# Forgotten airports **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769 "2013-03-12T23:46:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/21 "2013-03-13T15:15:07Z")
Not forgotten, but a shadow of its former self [near me](https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Blackbushe+Airport,+Hart+District,+United+Kingdom&hl=en&ll=51.326241,-0.849853&spn=0.011612,0.034633&sll=51.324766,-0.844016&sspn=0.011612,0.034633&oq=blackbushe&t=h&gl=us&hq=Blackbushe+Airport,+Hart+District,+United+Kingdom&z=15) in England. Just one runway now in use of the original three, and much shorter than it was. You can still see the overgrown remnants of the runways, which used to stretch both sides of the road there. It was quite a busy RAF base in the war (and hosted a big music festival in the 1970s with Bob Dylan and co). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/22 "2013-03-13T15:24:16Z")
**Cal** , you can still see the outline of the Saugus racetrack in the marsh in the differing colors of the vegetation that grow in the drier, more compacted soil. Did you know that there was another airport directly across the river in Revere as late as the 60’s? Most of it is now Northgate Shopping Center, but Sozio’s Appliances still uses an old hangar building from Muller Riverside Airport. Part of the river is still shown on Google Maps as the associated Seaplane Basin. Another plaudit here for the Abandoned Airports site. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/23 "2013-03-13T15:31:54Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > **Cal** , you can still see the outline of the Saugus racetrack in the marsh in the differing colors of the vegetation that grow in the drier, more compacted soil. I was like, '[Saugus Speedway](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saugus_Speedway) has been closed and is returning to the marsh? :eek: Wait… What marsh? 😕 ’ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/24 "2013-03-13T15:34:12Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > **Cal** , you can still see the outline of the Saugus racetrack in the marsh in the differing colors of the vegetation that grow in the drier, more compacted soil. > > Did you know that there was another airport directly across the river in Revere as late as the 60’s? Most of it is now Northgate Shopping Center, but Sozio’s Appliances still uses an old hangar building from Muller Riverside Airport. Part of the river is still shown on Google Maps as the associated Seaplane Basin. > > Another plaudit here for the Abandoned Airports site. I’ve seen it in aerial photos of the site. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/25 "2013-03-13T15:35:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I was like, '[Saugus Speedway](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saugus_Speedway) has been closed and is returning to the marsh? :eek: Wait… What marsh? 😕 ’ Saugus California was named after Saugus MA. Saugus is an old Indian name, and appears on maps dating back to the 17th century, so it’s pretty clear, even if you don’t read the California city’s history, who borrowed from whom. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/26 "2013-03-13T15:43:24Z")
Denver’s [Stapleton International](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stapleton_International_Airport) closed in 1995. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/27 "2013-03-13T15:43:36Z")
[Floyd Bennett Field](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Bennett_Field) in NYC. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/28 "2013-03-13T15:49:34Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Saugus California was named after Saugus MA. … by Henry Newhall, the great-uncle of my next-door neighbor (I live there too), who also named Newhall, CA. He went west as an adventurous young man and went to work for the SPRR as a stationmaster in the area. Our souvenir coffee cups from the Saugus Diner in CA, where John Wayne used to eat when shooting Westerns there, have confused the hell out of several of our friends. Floyd Bennett Field isn’t entirely closed, btw - the Coast Guard and the NYPD still base helicopters there. But the other Floyd Bennett Field, in his hometown of Glens Falls, NY, is still pretty active. There’s a good diner there, too - I’ve flown in several times. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/29 "2013-03-13T15:58:47Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Floyd Bennett Field isn’t entirely closed, btw - the Coast Guard and the NYPD still base helicopters there. But the other Floyd Bennett Field, in his hometown of Glens Falls, NY, is still pretty active. There’s a good diner there, too - I’ve flown in several times. I was amazed to read of all the record flight attempts at Bennett. All were from the 1930s, however, so with the exception of Wrong-Way Corrigan, they too are forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/30 "2013-03-13T16:05:57Z")
**Johnny** , if that picture was taken in 1959, it wasn’t long after that a Shopping Bag grocery/department store and two strips of smaller stores were built on that site (buildings visible on the later pictures). My dad bought me a Radio Flyer wagon at Shopping Bag right after I had red measles when I was 4, so that would be about 1961. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/31 "2013-03-13T16:53:23Z")
I’ve lost count of all the times I’ve seen Grand Central Terminal in Glendale, CA in old movies - it used to be the main airport for LA, now only the distinctive tower is left and it’s deteriorating. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/32 "2013-03-13T17:23:55Z")
I wonder how many boaters know their berth at [Dinner Key Marina](https://images.marinas.com/med_res_id/58002) used to be a [Pan Am terminal](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fRZyYpzqIu8/Tz7i_o0aCeI/AAAAAAAADzM/gEjpqVMqHcc/s1600/ger24.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/33 "2013-03-13T18:00:14Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > A great website, I’ve flown into a few of those defunct WI airports listed there. The last one referred to on the Wisconsin page is the never-opened [Bong Air Force Base](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bong_Air_Force_Base) (named for WWII ace, and Wisconsin native, Richard Bong). The base was scrapped during development (though not before runways had already been partially built), and the land was eventually sold back to the state of Wisconsin. It’s now the “[Bong State Recreation Area](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Bong_State_Recreation_Area)” (yes, it’s an unintentionally hilarious name). Because the runway area is flat and wide-open, it’s used for model rocketry launches, among other uses. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/34 "2013-03-13T18:10:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Because the runway area is flat and wide-open, it’s used for model rocketry launches, among other uses. And here I thought they were trying to shoot me down, last time I flew low over Bong. 😃 I remember flying into Hales Corners and into Rainbow airport in years past, also. Hales corners had a hell of a dip in the runway, that we didn’t know about. Expected a nice gentle touchdown on the grass, but the runway fell away just as we were touching down. Landed _hard_. I was surprised the landing struts weren’t poking up through the wings. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/35 "2013-03-13T18:15:26Z")
Here in Fort Myers, there’s Buckingham Airfield. It was used to train bomber gunners. There’s still a stump of airfield left, used by the Mosquito Control District and the sherrif dept. But much of it’s outer territory now lies underneath the massive sprawl of Lehigh Acres. Page Field in Fort Myers proper has stayed in use continuously since the war as a civil airport. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/36 "2013-03-13T19:33:01Z")
This thread took an interesting turn. For me, anyway. After high school, in the early-'80s, some friends and I decided to look for a castle that was supposed to be located west of Lancaster. We drove around most of the day and never did find it. After 30 years, the comments in this thread [helped me find Shea’s Castle](https://maps.google.com/maps?q=%22lake+elizabeth,+ca&hl=en&ll=34.697241,-118.394461&spn=0.000587,0.001073&sll=34.767704,-118.731651&sspn=0.07502,0.137329&t=h&hnear=Lake+Elizabeth&z=20). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/37 "2013-03-13T20:21:41Z")
“Progress.” Hmph. I’d take an abandoned airfield surrounded by open land any day, as opposed to another frigging housing development or (_shudder!_) shopping mall. Too damned many people in the world! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/38 "2013-03-13T20:33:13Z")
[Meigs in '52](http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=5&lon=-87.61180704&lat=41.8588773915376&year=1952) [10th St W & Ave I, Lancaster, CA, '53](http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=5&lon=-118.14813002944&lat=34.703949764371&year=1953) [Crossroads Airport & parked planes in '62](http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=3&lon=-77.12152105759782&lat=38.84501531230789&year=1962) [Shea’s Castle in '74](http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=1&lon=-118.39458627999997&lat=34.697109845743185&year=1974) ---
**Author:** ![BTEzra04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9f8e36/32.png) [@BTEzra04](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BTEzra04)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/39 "2013-03-13T22:33:04Z")
Great thread. This sort of stuff is so fascinating. I found this site last summer, and find it hard to tear myself away from it: [http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/page/2/?s=airport&searchsubmit](http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/page/2/?s=airport&searchsubmit) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769/40 "2013-03-13T22:39:26Z")
I remember flying out of [Tri-City Airport](http://california.hometownlocator.com/maps/feature-map,ftc,3,fid,2098204,n,tri-city%20airport.cfm) in San Bernardino back in the 60s. They got rid of the N-S runway when they built I-10. Eventually it was sold to a developer and today is the site of a Phoenix College campus, among many other businesses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-airports/652769.md?page=3)