Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Northern Georgia
© 2002, © 2013 by Paul Freeman. Revised 2/6/13.
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Bellah Field (revised 12/28/09) - Carrollton Municipal (revised 1/17/11) - Cumming Airfield (revised 2/19/09) - Gunn Airfield (revised 8/5/12)
Morris AAF (revised 11/14/09) - Parkaire Field (revised 11/17/09)
Rome Airport (revised 10/12/11) - Stone Mountain Britt Memorial (revised 2/6/13)
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33.55 North / 84.17 West (Southeast of Atlanta, GA)
Bellah Field, as depicted on the August 1951 Atlanta Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
This private airfield was evidently established at some point between 1945-51,
as it was not yet depicted on the April 1945 Birmingham Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of Bellah Field which has been located
was on the August 1951 Atlanta Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Bellah as having a 2,100' unpaved runway.
According to Jeremy Pirtle, the field was listed at one point as the "Gerald E. Bellah International Airport...
which was obviously a joke since the now-deceased owner operated a small light aircraft out of there.”
A 1980 highway map (courtesy of Jeremy Pirtle)
depicted Bellah Field as having a total of 4 runways.
The 1982 USGS topo map labeled Bellah Field simply as “Landing Field”.
It depicted the field as having a total of 4 unpaved runways,
with a few small buildings along the east side.
The February 12, 1988 USGS aerial photo depicted the runways of Bellah Field,
but did not show any aircraft or other signs of recent aviation usage.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Bellah Field
was on the September 2004 Atlanta Terminal Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted “Bellah International” as a private field having a 4,500' unpaved runway.
A November 30, 2005 aerial view looking south showed the Bellah Field runways continued to be kept clear.
Bellah Field was evidently closed at some point between 2004-2009,
as Jeremy Pirtle visited the site of Bellah Field in 2009, and reported,
“The airstrip has been mauled in preparation for yet another subdivision, but the general layout is still discernible.
There is nothing that looks like removed paving, other than a couple of piles that probably came from 2 smallish concrete slabs.
No evidence remains of any runways visible from ground level.
I was able to locate an elderly gentleman from another nearby strip who told me that the former owner was an old barnstormer
who just wanted a large airfield of his own & had the ability to build one himself.”
A 2009 aerial view by Jeremy Pirtle looking north at the site of Bellah Field shows that the property is being cleared for construction.
Jeremy noted, “The devastation is worse from the air than I thought, but you can still sort of see the layout.”
The site of Bellah Field is located south of the intersection of Hemphill Road & Moseley Road.
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34.28 North / 85.22 West (Northwest of Atlanta, GA)
Rome Airport, as depicted on the 1929 Georgia Rand-McNally Standard Indexed Map with Air Trails (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
According to Mark Hess, “Rome Airport... was started in 1926 by the city of Rome.”
The earliest depiction of the Rome Airport which has been located
was on the 1929 Georgia Rand-McNally Standard Indexed Map with Air Trails (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It described Rome as a municipal airport, operated by the Rome Airport Association.
It was said to consist of a 2,450' x 1,900' field.
The Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Rome as a commercial airport, with two sod runways in a "T" shape: 3,000' east/west & 2,000' north/south.
The field was said to have a hangar,
and it was noted not to be usable in wet weather.
The earliest photo which has been located of Rome Airport
was a 4/16/43 aerial view looking north from the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock).
It depicted Rome Municipal Airport as having 2 runways.
A 1943 aerial view of Rome Airport (from the Georgia Aerial Photo Collection, via Chris Kennedy).
The airport appeared to consist of two unpaved runways (oriented north/south & east/west),
along with possibly two hangars southeast of the runway intersection.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Rome Airport
was on the September 1943 Chattanooga Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Rome as a commercial/municipal airport.
C-47 transports carrying wounded soldiers reportedly landed at Rome Airport during WW2,
with the grass runways barely long enough.
The 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described Rome Municipal Airport
as a 75 acre T-shaped property having 2 clay & sod runways: 2,500' east/west & 2,000' north/south.
The field was said to have 4 wooden hangars, the largest measuring 60' square.
Rome Municipal Airport was described as being owned by the City of Rome, and operated by private interests.
The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Rome Airport
was on the October 1946 Chattanooga Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
A circa 1950s aerial view looking northwest at Rome Airport (courtesy of Mark Hess).
The field consisted of 2 perpendicular grass runways, with an arched-roof hangar at the top-right.
One single-engine taildragger was visible at the center of the photo.
A circa 1950s photo (courtesy of Mark Hess) at Rome Airport of a rare & bizarre conversion of a Vultee BT-13 into a biplane,
with a small upper wing added by Robert Stroop.
The Rome Airport evidently closed at some point between 1946-54,
as it was no longer depicted on the August 1954 Chattanooga Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
It had evidently been replaced by the larger Richard B. Russel Airport, north of Rome.
The Coosa Valley Fair was reportedly held on the former airport grounds for several years after the airport's closure.
As of 1991, a General Electric plant covered the site of Rome Airport.
As seen in the 1999 USGS aerial photo, a General Electric plant covered the site of the former Rome Airport,
completely obscuring any remaining trace of the airfield.
The site of Rome Airport is located north of the intersection of West Butler Street Northwest & Old Airport Road
appropriately enough.
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33.97 North / 84.4 West (Northeast of Atlanta, GA)
Parkaire Field, as depicted on the 1953 USGS topo map.
This small general aviation airport was apparently built at some point between 1945-46,
as it was not yet depicted at all on a 1938 aerial view,
nor listed among active airfields in the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock).
According to Robert Brown,
"I know that it was open in 1946 because the Georgia Tech flying club started there.
According to Phil Bonner Jr., "Walt Nix bought the property around 1946 after being a Captain in the Army Air Corps
in which he met a fellow whose dad owned a new company called Piper Aircraft.
Walt became the southeast distributor for Piper and made good money in the aviation boom of the era.”
Joe Rao recalled, “When I was at GA Tech 1947-51, the Tech flying club flew out of Parkair.
The aircraft I flew there there were: Ercoupe NC94761, Aeronca Champ NC1650E, Cub J-3 NC40605,
Cub Cruiser NC2824M, Cessna 120 NC2217N, Cessna 140 NC77011, Stearman PT-17 NC1208M (Donated by the Navy).
I know the PT-17 & Champ were owned by the club, the others by the FBO.”
Alan Dameron reported, “I have a letter & invoice dated 1949 from Parkaire Field listing the owners as Hal Davison & Peter Davison.
Dad kept his Stearman tied down at Parkaire.”
According to Phil Bonner Jr., "Walt Nix was like an uncle to me & taught my dad Phil Bonner to fly there around 1951 or so."
Ed Leonard recalled, “I took flying lessons as a 17-year-old at Parkaire in 1951.
The next year my father bought a Bellanca & kept it at Parkaire.
Walter & Kitty Nix owned & operated the field during the early 1950s.
Although Walt was a licensed instructor, I took my lessons from his 22-year-old employee, Johnny Orr.
The 2,200' main runway was dirt, but there was, of all things, a paved taxiway along its north side.
Once when I was there, a DC-3 (which did not try to make contact by Unicom) wanted to land.
It kept making approaches to the narrow, somewhat obstructed, paved taxiway.
We tried to wave it over to the dirt runway, and finally succeeded.
The 1,800' cross runway was dirt, and had a LARGE tree partly obstructing the south approach.”
Ed continued, “There were several incidents at Parkaire.
The biggest one was a tornado (!) which damaged the T-hangars & several of the planes.
Another was in fall of 1952 when my father was practicing precision landings,
landed short, turned the Bellanca up on its nose, and broke off one of its (wooden) wings. He was not injured.
Flying was exciting (and inexpensive) in the early 1950s!”
The earliest depiction which has been located of Parkaire Field was on the 1953 USGS topo map.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Parkaire Field
was on the August 1954 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Parkaire as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.
The earliest photo which has been located of Parkaire Field was a 1955 aerial view.
It depicted the field as having 2 unpaved runways,
with 3 rows of T-hangars on the northwest side of the field.
In 1959, a meeting was held at at Parkaire Field to reorganize the North Georgia Soaring Society (NoGass).
The Club purchased a Schweizer 2-22 for the sum of $2,000.
A flying fee of 3 cents/minute & a tow fee of $1.00 / thousand feet was established.
The operator of Parkaire, Walter Nix, agreed to let the club operate at Parkaire Field.
Parkaire had evidently gained a paved runway at some point between 1955-60,
as a 1960 aerial view depicted a paved northwest/southeast runway.
Several buildings & hangars had also been added along the north side of the field.
There were a total of a dozen light aircraft visible on the field.
In the Spring of 1962 the North Georgia Soaring Society's 2-22 was flipped & destroyed in a windstorm at Parkaire
and as a result, flying activity by the soaring club was severely curtailed.
In the late Spring of 1962 the NoGass Club & MGSA Club were merged
and continued to operate from Parkaire Field under the MGSA name.
Later members of the club constructed a new airfield at Monroe, GA airport,
and moved their operations there,
as suburban development was beginning to encroach on Parkaire Field.
Parkaire had evidently gained a paved runway at some point between 1954-62,
as the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Parkaire Field
as having a 2,200' asphalt Runway 12/30 & a 2,000' sod Runway 18/36.
The operator was listed as Walter Nix.
A 1964 street map (courtesy of Robert Brown) still depicted Parkaire as having two runways.
Joe Price recalled, “In 1968 I experienced my first small plane flights from its runway
in the local Civil Air Patrol squadron’s Aeronca L-16
and in Noel DeChar’s clipped-wing Piper J-3.”
A 1968 aerial view depicted Parkaire at perhaps the zenith of its popularity,
with over 30 light aircraft visible on the field.
Andrew Croft recalled, “Parkaire in Marietta.. my Dad used to work on a J3 there that he restored.
I flew in & out of there many times & it could get pretty scary.
here was high-tension power lines on one end & almost a cliff on the other, you would disappear over a hill on take off.
The power lines were lowered with orange balls on them & the last time I was there they still ran across the shopping center parking lot.”
A circa 1970-71 photo (courtesy of Joe Price) of students around an unidentified aircraft at Parkaire Field
from North Springs High School’s 1971 yearbook.
According to Joe, “The American Field Service did its annual spread there in late 1970 or early 1971.”
Parkaire was still depicted as an active airfield on the 1971 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown),
which depicted the field as having a single 2,200' paved runway.
According to Phil Bonner Jr., "Walt Nix… sold the airstrip around 1972."
A Summer 1972 photo by Robert Brown of “Gordon Dunnagan's Stearman from PDK visiting Parkaire to shoot landings.
If you've ever been to PDK you'll understand why it wasn't practical to shoot landings in a Stearman there.”
The 1972 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Parkaire Field as having a single 2,200' paved Runway 12/30,
as well as a parallel taxiway on the north side leading to a long ramp.
A total of seven buildings were situated on the north side of the ramp.
The last photo which has been located showing Parkaire Field in operation was a 1972 aerial view.
A total of 25 light aircraft were parked at the northwest corner of the field.
Parkaire Field was closed at some point during 1972.
A series of August 1972 photos of the abandoned Parkaire Field by Joe Price.
Joe recalled, “I motorcycled to the site on August 27, 1972,
shot the black & whites, then had the presence of mind to map the shoot.
The photos show a distinct ghost town quality;
the overgrowth suggests it had been abandoned since spring of that year, possibly before.”
The top picture depicted the main operations building.
Joe observed, “The office was on the right next to the fuel pumps.
Building 'C' is in the background, but I don’t know what its use was.”
The second picture is of the main operations & maintenance building.
The third picture is of the southern end of Hangar 2 (note “Parkaire Field” painted on the roof.
The last picture is of Hangars 1 & 2.
A layout by Joe Price of the arrangement of Parkaire Field as it existed in August 1972.
Patrick Burchins recalled, “Parkaire Field... In 1973, my family moved to Georgia from Florida
and my father was the General Superintendent for Holder Construction on the Parkaire Project.
Between Summer of 1973 & 1974 my dad was in charge of demolishing & new construction
of a mall with an ice skating rink in the middle of it & a Kroger grocery store attached.”
According to Robert Brown, "Parkaire was replaced by Parkaire Mall.
Davidson Rd was the access road to the airport & the runway ran parallel to it.
When the mall was first built,
there was a section of runway still visible but the original mall was torn down and replaced by a new one
and the whole area has been developed more."
Parkaire was no longer depicted at all on the April 1974 Atlanta Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
A 1978 aerial photo appeared to show no trace remaining of the airport.
As seen in the 2005 USGS aerial photo, the outline of the southern portion of the former airport property is still recognizable,
but there are no other elements of the former Parkaire still remaining extant.
Patrick Burchins reported in 2009, “There is one thing left from the old Parkaire Field.
There are large red cones attached to the high-tension wires for the power company warning the aviators that were landing at the old airport.”
The site of Parkaire Field is located southeast of the intersection of Lower Roswell Road & Davidson Road.
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34.25 North / 84.2 West (Northeast of Atlanta, GA)
What would later become the Cumming Airfield was still depicted as a "drag strip"
on the October 1975 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
According to drag racing historian Bret Kepner,
the Cumming Airport "is one of those extremely rare examples
of a dragstrip being converted into an airport instead of vice versa.
It was built in 1962 & opened as Forsyth County Drag Strip;
it closed in the late 1960s & was reconfigured into a small airstrip."
Phil Bonner Jr. recalled, "My dad drove funny cars and landed his airplane at Cumming Dragway
as Lamar Sexton was also a friend & owner of the dragstrip."
It was labeled "drag strip" on the 1964 USGS topo map,
the October 1975 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
and the April 1980 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
At some point between 1980-93, the former drag still was apparently reused as an airfield.
As depicted in the 1993 USGS aerial photo,
the airfield consisted of a single 3,200' asphalt Runway 9/27,
which was still painted at the time with runway markings.
The Cumming Airfield apparently closed at some point between 1993-98,
as it was depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 1998 World Aeronautical Chart.
A March 1, 1999 aerial view looking southwest along Cumming's Runway 27.
Bret Kepner said in 2003, "it remained active until just recently,
when one of our group visited the site to find it in the midst of redevelopment as a subdivision."
Unfortunately old airfields seem to “attract” housing,
as An August 19. 2005 aerial photo shows that the former Cumming Airfield had been redeveloped as a housing development,
while the surrounding property remained largely undeveloped.
The site of Cumming Airfield is located southwest of the intersection of Hurt Bridge Road & Watson Road,
5 miles northwest of Cumming, GA.
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33.73 North / 84.16 West (East-southeast of Atlanta, GA)
Gunn Airport, as depicted on the 1953 USGS topo map.
This little general aviation airport was apparently built at some point between 1945-53,
as it was not yet depicted on the April 1945 Birmingham Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of Gunn Airport which has been located was on the 1953 USGS topo map.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Gunn Airport
was on the August 1954 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Gunn as having a 2,000' unpaved runway.
The earliest photo which has been located of Gunn Airfield was a 1955 aerial view.
It depicted the field as having a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway.
Two rows of T-hangars sat on the northwest side of the field, near which were 2 light aircraft.
John Wyrick recalled, “My Aunt, Uncle and 2 cousins learned to fly & all soloed at Gunn Field in the mid 1950s.
I flew with them a lot. It was quite an adventure.
One of the perils was that quite often there was a pretty good cross wind too!
If you learned to fly at Gunn you could fly anywhere!”
John Towler recalled, “I soloed a Piper Super Cub N2779A on 9/20/58 at Gunn Field.
My instructor was Red Goodman. The Super Cub & a Navion belonged to the Atlanta Army Depot Flying Club.”
Gunn apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1954-60,
as the 1960 USDA aerial photo (courtesy of David Henderson) depicted the field as having a single paved runway,
with 4 rows of T-hangars on the northwest corner of the field.
The 1961 Great Smoky Mountains World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Gunn as having a 2,000' hard-surface runway.
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Gunn as having a single 2,100' asphalt Runway 8/26.
The operator was listed as George Gunn.
Fred Bieser recalled, "I have memories of going to Gunn Airfield with my dad when I was young.
It looked to me to be the world's most dangerous airport.
It seemed to be short, bumpy & with trees way too close to the runway."
Dave Forrest recalled, “I flew several airplanes in & out of Gunn, including the P-51 shown in the Stone Mountain photo.
During the 1960s & 1970s I flew a Beech 18, T-6,and the P-51 at Gunn Field.
During that same time frame there was a Delta pilot Bob Jenkins that owned a Stearman, a PT-22, and a T-6, all were based at Gunn.”
Gunn was described on the 1964 Savannah Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
as having a single 2,100' hard-surfaced runway.
Thom Riddle recalled, “I got my private ticket in 1966 at Gunn Airfield in Lithonia.
I was a member of the Georgia Tech Flying Club which leased an old straight-tail Cessna 150 from George Gunn.
We paid $7/hour wet plus $4/hr for the instructor.”
Tom Abarr recalled, “I began hanging out at Gunn Field around 1967.”
An August 1969 photo by Tom Abarr of a Cessna “170 that has been ripped from its tiedown,
blown across the driveway, and is resting against the fence abutting George Gunn's back pasture Gunn Field.”
This was from a tornado that hit Gunn Field.
Tom Abarr recalled, “About 1970, Mr. Gunn leased the airport to Johnny Allison (not the race car driver),
who subsequently sub-leased to Harold Dean.
Mr. Dean ran Dean Aviation, Inc., a flight school that was FAA & VA approved.
The school provided flight instruction from primary to advanced
using a fleet of C150's, C172's, a C182, Mooney Executive, and a Beech B95 Travelair.
I started working for Mr. Dean in 1970 as counter clerk, fuel jockey,
floor sweeper, etc., and soloed in 1971 at age 16.”
A 1971 airfield directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
described Gunn as having a parallel taxiway on the north side of the runway,
leading to a ramp area with four rows of t-hangars.
The remarks said, "Due to obstructions in approach, landings are limited to pilots familiar with airport."
In the words of Chris Kennedy, "I got a kick out of the comment about limited landings.
I wonder how you get familiar with an airport without landing there?"
A circa 1971 aerial photo by Tom Abarr, “that I took as I turned final for Runway 26 in a Cessna 150.
You can see the taxiway & T-hangars just to the north of the runway.
Trees were very close to the approach end of Runway 26, which had an uphill slope.
Taking off on Runway 9 could be an adventure, downhill aiming for the trees,
but not as much of one as taking off from Runway 26 on a hot day; uphill all the way!
We did not fill fuel tanks during the summer & paid close attention to density altitude & gross weights.”
The last photo which has been located of Gunn Airport was a 1972 aerial view.
It depicted an amazing number of aircraft at such a small airport – a total of at least 43 light aircraft.
Tom Abarr recalled, “The flight school stayed quite busy with returning Vietnam War vets.
George Gunn took the field back from Allison around 1974, ran everybody off & sold the property.
He retired to Florida.”
The precise date of closure of Gunn Airfield has not been determined.
Fred Bieser recalled, "I remember watching the runway being dug up to make way for the subdivsion."
Jon Berndsen recalled, “In the early 1970s Gunn Field was closed
and my glider club, Mid Georgia Soaring Association,
bought the large 50x50 hangar that was there (depicted on the north end of airport in the diagram),
dismantled it, and re-erected it at the Monroe (GA) Airport.”
A 1978 aerial view showed that all of the hangars & other airport buildings had been removed.
It appeared as if the runway pavement had been removed as well,
but the property was otherwise not yet redeveloped.
Moser recalled, “Gunn Airfield... I used to live near this airfield from about 1978-81, when the area was first being developed for subdivisions.
I recall seeing the airfield on an older topo map in either the summer of 1979 or 1980.
Curious, I found the entrance to the airfield, which was relatively overgrown & abandoned, and I raced my motorcycle up & down the runway.
I don't recall there being any buildings (hangars) around at all, just the runway.
A police officer one time pulled in to see what I was up to, but didn't mind that I was running up & down it.
I recall that the runway surface was poor, but obviously not bad enough for me to have a little fun.”
Gunn Airfield was no longer listed among active airfields in the 1982 AOPA Airport directory.
"Gunn Airfield" was still depicted on the 1983 USGS topo map.
Note that the depiction of the 4 hangars was erroneous, as photos showed they had all been removed since at least 1978.
A January 25, 1993 aerial photo showed that the site of the former airport had been completely redeveloped with housing.
As can be seen in the 2005 USGS aerial photo,
the site of the former airport had been completely redeveloped with housing.
Jon Berndsen reported in 2005, “That old hangar is still being used by MGSA to this day [at the Monroe Airport] to house its fleet of sailplanes.
So, a little piece of Gunn Field lives on today.”
An 8/4/12 photo by Graham Watkins of the site of Gunn Field, “looking west from the location of the taxiway.
The bumps & hills are still there & the trees at the end have grown up even taller by now.”
The site of the former airport is located northeast of the intersection of Covington Highway & Panola Road.
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Carrollton Municipal Airport, Carrollton, GA
33.6 North / 85.05 West (Southwest of Atlanta, GA)
Carrollton Airport, as depicted on the 1953 USGS topo map.
Photo of the airport while open has not been located.
This general aviation airport was apparently built at some point between 1945-53,
as it was not yet depicted on the April 1945 Birmingham Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of Carrollton Municipal Airport which has been located was on the 1953 USGS topo map.
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Carrollton Municipal Airport which has been located
was on the August 1954 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Carrollton as having a 2,300' unpaved runway.
Carrollton Airport apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1954-60,
as the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the field as having a 3,100' paved Runway 13/31 & a 2,300 unpaved Runway 2/20.
A taxiway led to a hangar on the west side of Runway 13/31,
and a ramp just south of the runway intersection had a few small hangars.
The 1961 Great Smoky Mountains World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Carrollton Airport as having a 3,100' hard-surface runway.
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Carrollton
as having a 3,100' asphalt Runway 14/32 & a 2,300' sod Runway 3/21.
The operator was listed as Carroll Flying Service.
Kenneth Husby recalled, “The old airport in Carrollton... where I grow up at. My parents ran the airport from 1965.
We use to live in a trailer house that was beside the operations building.
I was able to meet many politicians while my parents operated the airport.
I met Jimmy Carter there when he was a Representative for Georgia;
he had flown in to go to a Jaycee's meeting with a lawyer friend that lived in Carrollton.
My mother became known as one of the few women to operate an airport when they first took over operating the airport,
because at first my father stayed employed as a mechanic with Delta.
My parents ran the airport until it was closed when West Georgia Regional Airport opened up in 1969.
The old airport was closed because of the increased concerns of the residents around Lake Carroll
about the air traffic that was coming in & the airport authority wanting to get it moved to a more rural area.”
Carrollton Airport was still depicted on the 1970 USGS topo map,
and was still listed as an active airfield in the 1971 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy).
Carrollton Municipal Airport was apparently closed at some point between 1971-75,
after it was replaced by the new West Georgia Regional Airport, a few miles west.
The new West Georgia Regional Airport was depicted on the October 1975 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
but the former Carrollton Municipal Airport was depicted as an abandoned airfield.
According to Mike Carpenter (who has lived in Carrollton since 1967),
the building west of the runway is a hangar once owned by Southwire,
since it had the name of that company written all over it.
The terminal was located just north of the southeast end of the runway,
up until the late 1970s when it was serving as a driving range shop.
After the ballfields were built the terminal was torn down, in the 1980s.
The buildings adjacent to the southeast runway end are modern buildings not related to the airfield.
There was up to the late 1980s a small control tower located west of the runway midpoint.
It was used in the 1980s for a truck driver training facility.
The property adjacent to the south side of the airport was previously a fairgrounds,
but it is now occupied by a shopping mall.
The 1982 USGS topo map depicted the paved northwest/southeast runway & unpaved northeast/southwest runway,
labeled “Airport (Abandoned)”.
In a January 27, 1993 aerial photo, the areas of the 2 runways were still cleared,
although most of the pavement of Runway 14/32 had been removed.
In the 1998 USGS aerial photo, the areas of the 2 runways were still cleared,
although most of the pavement of Runway 14/32 had been removed.
The airport was no longer depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on the 2002 aeronautical charts.
In the 2004 aerial photo, the areas of the two runways still remained recognizable,
and the former hangar still remained standing (the white building just west of the former runway intersection).
A 2006 photo by Graham Watkins at the site of Carrollton Municipal Airport, showing “the yellow X over the old runway, facing northwest.”
A 2006 photo by Graham Watkins at the site of Carrollton Municipal Airport, “of the old hangar, now a city building.”
The site of the Carrollton Municipal Airport is located
northwest of the intersection of Route 166 & Airport Road (appropriately enough),
adjacent to the fairgrounds to the south.
Thanks to Lee Parmeter for pointing out this field.
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Morris Army Airfield (AGD), Forest Park, GA
33.62 North / 84.34 West (Southeast of Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport)
Morris AAF, as depicted in the 1959 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)..
This military airfield was located on the property of Fort Gillem, also known as the Atlanta General Depot.
The Depot was built in 1941,
and specialized in repairing equipment for the Engineer & Ordnance Corps.
It also expanded into aircraft maintenance in the post-WW2 era.
No airfield at this location was yet depicted on the August 1954 Birmingham Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),
nor on a 1955 aerial photo.
According to Thomas Houston, the airfield at Morris AAF originally was a grass strip.
Its was evidently established at some point between 1955-58.
Thomas Houston worked on the construction of the paved runway at Morris AAF in 1958.
"At the time the airfield was built,
the Atlanta General Depot was an aircraft rework & maintenance facility for all Army Aircraft in Third U. S. Army.
The fixed-wing aircraft that were stationed at the field & were transitory there
were the Cessna O-1 Birddog, the deHavilland U-3 Otter, the deHavilland U-6 Beaver,
the deHavilland CV-7 Carribou, and the Beech U-8 Seminole.
The rotary wing aircraft that were there were the Hiller OH-23, the Bell H-13,
the Piasacki CH-21, the Sikorsky CH-25, CH-37, and CH-41."
Houston continued, “As I recall it was a very short strip.
A Bird Dog (Cessna O-1) could get in & out OK but Seminole was very tricky.
Of Course the Otter & the Beaver could get in & out easilly.
I don't know when the grass strip was built.
It was less than 2,000' long , and the Southern Railroad telegraph wires were across the South end.
The new strip made life a lot easier for the Army Aviator of that day!
One incident I remember, was that they had to go to Fort Benning to pick up a 1957 Chevrolet sedan with a Mohave helicopter.
They had hauled 1956 Chevrolets in them before but not a 1957.
The Airfield Ops Officer Major asked to borrow my Government 1957 Chevy sedan
to try to load to be sure that the nose doors would close on the helicopter,
before they made the trip to Benning. It worked with 2 inches to spare.”
The 1959 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Morris AAF as having a single 3,000' paved Runway 3/21,
with a taxiway leading to a ramp on the southwest side with a single building (a hangar?).
A 1960 USDA aerial photo of Morris AAF (courtesy of David Henderson)
depicted the field as having a single paved Runway 2/20,
with a hangar on the west side of the field.
A closeup of the 1960 aerial view depicted a total of 17 aircraft on the ramp at Morris,
including 3 fairly large helicopters with 5-bladed rotors.
Morris AAF, as depicted on the 1961 Great Smoky Mountains World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)..
Morris AAF was depicted as an active airfield on the 1971 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Robert Brown),
which described the field as having a single 3,000' paved runway.
A 1972 aerial photo showed 11 aircraft & 3 fixed-wing aircraft on the Morris AAF ramp.
Morris AAF was evidently closed at some point between 1972-74,
as it was labeled "Closed" on the April 1974 Atlanta Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The closure of this airfield was no doubt ensured by its location,
a mere 4 miles east of what has become one of the world's busiest airports,
Atlanta's Hartsfield International.
Thomas Houston said, "After the airfield was closed, they used the runways to store mobilization trailers.
There were inklings that FAA didn't want the airfield there before we finished it.
The mission was moved to Lawson Field at Fort Benning."
Edward Shelton recalled, “Back in 1987, I was involved in a major furniture installation project at Ft. McPherson.
The product had to be shipped to & stored at Ft. Gillem in Forest Park, just to the east of Hartsfield.
I was there every day for several weeks. As you entered the base, you could see the airfield on the left.
It was obvious it was no longer in use as there were several trailers & other equipment parked either on the strip or right next to it.
I came to find out later through a friend of mine that did some contract work for FEMA,
that these were trailers used for temporary shelter during national emergencies during floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.
They were old trailers refitted & stored on the airstrip until needed.
Hartsfield Airport underwent a transformation in 1980 which relocated its star-type runways crossing diagonally, to 4 parallel runways running east/west.
This put the Morris AAF right in the landing pattern for air traffic into Hartsfield.
You could stand & watch an almost endless parade of commercial jets fly low over Ft. Gillem in 2 lines, 4-5 planes deep when they landed to the west.”
The 1995 USGS topo map depicted the runway, ramp, and hangar,
labeled “Landing Strip (Abandoned)”.
A 1999 aerial view still showed the hangar remaining on the site.
As seen in the circa 2001 aerial view of the airfield,
it still consisted of a single 3,000' paved runway, along with a ramp & a hangar.
A 2002 aerial view still showed that the hangar had been removed.
A 2004 photo by Chris Ness, looking southwest at Morris AAF.
Note in comparison to the 2001 aerial photo that the field's hangar has already been removed.
A circa 2007 aerial view looking north at the closed runway at Morris AAF,
the ramp, and the foundation of the hangar.
Brian Fasano reported in 2005, “I flew over it last week, and it was full of RV's & campers.”
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Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport (00A), Stone Mountain, GA
33.81 North / 84.12 West (East of Atlanta, GA)
Stone Mountain Airport, as depicted on the 1964 Savannah Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
This general aviation airport was apparently built at some point between 1955-60,
as it was not yet depicted on a 1955 aerial photo.
The earliest depiction which has been located of Stone Mountain Airport was a 1960 aerial photo.
It depicted Stone Mountain Airport as having a single unpaved northwest/southeast runway,
with a small hangar & 6 light aircraft on the west side.
However, Stone Mountain Airport was not yet depicted on the August 1962 Birmingham Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Stone Mountain Airport which has been located
was on the 1964 Savannah Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss),
which depicted it with a 3,000' hard-surfaced runway.
Doug Rounds recalled, “Stone Mountain Airport... In the mid-1960s I was president of a group that leased the airport from Mark Britt.
There was a 2nd grass/sand runway running along Bermuda Road - you can see where it was by the sand - it began at the south end of the paved runway.
At that time the Stone Mountain golf course was being built & other than that the airport was in the country.
There were a number of Stearmans & a 1929 & 1930s Stinsons based there at the time.”
Travis Britt recalled, “I was raised at the Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport (no relation to the name).
I was born in 1964.
My earliest memory of Stone Mountain Airport was as a small child.
My father, Benny, was a sky diver and used to jump there.
This would probably have been somewhere around 1967 or 68 that I first remember being at Stone Mountain Airport.
He then restored a PT-19 at Stone Mountain Airport which he completed in 1969.
From that time, I was at the airport almost every day.
Stone Mountain Airport is a place that is very dear to my heart.
The reason that it was called Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport was to honor the memory of Mamie Britt.
She was the wife of the founder of the airport Mark Britt.”
A circa late 1960s photo by Robert Brown of Dave Forrest in his P-51D Mustang passing through Stone Mountain Airport,
pictured near the gas pumps.
Dave Forrest recalled, “I also landed there in a FG-1D Corsair.”
According to a 1969 article (courtesy of Robert Brown),
a corporation was formed on 4/1/67 to lease Stone Mountain Airport for 20 years with an option to buy.
The purpose of the new operation: “For the enhancement & advancement of tail-draggers.”
The field was described as having a “narrow, dipping 2,600' hard-surfaced runway
faced by a string of high tension wires at one end,
while the world's largest & hardest Omni [Stone Mountain] juts up on one side.”
An undated photo from a 1969 article (courtesy of Robert Brown)
showing Mike Rettke's rare flyable FM-2 Wildcat fighter, with Stone Mountain looming in the background.
A 1971 photo by Robert Brown of a Cessna 195, N195RE, at Stone Mountain Airport.
Robert remarked, “No prize for guessing how the airport got it's name.”
Edward Shelton recalled, “As early as I can remember, we would go to Stone Mountain & climb to the top.
From there you could see the glider tugs taking off from SMBM so the gliders could float around the mountain for awhile.”
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
listed the operator as Stone Mountain Aviation Inc.
According to Travis Britt, airport owner Mark Britt “owned the property until the mid 1980s
when he sold it to a partnership that was trying to save the airport from its eventual demise.
Until this time the airport was always known as Stone Mountain Airport.
Stone Mountain Aviation was the Fixed Base Operator that operated the airport under a lease agreement with Mark.”
The 1992 USGS topo map depicted Stone Mountain Britt Memorial Airport
as having a runway, parallel taxiway, and several small buildings on the west side.
A January 25, 1993 USGS aerial view looking northeast at Stone Mountain Airport
showed a total of 52 aircraft visible parked outside on the field – obviously a well-used airport.
The field consisted of a single paved 2,700' runway, a crosswind grass runway,
taxiways, a ramp & several hangars.
Edward Shelton recalled, “There is a white-roofed building right at the northeast end of the runway.
This is an industrial HVAC equipment manufacturer called Heatcraft.
It was always a little startling to be in their parking lot & seeing a light plane come over the tree line (only barely sometimes) just after takeoff.
The trees masked the sound of the engine until the plane was visible so its arrival was quite a surprise.
The only time I went to the airport itself was the early 1990s.
It had fallen out of use, but there were still a few planes there.
In one of the hangars somebody was trying to restore a Dauntless.”
Miranda Skonie recalled of Stone Mountain Airport, “I had my first lesson on New Year's Day 1994, I was 17 years old.
I soloed on March 26, 1994. I began working for the FBO in February of that year.
I scheduled the planes, instructors, fueled airplanes, and pretty much whatever needed to be done.
I have very fond memories of the airport & the people that used to hang out there.
I heard so many stories and many of them several times.
I was very sad when the airport did not open back up after the Olympics.
I had hoped to take my kids there someday.”
Stone Mountain Airport was closed in 1996,
when it was converted into a parking lot
for the tennis & aquatic Olympic events being held at the adjacent Stone Mountain Park.
After the games, the airport owners decided that it would be too costly to reopen the airport,
and the airport site was reused as a parking lot for the Tennis Center.
As seen in the 2002 USGS aerial photo,
all of the former airport buildings had been removed,
although the paved runway & taxiway still remained intact.
A circa 2002-2005 aerial photo looking north at the south end of the former Runway 35,
with the runway markings still visible (although X'd out).
A 2006 aerial view looking south at the south end of the former runway at Stone Mountain, by Graham Watkins.
A small portion of the former runway has been newly repaved,
and a small shelter has been constructed on the former taxiway.
Joerg Wekenborg reported in 2006, “The repaved portion of Stone Mountain Airport's runway
is now home of the Stone Mountain Flyers, a radio-control club flying mostly fixed-wing airplanes.”
A 2007 aerial view by Robert Morris looking northeast at the remains of the Stone Mountain runway.
A perfectly good general aviation airport, completely going to waste.
A 2008 photo of the portion of the Stone Mountain runway reused by a model aircraft club.
Thanks to Paulo Santos for information about Stone Mountain.
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