Caribou in Amarillo, TX

[Second Air Force]

George,

Amarillo is hard to keep your bearings straight when viewing overhead shots. There are actually three airfields there, the original civilian English Field that was started in the late twenties, the WWII Amarillo Army Air Field (and postwar mechanic school), and the SAC operated Amarillo Air Force Base. The museum was located on the site of the original civilian apron on the north end of the current runway. The "old" Army Air Field/Mechanic School is on the east end of the property with the hangars we've been discussing and where a scrapping operation used to operate. The SAC facility is the modern airport.

Scott

[george]

Thank you, Scott. Yep, I was looking at the northern base. The eastside base is truly a time machine to the past - I hope they preserve it.

Any idea where the 105 is now?

[Second Air Force]

That is the airplane now in Fort Worth, George. Here's a photo courtesy of Ztex:
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/452917.html

I don't know if there's a plan for the WWII side, but if there is I'd suppose it revolves around a wrecking ball. I've often wondered if there was ever an attempt to document all of the history of English Field up to the current time. It's another field that I need to get out to to properly document photographically before everything is gone.......

Scott

[Stoney]

Wonder were the F-89 that was there in 1955 went?

[Second Air Force]

I've wondered the same thing about all of the training airframes through the years, Stoney. Amarillo had a variety of machinery during the jet training stage, much more so than during WWII when it was just the B-17s and later the B-29s.

Here are a couple of photos of Amarillo when the field was just taking shape in the fall of '42. The first one was taken looking more-or-less north. Just above the center of the new hangar apron (notice that only a couple of the hangars are finished) you can see the old English Field buildings where the Caribou and the rest of the museum was located.



This is one of the hospital in its earliest form. It was later expanded when the training program was enlarged.



Scott

[coastdef]

Looks like your right on the wrecking ball plan; I was just looking at a couple of different aerial photography sources (google earth and bing maps); some of the few original post buildings standing in one set were gone in the other. No changes on the hangars; I'm amazed 5 hangars (look to be the "double" 120 foot temporary hangars) are still there. Never knew that was still all out there or I would have tried to get out there before now...

Andy

I don't know if there's a plan for the WWII side, but if there is I'd suppose it revolves around a wrecking ball. I've often wondered if there was ever an attempt to document all of the history of English Field up to the current time. It's another field that I need to get out to to properly document photographically before everything is gone.......

Scott

[Stoney]

Second AF
That first pix remind me of the time when I was 16 and a family friend, SSgt crew chief took me out there and I sat in the co-pilots seat of a B-47 when he run-up all engines. It was LOUD!

[Ztex]

The English Field terminal is still standing but in poor shape. There are a couple of hangers on that side as well.









I didn't get to spend as much time on the east (AFB) side. Just like some if the other former air bases there is a bit of activity going on. There is a community college using some building and a couple of business' using the a couple of the large hangers. It is clear that they have torn down many buildings on the base. It could be a great resource for the city but it is far from town and on the opposite end of the town from the new developments. This is an issue for many towns in the country. What to do with the old military bases....

[Stoney]

Ztex
That's more of what I remember, my mother worked at Tradewinds in those days, managers office. The Krester(sp) brothers had a couple of warbirds then, I think they both died in them as I remember a P-38 and a F-8.

[george]

This is a very interesting subject. Stoney, what was the Tradewinds? And was the Kresters' F-8 a Crusader or a Bearcat?

When did the beautiful old terminal in Ztex's photos close to commercial flights - was it in the 1970s?

I just remembered that when driving thru Amarillo past the airport about 10 years ago (I think) on the interstate, I noticed several Northwest-Orient DC-10s parked in what appeared to be a remote area.. Wonder if they were awaiting scrapping, or just being stored.

Scott and Ztex - your photos are really appreciated. Thanks.

[Second Air Force]

I'm pretty sure those DC-10s went out in pieces, George. On the Terraserver photo dated March of 1997 there are a bunch of jets on the former AAF apron.

We're glad to post photos and it's fun to be able to do some "then and now" comparisons from time to time. Notice that the twin water towers that were one of the first things built in the fall of '42 are still standing today.

I also need to clarify part of the description for the 1942 photo of the cantonment area I posted earlier. I examined my full size copy and none of the hangar pairs had been started when the picture was taken. I mistook the original Machine Shop for a pair of hangars. The concrete floors and footings appear to be going in for some of the hangars in that photo.

Sorry for completely hijacking your original thread, Randy......
Scott

[Stoney]

The brothers owned the local newspaper and TV station, Tradewinds is an airport south of town and its still there. Back then I think there was ony two channels of TV. Funny town Amarillo split down the middle by a county line, one side wet and the other side dry. So on the north side you could get a drink of booze and the south not. Out by the AF base there were a lot beer joints which I never went into at age 18, not!!

[the330thbg]

wow.., I sure miss Texas!

LOL

[Pogmusic]

The issue of "Saving" the old USAAC, USAAF and USAF bases comes down to cost. As some have pointed out, they CAN be great assets to the local community. However, sometimes: the local governments ask too much rent or sale price, environmental or building code issues cause their downfall, and the local populace does not rally behind these artifacts and save them.

[Ztex]

Yes Randy...sorry for the hijack.
Although it's been fun!

The airliners broken up at AMA were former PSA/ATA etc. L-1011's There were three of them. I took pics at the time but I have no idea where they are.

There are some pics on Airliners...
http://www.airliners.net/photo/LTU---Lufttransport-Unternehmen/Lockheed-L-1011-385-1-TriStar/0093546/M/

There used to be a Mig-21 and some TS-11's at Tradewind @ 10 years ago too.