Hedrick Airfield

[doss1]

I kept my airplane at the Horizon Airport airport which is right next to "A Place to Shoot". Lots of people don't know you can land there, but it's a very run down place. I came in to land with people shooting towards my direction, so I felt uneasy about the fact I could get shot down (not to mention I'd crash in the lake). I paid $25 to keep it there about 2 years ago...hell of a deal. The little quonset hut hangars still haven't changed from the 1920s. This place has been up for sale for over a decade...

About hedricks...did some searching and it seems that there is a barbershop with the same name in that same area where the airfield was. the name of the barber shop is: HEDRICK BARBER SHOP. Any relations to the airfield? Usually they would just name the shops after a big landmark of the area, so in this case it may be a possibility. Maybe you'll find an old timer there that works the shop and may know more about the field.

[SATX56]

I used to work with a guy last name Hedrick. He lived in Valley -Hi in the 70's never know... Yeah Nick that field has been around a long time. Seems like there were some ultra light activity there quite a few years ago. There's an old one lane bridge just south of it. New one replaced it maybe pre 70's. Used to ride across it on my "Bike" not sure about car. At least some of it still stands.

[TrapperL]

Well, I'm gonna stick a judgement call in here and say that most likely it was nothing more than leased grassy ground by the military for touch and go landings for pilot training. Kinda like Hurt field was used. The reason I say this is because the exact location shown on cgcastlmans map, in 1953, is shown as a polo field. While I don't remember ever seeing it as a polo field I do remember it being there.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/..._east-1953.jpg

At the top right of the map and click to zoom.

[SATX56]

Wow! W.W. White stretched all the way to Austin Hwy. Maybe beyond.

[doss1]

Originally Posted by TrapperL

Well, I'm gonna stick a judgement call in here and say that most likely it was nothing more than leased grassy ground by the military for touch and go landings for pilot training. Kinda like Hurt field was used. The reason I say this is because the exact location shown on cgcastlmans map, in 1953, is shown as a polo field. While I don't remember ever seeing it as a polo field I do remember it being there.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/topo/..._east-1953.jpg

At the top right of the map and click to zoom.

But the airport icon has a circle around it which designated it a working field rather than some small time grass strip that has no circle around it.

[cgcastlman]

Thanks all!

[Ironwrench]

Hedrick airport was still there in 1964. At the time, we had just moved into a new subdivision called Camelot, located between Walzem and Eisenhauer. The airport was just a short walk from my house.

By that time the airport had been abandoned. Consumed with thoughts of airplanes and flying, I frequently wandered around the empty airfield wondering what it might have been like when it was still active. The airstrip remained for a few years, as did the owner's house and a few hangers, but vandals trashed the place.

It was a beautiful little airport with a long, grass strip, lined on one side with large trees shading the house and parts of the open hangers. Remount and Fratt Road provided access to the airport.

Developer Ray Ellison bought the land not long after buying the the land for the Camelot subdivision. He built a lower income subdivision called "Park Village" over the airport leaving no trace of the airfield. As with so many places overwrought with "progress" the area is now unrecognizable from earlier those days.

[fritos56]

I looked at the map. Looked like according to the map it was located near the junction of US HWy 81 and Loop13-W.W.White road. They also show on the map the town of Zuehl and there was an Airforce Auxilary field there. It's still in use as a airstrip today.There was one I understand out at barbarosa, near new braunfels, but that's gone. The Seguin Auxilary Air field is still here, is east of Seguin.I think they still use it. Hedrick could have been named after a land owner or even a small community.There are several small communities that used to be in Bexar County, like Utzville, Boldtville, etc.

[gtoman67z]

Originally Posted by txtea

Went to the historic aerials website and looked over that area from 1955. Only airfield I found was on the SE corner of where 410 and 10 are now. It is bordered by Foster road and FM 1346 now. I have no idea of the name of the place, but it's the only airstrip in that area that I could see from 1955. The airstrip is still visible in 2004, but it doesn't look like it's being used.


OK...I just looked it up on Google Earth, and the one I mentioned above is indeed Martindale. I looked all over to the north of Martindale on Historic Aerials, but could not locate any kind of airfield from 1955....good mystery.

Not sure about the detail level available on historic aerials, especially on the older views. In a FWIW, the runways. of a WW2 AAF training airbase are easily discernible on Google maps directly in front of the Marfa lights viewing area sixty plus years after it was likely abandoned