Finney Field
Plainview, Hale County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the late 1930s, area aviation enthusiasts organized Plainview Flying Club, acquiring a two-seat Aeronca Chief with a 65-horsepower engine. Their first site was six miles south of Plainview, later moving north of Plainview near Finney Switch. In September 1940, the City of Plainview and Hale County jointly purchased 320 acres at the site for a municipal airport facility named Finney Field. When the U.S. entered WWII, pilot training swiftly accelerated. Clent Breedlove, a civilian contractor in the federal government's Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) since 1939, contracted in May 1942 to train pre-glider students at Finney Field. Plainview Pre-Glider School (officially 4th Army Air Forces Glider Training Detachment, or AAFGTD) was activated on June 1, 1942. The facility had two runways and 23 buildings, including headquarters, hangars, barracks, mess hall and medical clinic. There were also three auxiliary airfields within nine miles. Finney Field was a primary school where student pilots, with an instructor pilot on board, flew powered aircraft to 1,000 to 5,000 feet altitude, turned off engine power, and steered and landed the aircraft in "dead stick" mode. After a four-week course, students graduated to advanced glider training, often at army air fields at Dalhart (TX), Fort Sumner (NM) or Victorville (CA). A total of 1,169 pre-glider students trained here, with 876 completing the course. Finney Field transitioned to a liaison pilot program for another 241 students, remaining open until April 14, 1943, when Breedlove moved the operation to Lamesa. Ralph Brown and Claude Hutcherson converted the field to a private airport with an aerial service, private lessons and charter flights. It was later the site of Cloverlake Dairy. Finney Field is remembered for its local contributions to aviation and its international impact in military training. (2021)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
What began as a small-town flying club with a single two-seat Aeronca became, in September 1940, the municipal Finney Field. When the United States entered World War II, the field was pressed into urgent service: from June 1942 civilian contractor Clent Breedlove ran a pre-glider school here, where cadets cut their engines and landed powered planes 'dead stick' to prepare for silent glider flight. More than 1,100 students trained at its runways and 23 buildings before the program moved to Lamesa in 1943.
Why it matters
Finney Field is a reminder that the vast machinery of World War II training reached deep into small towns across the plains, turning a rural airstrip into a launch point for combat aviators.
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Related people
- · Clent Breedlove
- · Ralph Brown
- · Claude Hutcherson
Related events
- · Civilian Pilot Training Program
- · World War II glider pilot training
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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