CURTIS FIELD.
Curtis Field, once a United States Army flying field on the
U.S. Highway 377 N. 3 miles north of Brady in central McCulloch
County, was named for Mayor Harry L. Curtis of Brady, who
proposed the site as an auxiliary field for the army. At the
time it was built it was the only army air field named for a
living person. Construction of the airport began in November
1940, and a primary flying school from Love Field in Dallas
moved to Curtis Field. Classes began on March 23, 1941, with
eighty students; as many as 500 were enrolled at one time.
Facilities at the 354- acre field included a headquarters
building and annex, a ground school, an infirmary, three
barracks, and four hangars. Three auxiliary fields within a
ten-mile radius were used for training purposes. The school,
originally for primary flight training, was used for basic
training twice in its history but had reverted to primary
training when it was closed on August 4, 1945, and became the
Brady Municipal Airport. Some 10,000 student flyers have
graduated, and about 85 percent of the instructors and students were
native Texans.
Robert W. Stewart |
|
