 Amon Carter Field Passenger Terminal |
As we discuss Tyler's connections to today's modern Texas airports such as DFW and IAH, we recall their predecessors from the 1950s, such as Love Field, Hobby Airport, and Amon Carter Field. A recent visit to the site of Amon Carter led to the development of the content discussed herein.
In 1925 the city of Fort Worth established the Fort Worth Municipal Airport. Renamed Meacham Field in 1927 in honor of former Fort Worth Mayor H.C. Meacham, it remained the hub of commercial flights until the early 1950s. As air traffic at Meacham grew during the 1940s, so did the city surrounding it. A new site was selected after much discussion, planning and haggling with Dallas. The site was south of today's DFW airport, and just east of the C.R. Smith American Airlines Museum, as shown below.
Construction occurred during 1951-53, and Amon Carter Field was officially opened on April 25, 1953, named after the local legendary businessman. American, Braniff, Central, Continental, Delta, Eastern, and Trans-Texas Airways were among the carriers operating from the airport. It was assigned airport code ACF.
 Amon Carter Field Flight Operations |
Two major runways were provided, each about 6,500 feet in length: 17/35, and 13/31. In 1962 runway 17/35 was extended to the north by 2,000 feet, necessitating the construction of a tunnel under the runway for Route 183. A passenger terminal with two concourses, ticketing, and restaurant facilities faced to the west, towards Fort Worth, away from Dallas.
The name was later changed to Greater Southwest International Airport, airport code GSW. The airport enjoyed moderate success over the years, but competition from Love Field in Dallas gradually reduced usage of GSW.
 1972 Enco map showing Greater Southwest International Airport, with Dallas - Ft. Worth "Regional" Airport Under Construction
from the author's historical archive (click to enlarge) |
In addition, the FAA dictated that Dallas and Fort Worth needed to join together in the building of a new airport to service both cities.
With the opening of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), GSW began to be shut down, and was closed on January 13, 1974.
The GSW terminal was demolished in 1980, and the last of the runways were removed by 1982.
The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was one of the largest airplanes ever built, and was a key element in maintaining peace during the Cold War with Russia during the 1950s. Originally conceived in 1941, it came into production around 1946. These giants were built in Fort Worth by the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation (later known as Convair) at its Carswell Air Force Base assembly plant. Ultimately, 384 were built, all with 6 propellers mounted on the back of the wings, and most with an additional 4 jet engines mounted on the wingtips.
 U.S. Air Force Convair B-36J S/N 2827 "City of Ft. Worth" at takeoff
(Courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force) |
For several years, the last plane in the series, a retired B-36J with serial number 52-2827, and inscribed as the "City of Fort Worth", was in static display at GSW.
I've had a fascination about the B-36 since my childhood in the mid-1950s when I used to hear the roar of Peacemakers flying high over central Louisiana. Unfortunately, the B-36 wasn't part of the many air shows I attended at England Air Force Base, primarily a TAC base at that time. My interest was furthered when I saw the B-36 "City of Fort Worth" on display at Amon Carter Field in the early 1960s. My interest in the airplane continues to this day.
After GSW closed, the B-36 was moved, and valiant attempts over the years by local groups to maintain the plane, and keep it in Forth Worth, were not successful. Today, the plane is on display at the PIMA Air and Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in
Tucson, Arizona. It is only one of four surviving B-36 Peacemakers.
Read more about the B-36 Peacemaker
After the airport was abandoned, for a time GSW's runway 17/35 was converted for use as Amon Carter Boulevard; eventually it was replaced with the new boulevard in use today. The major remaining 1,600 foot trace of GSW lies just north of the boulevard, on the north side of Highway 183: the northernmost end of runway 17/35 and a bit of taxiway and runup pad.
Viewed from a satellite photo, on the western side of the GSW site, the outline of the semi-circular driveway serving the passenger terminal can still be seen today. Trees lined the driveway, and remnants could still be seen in photos from 2005, and 2011, as shown below.
 Trans Texas Airways route map circa 1952, showing Fort Worth and Tyler
(click to enlarge)
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One of our favorite airlines that served Amon Carter - GSW and Pounds Airport in Tyler over the years was Texas' own Trans Texas Airways (TTA). During the 1950s and 1960s, TTA operated a small fleet of about 25 Convair 240 and Convair 600 aircraft, as well as DC-3s.
As with the DC-3s, the Convair airliners were purchased from American Airlines, whose maintenance records indicated the aircraft were in extremely good condition.
read more about Trans Texas Airways
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