Abernathy Municipal Airport is a public use
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
in
Hale County, Texas
Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 32,522. The county seat is Plainview. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1888. It is named for Lt. John C. Hale, a hero of the B ...
, United States. It is owned by the
City of Abernathy and located four
nautical mile
A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today ...
s (5
mi, 7
km) east of its
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
.
History
The Abernathy Municipal Airport was built during World War II and opened in November 1943 as Abernathy Auxiliary Field by the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
as an auxiliary field for nearby Lubbock Army Air Field and South Plains Army Air Field. The field was initially built for use by Lubbock Army Air Field, but following the activation of South Plains Army Air Field, was assigned to that base. In 1944 after the conclusion of training operations at South Plains Army Air Field, Abernathy reverted to Lubbock Army Air Field for the duration of the war. At the end of World War II, The United States military maintained over 5,600 bases stateside and around the world. The field was declared surplus and released to the War Assets Administration for disposal. The field was given to the City of Abernathy for use as a civil airport.
Facilities and aircraft
Abernathy Municipal Airport covers an area of 640
acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
s (259
ha) at an
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...
of 3,327 feet (1,014 m) above
mean sea level
There are several kinds of mean in mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. ...
. It has one
runway
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
designated 17/35 with an
asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
surface measuring 4,000 by 75 feet (1,219 x 23 m). For the 12-month period ending June 25, 2009, the airport had 600
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
aircraft operations, an average of 50 per month.
See also
*
Texas World War II Army Airfields
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established numerous airfields in Texas for training pilots and aircrews. The amount of available land and the temperate climate made Texas a prime location for year-round military training. By ...
*
List of airports in Texas
This list of airports in Texas (a U.S. state) is grouped by type and sorted by location. It contains all public-use and military airports in the state. Some private-use and former airports may be included where notable, such as airports that were p ...
References
Other sources
*
* Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas
* Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC.
* Thole, Lou (1999), ''Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now'' - Vol. 2. Publisher: Pictorial Histories Pub,
External links
Abernathy Municipal (F83)at
Texas DOT
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT ) is a government agency in the American state of Texas. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with the construction and maintenance of the state's immense state highway system ...
airport directory
Aerial image as of December 1995from
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
''
The National Map
''The National Map'' is a collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the effort is to prov ...
''
*
{{USAAF Training Bases World War II
Airports in Texas
Buildings and structures in Hale County, Texas
Transportation in Hale County, Texas
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Texas