46th Annual Rocket City RC Pattern Contest, Huntsville, AL, Sept 13-14, 2014
09-27-2014, 01:40 PM
#29
I was at an airshow in Virginia this afternoon and spoke to a guy who does historical documentation on old airplorts. Having flown at RCRC on the old runway years ago, was curious of the history.
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/AL/...Huntsville.htm
Enjoy,
Don
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/AL/...Huntsville.htm
Enjoy,
Don
09-27-2014, 03:54 PM
#30
I was there in 1989 and the tornado went right in front of the runway. THere was a fence right at the 150 meter mark and the fence, along with the concrete the held the fence posts in, were ripped out. The field shelter was untouched, sparing some shingles that were missing from the roof. Its amazing that the tornado came so close to the field. The tornado that caused so much devastation in Hunsville that year. Quotes from the link. We flew on the roughly east-west runway. The golf course and K9 kennel was about 350 meters in front and golf course to the left of the field, on the other side of the (roughly) north-south runway.
James Cochrane recalled, “The old control tower was being used as a police headquarters
and for the police academy when I lived in Huntsville in the 1980s.
Sometime in the mid-1990s the control tower itself was removed,
and new roads cut through the old airport (the old roads through the airport followed the runways & taxiways).
Police recruits used a section of runway for physical training (West & South of the old control building)
and another section was used for legal racing (the north section of runway) & for hosting county fairs.
The south section of runway is also used for police driving practice,
and there is a National Guard armory to the west of that section.
At the far southern end is a nature trail and police training area,
this is also where the police K-9 kennels were located, and a trailer for the SWAT team's offices.
In 1989, a tornado crossed through this area, damaging the training facilities at the south end of the runway,
going past the National Guard armory, past the police academy, past the fire station,
and through the intersection that is just off the picture to the right of the old control tower (it mostly followed the old crosswind runway),
killing a number of people in the strip malls, streets, and buildings east of the old airport.
Loss of life was actually fairly low, given that it struck during rush hour,
and that is one of the main intersections connecting north & south Huntsville,
and the fact that the police, fire, and National Guard facilities were not damaged
meant there were rescue resources immediately on scene
(the National Guard guys used their radios to contact state government in Birmingham
to advise them of the situation before they started loading trucks with supplies,
they had just received their annual allocation of chemical marker lights
a few weeks prior to the tornado & used all of them that night).”
James Cochrane recalled, “The old control tower was being used as a police headquarters
and for the police academy when I lived in Huntsville in the 1980s.
Sometime in the mid-1990s the control tower itself was removed,
and new roads cut through the old airport (the old roads through the airport followed the runways & taxiways).
Police recruits used a section of runway for physical training (West & South of the old control building)
and another section was used for legal racing (the north section of runway) & for hosting county fairs.
The south section of runway is also used for police driving practice,
and there is a National Guard armory to the west of that section.
At the far southern end is a nature trail and police training area,
this is also where the police K-9 kennels were located, and a trailer for the SWAT team's offices.
In 1989, a tornado crossed through this area, damaging the training facilities at the south end of the runway,
going past the National Guard armory, past the police academy, past the fire station,
and through the intersection that is just off the picture to the right of the old control tower (it mostly followed the old crosswind runway),
killing a number of people in the strip malls, streets, and buildings east of the old airport.
Loss of life was actually fairly low, given that it struck during rush hour,
and that is one of the main intersections connecting north & south Huntsville,
and the fact that the police, fire, and National Guard facilities were not damaged
meant there were rescue resources immediately on scene
(the National Guard guys used their radios to contact state government in Birmingham
to advise them of the situation before they started loading trucks with supplies,
they had just received their annual allocation of chemical marker lights
a few weeks prior to the tornado & used all of them that night).”
09-28-2014, 07:45 AM
#32
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i was at an airshow in virginia this afternoon and spoke to a guy who does historical documentation on old airplorts. Having flown at rcrc on the old runway years ago, was curious of the history.
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/AL/...Huntsville.htm
enjoy,
don
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/AL/...Huntsville.htm
enjoy,
don
I'm pretty sure the man standing next to the biplane is either Jon Lowe or Gary Courtney. Looks a little too young to be RVP, though . . .
.
Last edited by klhoard; 09-28-2014 at 07:49 AM.
