Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Texas, Southeastern Fort Worth Area
© 2002, © 2009 by Paul Freeman. Revised 5/7/09.
Midwest Airport (added 5/7/09) - Oak Grove Airport (revised 5/17/08) - Pylon Field (revised 5/17/08) - Sky Ranch Field / Lucas Field (revised 11/13/08)
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32.71 North / 97.25 West (Southeast of Fort Worth, TX)
A circa 1940s photo of 7 taildraggers at Midwest Airport (courtesy of Gary Bradfield).
The date of establishment of this small general aviation airfield has not been determined.
The earliest reference to Midwest Airport came from Tom Williams,
who recalled, “I took my first airplane ride at this Airport on January 3, 1946. I was 14 days old.
C. O. Williams [Midwest's Chief Flight Instructor] was my Dad.”
The earliest depiction which has been located of Midwest Airport were 2 circa-1940s photos,
showing several taildraggers next to a hangar.
A circa 1940s photo of a hangar at Midwest Airport (courtesy of Gary Bradfield).
A circa 1940s map of the location & layout of Midwest Airport (courtesy of Tom Williams),
which depicted Midwest Airport as having 3 runways, oriented north/south, east/west, and southeast/northwest,
with several buildings on the northwest corner of the field.
The 1948 USAF Target Complex Chart (courtesy of David Brooks)
depicted “Midwest Airfield” as having 3 runways & several taxiways.
According to Tom Williams, Midwest Airport's Chief Flight Instructor C.O. Williams “moved to the TCU Airport [in] 1951.”
The 1954 USGS topo map depicted Midwest Airport.
Ganey Bradfield recalled, “Midwest Airport... I flew from it several times (I got checked out in the Civil Air Patrol's L-5) in the mid-1950s.”
Maurice Lambert recalled of Midwest Airport, “I flew in & out of there when I was a Civil Air Patrol Cadet in the 1950s.”
Ron Wortham recalled, “I was a kid of 12 in 1955 & I had a buddy who lived on Strong Street near what is now Berry Street in Poly.
We were just 3 blocks from a little airfield at what is now the intersection of Berry & Miller.
The airport featured an wind sock, a triangular wind direction indicator, a field shack
and old, junked AT-6 trainer that Barry & I used to go play in.”
Ron continued, “Finally one day a fellow named Hap (Foster, I believe) came out & chased us off.
He was nice about it but said the plane would be repaired.
This must have been near the end of the life of the airport - soon the AT-6 was gone.
Years later, Hap was one of my instructors at Russell Field.”
Gene Edwards recalled of Midwest Airport, “Lloyd Durham, James Rossing and I used to go there
and man the WWII salvage aircraft frames & pretend to be ace pilots.
I learned to emulate the sound of a machine gun & downed many an enemy aircraft.”
The last depiction which has been located of Midwest Airport was on the 1955 USGS topo map.
It depicted Midwest Airport as a rectangular open area without any specific runways,
with several small buildings along the northwest corner.
Midwest Airport was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1955-63,
as the 1963 USGS topo map showed residential streets filling in the former airport property,
even though the map inexplicably continued to label the site as “Midwest Airport”.
As seen in an October 26, 2007 aerial view, the site of Midwest Airport has been covered by houses,
with not a trace remaining of the little airport.
The site of Midwest Airport is located southeast of the intersection of East Berry Street & South Edgewood Terrace.
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32.7 North / 97.14 West (Southeast of Fort Worth, TX)
"Sky Ranch", as depicted on the March 1947 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This general aviation airfield was evidently established at some point between 1944-48,
as it was not listed among active airfields in the April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer).
The earliest depiction of an airfield at this site which has been located
was on the March 1947 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted "Sky Ranch" as a municipal or commercial airfield.
At some point within the next year, the field was apparently renamed "Lucas Airfield",
as that is how it was labeled on the 1948 USAF Target Complex Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).
It depicted the field as having an L-shaped outline,
but it did not depict any runways or buildings.
Lucas Field was depicted on the September 1957 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
as having a 2,500' unpaved runway.
The 1959 USGS topo map depicted the Lucas Airport as having 3 unpaved runways.
Joel Russell recalled, “Pops' [Burnham's] shop was located west down Arkansas Lane
about a quarter mile or so from Lucas.
It was a magical place for a kid growing up,
with all kinds of planes in various stages of repair
and a bone yard out back that sheep kept mowed down.
The shop itself was a large metal Quonset hut & later a smaller concrete block building was off to the side.
He would rebuild all sorts of planes, then tow them to Lucas down Arkansas Lane
with the tail wheel tied over the tailgate of his turquoise Chevy Camino pick-up.”
The 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse)
depicted Lucas Field as having 3 turf runways, with the longest being the 2,125' Runway 17/35.
Six hangars & an office were located along the northern edge of the field.
The manager of the field was listed as C.W. Burnum,
and the operator was listed as the Burnum Aviation Company, Inc.
Lucas Field was depicted on the 1965 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
as having a 2,100' unpaved runway.
Lucas Field was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1965-67.
as it was no longer depicted in the 1967 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Brad Stanford).
David recalled, “Back in the late 1960's / early 1970's, as a child I played soccer in the Arlington Soccer Association.
All our games were played at 'Lucas Field', as were all league games for several years,
until the league grew too large and we needed new fields.
I can remember as a child that there was an old crashed airplane in a pond still there at Lucas,
and one building remained, which became a concession stand.”
Joel Russell recalled, “The wrecked plane at Lucas in the pond was an experimental 'Twin Luscombe'
that he [Pops Burnham] designed & built.
I don’t remember when, but what I do remember was that someone else flew it
and was involved in a ground loop accident & was written off. Pop never spoke of it.”
A 1970 aerial view still depicted several abandoned hangars on the northwest side of Lucas Field.
The airfield area was still intact, but no runways were discernible.
Lucas Airfield was still depicted on the 1979 AAA DFW road map,
but it had most likely been closed for several years by that point.
The location of Lucas Field, superimposed by David Brooks over the 1995 USGS aerial photo.
The site of Lucas Field has been covered by residential development,
and not a trace of the airfield appeared to remain.
The site of Lucas Field is located southeast of the intersection of South Bowen Road & Arkansas Lane.
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Oak Grove Airport (F72), Oak Grove, TX
32.58 North / 97.3 West (South of Fort Worth, TX)
An entry from the 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
Oak Grove Airport was built & operated by aviation pioneer Maurice Hunter "Pappy" Spinks.
He was a renowned aerobatic competitor & aviation manufacturer.
The devoted airman even lived in a house on the Oak Grove Airport property.
Spinks was a patron of the Aerobatic Club of America.
He was described by fellow aerobatic pilots as a "rough edged old millionaire",
who had made a fortune during the Vietnam War as a vendor for nearby Bell Helicopter,
by manufacturing the skids for their Huey helicopters.
The precise date of construction of Oak Grove is unknown.
It was apparently opened between 1962-63,
as it was not yet depicted at all on the 1955 USGS topo map,
nor listed among active airfields in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory.
The earliest depiction of Oak Grove Airport which has been located
was in the 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
It depicted the field as consisting of a single 2,000' turf Runway 17/35.
The operator was listed as Oak Grove Flying School.
Two hangars & an office were shown west of the runway,
along with several large buildings along the north side labeled "Commercial Buildings (ALSCO Inc.)".
These were presumably the manufacturing facilities which produced the Huey helicopter skids.
Al Pugsley recalled, “I flew out of Oak Grove & was the chief instructor there for Pappy Spinks before I left in 1963.”
Ken Morris Jr. recalled, “I soloed off of Oak Grove Field on January 1, 1963 in one of Pappy Spinks' Piper J-3s.”
Note Oak Grove's dirt runway.
Photo by Ken Morris Sr. (courtesy of Ken Morris Jr.).
Oak Grove gained a paved runway at some point between 1963-68,
as the 1968 USGS topo map depicted the field as having a single north/south paved runway, along with a parallel taxiway,
and a much larger number of hangars than was depicted on the 1963 diagram.
The earliest photo which has been located showing all of Oak Grove Airport was a 1970 aerial view.
It depicted the field with its new paved runway,
and an amazing number of hangars.
The 1970 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Ray Brindle)
depicted Oak Grove as having a 3,050' asphalt Runway 17/35.
By the time of the 1978 DFW Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ray Brindle),
the runway had been lengthened to 3,500'.
Forth Worth area private pilot Rich Wolf reported that
"Oak Grove faded away after Pappy Spinks died."
Unfortunately, the fate of this airport was sealed by local politics in the late 1970s.
In an unusual geographic arrangement,
there came to be a total of 3 general aviation airports clustered in close proximity,
as Sycamore Strip & Luck Field were situated within 5 miles to the northwest of Oak Grove.
As nearby Fort Worth grew rapidly in the 1970s,
local government leaders decided that expanded general aviation facilities were needed.
Given that they had 3 small airports to pick from,
did they do the logical thing, by picking one of them to be expanded?
No, they didn't.
In another classic case of TX government waste
(ironically very reminiscent of what happened at nearby Greater Southwest International Airport),
they decided to ignore Sycamore Strip & Luck Field,
and close Oak Grove Airport & replace it with a newly-built field right next door, Spinks Airport.
After all, why reuse & expand the existing infrastructure,
when far more "pork barrel" work can be expended at taxpayer expense
by building something right next door from scratch!
The property adjacent to Oak Grove to the west was chosen as the site for the new airport in 1981.
In the diagram of Oak Grove in the 1985 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse),
hangars had sprouted up all over the west side of the field, totaling over 25 hangars.
The manager was listed as C.E. Selecman.
The southwest portion of the airfield diagram included the note, "Multiple helipads in this area",
which presumably were used by Bell Hueys in conjunction with the skid manufacturing operations on the field.
Spinks Airport was constructed adjacent to Oak Grove to the west in 1988.
At least the history of the site was acknowledged by naming the new airport after "Pappy" Spinks.
A circa late 1988 - early 1989 photo by Brian Goad of his father's L-4,
in front of the larger hangar directly north of the radar dome.
According to Brian, “This hangar is where the bar & grill scenes of the movie 'Pancho Barnes' were filmed.”
Ken Morris recalled, “Saturday May 27, 1989 at the crack of dawn,
we took off in our Bonanza from Oak Grove Airport for a 3-day get-away.
Sunday 28, a ceremony was held closing Oak Grove & activating Spinks Airport.
Monday May 29, we returned landing at the new Spinks Airport.”
Brian Goad recalled, “There was activity on part of the old side at least until about mid 1989, not the runway, though.
I know because I was in the Civil Air Patrol & one of their planes was based there, and we used the new runway at Spinks.
We also used the old terminal for operations during training missions.”
Aerial photo circa 2000.
An 8/02 aerial view by Paul Freeman looking southeast at the former Oak Grove Airport.
Thanks to Charlie McClure for the flight.
Paul Freeman visited the site of Oak Grove Airport in 2002, and flew over it as well.
What a waste.
Many municipalities would count themselves lucky to have such an airport,
with a 3,500' concrete runway & a large number of hangars.
Yet this airport sits abandoned, wasting away.
An elegant 2-story building, of relatively-modern construction (apparently the former airport terminal)
sits behind a barbed wire fence, with vines obscuring almost the entire front wall.
What was apparently the home of Pappy Spinks also still stands.
The former manufacturing buildings of ALSCO (where the Bell Huey skids were built)
still stand at the north side of the airport property,
and are being reused by some business.
The concrete runway still exists, in very good condition.
Portions of the runway are used to store trailer homes.
Some of the hangars on the southwestern portion of the airfield are still used by aircraft operating from Spinks Airport
(a taxiway connects them to the Spinks runway).
But the majority of the hangars & other aviation infrastructure at Oak Grove Airport
are separated from Spinks by a high fence.
It is almost as if the local politicians didn't want to be reminded
that all of that aviation infrastructure was already there.
Very strange.
An 8/02 photo by Paul Freeman looking north along Oak Grove's closed Runway 35.
An 8/02 photo by Paul Freeman of what was apparently the former on-airfield home of Oak Grove Airport's founder, "Pappy" Spinks,
with the wind tetrahedron still standing in front.
An 8/02 photo by Paul Freeman of the elegant former terminal buildings at Oak Grove Airport, now fenced off & overgrown.
An 8/02 photo by Paul Freeman of the former manufacturing buildings of ALSCO Inc.,
where Huey helicopter skids were built, at the north end of Oak Grove Airport.
A circa 2002-2005 aerial photo looking west at the former terminal buildings at Oak Grove Airport,
with the former runway in the foreground, covered by trailers.
Oak Grove Airport is located south of East Rendon Crowley Road, a half mile east of Interstate 35.
See also: http://www.ftwtexas.com/spinks/spinks1.htm
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32.69 North / 97.18 West (Southeast of Fort Worth, TX)
Pylon Field, as depicted in the 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
According to Troy Whistman, “The airfield was built in 1960.
Sid Fisher, and another instructor, Tom Russell, were instructing at nearby Lucas Field.
They got to talking about building their own field to instruct out of, found the property, and went in as partners.”
Joel Russell recalled of Pylon Field, “I was pretty well raised at the airport the first 7 years of my life.
By the age of 3, Mom said I could walk up and down the row of hangars
and tell you what kind, and who the each plane belonged to.
My Dad [Tom Russell] was partners with Sid Fisher, so access was unlimited.
There was always someone there that I could hitch a ride with to go around the patch.
Dad & Sid had thought of buying out 'Pop' Burnham & Lucas Field
but for reasons unknown to me at this time, that didn’t happen.
I do have a letter sent by Burnham Aviation with a list of all properties & price.”
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Pylon Field as having a single 1,800' turf Runway 17/35.
According to Troy Whistman, “Tom sold his interest in 1962 & went on to crop dusting.
He based a clipped-wing Piper on the field at Pylon,
and died there, when an aerobatic routine went wrong & he crashed right in the middle of the runway.”
The 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse) depicted Pylon Field as having a single long t-hangar east of the runway,
and an office on the northeast side, along West Mayfield Drive.
The manager was listed as Sid Fisher.
Pylon Field, as depicted on a 1965 Enco Oil DFW road map.
Pylon field was described in basically the same manner on the 1965 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
Joel Russell recalled, “My Dad [Tom Russell] bought a J-3 in Clyde TX to use as a duster for a year or two,
then rebuilt it in our garage in the Poly area of Ft. Worth as a Clip-Wing Cub.
I remember that it was taken to Pops for final assembly and FAA certification
then towed to Lucas for the first flight it made to Pylon.
At that time it was silver with with a red lightning bolt on the side.
Dad had drawings that he had made similar to Charlie Hillard's cub with a red, white and blue sunburst.
That paint never got applied.
On December 20, 1965 he picked me up from school to go to the airport to do some flying.
He was going to practice on his aerobatics, and return to take me up afterwards.
After a pass or two, coming from the south end of the field he began to execute a perfect slow roll
in front of myself, Brady 'Old Man' York and Marvin Dotson.
As he reached the center of the field inverted, and about 50’ above ground level
the carbureted engine sputtered & the plane began to drop like a rock.
I believe he tried to snap roll to the left, but the plane impacted on the nose & right wing.
I remember the sound… like someone dropping a dumpster in a parking lot.
The plane came to rest in show center standing on the nose, facing south.
He was killed on impact.
It was sometime before I was able to return to the airport.”
A 1970 aerial view depicted Pylon Field as having a single grass north/south runway,
with several long hangars & a dozen single-engine aircraft on the east side of the field.
The runway at Pylon Field had been paved by the time of the 1970 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Ray Brindle).
It depicted a 1,764' asphalt Runway 17/35,
along with a paved taxiway east of the runway led to 2 rows of t-hangars.
An early 1970s aerial view looking southeast at Pylon Field (courtesy of Sid Fisher, via Troy Whistman),
“before the big hangar was built. You can see the poured pad for the new hangar in the bottom of the picture, to the left of the runway.”
Charles Mitchell recalled, “I took my flight training at Arlington Municipal Airport
at Southwest Executive Air Flight School during the early 1970s.
At about 20 hours into my flight training my instructor, Joe Waddell,
told me we were going to fly over to Pylon for some short-field landings.
Me, being a naive youth of 25 years, wide-eyed & innocent, full of bravado, did not know what I was in for.
In my naivete, I had become used to the full length of Arlington Municipal
and having the luxury (whilst on final approach) of taking all morning to decide
which part of the runway I wanted to touch down on when landing.”
Charles continued, “As we crossed over Pylon my instructor pointed to the runway.
All I saw was a gray smudge running north to south with a very long awning along the east side.
I looked at my instructor as he gazed serenely back as if to say, 'Yes... you... and yes... that is an airport!'”
Charles continued, “I think I must have aged 5 years as I turned from base leg to final.
As I neared the north end of the runway I noticed that there were power lines adjacent to the north end of the runway.
The electrical company had been gracious enough to bury the power lines
so as to clear the north end of the touch-down area.
On that first approach I formed the opinion that the power company was either cheap or lazy
as I would have sworn on all the Bibles in Texas that there was no more than the thickness of a postage stamps clearance
between the power poles & the wing tips of that venerable old Cessna 150.”
Charles continued, “After the 3rd approach (sweating profusely, gray hair sprouting at my temples),
with the sage advice of my instructor ('more power... back on the yoke a little bit... ease off the power...
GETCHA FOOT OFF THAT RUDDER!!!', etc.)
I was able to mimic at what would pass for a landing.”
Charles continued, “Just before my landing, I spotted Sid Fisher standing in the door of the 'shack'.
After offering up thanks to The Almighty, Bhudda, Wakan-Tanka, and whatever deity happened to be listening at the moment
we taxied down the sod next to the runway & shut down by the shack.
Mr. Fisher chuckled & offered the opinion that he thought he was going to have to shoot a wing off to get me on the ground at Pylon.
He clapped me on the shoulder and told me that 'every landing at Pylon is a short field, spot landing'
and finished by telling me I did fairly good for a student pilot.”
Charles continued, “From that point, as I progressed in my training,
I considered Pylon Airport a personal challenge and a way to refine my skills at short field & spot landing.
I spent several of my solo hours landing at that airport.”
Pylon Field was still depicted on the 1973 USGS topo map.
According to Troy Whistman, “The school district purchased the property in 1973 & gave them 2 years of usage.
Sid says that the last person to solo at the field was Roger Dellinger.
The last flight out was in the spring of 1975.”
Pylon Field was no longer depicted at all (not even as an abandoned airfield)
on the 1978 DFW Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ray Brindle).
The site of the former Pylon Field circa 2000, showing the remains of the runway.
A 8/02 photo by Paul Freeman looking south along the remains of the runway at Pylon Field,
still perceptible on the grounds of Marshall High School, which was built along the southern edge of the former airfield.
An uninformed observer would never guess that this was once the site of an airfield.
However, the entire 1,800' length of the former runway still exists,
now surrounded on either side by the school's athletic fields.
A circa 2002-2005 aerial view looking south at the remains of the runway at Pylon Field.
The site of Pylon Field is located southeast of the intersection of West Mayfield Road & French Wood Drive.
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