Aviation in St. Tammany Over The Years

The first airplane to land in St. Tammany Parish, according to this photograph, was in 1919. It was a bumpy landing in a rice field. 

As time went on, airstrips were built, then airports.

A 1963 proposal that would have placed an airport on the Abita Springs - Mandeville road. 

This is a photograph of the early days of Greater St. Tammany Regional Airport, back when the runway was complete, but the buildings were not yet being built on Hwy. 36 just east of Abita Springs. A mobile home was the only building on the grounds. The  photograph was taken on June 3, 1972, from 800 feet up.

In 1973 I wrote an extensive article about the state of aviation in St. Tammany Parish.  Here is the article. Click on the image below to see a larger, more readable version. 

 

November 22, 1963

 Abita Springs Airport in 1975  

Then, twenty years later...

See also:

The Covington Bypass Airport 

Jack Frost, Retired Airline Pilot

Longtime Pilot Recalls Aviation Milestones

St. Tammany Sailplane Activity

Wings and Wheels Show at St. Tammany Airport

Pravata Airpark