Identify this airport

GMascelli

GMascelli

En-Route
Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
3,512
Location
Ocean City, MD
Display Name
GaryM
Home Airfield
KOXB
I was given this photo by the young child in the picture. Obviously she is all grown up now. She asked if it was possible to find out where this might have been taken with her dad.

"I am attaching a photo of my dad and me in approximately 1955. Our
Piper Cub's home base was Teterboro, but our family flew up and down
the east coast regularly. I'm trying to identify the airport we're at
in this photo. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and feel free
to share the photo with others if need be."

That's all I have to go on.
 

Attachments

  • phto.JPG
    phto.JPG
    31.7 KB · Views: 247
Last edited:
web photo is limiting.
On the original, with a magnifying glass, can you read the words over the larger hangar doors?
 
Badger said:
web photo is limiting.
On the original, with a magnifying glass, can you read the words over the larger hangar doors?
Click to expand...

I'll I have is the picture sent via email. I'll take a closer look when I get home, for now it's just my iPhone.
 
Assuming that is their plane in the background, which I fully understand is a bold assumption, you might let her know...that's not a piper cub.
 
I googled "Executive Aircraft Service" and there is only one in Canada.

Maybe you can email the picture to [email protected] and see if they say it's their old building or if they moved. That is what I'd do. :)
 
.

The word "GULF" is in large letters above the building. Is that a clue?...
 
I searched Google News archives for "Executive Aircraft Service". Opa-locka had one in that period.

I see that the military did not release the airfield until 1962 so probably not KOPF.
 
Last edited:
I was almost able to make out the words on the hangar. Get a higher res scan, and I bet I can figure it out.
 
EdFred said:
The third word looks like Jacksonville to me, but I can only say that with about 5% certainty.
Click to expand...

Agreed..... Trenton might not be the first as there are not enough letters.. Second word looks like tower and the last blurb looks like a freq...
 
I'm going with KCRX since I think the first two words are Roscoe Turner...
 
.

I thought the third word looked like Jacksonville as well. However, my amateur attempt at using The Gimp to pull some CSI-style photo enhancement was an utter failure.
 
Sam D said:
I'm going with KCRX since I think the first two words are Roscoe Turner...
Click to expand...
Could it be "Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corp."?

"At this point Turner established the Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corporation in Indianapolis in 1940, and opened an aviation school. When America’s entry into World War II appeared imminent, he formed the Turner Aviation Institute to help train the flight instructors, pilots and mechanics that the national war effort would require."​

http://www.nationalaviation.org/turner-roscoe/

I think this is it (http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/original-roscoe-turner-aeronautical-corp-brochure):
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    28.6 KB · Views: 48
Last edited:
Pilawt said:
Could it be "Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corp."?

"At this point Turner established the Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corporation in Indianapolis in 1940, and opened an aviation school. When America’s entry into World War II appeared imminent, he formed the Turner Aviation Institute to help train the flight instructors, pilots and mechanics that the national war effort would require."​

http://www.nationalaviation.org/turner-roscoe/
Click to expand...

"Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Turner continued to contribute to the development of aviation through his flight school and aircraft sales and service facility at Indianapolis."

That 3rd word looked like "Aero..." to me also. This looks to be a good-sized GA airport with a control tower so Indy could work.
 
Pilawt said:
Could it be "Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corp."?
Click to expand...


I think this pic is older than the OP and is a different view but ...

attachment.php


"In the early 1940s, the Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corporation was formed at Weir Cook Airport (now Indianapolis International Airport). The fixed base operation was a Beechcraft distributor and offered many other services."
 

Attachments

  • 0602005_19.jpg
    0602005_19.jpg
    97.2 KB · Views: 201
Pilawt said:
That's a '59 K35 Bonanza facing the building, and I think a '57 Ford under the Shell sign ...
Click to expand...

Good catch. Perhaps this is a bit later, then. Note the piers next to the hangar door and the detail above it. I think this is our building.
 
.
The building does look similar, but the OP is missing the water tower lookin' thing (and has a chimney-lookin' thing instead). And if the building is the same, I think we're looking at a different side of it.
 
Pilawt said:
I think the OP is older. That's a '59 K35 Bonanza facing the building, and I think a '57 Ford under the Shell sign.
Click to expand...

Curious how you narrowed it to a 59? I was trying to find something distinctive on the Vee but it escapes me. :D
 
Original pic had slide by hangar door, the door in post #23 is a lifted door.
Just sayin....

Maybe same architect, different airport?
 
schmookeeg said:
Curious how you narrowed it to a 59? I was trying to find something distinctive on the Vee but it escapes me. :D
Click to expand...
That's the '59 paint scheme (I owned a '59 K35). Yeah, I know airplanes can be repainted, but that one looks like the real deal, and one would expect a new or near-new model parked out in front of a Beech store.
 
Badger said:
Original pic had slide by hangar door, the door in post #23 is a lifted door.
Just sayin....

Maybe same architect, different airport?
Click to expand...

Could be a standard design. Streamline Moderne elements (late Art Deco).

Or five years later with a new door and a radar or navaid installation on the roof along with new signage.
 
Badger said:
Original pic had slide by hangar door, the door in post #23 is a lifted door.
Just sayin....

Maybe same architect, different airport?
Click to expand...

I think it's the same building, but the pictures are of two different sides of it. I'm thinking that this is a large drive thru hangar with large doors on either side. That would explain some of the details missing between the two photos.
 
Look at the A/C units in both pictures. It seems it's in the exact same windows...

Yup, looks like Weir Cook airport to me.
 
According to the OP, the young lady says the original photo was taken in approximately 1955. The photo in Post #23 has to be 1959 or later, so changes could have been made. But the building in both photos bears the name "Roscoe Turner Aeronautical Corp.," and that was in Indianapolis. And note that in both photos, there are same five large horizontal fascia panels above the hangar door.
 
jkgoblue said:
Look at the A/C units in both pictures. It seems it's in the exact same windows...

Yup, looks like Weir Cook airport to me.
Click to expand...

Yup on the AC. Seems there is a hangar door on the right not shown in the pic I posted and that is the view in the OP, just right of the central foyer detail.
 
jkgoblue said:
Look at the A/C units in both pictures. It seems it's in the exact same windows...

Yup, looks like Weir Cook airport to me.
Click to expand...

Yep, I think you're right. And the large "GULF" sign letters that you can see face-on in the OP, I think you can see edge-on in the other photo.

This was fun. :D
 
Pilawt said:
That's the '59 paint scheme (I owned a '59 K35). Yeah, I know airplanes can be repainted, but that one looks like the real deal, and one would expect a new or near-new model parked out in front of a Beech store.
Click to expand...

Solid. Props. :D
 
jkgoblue said:
Look at the A/C units in both pictures. It seems it's in the exact same windows...
Click to expand...

Yep. The fact that window mount ACs are in exactly the same windows is a giveaway.
Also, in the newer pic, if you look behind the radar-ish looking thing, you'll see the stack that's visible on the older picture.

Also, in the newer pic, to the right of the central entryway you can see a panel or painted frame on the flat wall (and only on the right) that extends to just short of the center of the top row of windows.

It is also present in the older photo, with the top edge being exactly in the same relation to the top window.

Well done, great spot!
 
I am going to contact the woman that sent me the info and ask her a few more questions, I hope this is the answer she was looking for.

The forums are amazing! Thanks everyone for the excellent detective work. I'll report back after I swap emails.
 
jkgoblue said:
Look at the A/C units in both pictures. It seems it's in the exact same windows...

Yup, looks like Weir Cook airport to me.
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing at first but we are looking at two different sides of the building. Just happens to be two different A/C units in different second floor windows. The area over the hangar doors has what looks like 5 horizontal pieces that make up the front of the hangar in both pictures. I think it's the same building in both pictures, just has different hangar doors installed.
 
Sort of schizo on the fuel brands. The one picture shows both a SHELL and Standard Oil sign and the one from the OP shows GULF.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top