Highrise Tower Posted March 8, 2023 Share Posted March 8, 2023 Currently looking at a General Highway Map, Harris County, Texas dated 1939 and came across Howard Hughes Airport. Looks like the land and name change eventually became Hobby Airport. According to the TSHA, the Howard Hughes Airport was deactivated in May 1943, when the mission was transferred to Sweetwater Army Air Field at Sweetwater, Texas. Cool piece of history to see this on a map! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Genius Posted May 30, 2023 Share Posted May 30, 2023 The airport was named "Howard R. Hughes Airport" from 1938 to 1940; Hughes was responsible for several improvements to the airport, including its first control tower, built in 1938. The airport's name was changed back to Houston Municipal because Hughes was alive at the time and regulations did not allow federal improvement funds to an airport named after a living person. The 1940 terminal building (now a museum) shows "Houston Municipal Airport", so the change was probably made by 1940. I have no idea what the mission was that was transferred to Sweetwater, but Houston Municipal did hold WASP classes in 1943. Houston Municipal became Houston International in 1954 and William P. Hobby Airport in 1967. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earlydays Posted May 30, 2023 Share Posted May 30, 2023 I'm sure the mission was flight training for the US Army Air Force. There were air fields all over Texas doing flight training during WWII. Texas was one of the most active areas because of good weather year around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucesw Posted May 30, 2023 Share Posted May 30, 2023 The training program that transferred to Sweetwater was the Womens Army Service Pilots, the first women to serve as pilots in the USAF. The first class started and graduated in Houston, the second class started in Houston but graduated after the move. They were civilian employees, although they wore uniforms. It may have been the Heritage Society that had a show on this a few years ago, or maybe I just read about the museum at Hobby. I was going up thru Abilene that fall and looked up something there - I think it was a woman-owned restaurant that had a mural or something?? This article about the origin of the women pilots mentions both Howard Hughes Airport and Houston Municipal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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