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. Click on the image below to make it larger.
As time went on, airstrips were built, then airports.
The Keen Privette Airport was located north of Covington, just west of where La. Hwy. 25 intersects with "Airport Road."
A 1963 proposal that would have placed an airport on the Abita Springs - Mandeville road.
Vincent Airport, located just west of Covington, was built in the late 1960's and was the site of the Southern Parachute Center, a group of skydivers who were determined to set a world record.
Covington Vincent Airport, northwest of Covington High
Vincent Airport, a turf runway, was named after World War II aviator and aircraft designer H. Farley Vincent.
Below 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
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