Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Texas, Northwestern Corpus Christi area
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 4/9/08.
Chase Field NAS (revised 4/9/08) - Goliad NOLF (revised 7/23/05) - (Original) Sinton Airport (revised 1/31/04)
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(Original) Sinton Airport, Sinton, TX
28.04 North / 97.49 West (North of Corpus Christi, TX)
Sinton Airport, as depicted on the June 1943 San Antonio Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
The original airport for the town of Sinton was located 2 miles east of the center of the town.
It was evidently opened at some point between 1937-43,
as it was not listed among active airfields in the Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The earliest reference to Sinton Airport which has been located
was on the June 1943 San Antonio Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
which depicted Sinton as a commercial or municipal airport, just east of the town.
The April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described Sinton Airport as having an 1,800' unpaved runway.
Sinton Airport may have been temporarily closed during the later portion of WW2
(due to wartime security concerns & fuel rationing,
as was the case with many other small civilian airfields during the war),
as it was not depicted at all on the July 1945 San Antonio Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),
and it was not listed among active airfields in a 1945 airfield directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
David Brooks recalled, "I remember it being there in 1945 when we moved to a town nearby (Ingleside).
I remember there being several corrugated tin hangars, wooden buildings, and a rotating light on about a 25’ tower."
Sinton Airport had apparently been reopened at some point between 1945-49,
as it was depicted on the January 1949 San Antonio Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
and described as having a 3,500' unpaved runway.
The February 1950 San Antonio Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks)
described Sinton as having three unpaved runways, with the longest being 3,500'.
The airport was said to offer fuel & major repairs.
A 1952 TX road map (according to David Brooks) did not yet depict Texas Route 881,
which was presumably the reason for the airport's closure within a few years,
when Route 881 was built through the center of the airport property.
Sinton Airport had apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1950-54,
as the August 1954 World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the field as having a 4,000' hard-surface runway.
The original Sinton Airport was closed at some point between 1954-62,
as the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory only listed the Sinton Municipal Airport (west of the town),
not the original airport east of the town.
By the time of the 1964 San Antonio Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss),
the original Sinton Airport was depicted as "Abandoned Airport".
The 1979 USGS topo map still depicted a rotating light beacon
at the site of the former airport (according to David Brooks).
As seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo,
the middle of the site of the original Sinton Airport has been covered by Route 881.
There are the remains of several buildings on the site,
but it is not known if these are related to the airport.
A school has been built to the northwest of the former airport site.
The site of the original Sinton Airport is located north of the intersection of Route 881 & Route 181,
two miles east of the center of Sinton, TX.
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28.38 North / 97.62 West (North of Corpus Christi, TX)
A 1944 aerial view looking east at Chase Field (National Archives photo).
This site was originally the Beeville Municipal Airport.
The date of construction of the Beeville Municipal Airport is unknown.
The land was leased to the Navy in 1943 for the construction of Chase Field,
a training base for Naval Air Cadets.
It was used as one of three satellite airfields for Corpus Christi NAS.
The 1943 San Antonio Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy) labeled the field as "Chase (Navy)".
"Chase (Navy)", as depicted on the 1945 San Antonio Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
Chase Field was closed by the Navy in 1946.
The 1949 San Antonio Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy) depicted as a civil field, "Chase",
and described it as having a 4,600' hard-surface runway.
The Chase Field property was used for a few months in 1947 as the temporary campus
of the Arts & Technological College (later to become Texas A & M University at Corpus Christi).
The base was reopened in 1953, due to the Korean War & the need for training in jet aircraft.
This resulted in a significant expansion of the original facilities.
The new role was advanced training, conducted in TA-4J Skyhawks & T-2 Buckeyes.
Louie Diot recalled, “I was sent to Chase Field in September 1957
and was assigned to the line at ATU-213, we flew the TV-2.
The other ATU assigned there was ATU-223 & they flew the F9F-8T.”
Chase Field was depicted in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
in its enlarged, jet-capable configuration,
with a total of three paved runways (8,000' Runways 13L/31R & 13R/31L, and 6,000' Runway 17/35),
as well as a number of taxiways, a large ramp, and two hangars.
According to USN Cdr Dave Winiker (ret), “NAAS Chase Field
hosted 3 of the Navy's advanced training squadrons (VT-24,25,& 26) in the early 1960s.”
An undated postcard (courtesy of Steve Cruse) of several scenes at Chase Field.
An undated photo (courtesy of Steve Cruse) of the guard shack at the entrance to Chase Field.
Larry Dunbar recalled "a remarkable incident involving a Chase Field aircraft.
I believe it was 3-3-66 when a Grumman F-11 Tiger crashed in Sinton.
This was an incredibly close call for so many people.
The pilot had to eject as the plane had lost it's hydraulics,
and he was not far from my hometown of Sinton. Myself, I was a 7th grader.
This was before air conditioning in every school,
and as it was a beautiful south Texas morning, all the windows in the classroom were open.
All us kids were used to the sound of military aircraft,
as Sinton sat surrounded by Chase, Corpus NAS, and Kinsgville NAS.
But we knew something was wrong as we heard that jet screaming to the ground.
The thing went in vertical, in an alley, between houses, missing the school by a few yards.
The fireball from the explosion shot straight up, and only fences & a few trees were lost.
No deaths or injuries, but a slightly altered descent
would have resulted in what would probably still be Sinton's worst day."
An aerial view by Steve Shanker looking northeast at Chase Field's ramp during the 1967 airshow.
Steve recalled, “I was stationed down there from August 1967 - April 1970 working on the Ops Line crew
as well as being a plane captain on both the UH-34J & UH-2B.”
A photo by Steve Shanker of the Blue Angels' C-121 Constellation taken at Chase Field ramp during the 1967 airshow.
A circa 1960s aerial view looking east at Chase Field (courtesy of Steve Shanker).
Gerald Cochrane recalled, “I was stationed at NAS Chase in the middle of 1969 at TRARON 25 (Training Squadron 25) or VT-25.
I worked first as a Plane Captain, then Petty Officer in charge of flight crews,
then as ground tower officer (after the birds landed the main tower would hand the incoming bird over to me
and I would direct him to parking & take any maintenance info).
I would then hand that info over to the flight line Petty Officer
and he would assign a plane captain to park that bird.
We worked 10-12 hours per day ^ it was so hectic that there were many times that we could not eat nor drink.
Even though the temperatures soared to well over 100 degrees daily.
We were a close knit brotherhood & struggled through each day with jet blast hitting us
and sometimes knocking us off the bicycles which many of us used
to get out messages to the crews of men working out on the flight line.
The combination of the blazing sun & the heat from the jet exhaust & the reflection of the sun from the white birds
was nearly unbearable on many days but we considered ourselves serious professionals
and we all had a great deal of pride in our abilities.”
Gerald Cochrane continued, “There were two others Squadrons at Chase Field as well, VT-24 & VT-26.
When I arrived at Chase, all the birds there were TF-9 Panthers & TF-9 Bakers, 2-seat / 1-seater,
these were relics of the Korean Conflict but make no mistake about it,
they were fast & devastating on the gunnery range down in Freer TX.
With 20mm nose cannons & rocket pods under their wings they could quickly destroy ground or air targets
and could pull an amazing 9 Gs without going through maintenance upon their return.
That is a huge amount of Gs back in those days.
The F-9s were made by Grumman
and had centrifugal flow engines (these needed to be wound up all the way to suck a man into the intake)
which differ from axial flow engines (these could suck a man up off the deck from six feet away at idle).
The T-2s came latter as the war wound down.”
Gerald Cochrane continued, “We met many ace heroes from Viet Nam
who came to our station out of mechanical or other reasons.
Two of whom shot down two MiG's while flying Spads (A-1 Skyraiders),
a really old propeller drive plane from an even earlier war.
Their story was amazing.”
Gerald Cochrane continued, “I was there at Chase when Hurricane Celia came ashore
and Tropical Storm Fern followed within hours.
Tropical Storm Fern was the most devastating to us.
My crew & I towed in 60 jet aircraft while the rain fell at such a ferocity
that the water was a foot deep on a flat concrete surface & lightning bolts fell like rain.
One lightening bolt struck the tail of a plane we were towing
and went through the body of an airman named Whirley from WV.
I caught him before he hit the ground.
He survived & ended up marrying one of the richest women in that part of TX.
Who says getting struck was bad luck?”
By the early 1980s, Chase Field had a complement of 2,500, along with over 160 aircraft.
A June 1, 1989 DOD photo by Scott Allen of a Navy T-2C Buckeye
flashing past a fresnel lens optical landing system as its student pilot makes a practice carrier landing at Chase Field.
Chase Field was identified for closure during the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure process,
and shut its gates in 1993.
An undated photo of Chase Field's flightline,
taken as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record.
An undated photo of Chase Field's Building 1015,
a hangar formerly used by Training Wing 3.
An undated photo of the hangar roof trusses of Chase Field's Building 1015.
USGS photo 1995.
Recent views of the Operations Building & Tower, and Hangar 24.
Recent views of Hangar 26's exterior & interior.
Apparently, the airfield has never been reused for civilian purposes,
even though the facilities are extensive & in excellent shape.
Most of the non-aviation buildings of the base have been taken over
by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which operates a prison on the site.
The local government is trying to redevelop the remainder
of the base as the Chase Field Industrial Park.
The airfield includes three paved runways (each approximately 9,500 ft long),
extensive taxiways, ramps & buildings.
It is depicted as an abandoned airfield on current Sectional Charts.
In the words of Navy pilot Mike Strobach, Chase is "a big, beautiful field.
We practice low approaches there for training.
At least once since I've been stationed here, somebody has landed there due to an emergency.
Rumors arise from time to time that the Navy will again use the field as an OLF
to alleviate congestion at the other Corpus-area airports.
Probably just rumors, but it sure is a waste of a great field."
Scott Beadle reported in 2003, "This summer I flew skydivers at the dropzone in Beeville Texas.
During my checkout with the owner, the old Beeville NAS was pointed out as a good alternate landing site.
On the current San Antonio sectional it is listed as an abandoned airfield.
There is no description, which is confusing because it is a huge landmark.
The hangars & runways remain in good condition as far as I could see."
An article entitled “Beeville wins aircraft firm, 300 jobs” by Fanny Chirinos
appeared in the December 31, 2005 Corpus Christi Caller-Times (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
“Aviation returns to Beeville after almost a 13-year absence
and is expected to bring more than 300 jobs, Bee County officials announced Friday.
A lease agreement was signed Friday afternoon between Chicago-based military subcontractor Kay & Associates Inc.
and the Beeville Development Authority.
Kay will occupy two hangars at Chase Field Industrial Park, formerly Naval Air Station Chase Field.”
“This is huge for the area”, said Laura Fischer, president of the authority.
“We have been trying to get aviation to Beeville since the base closed.
We're expecting initial work to begin in the next couple of months.
Kay should be fully operational by mid-summer.”
The article continued, “Kay has a contract with the Department of Defense to repair helicopters
and has a one-year lease with four one-year options, Fischer said.
The authority anticipates an average employee salary of $40,000 & an annual payroll of $12 million, she said.
Company vice president Brad Kay said the company was having a lease signing
but he would not offer further details, saying the company awaits a news release from the Army, one of its clients.
According to its Web site, Kay provides organizational, intermediate and depot-level repair
on an extensive range of platforms, which includes Army helicopters.”
The article continued, “The Beeville authority has spent almost $3 million
repairing the hangars & runways in the past six months, Fischer said.
One hangar is near completion & the second hangar should be completed by summer, she added.”
Beeville Mayor Kenneth Chesshir said the effort has been worth it.
“We've had a lot of foul balls and this is the first time we've hit a home run”, Chesshir said.
“The number of jobs is huge for this area.”
A January 2007 aerial view by Lex Ramsey looking northwest at Chase Field.
A January 2007 aerial view by Lex Ramsey looking southwest at Chase Field,
showing the huge amount of aviation infrastructure which remains intact at this abandoned facility.
See also: The Handbook of TX Online.
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Goliad Naval Outer Landing Field (7T3), Berclair, TX
28.62 North / 97.62 West (North of Corpus Christi, TX)
USGS aerial photo 1995.
Goliad was built as a satellite airfield for Chase Field NAS.
It was dedicated in 1962.
Gerald Cochrane recalled, “I was stationed at Chase around June or July of 1969.
I went to Goliad after about a year.
It was an elite place where the men that were stationed there had the vote of who came there & who did not.
Leaving there to go to your next duty station meant a ferocious battle down at the pond... as a farewell gesture.”
Goliad was closed by the Navy in 1992.
The airfield consists of two 10,100' concrete/asphalt runways,
taxiways, a ramp, a control tower, and numerous buildings.
In the above 1995 photo, each runway still had a practice aircraft carrier approach area at each end.
Ownership of the 1,136 acre property was recently (2001?) transferred to the County of Goliad,
which has reopened the field as Goliad County Industrial Airpark.
On November 1, 2001, the Goliad County Commissioners Court entered into a 10 year lease
with Central Aviation Supply & Equipment Inc.
CASE is a large & small aircraft maintenance & repair company
with its principal offices located at Houston Hobby Airport in Houston.
CASE proposed to start an aircraft salvage operation at Goliad.
CASE was negotiating with several airline companies to perform a one-stop aircraft maintenance shop.
According to CASE, "Our plans for this facility are far reaching,
at present we are in the process of preparing an environmentally friendly recycling facility of aircraft.
We have adequate storage for approximately 200 aircraft for storage
and for approximately 100 aircraft for recycling.
Recycling of aircraft should be complete approximately 90 days after receipt of the aircraft.
Construction plans include new warehousing for stored parts,
and a new hangar, capable of accommodating the new wide-bodied heavies adjacent to the active runway."
Navy flight instructor Mike Strobach reported in 2003 that
"I flew over Goliad… and I took a closer look.
I can say for sure now that there are two 727s parked there.
They both have United Airlines markings.
One of them is missing its nosewheel, clearly neither is in flying condition."
A 2003 photo by Erik Vela of the entrance sign at the "Goliad County Industrial Airpark".
Erik Vela reported in 2003, "Back in May, I decided to take a side trip
over to what is now 'Goliad Industrial Air Park'.
There, I ran into a guy named 'Mike' who was very friendly & saw my eagerness to learn more about the field.
He said it was essentially an auxiliary field for Beeville NAS located SW of Goliad.
Lots of student pilots would come & practice their carrier & normal takeoffs & landings here.
There was nothing near/around the airport (in terms of conveniences)
which essentially told me that it was solely for practice & return to base."
A 2003 photo by Erik Vela of the Goliad's abandoned control tower.
"Upon asking him to show me around,
we took a tour of the abandoned tower which had nothing left in it in form of military equipment (desks/chairs).
It was in good condition, however it had several bee hives in the stairwell.
The tower cab was still in fair condition
and the airport layout schematic/light control system was still on the panel with the light switches.
Just outside of the tower was a shack with what appeared to be an old fire truck, tugs and maintenance equipment,
some of which I think they were still using to do light maintenance around the airport."
A 2003 photo by Erik Vela of the ex-United 727s being parted out at Goliad.
Two 2003 photos by Erik Vela of the gutted cockpit & cabin of the ex-United 727s being parted out at Goliad.
"We then proceeded to see the 'United' 727 carcasses down on the end of Runway 31.
Mike said that a company had flown them in sometime back
and were being 'parted out' since the individual parts were worth more than the whole.
If I recall correctly, most of the parts were going to Maine
and then shipped overseas for carriers still using the 727s.
He said that throughout the next couple of months,
there would be more coming in to be gutted as well."
A 2003 photo by Erik Vela of the recently resurfaced Runway 16/34.
A 2003 photo by Erik Vela of the former location of the arresting gear on Runway 28.
"The runways are still in very good condition, however, there is a little overgrowth on them.
Mike said that it is essentially a very quiet field.
Hardly anyone flies in & when someone does,
it usually is hunter charter or student training flight.
I don't recall seeing any fuel on the field for sale."
"Upon a return trip a few weeks ago,
I found the gates closed & locked to the airport & a NO TRESSPASSING sign.
I returned to the small city of Berclaire & asked if anyone knew Mike
and to my surprise, it was his sister working at the counter.
She said he was busy doing other stuff around town,
but that the airfield was more likely to be turned into a drag strip in the near future
since no businesses were ever established on the field."
"On my latest visit to Goliad NOLF on 11-7-03,
'Mike' said that 727s were going to be moved to Houston somewhere since the company lease was up.
In addition, Runway 10/28 was going to be used as a drag strip
and Runway 16/34 is still going to be used by the Navy trainers since it was recently resurfaced."
A circa 2000-2005 USGS aerial photo looking southeast at the Goliad airfield.
A close-up from the circa 2000-2005 USGS aerial photo,
showing the aircraft carrier markings on Runway 28,
as well as the two derelict 727s.
Goliad NOLF is located on the west side of Air Base Road, north of Route 59,
13 miles west-southwest of Goliad, TX.
Thanks to John Figer for providing information about Goliad.
See also:
http://www.goliadtxairpark.com/
http://www.goliad.org/airpark.html
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