***** NEW FEATURE *****

Added with this release is a new feature for this data base.  Mr. C. Kennedy has developed a feature that can be used with Google Earth that shows the location (or estimated) for each CAA/FAA intermediate field in the data base.  USE MUST HAVE GOOGLE EARTH INSTALLED ON YOUR COMPUTER IN ORDER TO USE THIS FEATURE.  Google Earth can be obtained free at this website (following instructions): http://earth.google.com/

It is highly advisable that you have either broadband or DSL high speed interface to the internet to use this feature or elsewhere it is apt to run slow.

There are several symbols used for each field.  They are:

1.  Airplane symbol - has two meanings.  If the field does not have "(est)", then the location is confirmed, especially where there is an airfield that is a direct descendent of the intermediate field.  If the field name is followed by "(est)" location is best understanding where it likely was but not confirmed with lat/long data.  Often the only reference might be "x" miles from a town on a certain heading (example 1.5 miles north of town).

2.  Star symbol - these locations are based on the CAA/FAA beacon location data base information (NGS database) as it is highly likely the beacon was on or near the airfield.

Where know airfield layouts exist, polygons are drawn on the location to show the shape of the airfield. 

Click on this button.  A window will open for download of a temporary file.  Click on "OPEN".  A new window will appear where the temporary file is located labeled "DOC".  Click of "DOC" and Google Earth should start and the placemarks for the CAA/FAA intermediate airfields should come up automatically.  You can use your zoom feature in Google Earth to zoom in on any of the airfields.

An additional feature has been added with provides an overlay of the Sectional Aeronautical Charts used from about the mid 1930s to 1970.  Click on this button and a window will and a download temporary file window will appear and click on "OPEN".  The temporary file window will appear and then click on "DOC" in this window and the overlay will open in Google Earth.

To eliminate these from your Google Earth, highlight the overlay in the "PLACES" (left side column) and select delete in edit (or use delete key on your keyboard).  Confirm you want to delete the temporary file and Google Earth will delete it.

Update information has been moved to the bottom of the page.

The 7/30/05 update incorporated additional work to try and depict the time that an intermediate airfield was operational.  It also includes data from an old CAA Bulletin No. 5 dated 4/15/1929.  The bulletin does not have a lot of information, but does identify a number of early intermediate airfields that apparently closed by 1930.  I have used "mid 1920s" for the start date where this Bulletin lists intermediates.

Of interest, the following states had no intermediate airfields in the 1929 Bulletin.  Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Washington DC, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York; North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.

States, in the 1929 Bulletin, with the heaviest usage of intermediates are: California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The first chart shows the distribution of intermediate fields based on the 1929 Bulletin.

This next chart is the current summary of the total number of CAA/FAA Intermediate airfields, by state, that are known to have existed.  This does not mean that the number in a state were all operational at the same time.  Just a total number that I have found in a state.

(Last update to this chart is 12/04/2006)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I had become intrigued with this question – how many CAA/FAA airfields were there in the 48 contiguous states?

I have added an update to the CAA / FAA Intermediate data abase.  An additional column has been added that defines the operational period the field was an Intermediate field.  Some fields may have existed before and after this time period.  The CAA did take over some existing fields and made them CAA Intermediate fields.  Conversely, the CAA (later the FAA) did turn over Intermediates to local organizations.  I am only describing the time frame it was a CAA (or FAA) Intermediate field.  This is an area under development, so for most states, the best estimate on a start date based on earliest data is in the column.  I will be working on this and updates will be made in the future.

The data has been taken from airport/airfield directories, aeronautical charts and other sources.  BY no means do I consider this complete.  To find these fields, I have visually scanned old documents, directories, and charts - mainly before 1947 time frame when the USGS changed the symbol used to define an Intermediate airfield making it much more difficult to visually see them.  I have currently identified over 655 CAA / FAA Intermediate airfields.  (Previously, the CAA Intermediates were broken out separately for AZ, NM, OK and TX under those separate data bases.  Those data base tables have been eliminated and all combined into this data base.  You can still find them in those state data bases, just not a separate table for them.)  In the case of Pennsylvania only, there were some Intermediate airfields operated by the State of Pennsylvania.  Most of them had been CAA Intermediates prior, but a few appear to have been original ones setup by Pennsylvania.  They have been included in this data.

According to the CAA/FAA history 1926-1996, the CAA came into existence in 1926.  Prior to that time, the U.S. Post Office Department ran air mail services and had built airfields (referred to as intermediate landing fields), beacons, etc.  On July 1, 1927, the transcontinental airway system was transferred to the Department of Commerce (home of the CAA) from the Post Office Department.  This included 92 intermediate landing fields, 101 electric beacons and 417 acetylene beacons.  The transfer also included 17 radio stations including 45 radio operators, 14 maintenance mechanics and 84 caretakers.

All but five (5) intermediate fields were closed or transferred over to local organizations by 1965.  The last to be transferred/closed was Hanksville UT in 1974.  The establishment of intermediate fields started in the early 1920s to support the New York to San Francisco airways route.  The CAA/FAA history is available on the Internet at the FAA website.  It is a .pdf file you can down load.  It is large, 303 pages in length and about 2.0MB. 

Some additional information about this database:  The data gathered is what I call a “moments in time” information – not a history of what might have happened to a field over the years.  Many of these fields simply went away as aircraft and flight capabilities no longer needed them.  Others were taken over by local city, county or private organizations and continued to maintain and operate them – no longer referred to as a CAA Intermediate field.  Some of these fields were taken over during WW2 by the military for usage as air and naval air fields.

There are comments (in the remarks column) that say “L” shaped layout or “T” shaped layout.  The CAA used several layout patterns as guides for the intermediate airfield construction and layout.

The “T” shaped would have a  general layout of the letter arrangement.  This arrangement generally supported two runways – however, depending upon the width, the entire field could be used.  “L” shaped airfield layout came in to patterns.  The first, a classic “L” shaped and the a modified layout.  The “L” normally supported two runways.  The modified “L” supported three runways.  Like the “T” field patter, the dimensions of the field often would allow for the entire field to be used.  These patterns could have any orientation.

 I have tried to list the number of runways for a field.  If there is no number, that is because it was a general field and it could be used “all ways”.

 As time passed, these patterns and lengths could have changed by a good bit.  A lot of the data came from early 1930s aeronautical charts, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Air Commerce, Descriptions of Airports and Landing Fields in the United States, Airway Bulletin No. 2, Army and Navy directory, other airport directories, USGS topographic maps and commercial maps.

 After 1945 (end of WW2) few new intermediate airfields were added.  Pursuit for looking at aeronautical charts after about 1947 is much more difficult to locate CAA airfields that would still be active.  Some of the money appropriated in the 1939-1941 time frame was transferred to the War Department and the fields were constructed, mainly by the Corp. of Engineers (Army) and some by the Navy and used for military operations till after WW2.

After entering data from the 1931 U.S. Department of Commerce Airway Bulletin No. 2 "Descriptions of Airports and Landing Fields in the United States" Sept. 1, 1931, I noticed some interesting things.  Quite a few of the early CAA fields that were established from 1929 were closed by 1934.  Using the 1931 publication, the 1934, 1936 and 1938 editions, you can detect several building periods of CAA intermediate airfields.  These correspond to major funding cycles.  The first generation under CAA were built from the 1927-1929 appropriates to establish and setup these fields to support aviation development in the United States followed by appropriates in the 1934-35 and another major appropriate in the late 1930s.

The chart above gives an general idea of the main periods of building the CAA intermediate airfields.  Conversely, the closure pattern.  The closure pattern can not be taken absolute as CAA intermediate airfields were transitioned to local organizations at various times.  What the chart is trying to depict is the general trends based on appropriations.  The chart provides a generalization of these events, exceptions existed too.

In the data base/table you can look at, the column "Operational Period", the start date is vague at best for those prior to 1930.  I have used "1929-30" but it could have been as early as the early 1920s under the U.S. Post Office period of "intermediate" airfields.  I lack data at this time to try and establish earlier start date.

As pointed out by a friend, many of these early airfields were just that - a field.  These could be changed depending upon local conditions and situations.  The lack of good information today makes the job of finding and tracking these early airfields very difficult at best.  Much of the data from the 1920s to mid 1930s is error prone.

Major differences can be found in elevation, location descriptions, etc.   An example is the often used description as an airfield as being 2.5 miles east of town.  What are the reference points used?  From center of town, or city limits?  To the edge of the airfield or to some point on the airfield?  Is it true east or +/- something around east?  Even when it is stated in latitude and longitude, these can be off too.  For the most part, the early coordinates for latitude and longitude were to degrees and minutes only.  No seconds.  Where were the readings taken from for an airfield?  To give an example, if the field were 1 mile (5,280 feet) from one point to another, this can represent a 1.5 minute difference (for true North / South or East / West orientation).  If you use topographic maps and aerial pictures, sometimes you can only decide that no airfield could be where the description places it.  Too rough of terrain or it was a built up area even at the time in question.

Even during the early 1930s, I have scene discrepancies in the description of airfields that could lead you to assume that there were several airfields with the same name.  Different airfields at locations - or errors?  That is a hard question to answer.  From today's perspective, it is difficult to find clear evidence of remains of these early airfields.  Historical narratives are the best to help resolve these but are very difficult to find any.  Even when you find some, they can be in error too!  An example is the website run by the El Paso International airport.  Reading the history page, you would assume it started in 1928.  Actually, the El Paso Municipal airport did start in 1928 but at a different location than the current El Paso International airport operates from.  Close, but different.  Actually, the El Paso Municipal airport location operated till 1937 when it closed down.  Where the current El Paso International airport is located is where American Airlines started an airfield in the 1932/3 time frame.  This later was taken over in 1937 and became the "new" El Paso Municipal airport.  Just to be complete, from about 1944 to 1946 it was also known as "Anderson Airport" and after 1946, it took on its present name of El Paso International Airport.  Even though El Paso is not an Intermediate field, I have used it as an example of you can run into in tracking an airfield/airport.  Just takes a lot of detective work to work out these situations.

* *  UPDATE INFORMATION * *

Update 4/2/2007 - incorporates various changes and updates to the data base.  Also, the new feature that links to Google Earth placemarks for each of the airfields.

Update 3/26/2007 incorporates various changes and updates.  Of note is Needles CAA 23 has been found to be listed as CAA 25A in 1953 through 1960 Aviation Week Directories.  It is listed as "Needles Municipal Airport - CAA Intermediate CAA 25".  Los Angles SACs of this period depict the field as civil with a "26B" beacon.  Most of the time, this airfield from the early 1930s has been listed as civil.  In 1939 to 1941, it was designated CAA Intermediate 23.  During WW2, it was Needles AAF when two paved runways were put in.  So some confusion exists but the data base has been updated to show Needles having both CAA 23 and 25A designations.

Update 3/19/2007 - series of updates and changes.  Several intermediates have been found as duplicates and those have been fixed.  St. George UT now shows two locations of the intermediates that operated there.

Update 3/16/2007 - update to many states.  A large number of new intermediates have been identified (thanks to Mr. Kennedy) and added to the data base.

Update 3/14/2007 - update to Arkansas data.  Malvern CAA 26 intermediate field had been left out of the data base.  Malvern CAA 26 was listed in the Arkansas data base under Malvern, AR.

Update 3/13/2007 - update to Florida.  Missed Melbourne CAA field.  It appears that this airfield was designated as CAA#16 only for a short period of time from about 1936 to 1940.  Before and after it was a local airport (municipal).  In the CAA#2 dated 1934, it is listed as a municipal operated by the DOC but no site number.

Update 12/14/2006 - update to some sites in Indiana, Utah and Nevada.

Update 12/12/2006 - update to Nevada and California in this update.  For California, an update to the Livermore site.  For Nevada, many thanks to Chris Kennedy for more great detective work.  Uncovered was the existence of two sites for the intermediate in Battle Mountain, NV.  Also, the listing for Narrows, Glendale and Mormon Mesa were all the same and the last listing was as Mormon Mesa.

Update 12/04/2006 - corrections to various fields throughout the data base.  New coordinates for a few provided by Mr. Chris Kennedy.

Update 11/25/2006 - update to Texas.  This completes this review of the FAA/CAA Intermediate airfields data base and the fidelity is improved.

Update 11/23/2006 - more updates to all areas.  In fact, remaining area is Texas for a review and update as required.

Update 11/22/2006 - more updates in the New Mexico to Wyoming section.  For those interested, I am principally using:  "CAA#5" which is the Department of Commerce (DOC) bulletin No. 5 dated 1929; "CAA#2" DOC "Descriptions of Airports and Landing Fields in the United States" bulletin No. 2 and I have 1931, 1934, 1936 and 1938 editions; "ADC" is the Airport Directory Company's "Airports Established Landing Fields and Seaplane Bases in the United States" and I have years 1934, 1938 and 1939 - these directories are rare and cost a lot of money!; "A/N Directory" is the United States Army & Navy "Directory of Airfields" (Continental United States) dated 12/1/1944; "Haire" publishing company's "The Airport Directory" and I have 9/1946 and 11/1948 directories; and "Aviation Week" is published by McGraw-Hill Publications under "The Aviation Week" " Airport Directory" and have 1953, 1955, 1957 and 1960 editions.  I have used these principally as source material but also use from time to time aeronautical charts.  More updates are on going and appreciate help by Mr. Chris Kennedy and others.  I hope to have a reasonable (not absolutely accurate) picture of the operational period when a field was designated as an "intermediate" field.  Some of these fields existed before being taken over by the CAA to be operated as an intermediate.  During WW2, some were taken over by the Army/Navy.  Some of these intermediate fields continued as civil or private airfields after they were removed from the intermediate airfields by the CAA and later the FAA.  See more below.  Data about the intermediate airfields operated by the U.S. Post Office Department prior to the transfer to the DOC/CAA in the 1926/27 time frame are not documented.  I would appreciate anyone having a list of those and there location during the early 1920s till the CAA took over to provide it to me if possible.  Any information about the intermediates in the 1920s into the mid 1930s would be greatly appreciated.

FYI - to know what has changed, I have been coloring in the last column if a change has occurred in that row.  I have used various colors but I am not using yellow mainly to mean a change has occurred.

Update 11/21/2006 - more updates - work in progress to upgrade all data to provide best information on period that these CAA/FAA fields were operated as intermediates.  Split the data into two sections - Alabama to New Jersey and New Mexico to Wyoming.  This will reduce the size of each down load.  Other information on this page dealing with totals has not been updated yet.

Update 11/19/2006 - update to Illinois and Iowa - more to come.

Update 11/18/2006 - update to various states and fields in the data base.

Update 11/09/2006 - update to various areas within the data base.

Update 11/07/2006 - updated the data base for Kansas (thanks for data from Mr. Chris Kennedy) and Arkansas.

Update 11/04/2006 - update to this page to show total by state graphic below.  New update to Utah section.  Update to the Missouri section too.  Added a couple not previously in Missouri list.  Again, I want to thank Mr. C. Kennedy for his help.

Update 11/02/2006 - updated data in a variety of areas.  Mr. C. Kennedy's help has been invaluable and I wish to extend my appreciation for his help.  I have not updated the map below on distribution of fields.  Still working on more updates right now.

Update 11/01/2006 - update to data on CAA/FAA intermediate fields principally in California.  I wish to thank Mr. C. Kennedy for his much appreciated help in working on this data.  His help has been invaluable in getting better coordinates and time scales on a number of the old CAA/FAA intermediate airfields.  Since work is on going on this data base, some data below may not be updated yet.

Update 10/28/2006 - corrected some data in California and added some additional sites in California and Florida.  This is a work in progress update and  other data has not been updated yet (totals).

Update 10/15/2006 - correct typo error in state name and change name error in Massachusetts.  The CAA site 20 was erroneously listed as Farmington.  The correct city is Framingham.

10/12/05 - minor corrections to California section to clarify Livermore CAA 33 is still operational as Livermore Municipal airport today.  The Livermore CAA 33 was used during WW2 as a U.S. Navy OLF to Livermore NAS, also located in Livermore, CA.

8/19/05 - addition of one CAA site in Nevada plus corrections.