Glascock Airstrip - VA
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Vteam
N 38° 56.317 W 077° 32.530
18S E 279663 N 4313038
Glascock Landing Field (98VA) An old grass strip just west of Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Arcola Virginia.
Waymark Code: WM65P
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 01/16/2006
Views: 80
Glascock Landing Field (98VA) An old grass strip just west of Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Arcola Virginia. Altitude 330 ft.
Runway 18/36 is 2500'x50' Turf surface - still usable from what I can tell. A perfectly acceptable emergency landing strip for small aircraft.
Runway 6/24 was 1900'x200' turf as well originally but looks like it was let go. Latest photos show trees encroaching on both sides. Not likely usable at all.
The following is a compilation of various descriptions but mainly from "Loudoun Discovered"
Glascock Field was laid out by Delmas Glascock in 1941. Glascock was fascinated by airplanes from an early age, and had always dreamed of owning his own airfield.
He purchased the first parcel for his airfield, 22 acres, in 1941. This proved to be unfortunate timing, as the onset of WW2 delayed any further work on the nascent airfield.
As a young man who lived nearby, Buddy Thompson, traded work on the airfield construction project for flying lessons from Glascock. Thompson went on to earn his wings as a military pilot, and returned to Glascock Airport in 1945.
After the war, Glascock purchased an adjoining parcel of 36 acres in 1946, and graded the north/south runway. The State of VA issued Glascock Airport an operating license 1946. However, no airfield at the site was depicted on the 4/16/1946 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe).
Glascock expanded his stable of aircraft after the war with a Fairchild PT-19 & a Stearman biplane, and a Stinson 108 Detroiter in 1946.
Thompson took passengers for sightseeing flights in the Stinson, gave flying lessons, and performed aerobatics in the PT-19 trainer to attract crowds for $5/hour.
The shoulder of Route 50 at the end of Runway 18/36 was the parking lot for the audience.
Thompson went on to fly P-47 Thunderbolts with the DC Air National Guard.
Glascock was described on the 1949 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe) as a 2,100' unpaved runway.
The heyday of Glascock Airport was the late 1940s & early 1950s, when a total of 12-15 aircraft were based at the tiny field.
A number of local residents learned to fly at Glascock.
Glascock was described on the 1951 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe)as having two runways, with the longest being a 2,600' unpaved strip.
The largest aircraft to have used the field was a DeHavilland Twin Otter, flown by USAF Col. George Lutz.
It was also used by Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
Glascock is the closest-in private airfield which remains in use in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington.
Delmas & Thomas Glascock are to be commended for keeping this little slice of VA aviation history alive,
and not allowing it to be converted into yet another development of townhouses.
See also: "History of Glascock Airfield", by Howard Junkermann, available at Leesburg Balch Library.
Type: Grass (Rural) Airstrip
ICAO Airport Code: 98VA
IATA Airport Code: Not listed
FAA Identifier: Not listed
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