Hale County Airport is a public airport about south-southwest of
Plainview, Texas
Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,194.
Geography
Plainview is located at (34.191204, –101.718806) and is located on the Llano Estacado.
According ...
. There are no airline flights now.
History
Provided contract glider training to the United States Army Air Forces, 1942–1944. Training provided by Clint Breedlove Aerial Service. An all-way turf airfield with a 2,700' x 2,700' landing/takeoff area. Used primarily
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
s and
Waco CG-4
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...
unpowered gliders. Possibly had two auxiliary landing airfields. The mission of the school was to train glider pilot students in proficiency in operation of gliders in various types of towed and soaring flight, both day and night, and in servicing of gliders in the field.
Inactivated during 1944 with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program. Declared surplus and turned over to the Army Corps of Engineers on 30 September 1945. Eventually discharged to the War Assets Administration (WAA) and became a civil airport in April 1946.
Three commercial airlines served Plainview between 1948 and 1963.
Pioneer Air Lines
Essair (short for ''Efficiency, Safety, and Speed in the Air'') was incorporated in 1939, the first airline authorized by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board ( CAB) to fly as a "local service" air carrier in the United States. It changed its name ...
began service in January 1948 and ended on April 1, 1955, when the carrier merged into
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers.
Continental started o ...
. Continental then served the airport until 1959 when
Central Airlines
Central Airlines was a passenger airline (the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) called it a "local service" air carrier) in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas from 1949 to 1967. It was founded by Keith Kahle in 1944 to oper ...
began service. During 1962, Central operated 516 flight departures but only boarded 148 passengers. Service ended in 1963. All three carriers operated
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner
manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...
aircraft and provided flights to Amarillo and Lubbock. The Pioneer and Continental flights continued on from Lubbock to Midland/Odessa, San Angelo, Austin, and Houston Hobby Airport. Central Airlines flights continued northbound from Amarillo to Wichita and Kansas City with several stops en route.
[http://www.timetableimages.com, Pioneer, Continental, and Central Airlines timetables]
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 ...
*
31st Flying Training Wing (World War II)
The 31st Flying Training Wing was a training formation of the U.S. Army Air Forces (AAF) during World War II.
The wing's mission was to train personnel of the U.S. Army Air Forces Training Command. Headquartered at Enid Field, Oklahoma, for ...
References
* 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.
External links
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{{Authority control
1942 establishments in Texas
Airports established in 1942
USAAF Contract Flying School Airfields
USAAF Glider Training Airfields
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Texas
Buildings and structures in Hale County, Texas
Transportation in Hale County, Texas