Garner Field

Garner Field is an airport in Uvalde County, Texas, three miles east of the city of Uvalde, which owns it. It is named for John Nance Garner, 32nd Vice President of the United States.Opened in October 1941 with three 6,000 hard surfaced runways, (00/18; 04/27; 15/33). Began training United States Army Air Corps flying cadets under contract to Hangar Six Corp with 305th Fling Training Detachment (Contract Pilot School). Assigned to Gulf Coast Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command) as a primary (level 1) pilot training airfield. Hangar Six, Inc. conducted pilot training. Airfield had four local auxiliary airfields for emergency and overflow landings. Flying training used Fairchild PT-19s as the primary trainer. Also had several PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks.Inactivated on 30 June 1945 with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program. Declared surplus and turned over to the Army Corps of Engineers on 30 September 1945. Eventually discharged to the War Assets Administration (WAA) and became a civil airport. Very little of the wartime airfield still exists, as most of the airfield has been rebuilt as Southwest Texas Junior College.Trans-Texas DC-3s landed at Uvalde for a few years ending around 1954.FacilitiesGarner Field covers 356acre at an elevation of 942 feet (287 m). Its one runway, 15/33, is 5,255 by 100 ft (1,602 x 30 m) asphalt. In the year ending April 7, 2005 the airport had 12,565 aircraft operations, average 34 per day: 96% general aviation, 2% air taxi and 2% military. 48 aircraft were then based at the airport: 63% single-engine, 8% multi-engine, 13% jet, 8% helicopter and 8% glider.