![]() Two B-52 crews fly nonstop around the world in 43.5 hours, covering 21,256 statute miles, averaging 488 mph, and carrying out sea surveillance/reconnaissance missions.Īpril 24, 1980. ![]() The County offered to sell the airport to the Navy for $2.25 million.March 12-14, 1980. During the next few years, there was much negotiating between the County and the Navy concerning the airport, and in 1950 the Navy seriously considered buying the entire airport from the County. An interesting sidelight of the airport’s history is the fact that several well-known persons such as Tyrone Power, Robert Montgomery and Wayne Morris received part of their flight training at the field.įollowing the end of the war in 1945, there was considerable uncertainty as to whether the Navy would continue to lease the airport or give up the DeKalb County facility. Many young men, not only from Georgia but from all over the United States, began their flying careers during the next few years while the Navy was using the airport for pilot training. During the war years, the Navy continued to expand its facilities and acquired from private owners, by purchase and condemnation, a considerable amount of property directly to the west of the airport, on which was erected additional permanent buildings. A lease was negotiated with the County for the entire property (consisting of approximately 333 acres) in June, 1941 at the rental of $18,000 per year plus maintenance of the runways, hangars, lights and other airport facilities.īy the end of 1942, the base had been enlarged to the point that it was commissioned as a full-fledged Naval Air Station. Within a few months, however, as the United States’ World War II defense effort began to gain momentum, it became apparent to the Navy that it would need to broaden its activities at the Naval Air Reserve training base, and the Navy began negotiations with the County for acquisition of the entire airport property, having in mind its exclusive occupation by the Navy. Navy acquired a small tract of land at the airport and in March 1941, the field was officially commissioned as a U.S. Paving of the runways was done a short time thereafter. The first plane ever to land at the DeKalb County Airport touched down on a dirt runway on February 12, 1941. During the next year of 1940, the County did purchase the property and construct dirt runways which were completed in early 1941. Matthews died before the purchase was made and no further steps were taken until 1939, when it became apparent that DeKalb County could obtain WPA assistance in the construction of an airport. ![]() Sawtell in order to build a county airport. Matthews, who was then the DeKalb County Commissioner, signed an option to buy the 300 acres from Mr. Jesse Draper, sought to arouse public interest in the building of an airport on the Sawtell property. During the late 1920's and early 1930's, the Atlanta Aero Club, mainly through the efforts of its president, Mr. Sawtell to retain intact approximately 300 acres of fairly level land which they hoped could be developed into an airport. This club recognized the fact that a portion of the old Camp Gordon property would be ideally satisfactory for an airport. At this time, however a number of aviation enthusiasts in the Atlanta area banded together and formed the Atlanta Aero Club. Sawtell, a real-estate man who began selling parcels of the property for farm land. After World War I, the government disposed of Camp Gordon property at public auction and it was purchased by T.R. The property on which DeKalb Peachtree Airport is now located was formerly a part of the site of Camp Gordon, a World War I Army training base.
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