Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Southern Texas
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 5/23/08.
Edinburg Municipal (revised 9/24/05) - Harlingen Municipal / Harvey Richards Field (revised 4/11/07) - Mauldin Airport (revised 5/23/08)
Mission Aux AAF #2 (revised 11/29/04) - Rio Grande Aux AAF #3 - San Benito Municipal (revised 4/12/07)
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Mauldin Airport, Brownsville, TX
25.97 North / 97.52 West (Southwest of Corpus Christi, TX)
Mauldin Airport, as depicted on a 1943 Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
According to the book "70 Years of Airport History in Brownsville" (courtesy of Steve Cruse),
Les Mauldin was an early manager of the Brownsville Municipal Airport.
By the 1940s, Mauldin was operating his own airport, north of the town.
The date of construction of Mauldin Airport has not been determined.
It was apparently built at some point between 1937-42,
as it was not listed among active airfields in the Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
According to Steve Cruse, his uncle soloed at Mauldin Airport in 1942.
The earliest depiction of Mauldin Airport which has been located
was on a 1943 Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
which depicted it as a commercial airport.
The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described Mauldin Airport as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.
According to the book "The First 70 Years - A History of Higher Education in Brownsville" (courtesy of Steve Cruse),
In the early 1940s, a civilian pilot training course was offered by Brownsville Junior College,
with the flying conducted at Mauldin Airport.
In 1941, night classes were offered to train young men in preparation for entering the Army Air Corps.
The 1947 Brownsville Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Steve Cruse)
depicted Mauldin as a commercial airport, having a 3,500' unpaved runway.
A circa 1960-61 aerial view by Tom Kramer looking west at Mauldin's hangars,
with a biplane & a low-wing monoplane parked outside.
A circa 1960-61 photo by Tom Kramer of planes at Mauldin Airport.
A circa 1960-61 photo by Tom Kramer “of a Lockheed Vega that Les Mauldin & some of the boys from Harlingen AFB
restored just in time for an air show at the Air Base.
Unfortunately the Vega crashed & burned minutes after takeoff.
No one was injured because Les Mauldin was at the controls.”
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Mauldin Airport
as having three sod runways, with the longest being the 3,850' Runway 4/22.
The operator was listed as Maulidn Aircraft Inc.
The 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse)
depicted the field as having three turf runways, with the longest being the 2,800' Runway 2/20.
A house & two hangars were depicted at the northeast corner of the field.
The operator was listed as Mauldin Aircraft Inc., with the manager being L. W. Mauldin.
The 1967 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Brad Stanford)
showed that two new turf runways had been added:
a 2,900 Runway 13/31 & a 1,800' x 500' Runway 15/33.
The manager was still listed as L.W. Mauldin.
Mauldin Airport, as depicted on the July 1969 Brownsville Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Les Mauldin died in 1978, after having been a pilot for 61 years.
At the time of his death he was still active in buying & selling aircraft parts & supplies.
The date of closure of Mauldin Airport has not been determined.
It may have been closed immediately after the death of Les Mauldin.
It was definitely closed at some point prior to 1982,
as it was not listed in the 1982 Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury).
The 1995 USGS topo map no longer depicted any airfield at the site,
but the name of the field does live on,
as a survey marker named "Mauldin" was still depicted at the site of the former airport.
As seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo,
the site of the former airport still exists as a cleared area, but no trace of any individual runways was still apparent.
A single hangar remained at the northeast corner of the former airport property
(the same hangar depicted depicted on the 1963 & 1967 airfield diagrams).
A circa 2006 aerial view looking north at a former hangar which remained at the northeast corner of the former airport property,
labeled “Rivera Tile Inc.”.
A large “Academy Sports & Outdoors” store had been constructed over the southeast corner of the property at some point between 1995-2006.
Unfortunately, Todd Bohling reported in 2007 that the last vestige of the former Mauldin Airport is now gone:
“The hangar has been torn down; it is to be the site of a new Kohls Department store or a Conn's electronics store.
The whole former airport is now several stores - Home Depot, Academy Sports & several small strip malls & fast-food places.”
The site of Mauldin Airport is located northwest of the intersection of Highway 77 & McAllen Road.
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San Benito Municipal Airport (T66), San Benito, TX
26.13 North / 97.61 West (Southwest of Houston, TX)
A postmark commemorating the dedication of the San Benito Airport in 1930 (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
A wealth of information & photographs of this small former airport
were provided by Steve Cruse, of Cruse Aviation Parts, Inc..
Over the years the San Benito Airport progressed through municipal purchase of the land,
installation of equipment by the CAA, lease to the CAP,
lease to the US Navy, and finally lease to the San Benito Flying Service.
As commemorated by the above postmark, the San Benito Airport was dedicated in 1930.
The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described San Benito as Site 2 along the Brownsville - Houston airway,
one of the Department of Commerce's network of Intermediate Fields.
The field was said to have two sod runways in an "L" shape: 2,640' northwest/southeast & 1,930 northeast/southwest.
The San Benito Airport was leased to the Civil Air Patrol by the city of San Benito in 1942,
and the CAP's Lower Coastal Unit was moved from Brownsville to San Benito.
The administration building was moved by the CAP from Brownsville to San Benito.
During the two years of service at San Benito,
Unit 12 of the CAP patrolled the coast continuously
and was cited as playing a big part in assisting the Navy in eliminating the U-boat threat in the Gulf waters.
San Benito Airport, as depicted on a 1943 Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
In 1943, after the CAP unit was moved, the Navy leased the airport,
and began coastal patrols from San Benito using a blimp manned by Navy personnel.
A concrete blimp mooring circle was built on the southwest corner of the field, just northeast of the hangars.
When the U-boats were driven from the Gulf, the Navy canceled its lease at the end of 1944.
When the CAP canceled its lease in 1944, the city bought the administration building & erected the hangar.
Steve Cruse's father & uncle operated Cruse Aviation, the FBO at San Benito starting in late 1944.
A 1945 photo of King & Sylvia Cruse in front of a Piper at San Benito (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
In 1945, the Harlingen Valley Morning Star described the field has as having 120 acres of smooth ground,
fenced & with boundary lights installed & operated by the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
A tall steel tower with automatic flashing beacon in the northwest corner of the field was also installed
and was operated by the CAA, which had $50,000 invested in the field facilities at the time.
There was an administration building housing offices of the San Benito Flying Service,
two flight training classrooms, two rooms for use of the local pilots club,
and two rooms used by the Department of Agriculture pink bollworm dusting experiments.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, a unit of the Coastal Air Patrol (a branch of the Civilian Air Patrol)
was formed at San Benito of civilian pilots overage or physically unqualified for Army or Navy air service.
This organization built a splendid record of service patrolling the coastal waters in the fight against U-boats.
Ganey Bradfield recalled, “On December 31, 1945 (my 17th birthday),
I took my check ride for my Private Pilot's Certificate with 'King' Cruse at San Benito.
I passed & was the youngest Private Pilot in TX for a short time.”
A circa 1946 photo (courtesy of Steve Cruse) of the San Benito administration building (with observation tower),
which had been relocated by the CAP from Brownsville to San Benito in 1942.
A circa 1946 photo (courtesy of Steve Cruse) looking south at San Benito during an airshow / fly-in.
A PT-19 of the San Benito Flying Service, 1946. Photo courtesy of Steve Cruse.
A 1946 photo of Piper Cubs being assembled at San Benito (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
A 1946 photo of Pipers in front of the hangars at San Benito (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
A 1946 photo of a Fly-In at San Benito (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
Immediately after the end of WW2,
San Benito Airport became a busy transshipment point for the delivery of general aviation aircraft to Latin America.
An assembly line was set up for the reassembly of Piper Aircraft,
which were shipped from the Piper factory to San Benito stacked six per railroad box car.
A total of 107 aircraft were delivered through San Benito in 1946.
A report by the local Chamber of Commerce covering the year 1946
said that a 140' x 60' hangar had been built at the airport.
The report also made the claim that
"more light planes are flown in the Lower Rio Grande Valley than in any other part of the USA."
A circa 1940s photo (courtesy of Steve Cruse) showing the 'new' hangar at San Benito,
either during construction or shortly after its completion.
Compare the hangar photo with the 2002 photo of the same hangar (several paragraphs below).
A circa 1946-48 photo of a Culver Cadet (NC37826) on the ramp at San Benito,
with a Stearman (NR44880) in the background (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
A 1947 promotional shot of the "Queen Citriana" in front of a Cessna at San Benito (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
An advertisement from the 8/23/49 issue of the All Valley Evening News (courtesy of Steve Cruse)
showing a Cessna 195 of Cruse Aviation outfitted as an air ambulance).
A November 1950 photo (courtesy of Steve Cruse) of a very unusual crop-duster conversion of a Piper J-3 Cub at San Benito.
Note the cropped-down rear fuselage.
Steve noted, “I wonder what useful load was?”
A 1952 aerial view of the hangars at San Benito (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
Note the WW2-era blimp mooring circle at bottom-left.
The hangar in the lower right corner is the only building remaining in the 1996 photo below.
In 1952, Cruse Aviation purchased six new Cessnas for use in a contract
for flying USDA inspectors along the Mexican border.
A picture of runway construction appeared in the July 7, 1952 issue of the All Valley Evening News (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
The caption read: “Preparing a new runway at San Benito Municipal Airport
requires the work of heavy earth-moving machinery.
The new strip runs southeast to northwest, in the path of the prevailing gulf wind.
It is part of San Benito's bid to become a major air terminal for private & executive-type aircraft.”
The August 1954 Corpus Chrisi Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted San Benito as having a 2,500' unpaved runway.
Cruse Aviation eventually relocated from San Benito to Houston Hobby Airport.
As listed in the 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse),
San Benito Airport consisted of three turf runways (the largest, 12/30, was 2,640' long),
with two hangars on the southwest corner,
and the operators were listed as Sun Valley Air Service, Sun Valley dusting and Ken Medders Aircraft Sales.
By the time of the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury),
Runway 12/30 had been paved & lengthened to 3,200',
Runway 18/36 was also paved, and Runway 3/21 had been abandoned.
The operator was Young Flying Service.
In the 1985 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse),
the airport operator was listed as B/S Aviation.
As seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo,
the only remaining active runway was 12/30,
which had been lengthened to 3,500'.
Note the WW2-era blimp mooring circle still evident in the southwest corner.
San Benito Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1995-2002,
as it was depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2002 aeronautical charts.
A series of photos of how the former San Benito Airport appeared in 2002 (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
Note the windsock still on the hangar (middle photo),
and the remains of the blimp mooring circle (lower photo).
Compare the hangar photo with the 1940s photo of the same hangar (several paragraphs above).
Steve Cruse drove by the former San Benito Airport in 2002,
and reported that "There is a truck driving school there now.
The 1946 hangar is still there - it looks pretty raggedy.
The rotating beacon is still there - it must have been well built."
A circa 2006 aerial view looking east at the 1940s hangar & the WW2-era concrete blimp mooring circle at San Benito.
A circa 2006 aerial view looking south at a later-vintage hangar & the rotating beacon light tower at San Benito.
Steve Cruse observed, “The rotating beacon is still standing in 2006.”
See also: Harlingen Valley Morning Star, 9/23/45.
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Harlingen Municipal Airport / Harvey Richards Field, Primera, TX
26.2 North / 97.76 West (Southwest of Houston, TX)
“Harlingen (New)”, as depicted on the August 1954 Corpus Christi Airport (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
A new municipal airport for the town of Harlingen was opened in 1953, to the northwest of the town.
The earliest dated depiction of Harvey Richards Field which has been located
was on the August 1954 Corpus Christi Airport (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted “Harlingen (New)” as having a 3,600' hard-surface runway.
An undated (circa 1950s?) postcard view of a Trans Texas Airways Convair 240 at in front of the terminal building
at “Harlingen Municipal Airport” (courtesy of John Havey).
As it appeared in the 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse),
the airfield consisted of two paved runways (the primary Runway 19/35, was 4,900', asphalt),
a third turf runway, taxiways, an apron, several hangars & a terminal building.
The operators were listed as Elliot Dusting Service, Elliot Aviation Company,
Valley Flying Service, and Young Flying Service.
After the much larger Harlingen AFB was closed in 1962 & became available for civil use,
Harvey Richards Field was closed “around 1966”, according to nearby resident John Havey.
The Harvey Richards Field property was eventually redeveloped into the Palm Valley golf course.
It was apparently redeveloped prior to 1980,
as the 1980 USGS topo map depicts the site as a golf course, not an airfield.
As seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo, not a trace appears to remain of the former airfield.
The site of Harlingen Municipal Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Wilson Road & Stuart Place Road,
4 miles west of Harlingen.
Thanks to Steve Cruse for information about Harvey Richards Field.
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Rio Grande Auxiliary Army Airfield #3, Sullivan City, TX
26.35 North / 98.56 West (Southwest of Corpus Christi, TX)
"Moore #3 (Army)", as depicted on the 1947 Brownsville Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Steve Cruse).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This airfield was one of three satellite fields used during WW2 by Moore AAF,
which conducted basic & advanced single engine pilot training.
The date of construction of the airfield is unknown.
The earliest depiction the field which has been located
is on the 1947 Brownsville Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Steve Cruse),
which depicted "Moore #3 (Army)" as an active military airfield.
It was evidently reused for some period of time as a civilian airport,
as "Moore #3" was depicted on the 1949 Corpus Christi Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),
without having any indication of military status.
Moore #3 was apparently abandoned at some point between 1949-78.
The airfield was not depicted at all on the 1978 USGS topo map.
USGS topo map 1980.
Although unlabeled, the outlines of no less than six 3,000' runways & numerous taxiways
were clearly still depicted on the 1980 USGS topo map.
For an auxiliary airfield, Rio Grande Aux #3 was unusually extensive, with six runways.
The airfield was not depicted at all on the 1988 USGS topo map.
In the 1995 USGS aerial photo, the former runways had been removed,
with all of the area of the former airfield having reverted to farmland.
But the faint traces of the numerous runways & taxiways are still clearly apparent in the photo.
The site of Rio Grande Aux #3 is located northwest of the intersection of County Line Road & Sevenmile Road,
5 miles north of Sullivan City.
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Mission Auxiliary Army Airfield #2, McCook, TX
26.55 North / 98.44 West (Southwest of Corpus Christi, TX)
Mission Aux "#2", as depicted in relation to its parent airfield,
on the January 1945 Corpus Christi Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This airfield was one of three satellite fields used during WW2 by Moore AAF,
which conducted basic & advanced single engine pilot training.
The date of construction of Mission Aux #3 is unknown.
It was not yet depicted at all on the December 1943 Corpus Christi Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of Mission Aux #3 which has been located
was on the January 1945 Corpus Christi Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted "#2" as an auxiliary airfield.
Mission Aux #2 was evidently reused for some period of time after WW2 as a private civilian airfield,
as it was labeled "Private (Emergency use only)"
on the 1949 Oklahoma City Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The airfield was still depicted (labeled simply "Landing Strip") on the 1988 & 1990 USGS topo maps.
The layout of the field & its depiction on the USGS topo maps seem to indicate
that the airfield was expanded at some period for post-WW2 civilian use.
The 1990 USGS topo map depicted the single 2,800' x 150' runway, along with a paved ramp at the north end,
and a parallel taxiway with five connecting taxiways.
What is not depicted on any of the topo maps (but was clearly visible on the 1995 aerial photo)
was the additional 1,900' runway extension on the south end,
which was roughly half the width of the original runway segment.
This runway lengthening was presumably done by a later civil user of the airfield.
Mission Aux Airfield #2 was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2002 aeronautical charts.
Mission Aux Airfield #2 is located northwest of the intersection of Route 681 & Route 490,
5 miles northwest of McCook.
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Edinburg Municipal Airport, Edinburg, TX
26.3 North / 98.21 West (Southwest of Corpus Christi, TX)
Edinburg Airport, as depicted on the August 1954 Corpus Christi Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
This former municipal airport was evidently established at some point between 1943-49,
as it was not yet depicted at all on the December 1943 Corpus Christi Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of Edinburg Municipal Airport which has been located
was on the 1949 Corpus Christi Sectional Chart,
which depicted "Edinburg" as having a 2,400' unpaved runway.
The August 1954 Corpus Christi Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Edinburg as having a 3,100' unpaved runway.
The runway at Edinburg was evidently paved at some point between 1954-62,
as the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described the field as having a 2,800' blacktop Runway 13/31,
a 3,100' turf runway 9/27, and a 2,400' turf Runway 18/36.
The operator was listed as Tripplett Aviation.
The 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse) depicted Edinburg Municipal as having 5 hangars & a beacon
along the north end of Runway 18/36.
The manager was listed as Jack Owens,
and the operators were listed as Southwick Airplane Service & Tripplett Aviation & Spraying Service.
Edinburg Airport, as depicted on the July 1969 Brownsville Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Edinburg Airport was depicted in basically the same configuration in the 1970 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Ray Brindle)
as that listed in the 1963 TX Airport Directory.
Apparently, this field was closed when the more substantial Moore Auxiliary Army Airfield #1
was made available for civilian reuse, becoming "Edingburg International Airport".
The date of closure of Edinburg Municipal Airport is unknown,
but was apparently between 1970-82,
as it was not listed among active airfields in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory.
The airfield was depicted as "Edinburg Municipal Airport" on the 1983 USGS topo map,
but was not depicted at all on the 1988 USGS topo map.
Edinburg Municipal is no longer depicted at all (not even as an abandoned airfield) on recent aeronautical charts.
In the 1995 USGS aerial photo,
all of the former runways had become overgrown,
but their outlines were still distinctly apparent by comparing with the airfield layout diagram.
The site of Edinburg Municipal is located southeast of the intersection of Routes 107 & 336.
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