Warbird Information Exchange

What kind if any maps were available to pilots during 1920-1930 showing where airfields were located. I am trying find where the original Airfield was located that served Hutchinson, Kansas during that time. It was call "Albright Airfield." This airfield served as their only airfield until the city built a new airport in 1929 and the Albright Airfield was closed. Information is very had to find after this many years have passed. Just thought someone might have searched for an airfield would share the details of their search.
Phillip

Until Elrey Jeppesen started doing his own maps while flying for VARNEY SPEEDLINES, not much beyond survey charts and they were mostly topographical, there really weren't many reliable road maps for drivers in the 20's either. A part of the Air Commerce Act provided for having the names of towns and cities painted on the roofs of buildings, barns, or water towers (by civic minded volunteers).
Jepps charts became popular with his fellow pilots who began copying them for their own usage, soon he was doing more chart reproduction than flying and started doing the pilots bible volumes full time.
Now, with the advent of the 787, all charts for everywhere an airplane can fly to or from are installed in the 87's nav system and are updated instantly by satellite so as long as the captain can massage an iPad, he can get the latest 'plate' for wherever he's going.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Maybe this guy knows?

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/

Phillip,

I have a 1929 airport map and directory for Kansas. It's a map put out by Rand McNally called a "Standard Indexed Map with Air Trails." Essentially it's a railroad map with airports and airways overlaid on it.

The description for Albright Field lists it as a commercial airport operated by W. Albright, located 2-1/2 miles SE of the town (that would be from the center of town) at an altitude of 1517' and size of 1800'x2100' (1920's airport seldom had actual runways. They were usually just grass or dirt fields.) The directions and distances in the old directories were not always very accurate.

The airport symbol on the map is pretty big and since it's a map of the whole state, it's hard to pin down the location, but I would estimate that it was at about the current intersection of S. Lorraine and E. Blanchard.

If you want to send me an email address, I can scan that part of the map and send it to you.

I do have some official airway maps put out by the Army Corps of Engineers from the 20's, but none of them cover that area.

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Chris Kennedy
Peoria, AZ

I have an Army Air Corps map of the route from Washing DC to New York dated 1929.

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Steve
www.eaglesmereairmuseum.org
www.net2nite.com

Chris,Steve,Inspector and bdk,
Thank you for your help in locating the old Airfield.
The area just South of "G" street and north of Blanchard is probably it. Lorraine runs north and south about a half mile west of the possible airfield location.

'Woolaroc" landed on the airfield in November of 1929 on the last tour before Mr. Phillips placed the airplane in his museum. The local newspaper mentions that Woolaroc was on the ground for 30 minutes before going on to Salina. A Phillip's Oil Company Travel Air 4000 was the chase plane on the tour.

Shure would like to find a photo of the visit but as we all know things just get lost after this many years. The local newspapers of that period didn't publish many photos.

Did find a 1935 aerial map of the area at the Reno County public works office. This would have been taken 5 years after the airfield closed but as you mention it was just grass and nothing is visible in this aerial photo. The runway length of the airfield is probably correct, as land in this area is layed out in quarter sections each being 2660 feet by 2660 feet. Most early airfields had runways of 2600 feet long. I fly off a grass runway that was built in 1945 and is 2500' long due to roads at both ends of the runway.

Phillip