Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Texas

Texas - Northeast Fort Worth Area

Arlington Airport / Greater Fort Worth International Airport / Amon Carter Field / Greater Southwest International (revised 6/20/08)

Bell Helicopter Auxiliary Heliport (revised 5/17/08) - Denton Field / College Field (revised 6/14/05) - Hartlee Field (revised 11/12/04)

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Arlington Airport / Greater Fort Worth International Airport /

Amon Carter Field / Greater Southwest International Airport (GSW),

Forth Worth, TX

32.83 North / 97.05 West (South of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, TX)

The first airfield at this location was a military field labeled "Arlington"

on the August 1944 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).

This is a bizarre tale of a massive taxpayer-funded international airport

which was plowed under in a mere 20 years after it opened.

It is perfect example of politics gone wrong,

and incredible levels of wasteful spending.

The vast majority of the millions of airline passengers who pass through

the present-day Dallas Fort Worth International Airport have no idea

of a completely separate airport that once stood on the edge of the current property of DFW.

As early as 1920, officials in Fort Worth were discussing the idea

of a "regional airport" that could serve both their city & Dallas.

At the time, a large swath of sunbaked prairie separated the 2 cities, providing no shortage of suitable land for such a facility.

Dallas, which was in the process of adding paved runways to its own municipal airport, rebuffed the invitation,

and Fort Worth quietly let the idea die.

Just 10 years later in 1930, however, Fort Worth came calling again - and this time Dallas was more willing to listen.

Both cities were feeling the pinch of the Depression,

and the idea of a shared terminal meant less of a financial burden on city coffers.

After some preliminary talks, a site along the Dallas-Tarrant county line was chosen, almost equidistant from each city.

The airport would be within Fort Worth city limits,

but funding & tax revenue would be divided equally between the 2 cities.

By the mid-1930s earthmovers were crawling over the site,

and the cities were in the process of securing a grant from the Works Progress Administration for construction of a terminal building.

This phase of the project came to an abrupt end, however,

when Dallas discovered the terminal would be sited on the west side of the property, a mile closer to Fort Worth.

Dallas withdrew its name from the project in protest, acquired WPA money to build a new terminal at its airport,

and refused to discuss the proposal any further.

With World War II in full swing at that point, any plans to complete the facility were put on hold.

The airport was reportedly called "Midway" at this phase in its timeline,

but it was never labeled as such on any aeronautical charts which have been located.

The airfield was operated during World War 2 by the military as a training field & for test flights,

improving the airfield just enough to accommodate its aircraft.

No airfield was depicted (yet) at this location

on the February 1943 (or earlier) Dallas Sectional Charts (according to Chris Kennedy).

The earliest depiction of the field which has been located

was on the August 1944 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).

It depicted an auxiliary airfield at this spot labeled "Arlington",

which must have caused some confusion with the Arlington Navy airfield which also was in operation during that time frame,

several miles to the southwest.

The "Arlington" auxiliary airfield was depicted in the same fashion

on the March 1945 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).

When the war ended Fort Worth was left with a half-built airport -

the facility consisted of a semi-paved runway, a handful of wooden hangars & no passenger facilities.

Meanwhile, Meacham Field was beginning to show signs of strain.

Although it was convenient to central Fort Worth,

development had hemmed it in on 3 sides & opportunities for expansion were limited.

City officials looked east to Midway Airport for a solution -

and once again extended an offer to Dallas to join them in constructing a regional airport on the Midway site.

Dallas refused.

The 1945 Haire Publishing Company Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy)

listed “Midway Airport” as being located 6.8 miles North-Northeast of Arlington.

It was described as having 4 asphalt runways.

In 1946 Fort Worth hired a firm to prepare an airport plan for the city,

and the following year it decided to develop "Midway" as its major airport,

Feeling bold - and convinced the Civil Aeronautics Board & Federal Aviation Administration would eventually force Dallas to come aboard -

Fort Worth proceeded with construction at Midway.

Fort Worth officials renamed it Greater Fort Worth International Airport.

However, the September 1947 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks)

depicted the field as "Arlington (Aux)", but with the symbol of a commercial or municipal airport.

In 1948 the CAA National Airport Plan recommended that

Greater Fort Worth International Airport be expanded into the major regional airport.

Fort Worth annexed the site & continued to develop the airport with the support of American Airlines,

but Dallas continued its opposition.

The February 1949 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks)

depicted the field as "Arlington", and described it as having a 4,100' hard surface runway.

According to the Dallas Morning News,

at one time the feud became so bitter that Fort Worth Mayor Amon Carter refused to eat in Dallas restaurants,

and when business made it necessary for him to be in Dallas, he carried a sack lunch.

In 1950 the Fort Worth City Council renamed the airport Amon Carter Field.

In 1951-52, bond elections were held, and voters approved a total of $30 million in bonds for aviation improvements at Amon Carter.

Braniff & Delta leased 75 acres at GSW for hangars in 1952

(but ironically never ending up building any facilities on the property).

A 1952 photo looking southeast at Amon Carter Field while under construction (courtesy of Cliff Knight).

A 1952 photo looking northeast at the Amon Carter terminal under construction (courtesy of Cliff Knight).

A circa 1952 photo of the American Airlines hangar while under construction (courtesy of Cliff Knight).

A November 14, 1952 photo by Bill Wood (courtesy of Jeff Switt)

of the Amon Carter terminal & control tower,

taken shortly before the airport's opening.

An aerial view looking northwest at the crowd gathered for Amon Carter Field's dedication ceremony on April 25, 1953.

Several twin-engine Douglas & Martin airliners are visible on the ramps.

When it was opened on April 25, 1953, the new airport was christened Greater Fort Worth International Airport at Amon Carter Field.

The "International" title was a bit of wishful thinking - no scheduled international flights passed through Fort Worth.

Designers laid out the airfield with two 6,500' runways (17/35 & 13/31).

The footprint for a 3^rd intersecting runway, oriented northeast/southwest, was cleared but not initially constructed.

Two large maintenance bases, for American Airlines & Fort Worth-based Central Airlines, were constructed as well.

The terminal was built on the west side of the field,

in the controversial location that had caused Dallas to pull out of the project in 1942.

It was a 4-level structure topped by a control tower, flanked by twin 2-level wings & 2 concourses extending across the apron.

Ticket counters were situated in the southern wing, while baggage reclaim counters were in the north wing.

Between them was the lobby, a massive 2-story space furnished with plush furniture

and decorated with a bas-relief mural plated in 18-karat gold leaf.

The entire facility was designed in a southwestern art deco style,

and the grounds were lavishly landscaped with native Texas plants - live oak trees, yucca shrubs and cactus.

The 10 gates on the north concourse were used exclusively by American Airlines,

which was an ardent supporter of the airport & its largest carrier.

The other 4 airlines used the south concourse.

Passengers walked along the 2^nd level of the concourse until they reached their gate,

where they took a staircase down to a ground-level departure lounge.

All of the scheduled carriers then serving Meacham Field (American, Braniff, Trans-Texas, Pioneer and Central)

transferred their flights to the new airport.

Meacham Field was downgraded to a general aviation facility, although it kept its FTW code.

The new airport was assigned ACF as its designator.

An April 1953 photo of Reeder, Thelin, Jackson, and Sattervashita at Amon Carter Field

(from the C.M. Thelin collection, courtesy of John Bradford).

According to John, “I think Jackson was the architect. Thelin is C.M. Thelin, the Public Works Director of Fort Worth, my grandfather.”

Note the B-36 bomber in the background on the right.

A circa 1953-54 postcard, depicting the beautiful Art Deco interior of the lobby

of the Amon Carter terminal building soon after its opening (courtesy Kristopher Crook).

The postcard's caption read: "The main lobby of the International Airport is colossal in size, being 60' x 180' with a 31' ceiling.

Finished in fine marble from Portugal & furnished in modern western style,

this waiting room offers comfort to thousands of travelers from all nations.

Surrounding entrance to main dining room, the celebrated mural portrays early Texas history culminating in the massive central scene.

The mural, done in bas-relief, is enriched with 18.5-karat gold leaf."

A circa 1953-54 postcard, depicting the dining room of the Amon Carter terminal building soon after its opening.

The postcard's caption read: "This famous bas-relief at Dining Room Entrance was executed by James Buchanan Winn, Jr.,

one of the most famous mural artists in the world.

The right pylon depicts Texas history from the Conquistadors to the surrender of Santa Anna to Sam Houston.

The left pylon depicts pioneer days with covered wagons, cowboys & Indians, pointing up to modern Texas and her industries.

The wand top of the Goddess of Flight is a six-inch star of diamonds & emeralds locating Amon Carter Field.

An acre of 18-karat gold leaf was required to cover the mural."

A circa early-1950s aerial view from a postcard, looking east at the terminal, control tower, and runways

of “Amon Carter Field, Greater Fort Worth International Airport”.

An aerial view looking northwest at Amon Carter Field, taken shortly after its 1953 opening.

For the first 5 years of its existence, the airport did very well.

State Highway 183, a major east-west road linking Dallas & Fort Worth,

was upgraded to 4 lanes, making access from either city quick & easy.

The airport's chief competitor, Dallas' Love Field, was still operating out of a 1940-vintage terminal,

and despite repeated additions it was unable to handle the traffic.

The Fort Worth airport, by comparison, was relatively congestion-free & easy to use.

The September 1954 DFW Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of David Brooks)

depicted Amon Carter Field as having 3 paved runways, with the longest being 6,400'.

According to drag racing historian Bret Kepner,

two different promoters gained permission to hold auto races on the runways of Amon Carter,

under the name Greater Southwest Dragway, from 1954-57.

Pioneer Air Lines merged with Los Angeles-based Continental Airlines in 1955.

Continental assumed all of Pioneer's flights from Amon Carter Field.

According to Chris Balducci, the 1955 movie “Strategic Air Command”

had a scene in which June Allyson was talking to James Stewart in a phone booth,

and “In the background was the old Amon Carter terminal!”

A 1956 aerial view looking south at Amon Carter Field (courtesy of Cliff Knight).

Note the 2 DC-3's in the foreground readying to take off on Runway 17.

If you look at the 2 finger concourses that shoot off the main terminal building,

the one on the south appears to be the only one used as seen by all the black on the tarmac.

The north concourse appears to not have been used at all.

This 1958 picture looking west (courtesy of Cliff Knight) shows both concourses completely full of aircraft.

Notice how much more use the southern concourse appears to have had

even 2 years after the above picture.

In 1958 Love Field opened a multimillion-dollar 'Jet Age' terminal building, then the largest in the nation.

Almost immediately, Amon Carter Field's share of passengers from Dallas vanished.

An undated view of the terminal building & control tower, from a vintage postcard (courtesy of Steve Cruse).

An undated photo of a Braniff Convair 340 in front of the terminal at Amon Carter Field.

Don Mackison recalled, “In the late 1950's...

I boarded a Braniff flight at Love Field, and its first stop was at Amon Carter!

There were passengers carrying bags of groceries - on their way home after a day shopping?”

A late-1950s brochure by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce's Aviation Committee

urged passengers, “When you fly to Fort Worth fly to Fort Worth's Carter Field.”

During the 1950s two attempts were made by Fort Worth

to convert Carter Field into a joint regional airport with Dallas participating as a full partner.

Both efforts were rebuffed by Dallas, and expansion of Love Field continued.

An American Airlines Boeing 707 visited Amon Carter on a promotional flight in 1958.

American began scheduled jet service on the Fort Worth-Los Angeles route on December 20, 1959.

A 1958 aerial view depicted GSW just before Runway 17/35 was lengthened,

and before the hangar was built on the southwest side of the field.

Note the 10 twin-engine Convair or Martin airliners parked on the taxiway leading to the northeast end of the northeast/southwest runway.

Central Airlines built a hangar on the southwest side of GSW in 1959.

While Braniff (the area's dominant carrier) kept only a token presence at Amon Carter,

American maintained a busy schedule at the airport well into the 1960s.

In 1960 Amon Carter Field was purchased by the city of Fort Worth

in an effort to compete more successfully with Love Field.

Amon Carter Airport, as depicted on a 1960 Humble Oil DFW road map.

Two new airlines joined the lineup at Amon Carter in 1961,

following route awards in the Southern Transcontinental Route case.

Delta Air Lines (which had served Dallas for decades) received authority to serve California via Fort Worth,

while Eastern Airlines was granted a Fort Worth-Dallas-New Orleans-Tampa-Miami route.

Passenger numbers at the airport were already starting to slide, as passengers and flights chose Love Field over Amon Carter.

A 1962 photo looking southwest (courtesy of Cliff Knight), depicting the expansion of Runway 17/35 across Route 183.

At the time there are only 2 hangars visible in the picture.

The arched hangar at top right was the American Airlines hangar

and the square hangar at top left was Central Airlines.

By 1962 both Braniff & Delta still had leases on GSW airport property,

but both still had never built any facilities at the airport.

In 1962 the airport underwent its 1^st & only expansion.

Fort Worth officials had abandoned their strategy of competing with Love Field,

and were determined to prove their airport offered unlimited expansion capability.

The airport obtained federal funds & extended both of its runways.

Runway 13/31 was lengthened by almost 2,000',

while Runway 17/35 was extended to the north in an ambitious project that required State Highway 183 to be rerouted through a tunnel.

The terminal building, already underutilized, was left alone - it was operating well under capacity.

In an effort to persuade Dallas to transfer operations from Love Field,

the airport's named was changed to the more neutral Greater Southwest International Airport-Amon Carter Field,

and the three-letter designator became GSW.

By that time, however, Dallas was unveiling a brand-new parallel runway at Love Field, effectively doubling its airport's capacity.

GSW was described in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory

as having 2 concrete runways: 8,400' Runway 13/31 & 6,400' Runway 17/35.

The operator was listed as Allied Fueling Company,

and airline service was provided by American, Central, Continental, Delta, Eastern, and Trans-Texas Airlines.

The 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse)

depicted “Greater Fort Worth International” as having 2 paved runways: 8,460' Runway 13/31 & 6,400' Runway 17/35,

along with a closed northeast/southwest runway.

According to drag racing historian Bret Kepner,

two different promoters once again gained permission to hold auto races on the runways of Greater Southwest,

under the name Greater Southwest Dragway, from 1963-65.

A 1964 diagram of the Greater Southwest International Airport terminal building.

Doug Johnson recalled, “I grew up in Hurst in the 1960s & early 1970s.

I was in the Civil Air Patrol (Apollo Cadet Squadron),

and our office was at GSW in the southeast corner of the main terminal building.

We had our meetings there weekly, sometimes 'camped-out' there & flew in & out of there,

also worked at the yearly Confederate Air Force Airshows that were held there, even got some rides in WWII aircraft there.

We knew a way to safely (and non-destructively) get into the giant B-36 out in front,

and spent many hours playing in it like we were on missions all over the world!”

Though Dallas & Fort Worth were arch-rivals,

FAA Chief Najeeb Halaby vowed his agency would not "put another nickel" into either of the cities' duplicate airports.

In 1964 the Civil Aeronautics Board ordered the 2 cities to come up in less than 180 days

with a voluntary agreement on the location of a new regional airport,

or the federal government would do it for them.

Both cities appointed committees, and by 1965 plans were set for a Dallas-Fort Worth Board.

The site for an airport, originally called Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport, was chosen, just northeast of GSW.

By 1965 the percentage of enplaning passengers from Greater Southwest

had declined to less than 1% of TX air traffic (compared to 6% in 1959),

while Love Field had increased from 40% to 49%.

The result was the virtual abandonment of Greater Southwest International Airport

and serious congestion at Love Field.

A 1967 photo by Bob Garrand of a Central Airlines Douglas DC-3 at Amon Carter Field.

"This DC-3 had been flying 30 years already when seen here with the engines removed

(notice the sand bags on the wing & tail to compensate)."

By 1967 almost every long-haul route out of GSW had been axed,

leaving only a few tag services to Texas cities, along with American's lone daily flight to Los Angeles.

Most flights required a brief stopover at Love Field, defeating the purpose of using GSW altogether.

Hometown carrier Central Airlines was absorbed by Denver-based Frontier Airlines,

which suspended Fort Worth services almost immediately.

Central's GSW hangar & headquarters building were shuttered as well.

Ground was broken for the Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport in 1968

at the intersection of the towns of Euless, Irving, and Grapevine.

In 1968 GSW's airlines petitioned the Civil Aeronautics Board to cease their passenger services at GSW immediately.

With construction finally underway on a new regional airport just north of GSW, the CAB reluctantly granted the request.

By the end of the year, only American was still providing service, and by 1969 they were gone too.

With the scheduled traffic gone, GSW settled into a role as a reliever airport for Love Field,

handling charter flights, commuter/air taxi traffic, and crew training flights.

Flight academies & general aviation companies took up residence in the terminal building,

occupying the former ticketing & baggage claim wings.

GSW's struggling restaurant & gift shop hung on somehow,

catering to the local employees & occasional charter passengers who occasionally passed through.

American Airlines continued to use its hangar on the north side of GSW for maintenance,

even after passenger flights had been withdrawn.

Dan Kinney recalled, “In the 1960s & 1970s we lived in Irving -

I vividly remember how busy the local pattern there was with American Airlines aircraft

particularly the DC-10 which American was hard at work transitioning pilots into that bird.”

Greater Southwest International Airport was still depicted as an active airfield

in the 1970 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Ray Brindle).

According to Earl Wycoff (retired Delta Airlines pilot), "I had the experience of actually working at [GSW]

from about October 1970 to March of 1971.

There was a small flight school which had taken up residence in the far south end of the terminal arc

and we flew about 6 light aircraft.

I know there were several Cessnas & Pipers, but it has been so long ago I can't remember the exact details."

A 1970 aerial view showed that the number of airliners stored on the northeast taxiway had increased to 19,

roughly split between twin-engine & 4-engine airliners.

A 1972 aerial view showed 5 aircraft parked outside of the Central Airlines hangar on the southwest side of GSW.

Wycoff continued, "Brannif, American, and Delta all used the Greater Southwest ILS facilities for training flights

and that in 1972 there was a crash at the airport which revolutionized thinking in the industry

about the importance of wake turbulence.

There were 2 aircraft in the pattern: an American DC-10 & a Delta DC9-30.

The wind was from the northwest, but the ILS was aligned to the southeast,

so they were making approaches to Runway 13 with a 7-10 knot tailwind.

On the final pass, the Delta DC-9 was about 3 miles behind the American DC-10.

As they approached the end of the runway, they encountered the wake turbulence from the DC-10.

The roll component was so strong that the aircraft uncontrollably rolled to about 70 degrees,

struck a wing tip & cartwheeled.

All aboard (instructor & two possibly 3 pilots checking out on a new airplane) were killed.

The resulting investigation resulted in the 'heavy' aircraft designation & the rule of 5 miles in trail behind a 'heavy'.

It truly was a shame that such a grand airport was allowed to languish

largely because of the animosities of Dallas leaders to Amon Carter & the returned feelings."

A 1972 aerial view showed that the number of aircraft stored on the northeast taxiway

had sharply decreased within 2 years to only 3 planes.

All of the 4-engine airliners were gone.

A closeup from the 1972 aerial view showed that all of the airliners were gone from the terminal,

with the somewhat unusual sight of a smattering of general aviation aircraft being the only aircraft around the terminal.

Mike Martin recalled, “My flight engineer checkride in the 727 departed Dallas on a night in December of 1973,

making our touch-and-goes at GSW on Runway 35 before returning to Love Field.”

GSW was permanently closed on January 13, 1974,

when the new Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport opened just to the north.

With DFW's flights now taking off & landing immediately overhead,

the FAA ordered GSW's runways closed as a safety precaution.

The facility sat completely abandoned throughout most of the 1970s,

as officials wrangled over what to do with the site.

A 1974 photo by Tim Burpo of cars which were raced on GSW's abandoned runways.

Tim recalled, “We raced a car there in 1974 just after it closed.

A friend of mine & I used to go out there after school & play around on the abandoned planes,

and we would take the mufflers off his car & blast up & down the runway doing 120 mph,

before they hired security guards to run everybody off.”

A 1975 photo by Brian Lusk of the former American Airlines maintenance hangar at GSW.

Two 1975 photos by Brian Lusk of the abandoned terminal at Amon Carter Field.

Carlos Amador reported his father "was a Pilot for Braniff & later ended his career flying for CP Air.

I remember standing with him at the old Greater Southwest Airport in front of the empty terminal building

and all he said was, 'What a shame.'

Aviation history is dying, there are no great old terminals left."

Kerry Crawford recalled, "I also worked at Greater Southwest Airport for a couple of years after it closed.

There was a 'phantom' of the airport for a while.

He would elude police in the maze of tunnels underneath. They never found him.

Another time in 1978, someone broke into the tower with a rifle & was shooting at cars on the highway.

Didn't get much press back then.

It would have been blasted across the country if it happened now."

The last photo which has been located showing GSW before the runways were removed was a 1979 aerial view.

Steve Harkins recalled, “I attended some SCCA sports car regionals there in 1979,

where I saw the actor Paul Newman working on the crew of one of the cars competing (a Formula Ford, I think).”

Joe Castleman recalled, "My family & I moved to the area in 1979,

at which point there were still several remnants of GSW.

The old American Airlines hangar actually outlived the airport by quite a few years,

as it was converted into AA's Reservations center.”

In 1979 the land was sold to a developer, who renamed the area CentrePoint & began marketing it as an office/industrial park.

The terminal was demolished in 1980.

As depicted on the 1981 topo map,

the GSW airfield ultimately consisted of 3 concrete runways (the largest, 17/35, was 9,300' long),

taxiways, ramps, hangars, and a large semi-circular passenger terminal.

It was a very large facility by any measure.

All of the former GSW runways (except a small portion of one runway) had been removed by 1982.

Joe Castleman recalled, "I think I remember seeing the old [American Airlines] hangar up through 1986 or so.

At the point we moved to the area, we used a rental car agency whose office was adjacent to this old terminal.

After GSW closed, Runway 18/35 quickly became Amon Carter Boulevard,

but it was many years before it was properly re-paved as a street

(AMR's headquarters are now situated along this street).

The old highway tunnel which used to pass under Runway 17/35 was not

demolished until 1989 or 1991 (can't remember exactly, but it was one of

the 2 summers that I was home from college).”

Joe Castleman continued, “I'm not exactly sure when the American Airlines Flight Academy & Learning Center were built,

but one or both preceded the construction of DFW (and AA's relocation there).

I don't know if this was in anticipation of DFW being built,

or if there was simply more room next to GSW as opposed to Love Field or some other urban airport.

Likewise, the nearby FAA complex is older than DFW,

and I assume they picked the site as a midpoint between Meacham & Love Fields.

I also seem to remember that several DC-8s were mothballed there, after AA purchased Trans-Caribbean."

Although millions of taxpayer dollars had been spent to build runways & passenger terminals at GSW,

not a bit of that infrastructure was reused as part of the new DFW airport, or even for any other purpose.

It was all plowed into the ground,

removing any tangible reminder of previous failures to achieve compromises between Dallas & Fort Worth politicians.

Even the elaborate terminal building (with its gold-leaf murals) was not allowed to remain standing.

It was all plowed into the ground,

so that the site could be "reused" (!) as an empty grass field for the next 30 years.

The primary reason for this seemingly needless action was simply to remove any trace from the public's eye

that the facility had ever existed in the first place.

As seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo,

the outlines of the former Runway 13 could still be perceived in the grass areas in the middle-left of the photo.

To gain an appreciation for how the former airport was laid out relative to the site's current configuration,

Cliff Knight overlaid the former airport layout on the a 2000 aerial photo.

A 7/02 aerial photo by Paul Freeman looking west at the site of GSW,

showing the remaining portion of Runway 17 & its adjacent taxiway & runup pad.

A 7/02 photo by Paul Freeman looking north along the only remaining runway segment -

a 1,600' portion of Runway 17.

A 7/02 photo by Paul Freeman looking north along the remaining segment of Runway 17's parallel taxiway.

A 7/02 photo by Paul Freeman of what used to be the northern entrance to Greater Southwest International Airport, now a dead-end.

An uninformed observer would never know that this empty grass field

used to contain the terminal & runways of an international airport.

The line of trees along the right side form an arc -

they used to line the circular entrance road to the airport terminal.

Photo by Paul Freeman 7/02.

Paul Freeman visited the site of Greater Southwest International Airport in 2002.

It is located southeast of the intersection of Route 183 & Route 360.

It is an eerie sight - thousands of commuters drive by on Route 360,

most likely without realizing what used to exist on what is now a totally empty grass field.

Nearly all of the airport infrastructure (runways, terminal building, etc.) has been completely removed.

As of 2002, the majority of the former airport property remains as an empty grass field,

and signs on the property describe plans for a future office development called CentrePort.

Clues to its previous role abound, though.

Two rows of trees form an arc extending from Route 360 -

a comparison with the above 1981 topo map shows that these are the same trees

which used to line the circular entrance road to the airport terminal.

In the area that used to contain the terminal, all previous pavement, foundations, etc., have been removed.

The only tangible remains are a few concrete footings (for lightpoles?)

which remain scattered throughout the grass field.

Strangely enough, the only intact piece of the once-extensive airport is a 1,600' portion of Runway 17

(along with a runup pad & a portion of taxiway),

which still exists extending north from Route 183.

The remainder of the former runway (extending to the south from Route 183)

has been reused as Amon Carter Boulevard.

An eloquent set of observations was sent in by Dallas resident Steve Anderson:

"I grew up near there as the place metamorphosed from airport to training center,

to used aircraft sales lots, to airplane graveyard."

Anderson reminisces about climbing around all of "the derelict aircraft that had been rolled onto a grassy area

off of a taxiway in what was, at the time, the southwest corner of the airport.

They had some good wrecks there, and they sat there for years oxidizing in the sun & humidity,

waiting for the scrap dealer to come, I have no idea why so long.

The best preserved was an old Convair transport, I'm not sure of the model but I think it was like a C-240.

My friend & I could crawl in there & actually sit in the pilot's seats & play with the controls.

Apparently this ship had no hydraulic or electric boost because I could move the pedals,

which were still cabled to the rudder & I could make it move & hear the pulleys spinning under the deck.

It was better than Disneyland for me. I have never forgotten that plane.

I can even remember the way it smelled, and the ashtrays(!) that were built right into what was left of the instrument panel.

Most of the gauges had been removed.

Anyway, I thought it was a hell of a lot better than a treehouse."

Anderson continues, "When I returned to the DFW area it was gone.

It was not merely closed completely,

it was as if God had pulled out almost every artifact & buried it in a landfill somewhere. I was aghast.

I sure do wish that the marble, the murals, and the old bank-style art-deco ticket counters

inside that terminal building could have been saved somehow.

For years a person could walk through that building & admire the grand things there

as well as visit the handful of struggling businesses,

including a bar & a diner, that were still hanging on somehow.

It was truly as if they built this beautiful airport & nobody ever came,

and for a long while it was kept up real nice, as if somebody was sure that people would be coming back,

planes would land here again,

and those polished marble & brass-fitted ticket cages would once again

be occupied by clerks selling tickets & checking bags."

Anderson continues, "The thing that disturbs me the most about it,

besides the wastefulness of it all & the apparent 'who cares' attitude of the average person,

is the fact that there is absolutely NOTHING there to commemorate the place.

No plaque, no signage, no Texas Historical marker, nada.

That is incredible, and unacceptable.

When I retire one of the things on my to-do list will be to find out what it takes to get the state to erect a plaque on a site.

Whenever I drive by there I can almost hear the radial engines roaring

and I recall what it was like to be served a meal (in coach!) on real china with silverware...."

Well said, Steve!

A December 2003 aerial view looking southwest at the remaining section of GSW's Runway 17,

with the former terminal area in the background.

Note the “@” symbol which is kept mowed in the grass (for what reason?) just beyond the highway.

Ken Holmes reported in 2005 that “the [American Airlines] flight academy is designated as GSW.

When pilots go to the flight academy for their training, the payroll & travel data lists them at GSW.

I often wonder how many people know it stands for a defunct airport.”

As seen in a 2006 aerial photo,

the outlines of the former Runway 13 could still be perceived in the grass areas in the middle-left of the photo,

and the northern end of Runway 17 also still remains intact.

David Jefferson reported in 2006, “I have some bad news about Amon Carter / Greater Southwest International.

I sit on a city board that reviews development plans

and a proposal has just come in that will do away with the open grass area

and tree line that marks the location of the old terminal building driveway.

I suspect that fairly soon the last vestiges of the airfield will be gone

(except for the small remaining piece of the runway extension that was left on the north side of Highway 183).

I now live about 10 minutes from the site & wish I could put it all back, but time marches on.”

A circa 2006 aerial view looking east at the only building from Greater Southwest International Airport which remains standing -

the former pumphouse, located just south of the former terminal building.

The top of the underground fuel tanks is visible to its right.

Nearby resident Philip Putnam observed, “I had no idea that an airport of such consequence had sat there.

I'm one of those who drives by that site all the time, with zero clue of what had been there.

I'm stunned that the mural wasn't removed, or that the terminal building wasn't preserved by the developer.

In an area where aviation is such an integral part of our history & growth,

an old art deco terminal like that would be incredible as a museum... or even office space.

Why demolish it? I don't get it. It's not like anyone's been clamoring to build at CentrePort.”

Thanks to Douglas Wright for pointing out this airfield.