Trip Report: The Detour Tour
First published in 2002. Reformatted 2025. I spent a month TDY at Lackland AFB, Texas. I spent my free time each day doing research, and made a few road trips as well. Just a reminder PIN means Permanent Installation Number and ILC means Installation Location Code; I include these for Air Force properties when I know them.Sunday, 30 October 1994
Blackland AF Auxiliary Field TX, 31-37, 97-26. This auxiliary field was known first as Crawford Auxiliary Field #3, then Blackland Auxiliary Field #3, when it supported Blackland AAFld during WWII. It was declared surplus in 1945, and transferred to the War Assets Administration in 1947. However, in 1949, it came back into service as Blackland AF Auxiliary Field under James Connally AFB, and served until sometime after 1957. It is still an airport, Valley Mills Municipal (9F1). The runway is sod, with tires marking the boundaries.General view
General view
Friday, 11 November 1994
Garner Field TX, 29-13, 99-45. This was a contract flying school operated by Hangar Six, Inc. for the Army Air Forces during WWII. Current use is Garner Field (UVA).Airfield Garner Auxiliary Field #1 TX, 29-11-45, 99-49-45. The field has reverted back to farmland.
General view Garner Auxiliary Field #2 TX, 29-16-45, 99-38-30, is also is now farmland.
General view Garner Auxiliary Field #3 TX, 29-14-30, 99-33-00. It is farmland once again.
General view Garner Auxiliary Field #4 TX, 29-21-15, 99-37-00. If you guessed farmland, you are correct.
General view Rector Municipal Airport TX, 29-18, 99-09. This was a leased auxiliary field to Hondo Air Base in the 1950s. At the time of my visit it was farmland.
General view
Saturday, 12 November 1994
Matagorda Island AF Range TX, ILC PLPL, 28-19-30, 96-27-50. I had been to the dock annex earlier in the year, but this time I boarded the Matagorda Ferry and rode out to the island. The boat ride took us to the dock facility on the island itself. While most of my fellow travelers headed for the beach, I instead chose to head for the abandoned runways and lonely buildings. Several original Army Air Forces buildings from the WWII era remained standing and in use. In addition to the airfield, the island also had bombing targets located to the south. At one time it was home to a radar bomb scoring site, although I don't know the exact location of that facility. The Matagorda Island range complex was operational from approximately 1940 (sources give conflicting dates) until 1975. Over the years, Foster Field, Randolph AFB, Carswell AFB, Bergstrom AFB, Chennault AFB, and Barksdale AFB all had one or more turns at owning this off-base installation. By some accounts, this was a favorite vacation and hunting spot for high-ranking generals and other VIPs.Dock facility
General view
Runway
General view
Runway
Runway
Hangar foundation
Building
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Non-historic sign
Non-historic sign
Runway
Wednesday, 30 November 1994
Corsicana Field TX, 32-02, 96-24. The former WWII contract flying school is now C. David Campbell-Corsicana Field (CRS). It is a quiet general aviation field. Operated by Air Activities of Texas, this field was home to elementary pilot training from 1941 until 1944.General view
Hangar
General view Rich Field TX, 31-32-30, 97-11-15. In Waco, this was a WWI flying field. It also saw some military use in WWII.
Non-historic structures
Beacon light and non-historic structures Updated January 26, 2025
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