Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:

Maryland: Howard County

© 2002, © 2024 by Paul Freeman. Revised 4/18/24.

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Bassler Airfield (revised 12/14/19) - Columbia Airfield (revised 12/15/19) - Greer Airport (revised 5/28/21)

Haysfield Airport (revised 4/18/24) - Turf Valley Airfield (revised 6/10/21)

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Greer Airport, Elkridge, MD

39.202, -76.763 (Southwest of Baltimore, MD)

Greer Airport, as depicted on a 2/21/66 USGS aerial photo.



The date of construction of Greer Airport has not been determined.



The earliest photo which has been located of Greer Airport was a 2/21/66 USGS aerial view.

It depicted an unpaved northwest/southeast runway, with 1 light single-engine plane & a small building (hangar?) on the southeast side.



Ray Stinchcomb recalled, “Between 1968-72 I flew in & out of Greer Airport.

Some were just general flying, but much of it was flight instruction in a Howard County Civil Air Patrol airplane, a PA-18 (N212T) that I instructed in.

So there was a time when there was more than one airplane based there.

The earliest date that I see [in his logbook] is 8/12/68.”




According to Dan Materazzi of the Howard County Historical Society, “A property search of that area (near the Route 100 / I-95 Interchange)

[determined] that the owners of the property around 1970 were Joel & Joan Greer. He was retired Air Force.”

Greer evidently later operated a private airfield in Taneytown, Greer Airport MD20.



No airfield at this location was depicted on aeronautical charts or topo maps from the 1960s or 1970s

(but this airfield may simply have been overlooked, as a relatively minor private airfield).



Ray Stinchcomb recalled, “The runway was slightly repositioned when I-95 was put in.

The east end had to be cut short for the Interstate, so the runway was extended on the west end.”



A 1970 aerial view (courtesy of Dan Materazzi of the Howard County Historical Society)

depicted what might have been several small aircraft parked on the southeast end of Greer Airport.

Interstate 95 had been built along the southeastern edge of the airfield property.



Jim Tully recalled, this “grass strip was located off of Montgomery Road near Hunt Club Road,

It was visible from I-95 when that opened in the early 1970s.

It seemed to my young self a very basic setup: a grass strip, I don't recall more than 2 planes sitting there, a row of open sheds off to the side to store the planes in.

I can't remember seeing a plane takeoff or land the dozen or so times I went past there - this would have been approximately 1970-74.”



Ray Stinchcomb recalled, “The last date that I found [in his logbook for Greer Airport] was 2/27/72.”



A 1977 aerial view (courtesy of Dan Materazzi of the Howard County Historical Society)

showed the runway & hangar of Greer Airport remained intact, but there were no aircraft visible on the field.



Greer Airport was evidently abandoned at some point between 1970-84,

as an 8/84/84 aerial view showed the hangar & runway were still largely intact, but a road had been built over a portion of the runway.



Jim Tully recalled of Greer Airport, “It was still around, or at least its shed-like / T-hangars were in 1989.”



A 2002 aerial photo showed the site of Greer Airport had been covered by the Timbers at Troy Golf Course.



A 2019 aerial photo showed no trace remaining of Greer Airport, with the covered by the Timbers at Troy Golf Course.



Thanks to Jim Tully for pointing out this airfield.

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Bassler Airfield, Columbia, MD

39.24, -76.84 (Southwest of Baltimore, MD)

A July 1959 photo of kids playing in a Ryan PT-22 Recruit at Bassler Airfield (courtesy of David Suter).



According to a 7/20/03 Baltimore Sun article, George Bassler had a 400-acre farm off Cedar Lane.

George eventually split the land into 4 pieces & gave one to each son, including Benjamin.

After 1952, Benjamin's son Alfred established a poultry farm on 5 acres of his dad's share of the property.

He also mowed a grass runway there that he & a handful of pilots shared with cows, pigs and mules

that had to be "scattered out of the way" during takeoff & landing, he recalled.



The earliest photo which has been located of Bassler Airfield was a July 1959 photo of kids playing in a Ryan PT-22 Recruit (courtesy of David Suter).



A circa 1950s-60s photo of 4 light single-engine aircraft at Bassler Airfield (courtesy of David Suter).



No airfield at this location was depicted on aeronautical charts or topo maps from the 1950s or 1960s

(but this airfield may simply have been overlooked, as a relatively minor private airfield).



A circa 1950s-60s photo of several people with a Bellanca at a snowy Bassler Airfield (courtesy of David Suter).



Joe Zamoyta reported, “I’ve discovered guys who know all about it & have landed there.

The field was private & was owned by Al Basler, who now owns Hays Field Airport, also in Columbia.”



A circa 1950s-60s photo of an unidentified man working on a Luscombe at Bassler Airfield (courtesy of David Suter).



A 1963 article describing Bessie Ray celebrating her 83rd birthday by taking a Piper Cub flight piloted by Alfred Bassler (courtesy of David Suter).



A 1963 aerial photo (courtesy of Jeffrey Bassler) showed Bassler Airfield to have a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway.

No aircraft were visible on the field.



A May 1964 photo of an Ercoupe & other aircraft at Bassler Airfield (courtesy of David Suter).



A 1966 aerial photo showed Bassler Airfield to have a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway.

No aircraft were visible on the field.



The last photo which has been located of Bassler Airfield was a January 1966 photo of a Bellanca (courtesy of David Suter).



According to a 7/20/03 Baltimore Sun article, in 1968 Ben Bassler decided to swap his land with James Rouse,

who viewed the property as a strategic piece of the rural jigsaw puzzle he was assembling to become his planned city of Columbia.

Ben traded his 92-acre portion of the Cedar Lane farm for 504 acres off Sheppard Lane so Rouse could build Howard County General Hospital.



A 1970 aerial photo showed Little Patuxent Parkway being built over the site of Bassler Airfield.



A 2014 aerial photo showed no trace remaining of Bassler Airfield.



The site of Bassler Airfield is located at the intersection of Cedar Lane & Little Patuxent Parkway.

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Haysfield Airport (MD24), Clarksville, MD

39.238, -76.948 (Southwest of Baltimore, MD)

A 1970 aerial view depicted the beginnings of the Haysfield runway.



Sherry Peruzzi reported, “From the 1940s until the mid 1960s,

Alfred Bassler operated a grass strip located on the family farm on the current site of Howard County General Hospital,

at what is now the intersection of Cedar Lane & Little Patuxent Parkway.”



A 1966 aerial photo did not yet show any sign of Haysfield Airport.



Sherry Peruzzi reported, “When Columbia was planned, Al [Bassler] & his family were one of the last landowners to sell;

in order to get the land to build the hospital, he was given a sum of money plus 500 acres off Shepard Lane in Clarksville.

He built a new grass strip there, which is has been operating since the late 1960s as Haysfield Airport (MD24).”



According to a 7/20/03 Baltimore Sun article, Haysfield was “opened in 1968 by Alfred Bassler.”



However, a slightly later timeframe is given in a 12/19/13 Baltimore Sun article (courtesy of Ron Plante):

“After moving to Sheppard Lane in May 1970, building a hangar & establishing a grass airstrip on his share of the land were Alfred's top priorities.

He created a 3,000' runway that started at the top of a hill.”



The earliest depiction which has been located of Haysfield was a 9/2/70 USGS aerial view.

It depicted a single unpaved northwest/southeast runway, but no aircraft were visible.



The 1971 USGS topo map depicted Haysfield as a single unpaved northwest/southeast runway,

with a few small buildings along the west side, labeled simply as “Landing Strip”.



According to its FAA Airport/Facility Directory data, Haysfield was established in September 1974.



According to a 12/19/13 Baltimore Sun article (courtesy of Ron Plante): “He [Alfred Bassler] and opened for business in 1974.”

"I felt I was doing the county a favor by establishing a public-use airport," he said, adding that some people didn't share that view.

Zoning battles played out over the years, but all were resolved.

Haysfield was the culmination of a long-held dream for Alfred, going all the way back to his model-airplane-building days in 5th grade.

He & Patsy approached running their airport with gusto.

The couple joined a chapter of Flying Farmers, whose members flew to each other's farms in the county.”



The earliest photo which has been located showing aircraft at Haysfield was a 1975 aerial view,

which depicted it as having a single unpaved northwest/southeast runway, with a dozen light single-engine aircraft on the northwest side.



According to a 12/19/13 Baltimore Sun article (courtesy of Ron Plante),

“In 1978 they helped establish the Howard County Pilots Association, which boasted a roster of 120 members.”



The 1979 USGS topo map depicted a single unpaved northwest/southeast runway,

with a few small buildings along the west side, but the field was not labeled.



According to a 12/19/13 Baltimore Sun article (courtesy of Ron Plante): “Though Alfred was a pilot before he & Patsy became sweethearts,

she remained afraid of flying for many years, even after establishing a plane rental company & flight school called Flite Rentals in 1982 with older son, David.”



Haysfield still wasn't depicted on the March 1982 Washington Sectional Chart.



Sherry Peruzzi reported, “I learned to fly at Haysfield in 1983, and was friends with the Basslers for some years.”



A 1984 aerial photo depicted Haysfield with 42 light aircraft parked on the northwest & south sides.



A 1985 aerial photo depicted Haysfield perhaps at its zenith of popularity, with 44 light aircraft parked on the northwest & south sides.



The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Haysfield was on a 1989 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).

It depicted Haysfield as a private field with an 2,000' unpaved runway.



The 4/7/93 USGS aerial photo depicted 39 single-engine aircraft parked at Haysfield,

both along the south side of the runway & along an offshoot on the northwest side.



An undated photo from a 1/5/95 newspaper article (courtesy of Jim Blanchard) of Jeff Byrd, Dick Krels, and John Walter moving a Piper Cub into a Haysfield hangar.



Jan Smith recalled of Haysfield, “The airport had been used for many years as a summer meeting spot for the local Quiet Birdmen.

Area pilots have fond memories of Haysfield.

A pilot who was getting his tail-dragger endorsement there... When he went up with his examiner,

another pilot on the ground thought he'd help out by walking to the end of the runway, dropping his drawers, and presenting the approaching aircraft with a vertical VASI of sorts.

Back in the airplane, the pilot & examiner first asked each other what that was by the end of the runway.

As they approached closer, the pilot realized what they were looking at & started laughing so hard he had to make a go-around.”



The February 2001 Washington Terminal Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Ron Plante) depicted Haysfield as a private airfield with a 2,400' unpaved runway.



A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman showing several light single-engine aircraft parked at Haysfield.



A 2002 photo by Paul Freeman showing a Citabria taking off at Haysfield.



A circa 2006-2010 aerial view looking west at 15 light single-engine aircraft parked at Haysfield.



Jan Smith reported, “It was supposed to close & be redeveloped in 2007 but the Great Recession hit just then

and the developer's plans were put on hold allowing the airport to function for another 6 years.”



LeRoy Froom reported in 2009, “There are about 25 planes at Haysfield.

I went over there recently just to walk around.

I decided to get checked out in a 1968 Cessna 172 run by PugAir.

Got to do a couple of grass field takeoffs & landings.

They have no fuel on the field so you have to fill up elsewhere.

Since there was no GPS in the Cessna, I was taught the landmarks for pilotage back into the SFRA and into MD24 (Haysfield).

It was like flying back in the 1970s I suppose.

I was told that the property will probably be sold & that there may only be a couple of years left for the field. Too bad.

When I went out there for the first time, I felt like I was in the middle of Kansas (just a hilly part of Kansas).

It's worth a weekend drive, just to walk around. It's not like going to your local airport!”



Bo Bowman reported in 2009 of Haysfield, “The restrictions brought on by 9/11 pretty much did it in.

Years ago when I started using it there were 40-some airplanes there. Now it is probably under 10.

However, the owner, who lives on the property, seems intent on keeping it an airport - at least for now.

It is surrounded by a tree nursery.”



The 2010 Washington Terminal Aeronautical Chart depicted Haysfield as a private airfield with a 2,400' unpaved runway.



In 2010, the FAA Airport/Facility Directory data for Haysfield described the field as having a single 2,400' turf Runway 13/31,

and said a total of 27 aircraft were based at the field.

The owner & manager were listed as Alfred Bassler.



In 2010, reportedly the owner of Haysfield was referring to the “projected closure” of the field.



In 2010, Kim Trout reported, “There are about 10 of us who have planes at Hays & fly actively (multiple times a week / month)

plus the PUGAIR rental 172.

A very nice quite airport like flying used to be (except for the SFRA of course).

I expect it will be around for a few years after the recession ends.

But the land has been sold & the bulldozer will eventually come through.”



As of 2010, Haysfield was one of only 2 remaining grass airfields within the 15 NM Class B ring of Baltimore airspace.



A 6/3/11 aerial view showed only 7 light single-engine aircraft parked at Haysfield.



An undated (pre-2012) photo of a Robinson R-22 & a Cessna 172 inside a Haysfield hangar.



Robert Schapiro reported in 2012, “Developers have started to move in on the runway.

By the end of this month, there will likely be a paved road crossing Runway 31/13 a few hundred feet down from the threshold to Runway 31.

Some of the airplane owners have started to move their airplanes to Fort Meade,

however there are still about 9 airplanes, 2 ultra-lights, and 1 helicopter based at the field.

I operate the helicopter (www.bootcamphelicopters.com) and I’ve told Al Basler that I’ll keep paying rent until the hangar comes down – I don’t need a runway.

The airport doesn’t have fuel but if you’re good at grass strip, short-field, sloped landings, it’s a great airport to visit.

Just a 5 minute drive from the heart of Clarksville & a 15 minute drive from downtown Columbia.”



A sad October 2012 aerial view looking east at Haysfield by Tom Henry, taken on his last day at the field, before moving to W18.

Tom reported the picture shows “water wells drilled into [the] runway, for new home construction.

The field is 'useable' but the remaining planes haven't flown in years.”



Robert Schapiro reported in 2012, “I received a phone call from Al Basler on Wednesday [1/16/13]

telling me that they are dropping the 'airport insurance' & that the airport is officially closed.”



According to Jan Smith, “With the reviving economy, development plans were renewed & that was the end of the airport.”



A 1/19/13 aerial view by Robert Schapiro looking southwest at Haysfield, on the sad occasion of the last flight out of Haysfield.

Robert reported, “I moved the helicopter out yesterday, as the last remaining airworthy aircraft

(there are still a few unairworthy aircraft sitting on the grass).

You’ll notice that they planted pine trees across the runway…

that was done this past week, I think as a way of telling the rest of us, 'It’s time to go.'”



A 2014 aerial view showed houses covering the site of Haysfield,

thus closing the chapter of Howard County aviation, leaving the county with not a single public-use airport.



A sad sight for anyone who loves aviation: a 2017 aerial view showed no trace remaining of Haysfield.

Yet another of America's hundreds of grassroots airfields lost to our instatiable desire for more housing.



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Columbia Airfield, Columbia, MD

39.24, -76.84 (Southwest of Baltimore, MD)

The Columbia Airfield, as depicted on a 1943 aerial photo.



Not much is known about this small former airfield,

including its actual name, its date of construction, or its date of abandonment.



No airfield at this location was depicted on aeronautical charts from 1940-66

(but this airfield may simply have been overlooked, as a relatively minor private airfield).



Beaverbrook resident Jason Ludicke reported, “The mail carrier that delivered mail in this neighborhood for 30 years

told me it was the farmer’s airfield & that the farmer had a plane.

This was also confirmed by my neighbor whose father was one of the original builders in this neighborhood (last name Pistorio).”



The eariest depiction of this airfield which has been located was a 1943 aerial photo.

It depicted a single short unpaved northeast/southwest runway. No aircraft were visible on the field.



The only topo map depiction of this airfield which has been located was on the 1949 USGS topo map.

It depicted a single 1,600' runway, labeled simply as "Landing Strip".



A 1952 aerial photo still depicted a trace of the Columbia Airfield, but it is not apparent if the airfield was still in use by this point.



A 1963 aerial photo showing the neighborhood of Beaverbook under construction.

The area of the former airfield appears to be newly-graded, with no trace remaining.



By the 1960s, the entire area around this former airfield was developed into the City of Columbia, a large planned community.

The site of the former airfield became the Beaverbrook residential development.



A 1970 aerial photo showed that the site of the former Columbia Airfield had been replaced with suburban streets,

and not a trace appeared to remain of the former airfield.



As seen in a 2017 aerial photo, not a trace appears to remain of the Columbia Airfield.



According to Beaverbrook resident Jason Ludicke, “The airfield was exactly where Darlington Road is today.”

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Turf Valley Airfield, Ellicott City,MD

39.3, -76.89 (West of Baltimore, MD)

Turf Valley Airfield, as depicted on the February 1962 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



Most suburban golfers who play on the course of the Turf Valley County Club

are probably unaware that the club used to have its own private airfield for the use of members.



The Turf Valley Airfield was apparently built at some point between 1961-62,

as it was not depicted on the 1953 USGS topo map, a 1957 aerial photo,

nor on the 1961 Washington Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).

The earliest depiction of the airfield which has been located

was on the February 1962 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),

which described Turf Valley Airfield as a 2,000' unpaved runway.



Joe Zamoyta recalled, “My logbooks indicate that I flew from Turf Valley Airport from 6/15/63 to 12/7/63.

I received my twin instruction in my Piper Apache N1163P there from Ed Roggero,

who was chief instructor there for Fran Dane, who operated the field for Sam Pistorio,

a local contractor who built what was then Turf Valley Golf Course.

Fran & Ed had come over from Mrs. McNemar’s United Flying Service,

who operated Frederick Municipal Airport after Rutherford Field closed.

Turf Valley field was rough, rough, rough.

It was composed of 3 parallel levels. On top was the trailer office.

The runway was below that & there was a parallel taxiway farther down the hillside.”



The 1963 Washington Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe)

described Turf Valley Airfield as having a single 1,950' runway (turf, of course!).



The earliest photo which has been located showing the Turf Valley Airport was a 1963 aerial photo looking west (courtesy of Tina Kloss).

Tina reported, “I am the great niece of Samuel Pistorio who was the original owner/architect of the Turf Valley Country Club.

You can see the runway which I have highlighted in yellow.”



A 1963 aerial view depicted the Turf Valley Airport as a single unpaved northeast/southwest runway.



Turf Valley Airfield, as depicted on the 1964 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).



A circs 1964 aerial view looking southeast at Turf Valley Airport (courtesy of Ray Stinchcomb), showing 8 light single-engine aircraft parked on the field.



The 1965 Washington Local Visual Navigation Chart depicted Turf Valley as having a 1,900' unpaved runway.



Pilot John Gruver moved to Turf Valley in 1965.

He recalled, "The runway was over the hill about a half mile due west of the clubhouse, where it flattens out between the barns.

There is a maintenance shack along were it was that is still there.

It ran northeast/southwest. I remember planes landing there as a child."



The last photo which is available showing the Turf Valley runway was a 2/21/66 USGS aerial view.

It depicted a single grass northeast/southwest runway on the northwest side of the golf course,

which was marked with 2 closed-runway “X” symbols on the southwest end,

presumably to discourage uninvited drop-in visitors.



The March 1966 Washington Local Aeronautical Chart depicted Turf Valley Airfield as having a 1,900' unpaved runway.



The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Turf Valley Airfield

was on the March 1967 Washington Sectional Chart.



Ray Stinchcomb recalled, “I flew in & out of Turf Valley Airport. My family joined 40 West Flying Club when it was formed at Turf Valley.

At that time I was too young but I remember helping work on club aircraft there.

The airport was closed (or at least inactive) for a time & then reopened for a period in 1967.

My first logbook entry for that period is 6/9/67. I worked there that summer mowing grass & such while I built time for my commercial pilot certificate.

My last logbook entry for Turf Valley was in January of 1968.”



The last airport directory listing which has been located of Turf Valley Airfield

was in the 1968 Flight Guide (courtesy of Bob Levittan),

which depicted Turf Valley as having a 1,950' unpaved Runway 8/26,

with 3 small buildings on the northeast side.



According to John Gruver, "The last plane I remember [at Turf Valley] was around 1969."



According to Tina Kloss (great niece of Samuel Pistorio), “My husband was an assistant pro at Turf Valley in the late 1960s

and he told me that there was a problem with one of the planes landing there at that time that may have caused the airport to close.”



Joe Zamoyta recalled, “[Fran] Dane & [Sam] Pistorio didn’t get along very well so the field closed & eventually became part of the golf course.”



Turf Valley Airfield was apparently closed by 1970,

as it was no longer depicted at all on the 1970 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Clifford).



A 1970 aerial view still showed the cleared area of Turf Valley's northeast/southwest runway, but there was no sign of any recent aviation use.



The 1979 USGS topo map did not depict any airfield at Turf Valley.



A 2017 aerial view showed Resort Road had been built over the site of Turf Valley Airfield,

erasing the last trace of this vestiage of Howard County aviation.



The site of the Turf Valley Airfield is located northwest of the intersection of Route 40 & Turf Valley Road.

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