A Trip to Bowman Field

March 6, 2019 1552 Views

Jim Van Schaack and former Marine Corps and commercial pilot Bill Brewer visited historic Bowman Field in Kentucky. Bowman Filed is Kentucky’s oldest civil airport and was first used in 1919. Army Corps Reserve unit established three years later. Double hangers (west) housed 325th Observation Squadron. Terminal building, erected in 1929, was used by airlines through 1947. Concrete runways were installed in 1938. Operated by Louisville and Jefferson Co. Air Board since 1928.

The land for Bowman Field was first owned by pioneer Col. John Floyd, later by German Baron von Zedwitz. The land was confiscated as alien property during World War I. Local businessman and aviation enthusiast Abram H. Bowman founded flying service with Robert H. Gast on this Bowman Field site in 1920. The property was purchased by the City of Louisville in 1928 for development as municipal airport.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.