Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:

Virginia: Western Richmond area

© 2002, © 2022 by Paul Freeman. Revised 12/19/22.

This site covers airfields in all 50 states: Click here for the site's main menu.

____________________________________________________



Please consider a financial contribution to support the continued growth & operation of this site.



Glenroy Airfield (revised 12/19/22) - Westview Airport (revised 7/10/20) - Virginia State Police Airport (revised 12/1/21)

____________________________________________________



Westview Airport, Richmond, VA

37.6, -77.51 (Northwest of Downtown Richmond, VA)

Westview Airport, as depicted on the July 1941 Norfolk Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



This short-lived general aviation field had the misfortune to be established just on the verge of WW2,

and thus lasted in operation only a mere one year.



Westview Airport was not yet depicted on the March 1940 Norfolk Sectional Chart.



According to the book "Virginia Airports" by Vera Rollo & Norman Crabill (published by the VAHS),

Westview Airport was formally opened on 6/14/1941.

It had been in use at this point for about 30 days.

The field was located on Horsepen Road between Broad Street & Monument Avenue.

The 200-acre site contained one 2,500' northeast/southwest runway, although 2 others were planned (but never built).

Westview had a control tower, but it was apparently never used. The field was quite often muddy.



The Westview School of Aviation offered flight instruction under the tutelage of Jeff Nolan.

Sightseeing, charter, and aircraft rentals were also offered.



The first women's flying club in Richmond was formed at Westview.



The earliest depiction of Westview Airport which has been located was on the July 1941 Norfolk Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted Westview as a commercial/municipal field.



A still from a 1941 8mm movie by Ruth Beckh about a woman (Louise Galeski) learning to fly at Westview Airport (courtesy of Scott Robertson), showing the control tower from the air.

Scott Robertson reported, “My grandmother, Ruth Beckh... In the film she is about 12 years old shown getting out of one of the Cubs.

She remembers her mother taking her to the airport every weekend for a month or so while she filmed the movie.

According to her, her uncle Matt Will owned the land & built the building. Uncle Matt was a well known builder & developer in Richmond.”



Scott Robertson reported, “My grandmother made a movie, “Let’s Fly” in 1941, and another called ‘A Day at Westview Airport’.

There are shots of Cubs & Taylorcraft at Westview, and aerial footage shot from a Cub around Richmond & the James River.

'Let’s Fly' attempts to tell the story of a young woman getting a pilots license at Westview. That ties in with documentation of Westview as the home of the first women’s flying club in Richmond.

My grandmother’s brother was Matt Will, owner of the property & airport & I think there was some promotional intent for at least one of the movies.

It was all wasted as this was just months before the US entered WW2 & the airport disappeared.”



A still from a 1941 8mm movie by Ruth Beckh showing the Westview Airport control tower (courtesy of Scott Robertson).



A still from a 1941 8mm movie by Ruth Beckh showing a Piper Cub at Westview Airport (courtesy of Scott Robertson).

Scott Robertson reported, “The movie... shows Mr. Nolan presumably giving lessons.”



An undated diagram depicted Westview Airport as having 3 runways.



According to the book "Virginia Airports" by Vera Rollo & Norman Crabill (published by the VAHS),

Westview Airport closed in 1942 after the onset of WW2, after having been in operation for only one year.

It was not depicted at all on the 1942 USGS topo map.



Scott Robertson reported, “Matt Will sold the property when the U.S. entered the war to another developer who built the Crestview Apartments on the land.

That would put it on the North side of Horsepen Road in front of Crestview Elementary School.”



The last depiction of Westview Airport which has been located was on the March 1943 Norfolk Sectional Chart.

It depicted Westview as a commercial/municipal field.



Westview was no longer depicted at all on the May 1944 Norfolk Sectional Chart or subsequent aeronautical charts.



A 1952 aerial view showed that the site had been covered by housing, with not any trace remaining of Westview Airport.



As seen in a 2006 aerial photo, it does not appear as if any trace remains of Westview Airport.



The site of Westview Airport is located south of the intersection of Horsepen Road & West Broad Street.

____________________________________________________



Virginia State Police Airport, Bon Air, VA

37.502, -77.541 (West of Richmond, VA)

The VA State Police Airport, as depicted on the July 1954 Norfolk Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).



According to the Virginia State Police's web site, the first 3 aircraft for the State Police (Aeronca Chief 11ACs) were purchased in 1946,

and located in Pulaski, Lynchburg and Richmond.

A 1,650' landing strip was utilized at State Police Headquarters in Richmond.

The aircraft served the Department & other police agencies having need for air observation & transportation.

Missions included spotting fleeing felons, detecting whiskey stills, and observing traffic problems.

Troopers who were qualified as pilots performed these duties in addition to their regular assignments.



The VA State Police Airport was not yet depicted on the January 1950 Norfolk Sectional Chart.



The earliest airport directory listing which has been located of the VA State Police Airport was in the 1951 Airman's Guide (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).

It was noted as a “new field”.



The earliest photo which has been located of the VA State Police Airport was a 1952 aerial view.

It depicted the field as having a northwest/southeast grass runway.



The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of the VA State Police Airport

was on the July 1954 Norfolk Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted the field as having an 1,800' unpaved runway.



The 1954 Airport Business & Flying Directory (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) described the VA State Police Airport

as a public-use airport having a single 1,800' northwest/southeast unpaved runway.



The 1965 Norfolk Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) described the State Police Airport as having a single 1,800' turf runway.



The earliest photo which is available of the VA State Police Airfield is a 2/26/68 USGS aerial photo,

which depicted the field as having a single grass northwest/southeast runway.



The 1968 Airman's Information Manual (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) described the VA State Police Airport

as having a 3 degree runway slope downward southeast to northwest.



The 1972 Flight Handbook (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) depicted the VA State Police Airport as having an 1,800' unpaved Runway 15/33.



William Drumright recalled, "In the 1972-74 time frame,

I flew with the Civil Air Patrol Squadron based in Hopewell.

It was from this field that we made at least one flight up to the State Police field on the outskirts of Richmond.

That flight was part of a training exercise with the scenario being that we were to land,

pickup some urgently needed blood in containers, and fly them to the desired location.

Our flight was conducted in a former Air Force L-19.

Getting into & out of the State Police field in that aircraft was no problem at all,

and it was the only time I landed there."



A 10/14/73 aerial view by Kenneth Keeton looking northwest at the VA State Police Airport.



VA State Police Airport, as depicted in the 1974 Flight Handbook (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).



VA State Police Airport, as depicted in the 1977 Airmen's Information Manual (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).



The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of the VA State Police Airport was on the March 1978 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron Plante).

It was depicted as having an 1,800' unpaved runway.



The VA State Police Airport was no longer depicted on the March 1981 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron Plante).



The 1984 USGS topo map depicted the State Police Airport as having a single unpaved northwest/southeast runway.



In 1987, the State Police Aviation Unit moved into a hangar & separate offices at Chesterfield Airport,

at which point the State Police Airport on the grounds of the Headquarters was presumably closed.



The 1994 USGS topo map depicted the State Police Airport as having a single unpaved northwest/southeast runway.



A 1994 USGS aerial photo showed several buildings had been constructed along the north & south ends of the former VA State Police runway.



A 2018 aerial view looking northwest showed the site of the VA State Police Airport no longer bore any recognizable trace of an airfield.



The site of the State Police Airport is located at 7700 Midlothian Turnpike, on the north side of Midlothian Turnpike.

____________________________________________________



Glenroy Airfield, Richmond, VA

37.565, -77.59 (Northwest of Downtown Richmond, VA)

A 2/26/68 USGS aerial view of Glenroy Airfield.



According to the 2/7/20 Richmond BizSense article “260-acre ‘Glen Roy’ estate sells for $10M” by Jonathan Spiers (courtesy of Patrick Tewell),

starting in 1945 the 261-acre Glen Roy Estate was owned by Fleetwood Garner, an aviation executive & World War II vet who operated flight schools up & down the East Coast.



According to Ray Tyson, Glenroy Field was owned by Fleetwood Garner,

and it may also have been known as Garner Field.

Garner was a very wealthy businessman who operated an Air Force training (contract) base at Bartow FL during the 1950s.

When his strip was 4,500' long it was located partly on his estate (Glenroy)

and the western approximately 1,000' on a Mr. West's property.



The earliest photo which has been located of Glenroy Field was a 2/26/68 USGS aerial view.

It depicted the field as having a single east/west grass runway, with a single hangar on the north side.



Glenroy was not yet depicted on the 1970 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Clifford).



The earliest aeronautical chart depiction of Glenroy Field which has been located was on the 1972 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe),

which depicted the field as having a 4,500' unpaved runway.



Glenroy Field was depicted on the 1981 USGS topo map as a single unpaved east/west runway, labeled simply as “Landing Strip”,

with the hangar on the north side of the runway.



The last aeronautical chart depiction of Glenroy Field which has been located was on the March 1981 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Ron Plante).

It depicted Glenroy as a private airfield having a 4,500' unpaved runway.



Meade Daffron reported "I stumbled upon the Glenroy airfield while hiking along the James River in the early 1980s.

There was a small Cessna 150-type plane sitting outside the hangar.

The airfield was grass & bordered by split-rail fencing.

It appears to have been a private airfield owned by the property owner."



The Glenroy Airfield was evidently closed at some point between 1975-91,

as it was no longer depicted on the 1991 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe)

or the 1994 USGS topo map.



A 3/11/94 USGS aerial view looking northwest showed Glenroy to have a single 4,000' east/west runway.

A single hangar sat adjacent to the north side of the runway, somewhat east of the midpoint.



A 1997 aerial view looking north at the field, by T. Fleetwood.



The date of closure of the Glenroy airfield is unknown.

It was not depicted at all (not even as an abandoned airfield) on the 2003 Washington Sectional Chart.



A circa 2001-2005 aerial view looking north at the hangar which remains at the site of the former Glenroy Airfied.



According to the 2/7/20 Richmond BizSense article “260-acre ‘Glen Roy’ estate sells for $10M” by Jonathan Spiers (courtesy of Patrick Tewell),

Fleetwood Garner died in 2008, and his 2 sons inherited the property.



A 2014 aerial view looking northwest at the runway & hangar at the site of Glenroy Airfied.



An undated aerial view from a 2020 article looking north at the Glenroy hangar, with the estate's house in the background.



According to the 2/7/20 Richmond BizSense article “260-acre ‘Glen Roy’ estate sells for $10M” by Jonathan Spiers (courtesy of Patrick Tewell),

“Fetching a rare 8-figures from an unknown buyer, one of the largest residential real estate tracts along western Henrico’s River Road corridor

has come in as the priciest Richmond-area home sale in recent memory.

The 261-acre Glen Roy estate at 8899 River Road sold 1/31 for $10 million, above its list price last August of $9.98 million.

The hillside estate includes an airplane hangar.”



An undated photo from a 2020 article looking north at the Glenroy hangar.



A circa 2022 3-D image looking northwest at the Glenroy hangar & ramp.



The Glenroy Airfield is located at the southern terminus of Westoe Road, just north of the CSX Railroad tracks & the James River.



____________________________________________________



____________________________________________________