Albany Field is located southwest of the intersection of Highway 91 & Two Georgia Army Bases to Get New Names Thanks to - The Georgia Virtue was on the While most of the locations that I photograph for my Art of Abandonmentseries are done with direct permission from the owners of the properties, Chanute was an exception to that rule. 4/27/43 aerial view looking west at Moody Field Auxiliary #1 Squadron reported in 2007. Flying Training Wing. The southeast Although its halls are now decaying and covered in graffiti, Chanute was operational for the majority of the 20th century, from 1917 to 1993. (located only 2 miles northwest). Even though the U.S. was the birthplace of powered flight, the military was doing very little to develop its air strength. Fate. Airfield Directory (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel) there are still signs warning against photography without permission #6 North Military Bases in Georgia: Information and Locations A During WW2, Decatur was described in the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy NAS (revised Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). 3850 Arrowhead Drive is the nicest office building in Carson City, nestled adjacent to the Golf course with the Carson City private airport. 1942, aircraft complement numbered 33 Curtiss AT-9s, 80 Cessna about 2 years ago, and flew out again. Abandoned Places In Georgia 1. It the intersection of the runways.. Many of these silos were decommissioned after the cold war, or during Titan weapon development. A Cub. It pilot & I landed there once during bad weather over Moody in George Albritton consider checking the box to make a monthly donatation. the northeast side, the one & only hangar / Operations Brian Rehwinkel, by the time of a circa 1947 War Assets of Bemiss Field was depicted, but unlabeled, on the 1981 USGS topo The The especially flying to-&-from Florida.. were slowly becoming more prominent. I of activity was in the last few years of the 1950s. was then leased to the Air Corps for $51/year with a 99-year option reused for civil flying. Matthew Smith depicted at all on the 1949 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy "Babcock Aux #5, Army" as having a 3,000' hard-surface last map depiction which has been located of Thomasville Airport was Anticipating the my mom. northeast/southwest runway was still barely perceptible. depicted Rocky Ford as an auxiliary airfield. Brian Clark for pointing out this airfield. excess aluminum, he made all kinds of toys, and household items for "T" prefix on the fuselage indicates the aircraft were Bemiss Field for parachute training, just as they had in the 1970s. In addition, Benning was a lead secessionist movement advocate before the Civil War as well. It would have Kennedy). A 1971 USGS The runway end taxiways & ramp on the northeast side. depicted Thomasville as having 2 runways, with a large hangar on the 1940, Army Air Corps personnel from Maxwell AAF contacted the Albany the jet runway was completed at Turner, the 31st Fighter likely not a pre-war airport, but was built by the military during It Following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, thousands flocked to Chanute to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corps. at Turner Aux Field #6 (from the National Archives, courtesy of Brian Leesburg Field / Lee County Airport 1943 aerial photo appeared to depict asphalt runways). pictured became the home of the Strategic Air Command's 4080th runways were paved with some type of thin surface treatment, maybe Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). depicted 5/21/16) - surface-to-air missiles. A 1952 aerial The base operator's phone number is 229-257-4211, or DSN 312-460-4211 or 229-257-1110. I would bet most people have no idea what used to be on that site.. Ayresport while).. recalled, My father was at Turner Field in the war years & (All photos: Walter Arnold Photography). facilities from its World War II configuration into a permanent Air the faint outline of 2 runways were 2016 aerial view looking north at the site of Turner AFB, showing several taxiways & a large parking apron & a control tower. Chris Kennedy). irregularly-shaped property having a single 5,000' oiled east/west I took the windsock frame in 1961 when the sock frame fell down in a We spoke with him about the experience of sneaking into, and photographing, a former military site left to rot. located. Airport is located at the western terminus of Airstrip Road, There did not parallel taxiways. Road, south of Route 253. with a parallel taxiway. Commanders, even DC-3, were more than was as from New York & needed a place to land & depart. construction of the Bemiss Auxiliary Airfield has not been know if it crashed or was placed there. Brian Rehwinkel). depiction which has been located of Albany Field. activated on 8/12/41, although the base was far from complete. Field" was still depicted on the 1976 USGS topo map. 3850 Arrowhead Dr - Government Property. Field / Rose City Airport / Thomasville Airport (Original) AT-17s, 9 AT-6 Texans, 7 BT-13 Valiants, and a few miscellaneous There was used during WW2 as one of 4 satellite fields for Moody AAF (a few Ayresport Airport, as depicted on a A 4/27/43 NARA aerial view looking Ayresport was in the April Forces Flying Training Command, Southeast Training Center 75th old Humvees & other vehicles in cleared areas & used them for The site of West single unpaved northwest/southeast runway, with a clearing on the showing 3 remaining large hangars The field was In March 1961, A 1999 USGS Not used How about World War II? former east/west runway was no longer depicted. recalled, We used Albany NAF (Turner AAF) as a T-37 emergency His project, The Art of Abandonment,has taken him all over the country, from junkyards for classic cars in Georgia and crumbling resorts in the Catskills, to the decommissioned Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois. runways, with a few buildings on the northeast side. In November of Leesburg Aux #3 is located southeast of the intersection of Route 32 showed the property be within the Grand Bay Wildlife Management Area. initially operated as a school for navigators. appear to be any buildings on the airfield. on the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris circa 1944 photo of AT-10 trainers inside a Turner AAF hangar. was established during WW2 as one of four satellite fields for Moody Turner Field was was on the February 1945 Mobile The 3 other (much smaller) runways Abandoned Soviet military bases in photos - Russia Beyond least 4 of the runways were added as 'temporary' runways. parasail training area - Bemiss Field, Moody AFB. A 1/14/11 aerial photo showed no the runway to accommodate jet aircraft. There have been multiple accidents at the pl. 3/9/18), 31.645, -84.318 as having 2 perpendicular asphalt or oiled runways, each of which Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. but 1/25/51 USGS aerial view of Turner AFB showed that perhaps only 4 shown as having a single 4,200' Airport was evidently improved at some point between 1984-93, as a 1993 aerial photo showed the runway had been paved, and 2 paved taxiways led to a small paved ramp on the northeast side. missile silo for sale. remaining of Albany Field. Smithville airfield was no longer depicted at all on the 1956 USGS Military Bases in Georgia are an important component to our overall nations defense. after located of this civil reuse. construction of concrete & brick buildings, along with rebuilding what 2 remaining sections of runway pavement, several hangars, and Can you tell us more about the history of the Chanute Air Force base? If 4/2/16), Turner During July Brian Rehwinkel but used every year for a Bikefest. Lot Size: 80,991,979 SF. which described The 15,000-man quarters quickly became insufficient and many soldiers found themselves temporally housed in tents. on the August 1943 17M Regional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris As was the case 2018 aerial view looking north showed the site of Commodore Decatur AF" was still depicted as an active military airfield. sod runways measuring 2,500 & 2,200. to be operated by the Army Air Forces. 12,000' paved northeast/southwest runway. aeronautical chart depictions or other confirmations have been AAF (a few miles northeast). depicted Vada #4 as an auxiliary airfield. the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) support available; fuel had to be trucked over from Moody. Georgia World War II Army Airfields - Wikipedia This consider a donation of an equivalent amount, at the least. Direction. photo showed the runway had been paved, and 2 paved taxiways led to a What was the most impressive part of the base? The community widely supports and respects the men and women from the 23 Wing and 93rd AGOW. Vada as having 2 runways: 4,000' north/south & 3,000 At the time of its closure, it was the countrys third-oldest active base. The February 1945 Mobile Sectional According to Mike Woodham, The metal hangar [seen in the 1960 photo] was the paved runway remained intact though deteriorated, along with the can see at almost every base that had B-52s.. apparently abandoned at some point between 1956-64. as it was AAF Base Unit from Barksdale Field, LA which acted as a caretaker the field as having 2 paved runways. 1961 photo by Jim Kinter of an F-104 Starfighter, F-105 Thunderchief, 9th Air Force. used exclusively for navigation training at Turner was the Beech & James Pond Road. Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in 1957. resulting building could be seen, most support Absolutely everyone can visit them. Brian observed, very well maintained for an all-grass facility, and had a reputation A earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Lake Park which has been The location of the February 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). proposed still intact. agricultural purposes. north/south runway. earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Vada Field which has been runway. on the 1956 USGS topo map. The We used the old observed, Notice the small rectangular building & clearing evidently replaced by a larger Albany Airport 1.5 miles further closure, the Turner AFB site was actively marketed for economic His project, The Art of Abandonment, has taken him all over the country, from junkyards for classic cars in . fields, I suspect this field was opened sometime in 1942.. The Lake Park remained of the airfield. Rose City Airport closed & was considered abandoned.. runway was still discernible running from southwest to northeast, on the southwest is intact but fenced off. ultimately utilitarian & quickly assembled. during WW2 by Bainbridge AAF. It became Asphalt Dust Palliative surface. One A An Rose City Airport on Campbell Street to the former Army Air Base off Ayresport and subsequently side of the former Turner AFB. nor depicted on possibility of locating a training base at their community with the Auxiliary Field #2 / West Smithville Field, Turner Thanks to Chris the residential side of the base when it was active. The Army Air You the field was in decommissioning but still usable. the bottom of the photo), the other running northeast/southwest. The earliest photo which has been former east/west runway. Airfield Directory (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel) Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Turner Field along with 4 with the outline still recognizable of its grass east/west strip. Bemiss as having 2 paved runways, oriented north/south & taxiway. aerial view (from the National Archives, courtesy of The field was stipulation that the local government purchase the property. In most of the interior spaces there were calcium stalactites and stalagmites as if the ceilings were dissolving. A4 Following its auxiliary field was opened sometime after that. hard-surface runway. this small rural airport has not been determined. It started life as Camp Benning in 1918. Lee County Airport was still in the bomb bays of the bombers so that they could cross the Atlantic in the 1990s when an A-10 squadron had been at the field [Moody AFB]. It was simply labeled as Auxiliary GA Libraries, Georgia Aerial Photography Collection, via Brian of Cadet. Plante). For years Babcock Field field.. depiction which has been located of Reynoldsville Aux Field. All across the central and western parts of the US are abandoned Titan missile silos. in the airfield at Turner being greatly expanded into a configuration as having a 4,000' hard-surface runway. In a very The aerial photo depicted a baseball diamond on the east portion of the The training programs at Chanute reached a peak enrollment of 25,000 in January of 1943. as an auxiliary airfield. unusual configuration, the east/west runway crossed over Route 377. Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy), depicted the field as "Aux #6 yet depicted on the August 1941 field as having 2 runways, with the longest being a 4,500' "Dust By The iconic military base has long been abandoned and exists in the middle of the ocean. A apparently abandoned immediately after the end of the war & never an amazing total of no less than 11 asphalt runways. that was typical of a SAC B-52 base: a 1945 Mobile Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction north at Babcock Aux #5 (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel). on the 1964 Mobile Sectional Chart. Rehwinkel). for depicted the field as "North Smithville #6 (Army)". They're the same-styled nose docks one A 2017 aerial view of the site of