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 Ranger Municipal Airport
N 32° 27.344 W 098° 40.831
14S E 530027 N 3590997
Texas Historical Marker at the Ranger Municipal Airport, 1402 Oddie St, Ranger, TX, providing some background on this airport's establishment and subsequent use, sometimes by big names.
Waymark Code: WMZZKN
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/28/2019
Views: 4
While the airfield is still in use, there are plans afoot to have a working museum here in a few years, complete with a hangar full of beautiful vintage airplanes. The volunteers who are taking care of the airport are passionate about what they do, and they'll give you a warm welcome.
Marker Number: 13715
Marker Text:
The Texas Department of Transportation's Aviation Division lists this field as the third oldest operating in the state. The earliest documentation for an airplane landing in Ranger was on November 24, 1911, when Robert G. Fowler landed his Wright biplane on the V.V. Cooper, Sr. field just west of the present airport building, on the eastern edge of Ranger College. Fowler, an early aviator, landed in Ranger during his transcontinental attempt to win publisher William Randolph Hearst's $50,000 prize for the first person to fly across the United States in 30 days.
In the spring of 1928, C.J. Moore and various aviation boosters determined to build an airport for Eastland County began searching for a suitable site. They purchased the 135-acre V.V. Cooper, Sr. tract, and officially dedicated the airport on Armistice Day, November 11, 1928. Called Haugland Airport in the 1930s, the airport was renamed Ranger Municipal Airport in September 1939 when the Ranger Flying Service, owned by Russell B. Miller, Hall Walker and O.G. Lanier opened a civilian pilot training program at the airport.
Several noteworthy aviation events have occurred at Ranger Field. On June 16, 1931, aviatrix Amelia Earhart landed her Pitcairn Autogiro here. In the 1930s, Ranger Airport served as a midway point for glider races from Grand Prairie to Sweetwater and back. During World War II, Army Air Forces Piper L4 Cub pilots flew into Ranger Municipal Airport on multiple occasions for two to three days of practice in the clear skies around Ranger. Since World War II area citizens have worked continuously to make Ranger Municipal Airport an asset to the city, county and state. (2006)
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Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.
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