![]() Goodland Explorations
Learn more about Goodland by following the links below:
The preserved hangarAddress:
Renner Field Road
Email Address: director@visitgoodland.com About this Exploration: ![]() Watson Hevner's daughters stepped in. He managed the airport from 1949-66 and the Hevner family lived in an addition to the hangar, which was later torn down. The women, Judi (Hevner) Vignery and Susan (Hevner) Elliott, grew up there. They campaigned to keep the hangar from destruction and were successful.
The hangar did have historic significance, not only as a WPA project but also as a World War II glider training field.
![]() William A. Ong ran a glider pilot school for the U.S. Army Air Forces Training Command's 22nd Glider Training Detachment from June 8 to August 29, 1942, graduating 295 students. Training then halted because of equipment shortages.
Students practiced dead-stick (no engine) landings in Piper Cubs. "We flew a landing pattern
and on the downwind leg, the instructor would pull the throttle," Second Lieutenant Sherfey
T. Randolph recalled. "It was up to the student to fly the rest of the pattern and get
the plane down on the field."
Second Lieutenant Frank Zinser recalled, "Those night dead-stick landings were hellish."
The airfield was used as an auxiliary airfield until war's end. Airfield returned to civilian control in September 1945. During wartime, the airfield had four compacted soil runways, one of which is now paved and used as the main runway. The others are still visible in aerial photography.
![]() While at the airport, stop at the terminal. See the model of "America's First Patented Helicopter", eat at Butterfly Cafe and learn about Dr. M.J. Renner, for whom the airport is named. Goodland has two more New Deal public works buildings, Goodland High School and Goodland Post Office.
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![]() Donna Price
925 Main
Goodland, KS 67735 Phone: 785.890.3515 Fax: 785.890.6980 ![]() |