The Airports - English Field

In the year 1929, while the city of Amarillo was busy building its new Municipal Airport, Harold English and Thornton Oxnard acted on a hunch that they could build a better airport in a better place. And, they did. Together, during the fall of 1929, they converted a grassy field seven miles east of Amarillo "on the paved Panhandle highway" into what was, at that time, one of the nation's finest airports serving the city of Amarillo and air travelers from across the nation.Throughout the years, time took its toll but Harold's and Thornton's dream never died. The airport grew, fire consumed many of the original structures, buildings were rebuilt on the ashes, massive runways replaced the grassy fields, a massive US Army Airfield shared its space for a time, the city and nation it served continually met the challenges of a technologically advancing world, and, in 1972, the old English Field air terminal closed its doors and was replaced by a more modern facility on the other side of the airport. Only eighty-four years of memories haunt the old buildings now, and, a record of those years occupies a place of honor at the Texas Air and Space Museum.

During the old English Field terminal's 43 years of service--1929 through 1972--airlines using the facility included: Western Air Express, Trans World Airlines, American Airlines, Braniff Airlines, Texas International, Continental Airlines, Frontier and others.

On August 19, 1930 - Dudley M. Steele, head of Richfield Oil company aviation department pronounced English Field:    

“...one of the best in the nation. Only two other airports in the country offer equal service.”

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Additional English Field photos and historical records may be seen at the Texas Air & Space Museum.