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The 1st Aero Squadron, US Army Signal Corps, in Fort Worth On November 20, 1915, the 1st Aero Squadron landed in John Ryan’s pasture south of downtown. They were the first military aircraft to land here. The squadron left Post Field at Fort Sill, Oklahoma on October 19 on their way to a new flying field at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas and spent two days in Fort Worth. The squadron represented the entire aerial “combat” strength of the United States.

Cal Rodgers departing Fort Worth October 19, 1911.  20,000 people  were on hand to witness his departure.

1st Aero Squadron JN-3's at "Ryan's" Pasture 1915.

1st Aero Squadron pilots at Ryan's Pasture, Novemeber 19, 1915.  Captain Benjamon Fouolois, (third form the left), Commanding Officer and father of the Air Force.

Lt Carlton G. Chapman landing the first military aircraft in  Fort Worth on November 20, 1915

Website

1st Aero Squadron, Aviation Section of the US Army Signal Corps, Visit to Fort Worth

Cal Rodgers and the First Transcontinental Flight
	
On October 17, 1911, Cal Rodgers landed his Wright Flyer, the “Vin Fiz,” in John Ryan’s pasture south of downtown.  Rodgers left Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 17, 1911, and eventually landed in Pasadena, California on November 5, 1911, to complete the first transcontinental flight.  John Ryan’s pasture is now the Ryan Place Neighborhood.  The entrance is located at 8th Avenue and Elizabeth Blvd.  

A local marker in Ryan Place Park at the corner of 5th Avenue and West Bowie Street commemorates the event.


Ryan's Pasture and Foulois's Landing

This is a tour of significant sites realated to the aviaiton heritage of North Texas form 1911 to the present.

The 1st powered flight in Fort Worth, Texas took place on a very windy Thursday, January 12, 1911. With a crowd of about 17,000 spectators, Frenchman Roland G. Garros of the Moisant International Aviators flew his Bleriot XI <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoplane" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:Black">monoplane</a> on a 7-mile cross-country jaunt at 1200’, circled the take-off area a few times, and then made a beautiful landing in high, buffeting winds. The take-off area was the old Fort Worth Driving Park, a race track that was located near where the current day Montgomery Plaza is now. Roland Garros was also the famous tennis player, whose name is on the Stade Roland-Garros tennis complex in Paris, France where the French Open is played in May of every year. The area is now a city park that was dedicated 103 years to the day after Garros braved those high winds. Featured in the park is a full-size replica of Garros’ Bleroit XI and a Texas historic marker was dedicated at the site in 2014.

On January 12, 1911, Roland Garros of the Moisant International Aviators made the first powered flight in Fort Worth. The flight occurred at the Fort Worth Driving Park and 17,000 people were on hand to witness the event.  The Driving Park was located in an area that is now occupied by the parking lot behind Montgomery Plaza on West 7th Street. A Texas Historical Marker commemorating the event was dedicated in 2014. The marker will be installed in a new Fort Worth city park being constructed at the corner of Carroll Street and Mercedes Avenue which is scheduled to open in 2016.  The park is approximately 600 feet west of the first flight location.


First Flight Park

Lt Ormer Leslie Locklear, US Army Air Service Not far from the RFC Memorial is the grave of Lt. Ormer Locklear. Ormer was born October 28, 1891 in Como, Texas and grew up in Fort Worth. He joined the Army Air Service in 1917, trained at Barron Field, became a cross-country flying instructor and was noted for his antics on airplanes while in flight. In 1919, he formed a barnstorming team with two other pilots, Milton Elliott and Shirley Short, which soon led to a movie career performing his aerial stunts for the camera. Locklear and Elliott died in Los Angeles, California August 2, 1920 while filming their second movie, “The Skywayman.” Over 30,000 people attended his funeral in Fort Worth. He is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park and a Texas Historical Marker is near the grave-site.  [Lat: 32-45-47.39, Long: 97-21-58.22]

During their five-month stay in Fort Worth, Royal Flying Corps Canada lost 39 members due to airplane accidents and other causes.  Eleven British, Canadian, and American airmen of the RFC and an infant child who died at the flying fields around Fort Worth are buried here.  An American veteran of the RFC was also buried here in 1975.  The site is part of the British Commonwealth Graves System - a piece of Fort Worth which will forever be England.  A bi-annual remembrance service is held on Memorial Day.  The next one will be in 2017 - the 100th anniversary of the site.  A Texas Historical Marker is located at the site.  

Royal Flying Corps Cemetery

The hangar was dedicated on October 18, 1933. It is the oldest remaining building at Meacham Airport and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The original construction costs was $150,000 in 1933 dollars, which equates to $2.3 million dollars in 2020. The interior and exterior features Art Deco bas-reliefs, decorative pilasters and multiple-pane windows. It was home to mostly Douglas DC-3 airliners. In 2013 the building underwent a complete restoration cost far more than the $2.3 million calculated above. The dedication plaque originally mounted on the hangar is now on display at the Fort Worth Aviation Museum. It is privately owned and not available for tours.

American Airways was formed in 1930 through the consolidation of a dozen smaller regional airlines such as Southern Air Transport, Texas Air Transport, and others.  Initially the airline operated through three divisions and in 1933, Amon G. Carter convinced them to move their Southern Division headquarters to Fort Worth.  



The American Airways Hangar and Administration Building

In 1924, the Navy constructed a dirigible mooring station near the helium plant to service Navy and Army airships on cross-country flights. The half-mile square site was in operation from 1924 to 1929. Most notable airships to visit the station were the ZR-1, “Shenandoah” and the ZR-3, “Los Angeles.”

In 1917 oil was across north-central Texas.  A natural by-product of the oil is helium.  The United States Army and Navy contracted to build a pipeline that would deliver the helium to Fort Worth for processing for us by US Navy airships or dirigibles.  This location is the site of the mooring stations for those airships so they could refuel during cross-country flights.  The mooring mast was located on Pylon Street.

US Navy Dirigible Mooring Station

The plant was the world’s only source of helium. The facility remained in operation until mid 1929 when helium-rich natural gas supplies in the Petrolia fields were depleted and a new helium-rich gas field was discovered near Amarillo, Texas.  The site was taken over by the Airways Division of the Department of Commerce Lighthouse Service where they developed early night navigation lighting systems and radios for airport and aircraft use. The plant was located on what is now Blue Mound Road near Meacham Blvd.

In 1918, the Army and Navy conducted experiments in Fort Worth to test the feasibility of extracting helium from natural gas.  By 1921, the Navy had built a helium production plant and began a large-scale helium extraction program.  

North Texas Aviation Landmarks and Historic Sites (Driving Tour)

Ryan's Pasture and Foulois's Landing

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information