Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:

Northwestern Alabama

© 2002, © 2016 by Paul Freeman. Revised 9/7/16.

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Courtland Aux AAF #1 / Danville Field / Danville Airport (added 1/18/14) - Jasper Airport / (Original) Walker County Airport (revised 9/7/16)

Red Bay Airport (added 5/15/14)

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Red Bay Airport, Red Bay, Danville, AL

34.455, -88.155 (Northwest of Birmingham, AL)

Red Bay Airport, as depicted on the 1969 USGS topo map.

Photo of the airport while in use has not been located.



The Red Bay Airport was evidently constructed at some point between 1951-69,

as it was not yet depicted on the 1951 USGS topo map.

The earliest depiction which has been located of Red Bay Airport was on the 1969 USGS topo map,

which depicted a single paved north/south runway, labeled simply as “Landing Strip”,

with a few small buildings on the northeast & southeast sides.



The earliest photo which has been located of Red Bay Airport was a 3/2/96 USGS aerial view looking northeast.

It depicted Red Bay as having a paved Runway 16/34.



Red Bay Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1996-2004, with the property reused by Tiffin Motorhomes.

A 2004 aerial photo showed that the Red Bay Airport runway was reused to park motorhomes, with 2 buildings built over the southern portion of the runway.



A 2010 photo looking south showing the runway markings which remain on the former Red Bay Airport Runway 18, now a motorhome campground.



A 9/18/12 aerial view looking northeast shows the former Red Bay Airport runway, reused to park motorhomes.



The former Red Bay Airport runway is now marked as 7th Street Northwest on street maps.



Thanks to Eric Hinz for pointing out this airport.



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34.424, -87.119 (West of Huntsville, AL)

Danville Airport, as depicted on the 1949 AL DOT map (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee).



This field was evidently constructed at some point between 1941-49,

as it was not yet depicted on a 12/19/41 aerial photo (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee).

Courtland AAF Auxiliary #1 was evidently constructed during WW2

as one of at least 4 satellite airfields which supported operations at Courtland AAF.



The earliest photo which has been located of Danville Field was a 10/12/53 aerial view (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee).

It depicted Danville as having 2 unpaved runways, each with a parallel taxiway.



Danville Airport, as depicted on the 1958 USGS topo map (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee).



The 1960 USGS topo map (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee)

depicted Danville Airport as having 2 unpaved runways.



The last depiction which has been located of Danville Airport was on the 1986 AL DOT map (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee).



Danville Airport was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1986-89,

as it was no longer depicted on the 1989 USGS topo map (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee).



As seen in a 12/12/12 aerial view (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee), not a trace of Danville Airport remains at the site.



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Jasper Airport / (Original) Walker County Airport (1A8), Jasper, AL

33.865, -87.264 (Northwest of Birmingham, AL)

Jasper Airport, as depicted on the June 1941 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



This general aviation airport on the northeast side of Jasper was evidently established at some point between 1937-41,

as it was not yet depicted on the 1937 AL DOT map (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee).

The earliest depiction which has been located of what was originally known as the Jasper Airport

was on the June 1941 Birmingham Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted Jasper as a commercial or municipal airport.



The earliest photo which has been located of the Jasper Airport

was a 1/31/43 aerial view looking north from the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock).

It depicted Jasper Airport as having 2 sod runways.



The field was evidently renamed “Walker County” Airport at some point between 1941-44,

as that is how it was listed in the March 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer).

It described Walker County Airport as having a 3,100' runway.



The 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described Walker County Airport

as a 178 acre rectangular property having 2 sod runways, measuring 3,100' WNW/ESE & 2,100' northeast/southwest.

The field was said to have a single 76' x 62' wood, steel, and stone hangar.

Walker County Airport was described as being owned & operated by Walker County.



A 2/2/46 USGS aerial photo (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee)

depicted Jasper as having 2 unpaved runways, with some small buildings on the south side.



The 1949 USGS topo map 1949 (courtesy of the University of Alabama Map Library)

depicted Walker County Airport as having 3 unpaved runways.



Walker County Airport, as depicted on the August 1954 Birmingham USAF Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



A 1955 Soil Conservation Service Photo (courtesy of Thomas Kallsen of the University of Alabama Map Library)

depicted the Walker County Airport as having 3 unpaved runways,

with several buildings or hangars just south of the runway intersection.



The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Walker County Airport as having a 3,700' black top Runway 10/28,

a 2,750' sod Runway 4/22, and a 2,850' sod Runway 15/33.

The operator was listed as Jasper Flying Service.



The 1965 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted the Walker County Airport as having a 3,700' paved Runway 11/29

and a 2,100 sod Runway 4/22, with 2 small buildings on the south side of the field.

The manager was listed as Ellis Haynes.



The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Walker County Airport

was on the October 1968 Birmingham Sectional Chart.

It depicted Walker County Airport as having a single 3,700' paved northwest/southeast runway.



A 1972 Soil Conservation Service aerial view of Walker County Airport (courtesy of Thomas Kallsen of the University of Alabama Map Library).

By the time of this photo, the main (east/west) runway had apparently been paved.

A cleared area was still present for the grass northeast/southwest runway,

but the northwest/southeast runway had been closed,

with a row of T-hangars & an aircraft parking area along its middle area.

A total of at least 10 aircraft were visible parked outside.



John Dendy recalled, “Jasper Airport... I flew out of there in the early 1970s.

The main runway had been paved. But if there was a sod runway, the FBO never said anything about it.

The main runway was all there was – not even a taxiway.

The northwest end, near the buildings, was flat for about 100 yards, but then the runway was downhill the rest of the way.

The southeast end was about 50 feet lower than the northwest end; it looked as if you were flying into a forest.

Regardless of wind, takeoffs were downhill, landings were uphill.

You never wanted to take off with much tailwind – or land either. Fun.”



By the time of the 1980 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),

the 3,700' paved Runway 11/29 was apparently the sole runway - apparently the other two sod runways had been abandoned.

Taxiways were depicted as leading to a ramp on the southwest side of the field, with two buildings.



The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)

described the Walker County Airport as having a single 3,700' asphalt Runway 11/29.

The operator was listed as Jasper Aviation.



Walker County Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1982-84,

as it was labeled "Landing Strip (Abandoned)" on the 1984 USGS topo map (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee).

It had been replaced by a newly constructed Walker County Airport, 4 miles northwest.



A 1999 USGS aerial photo showed the majority of Walker County Airport appeared to remain intact,

including the full length of the paved runway, and all of the hangars & other airfield buildings.

A building had been built across the western end of the main runway, though.



The original Walker County Airport was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2002 aeronautical charts.



A circa 2003 aerial view looking east at a former hangar,

with a radio tower in the foreground which was built over the center of the former ramp.



A circa 2003 aerial view looking south at the row of former T-hangars & another smaller hangar on the south side of the former airport.



A 12/12/12 aerial view looking northeast (courtesy of Dallam Oliver-Lee) showed Jasper Airport to remain mostly intact.



The airport was apparently also known as Bevill Field,

as it is located east of the intersection of Bevill Field Road & Airport Road.

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