northeast/southwest strip.
A hangar was said to be located in the northwest corner.
The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo)
described Lima as having three sod runways, with the longest being the 3,960' east/west strip.
A hangar on the west side was said to have "Lima" painted on the roof.
The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described Lima Airport as having a 4,200' unpaved runway.
Lima Airport, as depicted on the June 1946 Chicago Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
According to the website of WTLW 44,
the golden years for the Allen County Airport were 1953-63,
when Lake Central Airlines ran DC-3 service to Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Columbus.
Starting on the June 1960 Chicago Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
the field was labeled as the Allen County Airport.
It had also gained a paved runway,
as it was depicted as having a single 3,500' paved runway.
By the next year, the Lima Airport had apparently reverted to its previous name,
as depicted on the December 1961 Chicago Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
A newer airport was built on the east side of Lima in 1963,
but the original airport continued in operation.
The 1966 OH Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Lima as having a single 3,500' bituminous east/west runway,
with a parallel 2,600' sod runway on the north side of the paved runway,
and a 2,640' sod north/south runway.
A total of four hangars were depicted on the northwest side of the field.
The manager was listed as Walt Plezia.
The 1972 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) showed that Lima had gained an NDB navigational beacon on the field.
The runway configuration had not changed.
The Lima Airport's status had changed at some point between 1972-76 to a private field,
as that is how it was described in the 1976 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
By 1977, the USGS topo map depicted that a new Allen County Airport had been constructed,
five miles southeast of the town of Lima.
The original Lima Airport was apparently closed at some point between 1976-80.
An undated photo of the former hangar (courtesy of John Sams), with the words “Aviation Corporation” still visible,
during the hangars conversion into a TV studio.
According to the website of WTLW 44, after the closure of the airport,
“Ron Mighell toured the large 80' x 80' hangar and envisioned it as the largest television studio in Northwest Ohio.
In 1980, scores of volunteers pooled their talents to renovate the dilapidated building into a modern television production facility.”
The original Lima Airport was no longer listed at all in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury).
In the 1988 USGS aerial photo,
the former Lima Airport appeared to remain largely intact,
with the runways & most of the hangars appearing to remain completely untouched.
The TV transmitter tower could be seen just northwest of the west end of the runway.
The 1994 USGS topo map depicted a single paved east/west runway,
labeled simply as “Landing Strip”, along with several hangars on the west side of the field.
In a circa 2006 aerial photo,
the former Lima Airport appeared to remain largely intact,
with the runways & some of the hangars appearing to remain completely untouched.
Three new buildings appear to have been added at some point between 1988-2006 over the site of some of the former hangars.
John Sams reported in 2007, “The old main hangar is now the main studio / office for the local Christian TV station 44.
Nothing appears to remain of the old runway except the clearing [however the runway appears to remain intact in the 2006 photo].
The small hangars to the north of the main are only slabs foundations.
The main transmission tower for the TV station
(which appears on the current Detroit Sectional as a lighted obstruction of 1,532' MSL to the northwest of the city)
appears to be sitting right at the start of Runway 9.
New houses are being built close to the east side of the old runway clearing.
It will not be long & they will be on the old runway site.”
The site of Lima Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Neely Road & Baty Road.
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Camp Perry National Guard Airfields #1 & #2, Camp Perry, OH
41.55 North / 83.04 West (West of Cleveland, OH)
Camp Perry was depicted as an auxiliary airfield on the 1928 Air Navigation Map (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The state legislature authorized the purchase of 300 acres of land at what would become Camp Perry in 1906,
to establish a rifle range for the state militia.
The date of construction of the first airfield at Camp Perry has not been determined.
Historical accounts of the Camp do not mention anything about an airfield.
The earliest depiction of the Camp Perry Airfield which has been located
was on the 1928 Air Navigation Map (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Camp Perry as an auxiliary airfield.
The 1934 Department of Commerce Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
listed two airfield at Camp Perry, both under the title of "Camp Perry Field, National Guard".
The first field was described as being located "at the Camp Perry Rifle Range",
and was described as having two sod landing strips, forming an "L" shape, of 4,000' & 3,000'.
The second field was described as being located "One-half mile west of Camp Perry",
and was described as being an irregularly-shaped sod field, measuring 2,508' x 3,163'.
The 1935 9M Night Flying Chart depicted "Camp Perry Rifle Range" as a military airfield.
An aerial photo of the Camp Perry #1 & #2 Airfields,
from The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The directory described the "Camp Perry (#1) Rifle Range Field" as being located on the east side of the Camp,
and the "Camp Perry (#2) Camp Perry Airport" on the west side of the Camp.
Both fields were otherwise described in the same manner as the 1934 directory.
Major John Kachenmeister recalled, "I used to have some photos of the airfield.
The planes were flown by the 112th Observation Squadron,
and included at least one O-47, and two types of biplanes that I could not identify.
The 112th Observation Squadron was the air reconnaissance element of the 37th Infantry Division, OH National Guard.
The airfield was a sod runway aligned north/south,
with the large building on the east side of the post serving as a maintenance hangar."
"Camp Perry" was still depicted as an active military airfield
on the 1941 Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
However, the Camp Perry Airfields apparently were closed at some point between 1941-43,
as no airfields were depicted at the Camp on the April 1943 Cleveland Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
or the January 1949 Cleveland Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The 1952 USGS topo map seemed to indicate that both fields were closed at that point,
as it did not label the site of the Camp Perry #1 as an airfield of any kind,
and it depicted a large building on the site of the Camp Perry #2 airfield.
Furthermore, it did not depict any other airfields on the Camp property nearby.
However, apparently one of the two Camp Perry Airfields was reopened at some point between 1943-53,
as the 1953 Flight Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell) depicted "Camp Perry (Army)" as an active airfield,
with a 3,800' unpaved runway.
The July 1956 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted "Camp Perry (Army)" as an active military airfield.
The Aerodromes table on the chart described the field as having a 3,800 turf all-way landing area,
and the remarks said, "Restricted to official use. Operated by National Guard."
The Camp Perry airfield was closed (again) at some point within the next year,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the January 1957 Cleveland Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
or subsequent aeronautical charts.
As seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo,
the property of the Rifle Range #1 Airfield remains undeveloped - presumably still used as a rifle range.
However, a large building still occupies the site of the #2 Airfield, on the west side of the Camp.
Camp Perry continues to operate (as of 2003) as a National Guard training center,
but without an airfield.
Major John Kachenmeister (who was "stationed at Camp Perry off & on since the 1970s") reported in 2005,
"The airfield is still semi-active, as several helicopter pads are installed on what was formerly the runway.
It is not listed on the current sectional charts,
however, upon occasion helicopters are used for dignitary visits or for airmobility training of Guard troops."
The site of the Camp Perry Airfields is located north of the intersection of Route 2 & Avenue K.
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Bellefontaine Municipal Airport (7I7), Bellefontaine, OH
40.41 North / 83.74 West (Northeast of Dayton, OH)
Bellefontaine Airport, as depicted on the May 1968 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The date of construction of this former municipal airport is unknown.
It was apparently built at some point between 1965-68,
as it was not depicted on the 1965 Cleveland Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest reference to Bellefontaine Municipal which has been located
was on the May 1968 Cleveland Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Bellefontaine Airport as having a single 4,400' paved runway.
The 1976 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Bellefontaine Municipal as having a single 4,400' asphalt Runway 4/22,
and said that the field offered hangars, flight instruction, and charters.
The operator was listed as Dynamic Aviation, Inc.
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
described Bellefontaine Municipal as having a single 4,400' asphalt Runway 4/22,
and listed the operator as Brenner Air Service.
Unfortunately, constraints on the growth of the original Municipal Airport would eventually cause its replacement.
The existing airport had a 4,400' runway, with turn-arounds on each end.
The landing thresholds for both runway ends were displaced 200' due to obstructions in the approaches.
Expanding the existing airport to meet forecasted demand would be limited due to existing constraints,
including State Road 68 & a nearby railroad & landfill.
As described in AOPA Online, planning for a replacement airport for the city of Bellefontaine began in the 1980s,
when Robert Lentz, then a city councilman began pushing for a replacement airfield.
The plan originally faced strong opposition, but over time, and with the help of the aviation community,
Lentz won enough support for the project to go ahead.
The community effort continued when a local businessman & area pilot agreed to buy
the current FBO (Midwest Corporate Air) & take over management of the airport for the city.
USGS aerial photo 1994, while the field was still open.
Diagram from the 2001 OH Airport Directory.
In 2002, AOPA President Phil Boyer joined Mayor Robert Lentz & other local dignitaries in Bellefontaine
for the grand opening of the brand-new $13 million Bellefontaine Regional Airport today.
It is only the second new airport in Ohio in 30 years.
The new airport is located 4 miles west of the original Municipal Airport,
which will presumably be closed.
Bellefontaine Municipal is located southeast of the intersection of Route 68 & Twp Highway 57,
three miles north-northeast of the town of Bellefontaine.
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Waco Aircraft Company Factory Airfield, Troy, OH
40.03 North / 84.22 West (North of Dayton, OH)
The Waco Troy Factory in 1929, looking southwest.
An undated view of the interior of the Waco Troy Factory.
The Waco Aircraft Company came to Troy, OH, in 1923.
Their facility in Troy built a long series of Waco biplanes.
The complex eventually consisted of a factory, a cafeteria building,
and two hangars which served as a final assembly building.
Waco-Troy Airport, as depicted on a 1936-37 Chicago Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
An aerial view looking west at the Waco factory & hangars,
from The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The directory described the Waco airfield as consisting of a 90 acre sod field.
The Waco factory also built military gliders during WW2.
The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described the Waco-Troy Airfield as having a 2,900' runway.
The 1946 Chicago Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy) depicted the field as "Waco-Troy".
The June 1960 Chicago Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy) still depicted Waco as an active airfield.
The aerodromes table described the field as having a total of 5 runways, with the longest being a 3,100' turf strip,
but also described it as an "all way" landing area.
The Waco airfield was evidently closed at some point after 1960.
The Waco Factory runway was removed in the 1960s.
As seen in the 1994 USGS aerial photo,
the original factory with the circular driveway pictured in the 1929 photo is still visible (in the center-right of the 1994 photo).
As of 2002, the factory still stands, used as a warehouse.
Amazingly, the equipment used to steam & shrink the fabric onto the Waco airframes
is still stored up in the rafters of the former factory.
The former Waco cafeteria & final assembly building also remain standing, and are used by businesses.
A link to aviation remains at the site of the former Waco factory,
as the Goodrich Corporation Aircraft Wheels & Brakes Division
has a large plant adjacent to the former Waco facility to the southwest,
where they manufacture brakes for military aircraft & the space shuttle.
The site of the Waco factory is located southwest of the intersection of Peters Road & Archer Drive.
The Waco Air Museum maintains a small museum a short distance away from the former Waco Factory.
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