Gettysburg Airport facts for kids

The Gettysburg Airport was a small airfield located near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. During World War II, it was called Forney Airfield. It sat on the western side of Oak Ridge, not far from the famous Gettysburg Battlefield.

History of the Gettysburg Airport

Early Days and Air Tours

In the 1920s, a company called the Gettysburg Flying Service offered airplane tours of the battlefield. These tours started from the west side of Oak Ridge. This was similar to another airport, Battlefield Airways, which was across from The Peach Orchard. By 1939, the Gettysburg Airport was part of the first airmail route that crossed the entire country.

Building the Airport

In 1937, a man named Bircher took over an airport in southeast Pennsylvania. However, his flight training school had to leave Philadelphia during World War II. This was because of rules about flying during wartime. So, Bircher bought a farm near Gettysburg. In 1942, the new Gettysburg Airport was built on this land along the Mummasburg Road. It had two runways, one about half a mile long and another 1,900 feet long. The airport received a license from the Civilian Aeronautics Administration, which was a government agency that oversaw flying. Lights were even added to the 1895 Oak Ridge Observation Tower to help pilots.

Wartime Training and Famous Visitors

During World War II, the airport ran a Civilian Pilot Training program. Students from Temple University, who were staying at the battlefield's Lee-Meade Inn, took part in this training.

In January 1944, Bircher, who owned and ran the Gettysburg School of Aeronautics, was told to close the school. Later, in 1947, farm chicks survived an airplane crash at the airport. Sadly, they died in a fire that happened in the hangar afterward.

In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower used the airport often. He flew from The White House to his Gettysburg farm.

Later Years and Closure

In 1969, the Mummasburg Road facility became known simply as the "Gettysburg Airport." This was done to compete with the Doersom Airport located on the Lincoln Highway. However, in 1981, the Gettysburg Airport was closed down and turned into a turf farm.