Warbird Information Exchange

Another approach to finding the location of the dirt strip just across the river from Memphis would be to talk to someone who was associated with the airport on the Memphis side where the Cobra was stored before going to the Arkansas side. The problem is: which airfield was it? There were probably quite a few airports around Memphis at that time. One, of course, was the Shelby County School of Aeronautics, with the B-26s, P-43s, A-20s, and so many more airframes. Another would be Wilson Field, where the owner had rows of junked out airframes. Sadly, they were all buried at the airfield when it was shut down. An interesting occurance at Wilson is that the plane Amelia Earhart flew, before the one she was lost in, crashed at Wilson several years after her disappearance. Another field was Memphis Flying Service, a very busy field that catered to veterans. Certainly, some folks associated with these abandoned fields are still around, and probably know exactly where that dirt strip was located across the river.

On the Arkansas side, it looks pretty dense with foliage and woods just across the river from Memphis. I doubt an old run-down Texaco, probably family-owned, on a small, remote country road would be listed on a Texaco map. Texaco may have only listed company-owned stations, which were most likely in the larger populated areas. But this is just speculation on my part.

I hate to try and throw avgas on the fire here guys, but as someone who moved to Arkansas almost 4 years ago...the state is littered with small towns that have just about disappeared. This weekend I was muzzleloading in a town that had been booming in the 60s, but now was just a few farms with a deserted Main Street (and no Wal Mart for 100 miles, before anybody gets snarky).

And regarding the encroachment of nature...I grew up in SE LA, where just not mowing your lawn for a few weeks would have your house taken over by greenery. Here its worse--not bayous, but strong trees and underbrush that could hide almost anything. I'd say its possible for an airstrip to disappear here, given enough time.


-Brandon

Shouldn't be hard at all. The word will get out and a farmer will tow it out by the road so it can be found. SIMPLE! LOL

Here its worse--not bayous, but strong trees and underbrush that could hide almost anything.

And as I mentioned in an earlier thread. Just how many WIX'ers have "by coincidence" happened to pass by that part of AR with cash in hand and maps by their side since this first hit the net in 2009?

T J

Yea, the kudzo down there is the terrestrial equivalent of zebra mussels in the Great Lakes. Nature gives us so much then takes it all away.