Marion Co TOC

       (Page 325) Since the invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers and their first historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903, aviation and interest in flying has made rapid progress. The people of Marion County, like people throughout the world, have watched with interest and admiration this new method of transportation. In earlier days there were doubters that men would ever fly and these doubters reasoned that "if God had meant for man to fly, HE would have created man with wings as HE did the eagle." Doubt gave way to reality.
       The first airborne passenger of record in Marion County took place in the newly created town of Flippin in 1910. It was not an airplane passenger but rather a balloonist who took off from the spot where the Pierce DX Service Station is located near the present site of the Flippin High School. The balloonist entertained an amazed gathering with some acrobatic stunts from the basket of the balloon as he floated in a northeasterly direction to a landing in a field south of the present Marion County Airport at Flippin. A number of those who witnessed the event are living and can relate the thrill of this experience.
       Small planes had been seen flying over Marion County, but the best information available indicates that the first plane to land in Marion County was in the early 1920's and landed on the ground now the site of the Yellville Summit School buildings and grounds. The passenger on this plane was Grady Hand, a former citizen of Yellville. The pilot landed on the school grounds while school was in session, and, as could be expected, students and teachers were quite excited and anxious to have a look at this "new machine". A crowd from Yellville and Summit soon gathered and in a short time these eager viewers tore down the fence around the field that they might get a closer look.
       For the next several years planes were seen at the picnics. Barnstorming pilots made these picnics often doing acrobatic stunts to the amazement of curious and nervous onlookers. Usually, after having entertained the crowd, the plane would land to take passengers on a short flight. Fare for a short flight was $2.00 and for a longer flight was $5.00. A good number who had the nerve and the necessary money enjoyed these flights and these pilots returned from year to year for these picnics. Cleto Parnell of Flippin who took one of these flights, became interested, and became a pilot, and did barn storming and acrobatic stunt flying over the midwest for two or three (Page 326 Top Photo: Plane falls on home at Flippin) summers. Another citizen of Marion County, Thurman Patterson, was an early pilot, flying his plane from Kansas City where he was employed to visit his father's family near Summit. Marvin Melton, a native of Marion County who taught in the public schools of the county for a number of years before moving to Mississippi County to teach there, and who later served in the State Senate from the Craighead County area, was also one of the early Pilots. The county was shocked to learn of his disappearance on a flight from Jonesboro to Dallas. His body was found in the wreckage of his plane months after his dappearance.
       One of the earlier flights in Marion County almost resulted in tragedy. A light plane being used by a crew from the Arkansas Power and light Company flying over Flippin crashed-landed on the home of Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Billings near the Flippin depot. The nose of the plane came to rest on the roof of the porch. Mr. Billings said that he carried insurance on his five-room home but could not estimate the damage. The building was shifted six inches on the foundation, wallpaper was ripped, furniture over-turned; and parts of a flue and roofing were torn off. Mr. and Mrs. Billings, Mrs. Eula Matlock and Earl Dew were on the front porch when the plane struck but none were injured.
       Aviation had played an important part in the Allied victory in World War II and air travel grew in popularity thereafter. Many service men from the county were transported from their camps or base to the various theaters of overseas conflict. Airplane flights made it possible for many of them to visit home for short leaves before going oversea. With the war over and return of the service men to their homes, realization of the advantage of air travel became apparent but there were no airports near. The nearest landing fields were Springfield, Missouri, one hundred miles to the north; Fayetteville (Page 327 Top Photo: Aerial View of City of Flippin and the 1st Airport known as the Mears Airstrip about 1945) to the west; Conway to the south and Walnut Ridge to the east - all about the same distance from Flippin.
       The federal government recognized the need for emergency landing fields and Congress created the Civil Aeronautics Commission charged with the responsibility of studying the need for creation of air fields and emergency landing strips. The study of the CAA showed the need for such and developed a plan for helping communities plan and build such facilities.
       To the late A. M. Mear of Flippin, who many at the time thought of as a dreamer and visionary, goes the credit of establishing the first approved CAA landing strip in Marion County. It was located on the farm of Mr. Mear's parents which is now a part of the Flippin school grounds. By his own labor on the airstrip and his persistent efforts, he persuaded the CAA to permit the listing of the airstrip on the National Airport maps. Soon there after the CAA began a search for a location for an airport within a radius of one hundred twenty five miles from Springfield, Fayetteville, Conway and Walnut Ridge. The Mear Airport fit the desired location but the landing strip was too short and no way could be found for lengthening the runway. The CAA was interested in an airport in the Flippin area and asked the citizens of the community to acquire the land for an airport.
       In addition to the location meeting the CAA's need for an airport located near the center of the area from the four cities mentioned previously, two other circumstances may have influenced the choke of the present site of the airport. First, the U. S. Corps of Engineers was constructing the Bull Shoals Dam nearby and top government officials and representatives of the contractors needed fast transportation facilities to this project and a good air port would facilitate this. The other factor that may have had a part in the selection was that one of the CAA engineers in the Dallas office, Mr. George Garanflo, (Page 328 Top Photos: Marion County Airport, Flippin, Arkansas 1961 & Aviation and the Marion County Airport) (Page 329 Top) had many years earlier been an engineer on the Dixie Dam Survey which had selected the site for the hydro-electric plant to be built by the power company on the White River on the Tucker Farm, three miles from Flippin and some six air miles from the Bull Shoals Dam. Mr. Garanflo had married a Flippin girl and had lived at Flippin for a time.
       Local people contributed to a fund to purchase the land and some of the landowners donated outright-or sold at a reduced price-the land necessary for a 3,000 foot runway, where the present airport is located. Work began on the original runway in 1949 and was completed in 1950.
       While the airport has not proved to be a monetary success, it has been a great asset in many ways to the community. The beacon light and runway lights have been a welcome sight to the pilots and many emergency landings were made in the first five years of operation and lives were saved.
       The airport was officially dedicated in 1954 with C. C. Williford, the popular weatherman of Radio Station KWTO, Springfield, Missouri, as the guest speaker. Also featured on the show was Dorothy Hall of Station KWTO, famous for her beautiful whistling. The Cole Brothers, who were performing all over the country at the time, gave one of the finest air show performances seen in the country. The entire Arkansas Congressional delegation gave the community full cooperation and a flight of jet fighters from the air base at Memphis made two flights over the airport and received a roaring ovation from the crowd assembled.
       After the dedication, improvements continued and the community received much publicity from the Weather Data and Flight Informatioti Station established by the FAA with sufficient personnel to man the station twenty-four hours daily. Flippin was often referred to as the coldest or the hottest spot in Arkansas.
       In 1960, probably for political reasons, the "powers that be" decided that the Weather Data and Flight Information Center should be moved to the Harrison Airport. Local efforts were made to keep it at Flippin and the move was delayed until 1961. Direct wire service from the Harrison facility to the airport is available to all who ask for weather information for flight service.
       In the mid-60's a group of local citizens composed of the late Guy Shaw, then Mayor of Flippin, Glenn Johnson, Postmaster of Flippin, Attorney Frank Huckaba, and Mr. C. C. Brown of Houston, Texas, who had built a summer home in Bull Shoals and was intensely interested in development of the airport, were flown to Washington by Mr. Brown's pilot, Bill Click, to meet with the FAA and J. W. Trimble, the Congressman from the Third District, to try to secure federal aid to pave or black-top the runway. They were received cordially but were given little aid since the government had furnished three-fourths matching aid in the original construction of the airport.
       Since the federal aid was not secured, a movement was begun to secure the help of Baxter County in making the facility a good bi-county airport. Hopes were high for this cooperation as Marion County voters had just voted approval of a bond issue to build the Mar-Bax shirt factory near Gassville in Baxter County. A meeting held at Lakeview Park Lodge attended by delegates from both counties considered the proposal and after discussion the Baxter County delegation declined to join in the effort to have a bi-county airport supported by a bond issue as such a facility is used by a relatively (Page 330 Top small percentage of the citizens.
       In the late "Sixties", Flippin donated the airport to Marion County and many improvements have been made. The 3,000 foot runway has been extended to 3500 feet and is now paved. Plans are now underway to provide for the lengthening of the runway to 5000 feet. This will provide a landing strip that will enable larger planes to land and takeoff from the airport. As air traffic develops and industry and recreational facilities grow in this area, it is logical to assume that the Marion County Airport will play a more important role in the future development of Marion County.
       The airport is under the administration of the Marion County Airport Commission composed of Gay Rorie, Hal Johnson, Guy Alexander, Chris Wade, and Charles "Chuck" Hogle. Since the fall of 1973 the airport has been operated by Doyle Linck, a native of Flippin and a retired U.S. Navy man. Prior to operation by Mr. Linck, it was operated by Monte Borne' and Lawrence Wilett. The first leasor of the airport was L. D. Crane. Each of these operators did his part in development of the airport and the services it has rendered to the people of the area.