Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:

Southwestern Missouri

© 2002, © 2016 by Paul Freeman. Revised 11/16/16.

This site covers airfields in all 50 states: Click here for the site's main menu.



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Air Park South (revised 11/16/16) - Bolivar Memorial Airport (revised 3/1/16)

Myers Field / Carthage Municipal Airport/ Myers Park Memorial Municipal (revised 10/4/16)

Sullivan Memorial Airport (revised 11/15/16) - West Plains Municipal (revised 5/4/14)

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Air Park South (2K2), Ozark, MO

37.058, -93.233 (Southeast of Kansas City, MO)

Air Park South, as depicted on the 1970 USGS topo map.



The date of establishment of this general aviation airport has not been determined.

Air Park South was not yet listed among active airfields in the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock)

nor depicted on the 1968 USGS topo map.



An August 1968 photo of Don Daugherty & Allen Case, “the owner of the airfield”, in front of a Beech Bonanza at Air Park South.



The earliest reference to Air Park South came from Don Daugherty, who recalled,

“Air Park South... I was the 2nd flight instructor at the airfield; Charlie Schneider was the 1st. I was there for about a year before being drafted into the Army [1968].

Al Case owned the airport & at that time we had only a base rock runway & a sod one.

We had a Mooney Exec single-engine & a Cessna 150. We had a trailer for an office & I was there when the hangar was built.

I have always intended to return there because I left a wooden propeller with a clock mounted at the center in my office & I have always wanted to get it back.”



The earliest depiction which has been located of Air Park South was on the 1970 USGS topo map.

It depicted Air Park South as having 2 runways, one with a parallel taxiway, and a single small building northeast of the runway intersection.



A 7/15/83 airport diagram (courtesy of John Kielhofer) depicted Air Park South

as having a single 2,535' paved Runway 17/35, with taxiways & 3 small buildings on the southeast side.



Jed Keck reported, “Dick Hill ran the main operation on the field (Dick Hill Helicopters in the big hangar) starting in the early 1980s.

He did helicopter flight instruction & ran the fuel farm for locals & passing-through aircraft.

I did helicopter training there in late 1984 & late 1986.

Later it became Dick Hill International Flight School.”



The earliest photo which has been located of Air Park South was a 1986 aerial view by Jed Keck looking northeast.

It showed the field to have a paved north/south runway & a grass crosswind runway, and at least 7 light planes parked outside.

A second & 3rd hangar had been added at some point between 1970-86.



A 4/1/96 USGS aerial view looking northwest depicted Air Park South as having only 2 light single-engine planes visible on the field.



The last photo which has been located showing aircraft at Air Park South was a 6/5/05 USDA aerial view looking northwest, which showed 4 light planes visible on the field.



A 2006 aerial photo showed closed-runway “X” symbols having been painted on both ends of Air Park South's runway.



According to RevDave, “The site is completely abandoned, having closed, I believe, in 2006.”



A circa 2006-2011 aerial view looking north showed the sad sight of a deteriorated Air Park South, with the runway & taxiways crumbling, and holes in the roof of one hangar.



Jed Keck reported in 2007, “Dick Hill, the guy who ran the main operation on the field (in the big hangar) died several years ago.

Sometime after the city closed the airport with the idea of expanding & making it into a corporate jet center.

That seems to have fallen by the wayside & if you look at photos today you can see houses moving in from the west.

My hunch is that people have been fighting it re-opening due to noise.”



A 12/12/12 aerial view by Jed Keck looking northwest showed Air Park South's paved runway in a further state of deterioration.

All 3 hangars remained standing.



A 2015 aerial view looking northwest showed Air Park South remained intact though deteriorated, with all 3 hangars remaining erect.



The site of Air Park South is located west of the intersection of North 22nd Street & Airpark Road, appropriately enough.

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Bolivar Memorial Airport, Bolivar, MO

37.61, -93.43 (Southeast of Kansas City, MO)

Bolivar Memorial Airport, as depicted on the March 1945 Tulsa Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



The first airport for the town of Bolivar was located on the southwest side of the town.

Bolivar Memorial Airport was evidently established at some point between 1944-45

(like hundreds of other airports across the U.S.),

as it was not yet depicted on the March 1944 Tulsa Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

The earliest depiction which has been located of Bolivar Memorial Airport

was on the March 1945 Tulsa Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted Bolivar as a commercial/municipal airport.



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

as an 80 acre rectangular property having 2 perpendicular sod runways, measuring 2,500' north/south & 1,300' east/west.

The field was said to have a single 100' x 60' wooden hangar, depicted northeast of the runways,

and to be owned & operated by private interests.



Bolivar Airport was not depicted on the 1950 USGS topo map.



An aerial view looking south at Bolivar Memorial Airport, from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The field was depicted as having 2 grass runways, with a row of small hangars on the northeast side of the field.



A 2/11/5 USGS aerial photo depicted Bolivar Memorial Airport as having 2 grass runways, with a row of small hangars on the northeast side of the field.



The 1981 USGS topo map depicted “Bolivar Airport” as having 2 unpaved runways,

and a row of small buildings on the northeast side.



The 1965 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted Bolivar Memorial as having 2 unpaved runways: 2,550' Runway 1/19 & 2,500' Runway 8/26.

The runway orientation was noticeably different from how they were depicted in the earlier photo & drawing.

A small buildings was depicted on the east side of the field.



The 1981 USGS topo map continued to depict the “Bolivar Airport”

as having 2 unpaved runways.



At some point between 1981-96, a new Bolivar Municipal Airport was constructed to the east of the town,

and the status of the original Bolivar Memorial Airport changed to a private airfield.



Bolivar Memorial Airport had gained a paved runway at some point between 1981-97,

as a 1997 USGS aerial view looking south depicted the field was as having a paved north/south runway.

However, both the paved runway & the grass east/west runway were marked with “X” closed-runway symbols.

It is not clear if the field was closed at this point,

or if the “X” markings were part of the field's private status.



A circa 1990-2005 aerial view looking north at Bolivar Memorial Airport.



The July 1999 CG-20 World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted Bolivar Memorial as a private airfield.



Bolivar Memorial Airport was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1999-2004,

as it was depicted as an abandoned airfield on the June 2004 Kansas City Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).



Richard G. reported, “I live outside of Bolivar & have seen the hangars

and I believe a hospital life flight helicopter maintenance company is working out of there now.”



A 2013 aerial view looking south showed that several buildings had been built adjacent to the northeast side of the former Bolivar Memorial paved runway.



The site of the Bolivar Memorial Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Route 13 & South Killingsworth Avenue.

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Myers Field / Carthage Municipal Airport / Myers Park Memorial Municipal Airport (H20), Carthage, MO

37.14, -94.31 (Southwest of St. Louis, MO)

An article from the 5/30/33 issue of the Carthage Evening Press (courtesy of Robert Colson) describing that day's dedication of Myers Field.



This is yet another general aviation airport which has been lost to "redevelopment".



Meyers Field was dedicated on May 30, 1933,

according to an article from the May 30, 1933 issue of the Carthage Evening Press (courtesy of Robert Colson).

Edna Myers gave Myers Field Airport to the City of Carthage in memory of her husband Allen Myers.



The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo)

described the "Myers-Carthage" Airport as having 3 sod runways,

with the longest being a 3,000' northeast/southwest strip.

A hangar was said to have "Carthage" painted on the roof.



The earliest photo which has been located of Carthage Airport was a 10/8/43 aerial view looking north

from the 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock).

It depicted Carthage Airport as having 3 runways, with some buildings on the northeast side.



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

as an 160 acre square-shaped property having 3 gravel runways, the longest being a 2,300' east/west strip.

The field was said to have a single 50' x 36' metal hangar,

to be owned by the City of Carthage, and operated by private interests.



An undated aerial view of Meyers Field (courtesy of Robert Colson), showing a total of 3 runways.

According to Robert Colson, "This photo was framed & was hanging in Willis Buck's office when I soloed [in 1947]."



Robert Colson recalled, "I soloed the Piper J-3 Cub, tail number HC-6233-H,

at Meyers Field on February 20, 1947.

My instructor was Ernie Rowlette with the Carthage Air Service.

One of the runways we used the most often was taking off on a northerly heading straight into Carthage,

but pilots were required to make a SHARP climbing turn to the left

before reaching the power lines on the south side of South Garrison Avenue,

because the Civil Aeronautics Board would not let you fly over Carthage on takeoff.

I remember this well because my engine quit at about 600' altitude

on a climbing turn to the left on takeoff.

I made a hard landing on the runway, bouncing my plane to a stop, but no damage to me or the plane."



According to Robert Colson, Meyers Park's Operations Building "was erected in 1948 - a year after I soloed."



The Lou Quinn Flying Service operated 450 hp Stearman biplane cropdusters from Carthage,

according to a vintage envelope (courtesy of Robert Colson).



An aerial view looking northeast at Myers Municipal Airport, from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The field was described as having two 2,000' hard-surface runways: 16/34 & 3/21

(the former east/west runway was no longer visible).

A tiedown area was depicted on the northeast side of the field with several hangars,

but no aircraft were visible on the field.



A 7/2/59 USGS aerial photo depicted Myers Park Airport as having 3 runways, with several T-hangars & 1 light aircraft on the northeast side.



The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted Myers Park Airport as having 2 paved 2,200' runways: 3/21 & 17/35.

Taxiways led to a few small buildings on the east side of the field.



The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described "Myers Memorial Airpark"

as having two 2,000' hard-surface runways: 16/34 & 3/21.

The operator was listed as Executive Aircraft Company.



According to Mark Ingram, “In July of 1962, Eugene (Gene) Ingram

bought the FBO & Cessna dealership from Executive [Aircraft Company], and formed Carthage Airways, Inc.”



The October 1965 Tulsa Sectional Chart map depicted Myers Park Memorial Airport

as having 2 paved runways, with the longest being 3,000'.



According to an obituary by John Brown (courtesy of Mark Ingram):

“[Ingram] operated an aggressive charter department & flight school [at Myers Memorial Airpark],

along with [single- & multi-engine Cessna] sales & rentals.

Some of Gene's mainstays for charter were the Cessna 205 & 206, Cessna 310 and Cessna 320 'Skynight'.

His 2 sons helped with the flying after gaining their pilot certificates,

and his wife worked hard in the operations part of the business.

During 1968 Gene flew 1,300 hours, including giving 175 flight tests as a Designated Pilot Examiner.

During this period he flew a lot of freight for a company called Rocketdyne,

and a lot of passengers for a company called Tri-State Motor Transit.

In his service as a Designated Pilot Examiner for the FAA, he conducted 1,852 flight tests."



A 1970 aerial photo by Mark Ingram of the Carthage terminal building.



According to Mark Ingram, Eugene (Gene) Ingram & his family operated Carthage Airways, Inc.

“until 1973, at which time he sold it and joined Leggett & Platt, Inc., to found their corporate flight department.”



The 1978 USGS topo map depicted “Myers Park Memorial Airport”

as having 2 paved runways, with several buildings on the northeast side of the field.



The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury) described "Myers Park Memorial Municipal"

as having a 3,130' asphalt Runway 3/21 & a 2,000' asphalt Runway 17/35.



A June 30, 1991 photo by Mary Colson of Robert Colson

in front of the Operations Building at Meyers Field.



A June 30, 1991 photo by Robert Colson of a memorial plaque mounted inside the Operations Building at Meyers Field.



A June 30, 1991 photo by Mary Colson of Robert Colson

in front of a cropduster biplane (a Stearman?) in a hangar at the northeast tip of Meyers Field.

"This plane was in this hangar for many years."

Note the cable stretched in front of the plane, with the signs reading "Danger" & "Poison".

The sign on the front of the hanger said "Quinn ????Service".



A 1991 photo by Mary Colson of Robert Colson

in front of the same Piper J-3 Cub in which he had soloed at Meyers Field in 1947.

"Willis Buck, owner & manager of Carthage Air Service was still in operation [in 1991].

He still owned, maintained, and restored the original Piper Cubs we used in 1947."



In 1994, voters approved a proposal to sell Myers Municipal Airport

and rejected a proposal to use the proceeds to build a new airport.

Criticism that the ballot was confusing led to another election in 1995.

In that vote, residents approved building a new airport

and paying the city's share of construction costs with money from the sale of the current airport.



The council voted in 1996 to close the airport.

Members said they didn't want to invest city money in a new airport without a guarantee of federal grant funds,

and they said they wanted to develop Myers Park as a producer of sales-tax revenue.



Myers Municipal Airport was closed in 1997,

based on Circuit Judge George Baldridge's denial of a petition for a restraining order or injunction

against the city-imposed closing.

In the judge's ruling, he denied the plaintiffs' petition for an injunction

blocking the closing of the airport until a new one is built;

the plaintiffs' request for an injunction against further sale or transfer of the Myers Park property;

and the plaintiff's request for a judgment requiring the city to enforce the results of an April 1995 election

in which voters approved building a new airport using a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Myers airport.

The judge's written decision contained only the findings of fact & his denial on all seven counts of the lawsuit.

He declined to elaborate.



The lawsuit filed by the residents' group against Mayor Don Riley & all members of the City Council alleged that:

- The results of the 1995 election were binding,

and the council's failure to enforce it by segregating the proceeds of property sales for a new airport is illegal.

- The city violated state law by not honoring a contract to keep the airport open for 20 years

after receiving grants for improvements to hangars & runways.

- The city violated its own initiative ordinance prohibiting the sale or substantial change in the use of donated property.

- Closing the airport without committing to build a new one is a breach of public trust that will harm the community.



Roger Brown was the last airport manager.



At its date of closing, about 15 planes (described as half the usual complement) still remained at the airport, Brown said.

Brown said he has tried to help aircraft owners relocate their planes,

but that he could find no hangars available in the area.



A 1997 USGS aerial view looking north at Myers Park Airport was taken shortly after the airport was closed.

The closed-runway "X" markings were clearly visible on both runways. A set of 4 rows of T-hangars sat on the northeast corner of the field.



A new airport was apparently never built, as Carthage still has no public-use airport (as of 2003).

Unfortunately that is not the 1st time this kind of “deal” has been used to close an airport without ever providing a replacement.



The Carthage Airport was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on 2003 aeronautical charts.



A 2016 aerial view looking north shows that further construction had taken place on the site of Myers Park Airport,

with a new building & parking lot having obliterated the former T-hangars at some point between 1997-2006.

However, much of the length of the 2 former paved runways & taxiways still remained intact, and the Runway “3” marking was still plainly visible.



In the words of Mark Ingram, "It was a tragic story of greed & short-sighted 'powers that be',

and the bones of the formerly busy airport still protrude from the landscape -

refusing for the moment to be completely buried."



The site of the Carthage Airport is located southwest of the intersection

of Grand Avenue & West Airport Drive (appropriately enough).



Thanks to Chris Kennedy for pointing out this former airfield.

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Sullivan Memorial Airport (H62), Sullivan, MO

38.2, -91.18 (Southwest of St. Louis, MO)

An aerial view looking northwest at Sullivan Memorial Airport, from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



The Sullivan Airport was apparently established at some point between 1948-61,

as it was not yet depicted on the 1947 USGS topo map

nor on the September 1948 Kansas City Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

The earliest depiction of the Sullivan Airport which has been located

was an aerial view looking northwest from a circa 1957-61 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The field was described as having a 2,100' hard-surface Runway 5/23 & a 1,900' turf Runway 14/32.

A few small hangars were depicted on the northwest side of the field,

which was said to offer fuel, hangars, and tiedowns.



The June 1962 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted Sullivan Airport as having a single 2,100' paved runway, oriented northeast/southwest.



The 1969 USGS topo map depicted Sullivan Memorial Airport as having a single paved northeast/southwest runway,

with a few small buildings on the northwest side.



Sullivan Airport, as depicted on the July 1973 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



The last photo which has been located showing Sullivan Memorial Airport was a 10/28/78 USGS aerial view,

which depicted the field as having 1 paved runway & a crosswind grass runway.



The 1986 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted Sullivan Memorial as having a single 2,100' paved Runway 6/24,

with a taxiway on the northwest side leading to a terminal building & 2 other buildings (hangars?).



In 1991 a larger Sullivan Regional Airport was opened one mile north of the town of Sullivan,

and the original Sullivan Memorial Airport was presumably closed at the same time.



A 1996 USGS aerial photo showed the eastern half of the site of Sullivan Memorial Airport had been covered with 4 baseball diamonds & a parking lot.

However, the western half of the former airport remained still largely intact, with about half of the runway length still remaining,

as well as several former hangars on the northwest corner of the site.



A circa 2008 aerial view looking west at the southwestern portion which remains of the Sullivan runway,

as well as 3 former hangars.



A 2015 aerial photo showed the southwestern half of the Sullivan Memorial Airport former runway pavement remained intact,

along with several former hangars on the northwest corner of the site.



The site of Sullivan Memorial Airport is located south of the intersection of Interstate 44 & Mattox Drive.

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(Original) West Plains Municipal Airport (H63), West Plains, MO

36.75 North / 91.86 West (Southwest of St. Louis, MO)

An undated aerial photo of West Plains Municipal Airport from the 1970 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Ronald Casey).



The original West Plains Municipal Airport was located adjacent to the north side of the town.



West Plains Airport was not yet depicted on the December 1955 Tulsa Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

According to Ron Casey (who lived 1/2 mile from the airport),

“West Plains Municipal was built around 1959

and replaced Baker airport which was located just North of the city adjacent to the Howell County fairgrounds.”



Kenneth Hand recalled, “The first operator at the West Plains Airport (in as I remember it we got the airport open around the spring of 1959),

William Brode was the first operator at the airport, he ran a flight school with a Piper PA-12

and had a Cessna 180 that he used for charter.

I was the first student to solo at the airport on March 26, 1960 on a clear Saturday morning.

I worked the summer after my Senior year in High School as a line boy & various other tasks,

mowing the grassy runway & airport property etc.

The University of Chicago had a weather research cloud seeding project going on that summer,

they operated a Beech 18 & 3 Cessna 172s.

Bill operated the airport until the spring of 1961, when he passed away at a very early age with some health problems.”



The earliest directory reference to the West Plains Airport which has been located

was a listing in the 1963 AOPA Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).



Ron Casey recalled, “West Plains Municipal in the early days was home to an FBO [Fixed Base Operator] and 2 flight schools.

The FBO was Conrad Robinson who was a Cessna dealer in the mid 1960s, flight instructor and charter pilot.

Another flight school was that of Charles Hopkins.

Charles even had a Link Trainer [an earl flight simulator] in one of the T-hangar corner offices.

The T-hangars were constructed of concrete blocks.

A row of open hangars were North of the Terminal on the East side of the runway.

During the summers of the mid-1960s the University of Missouri conducted an iodine cloud seeding test from West Plains Municipal.

I received my primary flight instruction & completed my Private check ride at West Plains Municipal in 1968.”



The earliest photo which has been located of West Plains Municipal Airport

was an undated aerial view from the 1970 MO Airport Directory (courtesy of Ronald Casey).

The directory described West Plains Municipal as having a single 3,200' asphalt Runway 14/32,

operated by the City of West Plains.



The 1971 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

depicted West Plains Municipal Airport as having a single 3,200' paved Runway 14/32.

A ramp was located at the southeast corner of the field,

and a total of 4 buildings (hangars?) were located on the east side of the field.



West Plains Municipal was still depicted as an active airport

on the July 1973 Kansas City Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



The last photo which has been located of West Plains Municipal Airport was a 2/14/81 USGS aerial view.



West Plains Municipal Airport was described in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)

as having a single 3,200' asphalt Runway 14/32.

It was said to provide flight instruction, aircraft rental, hangars, tiedowns, repairs, and fuel.



West Plains Municipal was still depicted on the 1983 USGS topo map.



West Plains was still depicted as "Municipal Airport" on the 1984 USGS topo map,

but that does not necessarily prove the airport was still open by that point.



The original West Plains Municipal Airport was evidently closed at some point between 1982-86,

as it was no longer listed in the 1986 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy).

It was replaced by a new West Plains Municipal Airport, 10 miles northwest of the town.



According to Brad Weisenburger, “The former airport did not meet FAA design standards

nor was it capable of serving the aviation needs in the community.”



According to Ron Casey, “The old Municipal Airport was constrained by location

and could not economically be extended to handle business jets.

An adjacent manufacturer needed additional land as well.”



As can be seen in the 1995 USGS aerial photo,

the former runway of the original West Plains Municipal Airport has been reused as a street,

with several large industrial buildings having been built along both sides of it.



The site of the original West Plains Municipal Airport is located southeast of the intersection of Goodhard Drive & Old Airport Road,

appropriately enough.

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