Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Central Washington State
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 2/13/08.
East Stevens Pass Airport / Nason Creek State Airport (revised 4/12/05) - Fancher Field (added 8/18/04)
Jackass Field #9 / NOLF 35911 (revised 2/13/08) - Pasayten Airstrip (revised 11/25/05)
Yakima AAF / Firing Center AAF / Vagabond AAF (revised 7/4/05)
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Pasayten Airstrip, Pasayten, WA
48.92 North / 120.63 West (Northeast of Seattle, WA)
A 1932 photo of the 1st plane to land at Pasayten Airstrip, a Curtis Robin which came from Felts Field (courtesy of John Townsley).
According to John, “The photo was taken by Charles Johnson, a Forest Service lookout, using a pinhole box type camera.”
According to John Townsley, the Pasayten Airstrip was built in 1931 by the Works Progress Administration.
John noted, “The Pasayten Airstrip was listed from 1931-68 on the annual facilities inventory for the Pasayten,
then the Winthrop Ranger Districts of the Okanogan National Forest.”
The first aircraft to land there was a Curtis Robin, which came in 1932 from Felts Field.
A circa 1936 photo of the Pasayten Airstrip, possibly during its construction (courtesy of John Townsley).
The earliest chart depiction which has been located of the Pasayten Airport
was on the February 1941 1M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Pasayten as an auxiliary airfield.
The Pasayten Airstrip was reportedly used fairly consistently throughout the years, primarily for fire suppression.
It was used by a variety of aircraft, including Ford Trimotors, Norseman, DC-3, Beech 18, and other fixed wing aircraft.
A 1944 photo of a military fire suppression mission at Pasayten in 1944 (courtesy of John Townsley).
According to John, “A bunch of brass went into the airstrip to assess fire fighting needs.”
What appears to two Cessna UC-78 Bobcats are visible.
According to John Towsley, “The strip was later in [1944] used to extract the all-black paratrooper battalion, the Triple Nickel,
after they finished up on the Bunker Hill Fire.”
The May 1965 Bellingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted “Pasayten (USFS)” as a private field with a 4,000' unpaved runway.
The 1966 WA Pilot's Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Pasayten Airport as consisting of a single 3,400' sod north/south runway.
Three U.S. Forest Service buildings were depicted along the southwest side of the runway.
It was described as a private field,
closed to the public except in emergency.
The Pasayten Airstrip was closed in October 1968 with the establishment of the Pasayten Wilderness by Congress.
The 1969 USGS topo map depicted the “Landing Strip” as consisting of a single 3,000' north/south unpaved runway.
The “Pasayten Airstrip Guard Station” was depicted on the southwest corner of the airfield.
The Pasayten Airstrip was still largely clear as seen in the 1998 USGS aerial photo.
John Townsley remarked, “There's talk about trying to get the field on the National Register of historic places.
It's pretty unique, both in terms of size & configuration,
but also it's close connection with the national smoke jumper program.”
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47.45 North / 120.28 West (East of Seattle, WA)
An aerial view looking southwest at Fancher Field, from the Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
An earlier "Fancher Field" was described at a different location (5 miles northwest of Wenatchee)
in the Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
Within the next year, Fancher Field was evidently relocated to a new site (2 miles northeast of Wenatchee),
which is where it was described in the 1934 Department of Commerce Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The field was described as having two oiled runways (2,500' northwest/southeast & 1,650' northeast/southwest),
along with a hangar with the field's name painted on it.
The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy)
described Fancher Field as having two gravel runways (3,500' north/south & 2,400' northwest/southeast).
The aerial photo in the directory depicted three hangars along the east side of the field.
The April 1943 1M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Fancher Field as a commercial or municipal airport.
An advertisement for Fancher Field's Wenatchee Air Service,
from the Haire Publishing Company's 1945 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The Haire Publishing Company's 1945 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Fancher Field as a privately owned & operated "Class 2" airfield.
The field was said to have two gravel runways (3,500' north/south & 3,000' northeast/southwest) and three hangars.
The manager was listed as J. R. Parkhill.
Fancher Field was depicted as a commercial or municipal airport
on the October 1954 Seattle Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The Cascade Soaring Society relocated from Puget Sound to Fancher Field in the 1950s,
before eventually relocating again to nearby Pangborn Memorial Airport.
Fancher Field was not listed at all in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (according to Chris Kennedy),
possibly because it had become a private field by that point.
By the time of the June 1964 Seattle Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
Fancher Field was depicted as a private field,
with a 3,300' hard surface runway.
Fancher Field was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1964-66,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the March 1966 USAF Operational Navigation Chart,
listed in the 1967 AOPA Airport Directory,
or depicted on the December 1968 Seattle Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Fancher Field may have continued to operate in some capacity after it was no longer depicted on aeronautical charts,
as the above picture (courtesy of Ron Dupas) of a Schleicher K-6E glider was taken at Fancher Field in September 1969.
A 1969 photo (courtesy of Ron Dupas) of a Schweizer SGS 2-8 (TG-2) glider at Fancher Field.
The glider belonged to Phil Entz, who recalled, "It is now located in the Silent Wings Museum in Terrell, TX.
My father donated it after an accident in which I put my head through the rear canopy.
A close inspection of the image shows the missing rear canopy."
Don Eikenberry recalled, “I learned to fly in the late 1970s in Wenatchee.
Fancher was owned & operated by a crop-duster outfit.
It was private but nobody seemed to mind if you landed there without permission.
I did many a practice engine-out landing there.
The runway was a bit rough but not a problem.
I'm not sure when the crop-duster outfit went out of business but the land was eventually sold to developers.”
Even though it may have ceased to be an operating airfield several years earlier,
Fancher Field was still depicted on the 1987 USGS topo map.
It was depicted as having one paved runway & one unpaved runway,
along with a single building on the northeast side of the field.
An Airway Beacon was also still depicted, on a hill to the east of the airport.
As seen in the 1998 USGS aerial photo,
the site of Fancher Field has been redeveloped with housing,
but quite a bit of the former airport remains intact.
A new street (Fancher Heights Boulevard) with homes has been over the former unpaved runway,
while the former paved runway remains largely intact.
Most prominently, it appears as if at least one former hangar remains standing, (the light colored building on the east side).
The site of Fancher Field is located northwest of the intersection of Badger Mountain Road & Fancher Boulevard,
appropriately enough.
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East Stevens Pass Airport / Nason Creek State Airport, Clarkston, WA
47.76 North / 120.8 West (East of Seattle, WA)
East Stevens Pass Airport, as depicted in the October 1954 Seattle Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This former general aviation airport was evidently built at some point between 1948-54,
as it was not depicted on the October 1948 Seattle Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),
The earliest depiction of the field which has been located
was on the October 1954 Seattle Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted the East Stevens Pass Airport as having a 2,100' unpaved runway.
At some point between 1954-63, the field was evidently renamed “Nason Creek Emergency Airport”,
as that is how it was listed in the 1963 WA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ron Dupas).
It depicted the field as having a single 2,120' turf east/west runway.
A tie-down area was depicted along the north side of the runway,
but there were no buildings depicted.
The manager was listed as the WA State Aeronautics Commission.
The June 1964 Seattle Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted "Nason Creek State Emerg" as having a 2,000' unpaved runway.
A wintry aerial view looking north at the Nason Creek State Airport, from the 1971 WA State Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The directory depicted Nason Creek State Airport as having a single 2,120' turf Runway 8/26.
The airport offered no services, and was described as "Closed winters. Use at own risk."
The manager was listed as the WA State Aeronautics Commission.
Nason Creek State Airport still listed in the 1976 AOPA Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy)
as an "Emergency airfield closed winters".
Nason Creek State Airport was still listed in the 1982 AOPA Airports USA Directory (according to Chris Kennedy),
but labeled "Use at own risk."
The 1989 USGS topo map still depicted "Nason Creek State Airport",
but that doesn't necessarily indicate it was still an open airfield at that point.
Nason Creek State Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1976-93,
as it was no longer listed among active airfields in the 1993 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy).
Bill Hamilton (former WA Director of Aeronautics) recalled, “Nason Creek was closed
simply because it was rather short for the summer's high temperatures & it's elevation.
The thought in the office was that with Lake Wenatchee so close,
the potential risk required the action.
The property was sold by bid to a private party.”
As seen in the 1998 USGS aerial photo,
the runway at Nason Creek remained in fine condition.
There did not appear to be any buildings or other facilities at the airfield.
Nason Creek State Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Route 2 & Coulter Creek Road.
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Jackass Field #9 / Naval Outlying Landing Field 35911, Eltopia, WA
46.43 North / 119.13 West (Southwest of Spokane, WA)
A undated WW2-era map of some of the Outlying Fields of NAS Pasco,
with Jackass #9 northeast of the center (courtesy of John Voss).
This small former airfield was used during WW2 as one of 21 outlying airfields for Pasco Naval Air Station.
It was established in 1942.
According to Brian Rehwinkel, Navy records indicate the Jackass airfield “was first used in 1942.
A lease for 79.5 acres was consummated on March 1, 1942
(and subsequently extended in 1943 through June 1946).
The remaining half of the field (79.6 acres) was already owned by the federal government.”
Brian reported that a Navy document described the land before the OLF was built as “desert wasteland”.
An undated WW2-era table of outlying fields for Pasco NAS (courtesy of John Voss)
described the Jackass site as consisting of 159 acres.
The airfield was described as having a single 1,800' x 200' soil oil surface.
The undated WW2-era map of outlying fields for Pasco NAS (courtesy of John Voss)
depicted “Jackass #9” as having a single northeast/southwest runway.
According to Brian Rehwinkel, “This field was used for aviation training until primary training ended at NAS Pasco in December 1943.
At that time, 10 of the 21 Outlying Landing Fields - including Jackass OLF - were designated for use as bomb targets.
During its use, the Navy spent almost $45,000 on improvements (including the runway) for the airfield.”
The Jackass airfield was not depicted at all on the 1945 Spokane Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
which correlates with its use as a bomb target & no longer an airfield by that point.
Brian Rehwinkel reported, “According a navy memo,
Jackass OLF was declared surplus to the needs of the Navy on March 25, 1946
and the lease for privately-owned half of the field – for $24 annually - was allowed to expire on June 30, 1946.”
The Jackass airfield was evidently not reused for civilian aviation,
as it was not depicted at all on the 1948 Spokane Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
A June 2, 1948 USGS aerial photo of the Jackass airfield (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel).
The field consisted of a single northeast/southwest runway,
surrounded by an oval fence or drainage ditch.
There did not appear to be any buildings at the airfield, nor any aircraft.
The Jackass airfield was not depicted at all on USGS topo maps from 1978, 1980, or 1990.
As seen in a circa 2006 aerial photo,
not a trace remains of the Jackass airfield.
It is remarkable to see how much the landscape has been changed by irrigation (compared to the 1948 photo).
Jackass NOLF is located northwest of the intersection of North Glade Road & Dogwood Road,
5 miles southwest of Eltopia.
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Yakima AAF / Firing Center AAF / Vagabond AAF (FCT), Yakima, WA
46.67 North / 120.46 West (Southeast of Seattle, WA)
"Yakima AAF", as depicted in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This military airfield is located just south of the post headquarters of the Army's Yakima Artillery Range.
Yakima AAF was apparently built at some point between 1954-60,
as it was not yet depicted on the October 1954 Seattle Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest reference to the field which has been located
was in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted "Yakima AAF" as having a single 2,000' paved Runway 5/23,
with an 800' overrun on the southwest end & a 1,300' overrun on the northeast end.
A ramp / parallel taxiway was depicted on the north side of the runway,
and a few small buildings were depicted on the north side of the ramp.
At some point between 1960-64 the field was apparently renamed "Firing Center AAF",
as that is how it was labeled on the 1964 Seattle Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The 1967 Seattle Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
described "Firing Center AAF" as having a single 2,000' asphalt runway,
which was "inactive except for training."
The January 1975 Seattle Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the "Firing Center AAF" as having a single 2,000' asphalt runway.
The airfield may have been closed at some point between 1975-96,
as the 1996 USGS aerial picture clearly depicted closed "X" markings painted over both ends of the runway.
The airfield facilities consisted of a single paved 2,000' Runway 5/23
(with a cleared overrun area extending to a total length of 5,300'),
and what appeared to be a number of individual concrete parking pads for helicopters.
The airfield was apparently reopened at some later date, as it was listed once again (as of 2002)
in the Airfield Facility Directory as an active airfield, this time named Vagabond AAF.
It is not known what the original purpose of this field was,
given its extremely short length.
It is currently used only for helicopter operations.
Mike White reported in 2004 that Vagabond AAF was depicted as an active airfield
on the current Seattle Sectional Chart.
A circa 2000-2005 USGS aerial picture clearly depicted closed "X" markings painted over both ends of the Vagabond runway.
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