Beacon Field Airport
Encyclopedia
Beacon Field Airport was an airport
located in the Groveton area of Fairfax County, Virginia
, from the 1920s until its closure in 1959. One of the nation's earliest private airports, and particularly in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, it received its name because it was the location of an airway beacon
used to guide early airmail
pilots. It later became a popular training site, complete with FBO
, for pilots learning to fly after World War II
on the G.I. Bill.
The site, originally an antebellum estate called City View, is now the location of a shopping center.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located in the Groveton area of Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, from the 1920s until its closure in 1959. One of the nation's earliest private airports, and particularly in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, it received its name because it was the location of an airway beacon
Airway Beacon
An Airway beacon was a rotating light on a tower used for visual navigation by airplane pilots along a specified airway corridor. Approximately 1,500 Airway beacons were constructed, covering 18,000 miles in the U.S. to guide pilots from city to city. Construction by the Post Office and...
used to guide early airmail
Airmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
pilots. It later became a popular training site, complete with FBO
Fixed base operator
A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
, for pilots learning to fly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
on the G.I. Bill.
The site, originally an antebellum estate called City View, is now the location of a shopping center.