Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Texas

Texas, Southern Dallas area

Dalworth Airport / Curtiss-Wright Airport / Grand Prairie Airport / Grand Prairie NOLF / Grand Prairie AAF (revised 7/8/08)

Five-Points NOLF (revised 5/13/08) - Foote Airport / Highway 77 Airport (revised 4/18/09) - Hensley Field / Dallas NAS (revised 5/13/08)

Mansfield NOLF (revised 1/19/04) - Tarrant NOLF / Arlington NOLF (revised 7/28/04)

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Lou Foote Airport / Highway 77 Airport, Dallas, TX

32.63 North / 96.83 West (South of Downtown Dallas, TX)

Foote Airport, as depicted on the March 1947 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

This former general aviation airport was location on the southern edge of the Dallas city limits.

The date of construction of Foote Airport is unknown.

It was apparently built at some point between 1942-44,

as it was not depicted on the September 1942 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The earliest reference to the field which has been located

was in the April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer).

It described Lou Foote Airport as having a 3,900' unpaved runway.

According to Kary McMillen, the field was built by Lou Foote,

who taught students at the field during the 1940s.

"I imagine he kept his ownership of the field into the late forties,

but was busy training pilots in a number of locations during the war."

By 1947, the field became known as the Highway 77 Airport,

named after Highway 77 (later to become Interstate 35),

which ran directly along the eastern edge of the airport property.

An aerial view looking northwest at Highway 77 Airport from an article entitled "Private Airports"

in the May 1947 issue of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce Magazine (courtesy of Jeff Ferguson).

The photo showed the airport having 4 hangars & some smaller buildings at its northeast corner,

with a single aircraft (a Fairchild AT-21) visible in the foreground.

The article described Highway 77 Airport as being operated by Lou Foote, a "veteran airman".

A circa 1951 photo of Howard Kidwell landing an Aeronca at Highway 77 Airport.

Howard Kidwell recalled, "I learned to fly at the Highway 77 Airport in 1951.

I soloed in a Piper Cub & then worked then cleaning airplanes for flying time.

I flew Aeronca Champions then, in the 1951-53 time frame.

A B-24 was put in flying condition & they flew it out of there!

I went on to flying fighters for the USAF & am now doing some Citation Flying.

All due to my career beginning at Highway 77 Airport!"

A 1956 aerial view of Highway 77 Airport depicted the field as having a total of 5 unpaved runways.

A closeup from the 1956 aerial view depicted the 4 hangars at the northeast corner of the field, and 6 aircraft.

Highway 77 Airport, as depicted on a 1960 Humble Oil DFW road map.

The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Highway 77 Airport

as having a total of 5 "turf & caliche" runways,

with the longest being the 4,000' Runway 2/20.

The 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse)

depicted the Highway 77 Airport as having a total of 5 turf & caliche runways,

with the longest being the 4,000' turf Runway 17R/35L.

“Interstate 35E under construction” had eaten away a chunk of the eastern portion of the airport,

including the 2 hangars along the eastern side of the field.

A ramp at the northeast corner had 3 hangars (although 2 of the hangars were labeled as having "non-airport use").

The operators were listed as Gabby Hall Aircraft & Modern Aero Sales Company.

The airport manager was listed as Orval Kirkwood.

The 1970 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Ray Brindle) depicted the Highway 77 Airport

in basically an unchanged configuration.

In a 1972 aerial view, Runway 17L/35R no longer appeared to be in use.

The airport appeared to be on its last legs, with only 2 aircraft visible on the field,

and construction equipment clustered around the 2 remaining hangars.

The 1978 DFW Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ray Brindle) shows that the airport had been since renamed "Airport 77"

(apparently a joking reference to the disaster movie of the same title).

It also depicted the airport as having a paved 3,000' north/south runway.

Ray Brindle recalled, "It was the airport that separated the men from the boys.

There was a huge billboard at both ends

and the telephone lines running parallel to I-35E were 20 feet to your left on a south final.

If you did a touch & go,

You had a large pucker factor because you had to clear the billboard on final,

touch down, clean it up, accelerate & climb over huge billboard on departure.

I didn't know squat about Vx or Vy,

but I sure knew how to clear a 50 foot obstacle in real life.

Not a good place for students on a hot Texas day."

Highway 77 Airport was apparently closed at some point between 1978-79,

as it appeared abandoned in a 1979 aerial photo, with no aircraft visible on the field.

The 2 hangars remained standing, but the runways were noticeably deteriorated.

Of the airport's closure, Ray Brindle noted

"It was one of those deals that closed the airport but the industrial park never happened."

Highway 77 Airport was still depicted on a 1979 AAA DFW road map,

but that does not necessarily indicate that it was still open at that point.

According to RC Roark, "It seems like in the late 1970s or 1980s, after the airport closed down,

the hangar was used by some kind of pallet company.

I don't recall any name, just a gigantic stack of wooden pallets next to the hangar,

higher, longer & wider than the hangar itself."

The 1981 USGS topo map labeled the site as "De Soto Industrial Park"

(which never happened, making the airport's closure pointless).

The outline of 2 north/south runways was still depicted, underneath the "Industrial Park" label, ironically.

Note that the topo map still depicted a surveying marker labeled "Loufoote" at the northeast corner of the former airfield property,

named after the founder of the former airport.

A 1989 aerial view showed that the last 2 hangars had been removed at some point between 1979-89,

and a road had been cut through the center of the former airfield.

The outline of the former runways were no longer apparent.

Remains of the north/south runway just west of the Interstate were still barely recognizable in a circa 2001 aerial photo of the site.

A recently-constructed street now cuts across the former runway,

leading to a newly-constructed building on the southwest corner of the former airport property.

A 2003 photo by Ray Brindle, looking south down along the former Runway 18.

The billboards on the side were not there when it was open, just one at both ends.

A 2003 photo by Ray Brindle of the area where hangar once stood, now mostly a trash dump.

A 2003 photo by Ray Brindle, looking south down the end of the former Runway 18.

The runway is now cut by a street but the billboard at the end of the former Runway 18 is still being used.

Ray Brindle visited the site of the former airport in 2003.

"The 2 billboards that used to terrify student pilots are still at both ends of the old runways.

There are remnants of the main hangar still there at the corner of Danieldale & I-35E service road."

The site of Highway 77 Airport is located southwest of the intersection of Interstate 35 & Danieldale Road.

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Dalworth Airport / Curtiss-Wright Airport /

Grand Prairie Municipal Airport / Grand Prairie NOLF /

Grand Prairie Army Airfield, Grand Prairie, TX

32.74 North / 97.02 West (West of NAS Dallas, TX)

Curtiss-Wright Airport, as depicted on the 1932 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell).

This historic property has been an airfield with at least 6 different names,

having gone from a civil airport, to a military airfield, back to a civil airport, and finally as a housing development!

As described by The Handbook of TX Online,

the Curtiss-Wright Airport of Fort Worth-Dallas was built to the west of Grand Prairie in 1929.

It was one of a large number of civil airports built & operated

by the Curtiss-Wright company across the country during the 1930s.

The Curtiss Flying Service Corporation operated a flight school at the Grand Prairie field.

A postmarked commemorated the dedication on April 12-13, 1930

of the “Dalworth Airport & Curtiss Wright Flying Service” (according to Steve Cruse).

The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of the field

was on the 1932 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell).

It depicted “Curtiss-Wright” as a commercial/municipal airport.

An undated painting of the Curtiss-Wright Airport, Grand Prairie.

After the Curtiss flight school went out of business,

the field served as the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport until 1940.

In 1940 it was purchased by the Lou Foote Flying School,

which operated a contract flying school for military flight cadets.

"Grand Prairie" was still depicted as a commercial airport

on the February & September 1942 Dallas Sectional Charts (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

"Grand Prairie Squadron 2", as depicted on a 1942 Navy map of Dallas Outlying Fields (courtesy of John Voss).

In 1942, the Navy faced a need to establish a new primary flight training field in the area,

as the Army (which controlled Hensley Field, later to become NAS Dallas, 2 miles east)

forbade solo flights by Navy flight cadets at the busy Hensley Field.

Therefore, the Navy entered into negotiations to purchase the Lou Foote Flying School property.

An agreement could not be reached, so the property was condemned in 1942,

and the Grand Prairie Naval Outlying Landing Field was established.

The Navy constructed two 1,500' hexagonal landing mats, a hangar, barracks, and other buildings.

Grand Prairie was also known as Squadron Two.

A 1943 National Archives photo of the Grand Prairie NOLF.

By 1943, all Navy primary flight training at Hensley has relocated to Grand Prairie,

and a contingent of French cadets began flight training as well.

By the end of 1943, a total of 280 Stearman biplane trainers were on board at Grand Prairie.

The August 1944 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks)

depicted the airfield as Outlying Field "26803", as an auxiliary of Hensley Field.

After end of WW2, Grand Prairie was used temporarily to store surplus aircraft.

In 1945, it had almost 300 SNV trainers awaiting disposal.

Alden Gaw recalled, “We lived in the Indian Hills subdivision adjacent to the east side of the airport property from 1945-62.

My father, Ernest Gaw, kept his Vultee BT-13 at the Grand Prairie Airport from 1946-51.

He used the BT as a means to cover his territory as a field service sound engineer

and was paid mileage by the company he worked for.

He would buzz our house in his 'Vultee Vibrator' on his return home as the signal for us to come pick him up at the airport.

One time I recall our mother allowing us 3 kids to run from our house a half-block from the field on the east side of the airport,

across the field to greet him at his tie-down, while she drove the car the street route there.

We got no more than 50 yards into the field before our adventure came to an abrupt halt.

Our bare feet were 'attacked' by the thorny stickers that blanketed the former pasture

and our mother, seeing us stranded & crying in the field, had to drive the car into the field to rescue us.”

A circa 1946-47 photo (courtesy of Ernest Gaw family) of a Goodyear M-type airship, over the Grand Prairie hangars.

According to Alden Gaw, “Around 1946-47 the Grand Prairie NOLF briefly hosted non-rigid blimp operations.”

Both K-type & M-type airships were photographed at Grand Prairie.

Of the M-type airship, Alden noted, “There were only 4 built, M-1 through M-4.

No marking other than US Navy are evident, but the articulating control car makes this on an unmistakable 'M' model.

The M’s were used in long-range operations testing between a number of New Mexico & Texas bases.”

"Grand Prairie" was still depicted as a Navy airfield

on the March 1947 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

A circa 1947-48 aerial view looking northeast (courtesy of Ernest Gaw family), taken from Ernest's Vultee BT-13.

Alden Gaw observed, “The main hangar can be seen in the middle, left of the picture just south of Highway 80 or Jefferson Blvd.

The Indian Hills subdivision, built during the war, almost touches the east most hexagon apex.

This was before Carrier Parkway ran north-south between the subdivision & the airport property.”

Alden Gaw recalled, “My brother & I used to scurry all over the airport as kids on our bikes,

watching countless aircraft, helicopter, glider and parachutist operations,

as well as watching maintenance be performed in the hangars over the years.

I recall one summer a parachutist landed in the power lines on the north side of Jefferson

and remained suspended for a time until rescued.

Eventually open T-hangars were erected over the southwest tie-down pads

and many gliders were kept in these T-hangars.

The north-south runway was far from level.

It dropped off precipitously just south of the mid-field taxiway.

The southern hexagon pad was at least 15-20' lower than the north end of the field.

I vividly recall watching aircraft on their takeoff rolls to the south disappear down the hump

and then reappear on climb-out & watching them land to the south,

touch down then disappear as they rolled down the incline & reappear at the far end of the runway as they turned around to taxi back.

When they taxied from the south end of the runway northward

it seemed like forever before they reappeared as the rose up over the incline.”

A circa 1948-49 photo of Ernest Gaw in front of his Vultee BT-13 (courtesy of Ernest Gaw family),

looking northeast with the Grand Prairie hangar in the background.

The lettering on the hangar read “North Texas Agricultural College, School of Aeronautics, Grand Prairie Airport”.

A circa 1948-49 photo (courtesy of Ernest Gaw family)

of a Bowlus Baby Albatross glider being pushed in front of the Grand Prairie hangar / control tower.

The glider was possibly part of the School of Aeronautics program.

Lee recalled, “In 1948 I was at Carswell in the B-36 program at that time

and placed on TDY to Grand Prairie to obtain my A&P rating.

There was considerable glider operation there at that time.”

Alden Gaw related, “I also recall the 49^th Texas Air National Guard unit operating out of the airport throughout the mid-1950s & 1960s.”

Dallas resident Jerry Felts recalled,

"As a child, our family used to pass by once a month or so on Highway 80 on our way to Ft. Worth to visit relatives.

I always thought the activity there to be a letdown after just passing by Navy Dallas

and seeing all those amazing aircraft taking off & landing there.

I remember seeing my first parachute jump there in the late 1950s as it was the home, at that time,

of the Dallas Parachute Association.

Also, there was a glider operation there at the time.

I don't know how all that fit in with the ANG operation

but seems that at the time it was dormant as to military use."

A 1958 aerial view depicted Grand Prairie still largely in its WW2 configuration, with the 2 hexagonal landing mats.

But by this time the field had been reused as a general aviation airport.

A closeup from the 1958 aerial photo depicted 2-dozen general aviation aircraft parked on Grand Prairie's northwest ramp.

A row of T-hangars had been added on the south side of the ramp for small general aviation aircraft.

By 1959 the Navy had evidently vacated the field & it became once again the Grand Prairie Airport,

as that is how it was labeled on the 1959 USGS topo map.

The status of the Grand Prairie airfield was not clear by 1960,

as it was listed as "Grand Prairie (AFA)" in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It was depicted as having a single 2,800' paved Runway 17/35,

in addition to the two 1,500' hexagonal landing mats.

A ramp was depicted on the northwest side of the field, with multiple buildings.

The 1963 TX Airport Directory (courtesy of Steve Cruse)

depicted the "Grand Prairie Airport" as having a total of 3 asphalt runways

(2,900' Runway 17/35, 3,000' Runway 2/20, and 1,800' Runway 11/29)

which were superimposed on the 2 former Navy hexagonal landing mats.

The southeast portion of the northeastern asphalt hexagonal former landing mat

was designated as a general aviation tie-down area.

A paved ramp on the north side of the runways had a Civil Air Patrol hangar & a National Guard hangar.

The manager was listed as E.E. Longbrake.

Jerry Felts recalled, "In the late 1960s there was some military helicopter activity at the facility

but the equipment (CH-37 Mojave) seemed obsolete compared to the state of the art for the time.

I spent a weekend at the AANG facility while in the Sea Scouts in 1962

and there was still a military chow hall & other administration offices operational at the time

along with some light observation type aircraft that were parked on the asphalt ramp by the hangar."

At some point between 1964-68,

a new Grand Prairie Municipal Airport was constructed 4 miles to the southwest,

on the site of the former Tower NOLF.

Apparently the original Grand Prairie Airport site was constrained geographically,

and the runway could not be lengthened to accommodate jets.

The July 1968 DFW Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted both the "Grand Prairie AAF" along with the new "Grand Prairie" Municipal Airport to the southwest.

Curiously, the 1968 USGS topo map still depicted the “Municipal” Airport with its 2 hexagonal landing pads, taxiways, and hangars,

but it also depicted that a new road had been built through the middle of the airfield

(and a building had been built in the center of the northeastern landing pad)

which may be an indication that the airport was closed by that point.

Alden Gaw recalled, “During the late 1960s & early 1970s

I noticed business developments encroached onto the eastern side of the airport,

first with a bank building & quickly followed by other commercial operations.”

A closeup from the 1970 aerial photo depicted 3 large helicopters (what appear to be Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave heavy-lift helicopters)

parked on the ramp at Grand Prairie.

The row of T-hangars along the south side of the ramp had been removed at some point between 1958-70.

At some point between 1970-78,

the original Grand Prairie airport property was purchased by the city & turned into an industrial park.

A 1972 aerial view still showed the hexagonal landing pads to be recognizable,

but it appeared as if the aviation use of the property had ended,

with cars & other objects parked along the former ramp area.

The main hangar appeared to remain standing.

The 1973 USGS topo map no longer depicted the landing pads or any runways.

The former hangars at the northwest corner were still depicted,

but some of them had been removed.

By the time of the 1978 DFW Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ray Brindle),

nothing at all was depicted at the site of the original Grand Prairie airfield.

On a 1979 aerial view, the hexagonal landing pads were no longer discernible at all.

Two large buildings had been on the west side of the property,

and there was no longer any recognizable trace of the former airfield.

On the 1981 USGS topo map, a 2^nd road had been built through the former airfield.

In the 1995 USGS aerial photo,

the majority of the Grand Prairie AANG site still consisted of an open grass field,

with no trace perceptible of the former asphalt landing mats.

Numerous buildings had been constructed along the west & north sides of the property.

A circa 2001 aerial photo of the site.

Jerry Felts said, "I was out there about a year ago to see if there were any remains of the runway

or anything else about the place but all I could find was a couple of concrete structures

that looked like bases for runway lighting."

Entrance sign to the new Curtiss-Wright Village.

As pointed out by Scott O'Donnell,

15 acres of what was formerly the Curtiss-Wright Airfield are being redeveloped in 2002 as Curtiss-Wright Village,

a community of 102 town homes.

Jerry Felts pointed out that "That place been totally developed since I was there last year [2001].

My compliments to the people who are building the Curtiss-Wright Development,

what a great way to honor a former aviation site.

All the streets are either famous aircraft names or named for famous aviators."

The site of the Curtiss-Wright Airport is located

southwest of the intersection of Jefferson Street & Carrier Parkway.

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Hensley Field / Dallas Naval Air Station (7TX2), Dallas TX

32.74 North / 96.97 West (Southeast of DFW Airport, TX)

"Hensley" Field, as depicted on the 1932 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell).

This was originally the site of Hensley Army Air Force Base, established in 1932.

In 1940, the Federal Government's Defense Plant Corporation

built a large aircraft manufacturing plant on the northwest corner of the field

which was operated by the North American Aircraft Corporation.

It produced thousands of T-6 Texan trainers & P-51 Mustang fighters,

and employed a total of 39,000 workers at its height.

The Navy also started a significant expansion of their facilities at the field in 1940,

to conduct flight screening & the training of night flying.

"Hensley" was depicted as a military airfield

on the February & September 1942 Dallas Sectional Charts (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

A 1942 aerial view looking west at Dallas NAS (National Archives photo).

The Naval facility was renamed Dallas Naval Air Station in 1943.

"Location of Outlying Primary Landing Fields, US Naval Reserve Aviation Base, Dallas, TX", 1942

(courtesy of John Voss).

To support training at Dallas NAS, by 1942 the field had a total of 20 Outlying Landing Fields.

Five of these fields were paved,

including Five-Point NOLF (labeled "Baker-Mansfield" on the map above), Mansfield NOLF,

Arlington NOLF (labeled "Tarrant" on the map above), and Grand Prairie NOLF.

The other fields were: Tower (later reused as the new Grand Prairie Municipal Airport),

Webb, Britton, Polo, Silo, Wilson, Lake, Midlothian, Pleasant Valley,

Cedar Hill, Grover, De Soto, Duncanville, Rock Pile, and Hampton.

Hensley Field, as depicted on the August 1944 Dallas Sectional Chart (courtesy of David Brooks).

The Army Air Forces used their portion of Hensley Field

for the training of ferry pilots during WW2,

and later used the field to store surplus aircraft following the end of the war.

After the end of the Second World War, the former AAF facilities at the northeast corner

were eventually taken over by the Texas Air National Guard.

The primary runway was expanded to its ultimate size of 8,000' in 1952

to support the arrival of the field's first jet aircraft, the FH-1 Phantom.

After the end of WW2, the North American Aviation plant adjacent to the field was deactivated.

In 1945, several North American employees left the company

to form their own venture, the Texas Engineering & Manufacturing Company (TEMCO).

This new firm used the former North American Aviation plant,

and specialized in airframe-oriented efforts such as subcontract manufacturing of aircraft assemblies,

general aircraft overhaul, aircraft conversion & other special modifications.

TEMCO built Globe Swifts under a license from nearby Globe Aircraft Company in Fort Worth,

as well as other small civil & military aircraft.

Production of the Swift ramped up very quickly,

but the Globe Aircraft Company soon dissolved after running into business difficulties.

TEMCO obtained rights to the Swift as payment for money owned them by Globe,

and all parts & production tooling for the Swift were transferred from Globe to the TEMCO Grand Prairie plant.

For more information on TEMCO, see: http://www.napanet.net/~arbeau/swift/conder.htm

TEMCO enjoyed a rapid expansion with its military contracts,

involving production of 400 C-82 subassemblies & 200 F-24 subassemblies for Fairchild Aircraft Company.

After the firm acquired additional facilities in Greenville, the Grand Prairie plant focused primarily on Navy programs.

TEMCO eventually vacated the Grand Prairie facility completely.

The next occupant of the Grand Prairie aircraft plant was Vought.

In 1946, the government attempted to interest prime aircraft contractors located in congested pre-war plants

to relocate to the more modern facilities constructed during the war.

The Chance Vought Aircraft plant at Stratford was one of the first plants the government contacted.

In 1948, the Navy announced that Chance Vought would move its entire operation

to the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant in Dallas, Texas.

The move was completed by mid 1949 – the largest industrial move of its kind up to that time.

Metro Goldwyn-Mayer announced a film would be made of the historic move.

The movie, to be entitled "Yankee in Texas" with Spencer Tracy,

never came off as political pressure led by Connecticut’s governor, Chester Bowles,

sought to stop the unfavorable publicity he felt this exposure would give their state.

Twenty-seven million pounds of equipment & 1,300 key personnel & their families

were moved the 1,700 miles during 1948-49.

In the 1950s, the Vought plant was expanded,

and additional facilities were constructed, including several wind tunnels.

Aircraft manufactured at Dallas by Vought in the 1950s included the F4U Corsair,

the F7U Cutlass, the Regulus I missile, and the F8U Crusader.

From a post-WW2 low of 3,600, employment increased to 17,000 by 1957.

A total of 1,263 F-8 Crusaders were eventually built in Dallas.

A 1958 aerial view showed a large number of F8U Crusaders awaiting delivery on the Vought ramp,

as well as large number of aircraft (Fairchild R4Q transports & fighter aircraft) on Hensley's northwest ramp.

A 1958 aerial view showed a large number of multi-engine & tactical aircraft on Hensley's east ramp.

As depicted in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),

the airfield at NAS Dallas consisted of 2 paved runways: an 8,000' Runway 17/35 & a 5,200' Runway 13/31

(the former northeast/southwest runway had evidently been closed).

A large number of taxiways, hangars, and factory buildings were also depicted.

In addition to the F-8 Crusader, the Dallas facility produced its cousin, the A-7 Corsair.

The 1^st A-7 flew in 1965,

and the type went on to see widespread service with the Navy, Air Force, and foreign militaries.

A 1972 aerial view showed a stark difference in the level of activity noticeable on the northwest ramp (near Vought),

as compared to the 1958 photo.

Only a few aircraft were visible on the entire northwest ramp.

The 1972 photo also showed that a new ramp had been built at some point between 1960-72 on the northeast portion of the base,

effectively ending any use of the former northeast/southwest runway.

Ted Waldron (the former ANG Facility Manager at Hensley Field) recalled,

"I was on Hensley Field from 1975-93 & saw quite a few changes to the base, especially in the ANG.

During that time we got rid of all the WW2 buildings on the ANG side."

On a 1979 aerial view, not a single aircraft was visible on the entire northwest ramp,

indicating the decrease in the level of activity at the Vought factory.

The 1979 aerial photo also showed the new facilities that had been constructed at some point between 1972-79

on the southwest side of the field for TX Army National Guard helicopter operations,

including new taxiways, ramps, and hangars.

It also appeared as if Runway 13/31 was no longer active,

as aircraft were parked on the southeast end,

effectively leaving the field with only one active runway.

A-7 Corsair production ended in 1984, by which point the Dallas facility had produced 1,569 of the attack jet.

The A-7 was the last complete aircraft to be produced in volume at the Dallas facility -

all subsequent Vought Dallas production centered on aircraft structural components subcontracted for other manufacturers.

In the 1980s, Dallas NAS was host to many different squadrons

of the Navy & Marine Corps Reserve & Army National Guard.

A February 1, 1988 DOD photo by Wayne Whited of an Attack Squadron 174 Vought TA-7C Corsair II parked on the NAS Dallas flight line.

The Corsair was built at the Vought facilities on the west side of the field.

The last photo which has been located showing Hensley Field before the closure of the main part of the base was a 1989 aerial view.

It depicted a total of only 16 aircraft & helicopters on all of the expansive east ramps of the base.

As part of the Base Closure Act of 1993, Dallas NAS was closed,

and the various reserve squadrons were moved to the former Carswell AFB in Fort Worth,

which was renamed Fort Worth NAS.

Ted Waldron (the former ANG Facility Manager at Hensley Field) recalled,

“NAS proper still had many WW2 buildings, with face-lifts, when the base closed."

A 1995 USGS aerial photo of the area to the south of NAS Dallas,

which has been annotated by David Brooks to show the locations of the large number of WW2-era military airfields.

A 2002 aerial view by Paul Freeman looking southwest at Hensley Field.

After NAS Dallas was closed by the military,

an attempt was made to reuse the field for business aviation.

As of 2002, although still publicly owned,

the former NAS Dallas airfield was operated by a private company as "Millennium Dallas Airport".

One of the former Texas ANG hangars on the northeast corner was modernized by the company,

and was being operated as a terminal catering to business aviation.

Runway 17/35 (8,000' long) was maintained as the sole active runway.

Although the Naval Air Station has officially closed,

military aviation continues to be represented by the Texas Army National Guard,

which (as of 2002) continued to operate CH-47 Chinook helicopters

from their facility which sits somewhat isolated from the rest of the airfield

on the southwest corner of the base.

The Texas ANG also hosts a deployed unit of the Royal Singaporean Air Force,

under the project name "Peace Prairie",

at which pilots of the RSAF are trained in Chinook operations.

A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman of a sad sight - one of the former Naval Reserve F-14 hangars, rusting away.

A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman of the former Naval Air Station Headquarters Building, now abandoned & overgrown.

A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman of another former Navy administration building, now also abandoned & overgrown.

Paul Freeman visited the former Dallas NAS site in 2002, to find it a very strange (and sad) sight.

Only portions of the base are still in active use,

while the majority of the expansive infrastructure (paid for at great cost by the taxpayers)

has been left to completely decay.

In addition to many large hangars,

there are entire blocks of the former base office & housing areas in which many large buildings

have been left to the weeds which have taken them over.

Some of these buildings are of relatively recent construction

(like what is obviously recognizable as the former base MacDonald's restaurant!).

It is disgraceful that the local politicians have not taken advantage of this base's closure,

and taken more active steps to see that the properties are reused

for some constructive purpose by private industry or local government.

A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman of some of the numerous hangars which still stand

on what has become the Vought Aircraft factory property,

as well as the Vought control tower.

The Vought Aircraft Industries factory is still in operation on the northwest corner of the airfield,

but has not built complete aircraft since the production of the A-7 series came to an end (in the early 1980s?).

Today, the Vought plant produces aircraft structures under subcontract for Boeing & other aircraft manufacturers,

for aircraft including the Bell/Boeing MV-22B Osprey, F-22, C-130, C-17, and the Global Hawk.

A large number of hangars still exist on the Vought property,

leftovers from the days when the factory built & delivered thousands of aircraft from the Dallas location.

At some point between 2002-03,

the attempt to reuse the former NAS Dallas as a business aviation airfield

("Millenium Dallas Airport") apparently failed, as the airfield was closed once again,

and depicted on the 2003 Sectional Chart as an abandoned airfield.

Gregg Smith reported of Millennium, “They never made their first rent payment to Dallas & everything sunk into lawsuits.”

Hensley Field's history of 70 years as an airfield had apparently come to an end, for the time being.

In 2004, news reports indicated that the Vought company had obtained a long-term extension

to their occupancy of the plant adjacent to Hensley Field,

and that part of the deal was the possibility of reopening the closed Hensley Field runway,

to facilitate air shipments of large aerostructures.

Vought's Gregg Smith reported in 2005, “Hensley Field Runway 17/35 will reopen in the Summer of 2005.

DMJM Aviation, under contract to the City of Dallas, has completed the A/E work & construction bids have been received.

I expect a construction contract will be authorized in the next several weeks,

with a first VFR flight in June of 2005.

The ILS system will be operational by the fall.

We intend to deliver structures via C-17's & C-5's.”

Christopher Trott reported in March 2005, “I went by NAS Dallas today.

The City of Dallas recently approved a $500,000 appropriation for the replacement of the roof

on Buildings 25, 26, and 27 in addition to other 'reconstruction' actvities.

From the wording of the City Council notes, it appears that the airfield will maintain its status as such

and that they will continue to maintain the lighting system

(I saw several vehicles from the City of Dallas at the threshold lights for Runway 18 doing maintenance).

With the reconstruction of some of the buildings directly off Jefferson (north end of the field, across from Vought)

I believe that they may be preparing the entire facility for re-occupation by various companies.”

A circa 2002-2005 aerial view looking west at a large abandoned hangar

on the northeast side of Hensley Field which still bears the legend “Texas Air National Guard”.

A circa 2002-2005 aerial view looking west at a large abandoned hangar

on the southeast side of Hensley Field.

A circa 2002-2005 aerial view looking west at 4 CH-47 Chinooks

at the National Guard facility on the southwest corner of Hensley Field.