Lord Stirling, Rev War Buildings, First Airmail, Tuskegee Airmen, the VA, a proposed Super Airport and more historic moments tie back to this small strip of land in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
If you were driving around the small town of Basking Ridge, New Jersey and you were looking for an airport the only thing you’d find is a sign. But for residents who’ve lived here since the 1930s, the area contained a small grass runway airport called the Somerset Hills Airport.
Before there was an airport, there was a 70 acre tract that had a long history in Basking Ridge. The original owner goes back to the early 1700s when James Alexander, the father to Lord Stirling aka William Alexander bought large tracts of land in the area. The land was part of a farming community in the 1800s and was owned by the Fenner family with an abundance of corn fields before it was sold to Standard Flying Services to develop the airport that officially opened in 1932 and lasted for 50 years.
Somerset Hills Airport Dedication October 23, 1932
Flying was taking hold in American in the 1930’s. While the military and commercial aviation lead the way, private aviation and local airports were spreading across the country. On Sunday, October 23, 1932 the vision met reality when Somerset County’s first airport opened with an air meet organized by Standard Flying Services, the owner of the new Somerset Hills Airport facility in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The event included competitive flying, aerobatic exhibits, parachute jumps, and a bomb dropping contest with cash prizes.
Under the watchful eye of Project Manager George Viehmann and Waldron Schanz, manager, the two dedicated an airfield in the quiet Basking Ridge community.
Three grass runways served the public facility initially. Later, the facility became an Army Air Corps flight training facility from 1941 through 1945.
Historic Moments
Providing support to private pilots was one of the key activities at the Somerset Hills Airport. Most of the managers at the Somerset Hills Airport over the years were also certified in airplane mechanics and flying instructors. Many were also former military pilots.
On Thursday, June 10, 1947, Mrs. Alice Spencer of W. Oak Street in Basking Ride was the first woman veteran to receive a private pilots license under the GI training program. Alice was the daughter of Mrs. Truman Spencer, who served three years in WAVES as an aviation machinist mate. Her father was the Bernards Township Tax Collector.
Flying School and Local Enjoyment
Many area residents have fond memories of attending flying school at the Somerset Hills Airport that existed since its inception in 1932. The Great Depression virtually decimated the private aircraft industry, and aircraft manufacturers scrambled to develop a low-cost light airplane that could be bought by anyone with an average income and a desire to fly. In response to this need, Clarence Taylor of Taylor Brothers Aircraft in Bradford, Pennsylvania, designed the E-2 Cub in 1930. It was a small fabric-covered highwing airplane with a steel tube framed fuselage, wooden wing spar and aluminum wing ribs. This led to the resurgence of private leisure flying and let to many of the stories our local friends sent in.
Local resident Deborah Lewis in 1959 sitting on the fence at the Somerset Hills Airport in Basking Ridge, New Jersey
I took flying lessons there for about four years like ‘68 to ‘72. My flying buddies included Sid Sussman, George Mennon and Al Needleman who owned Basking Ridge Pharmacy. Probably have some pictures. My husband grew up on Riverside Drive behind the airport and he had plenty of his own stories.
Deborah Lewis – Basking Ridge Resident
I remember growing up in Basking Ridge, the airport was in my backyard. We used to ride our bikes up there and get orange sodas and watch the planes
Jim DiQuattro – Basking Ridge
I remember sitting at the dinner table on Gerard Ave. watching one of the planes hit nose to tail across our back yard until it landed at the farm behind us. We moved a few years later to Homestead Village only to have one nose dive into neighbors trees. Everyone walked away. Just a broken arm in the 2nd crash.
Wendy Wahl
We used to go to the Henry St bakery after church on Sunday and then to the airport to watch the planes.
Erika Leigh – Basking Ridge
1966 Memorable Flight of Rinker Buck
In the winter of 1965/1966, Rinker Buck, a 15 year old, and his 17 year old brother Kernahan, got his pilot license, devised a plan to rebuild their father’s 1948 Piper PA-11 and fly it from Somerset Hills Airport to Capistrano Airport in San Juan Capistrano, CA. Then they flew back!
Their journey took six days and was completed in July 1966. The flight is the subject of Buck’s 1997 memoir Flight of Passage.
The Jetport That Almost Flattened Basking Ridge
It was 1959 and what many people never knew was the time when not only would the area lose the Somerset Hills Airport, but we almost lost the entire community. Saving The Great Swamp: Battle to Defeat the Jetport is a one-hour documentary about the events, people and politics behind the struggle to preserve a rural area of New Jersey between 1959 and 1968 including the Great Swamp and Basking Ridge.
The fight began when the powerful Port of New York Authority announced plans to construct a huge 10,000 acre “jetport” 26 miles west of New York City in a little-known place called the Great Swamp. In the name of progress, entire towns would be obliterated, the aquifer and wildlife destroyed, and a way-of-life threatened for thousands of people.
Public Pressure Shuts Down Airport
Pressure had been growing for years at Somerset County’s oldest airport as the population grew in the Basking Ridge community. A new high school had been constructed in 1960 just to the west of the Airport. In addition, a number of
P-51 Mustang, N6523D crash landing on February 4, 1960 on what was coined “Crash Corner”. Leo Corbin, who worked at the airfield wrote us and stated it was the same day they took delivery of the plane.
Source: Bernards Township Police Department
Pilots who knew the airport had a term for the corner just to the west of the runway approach. They nicknamed the area of South Maple and Lord Stirling Road “Crash Corner” as they approached 2,300 foot runway. That location was the scene of a number of near fatal crashes in the 60’s and 70’s. Local resident George Fricke of Peachtree Road said “It’s like Russian roulette around here.”
On October 17, 1975 a private plane crashed into an above ground swimming pool after tearing apart an apple tree at 67 Woodstone Drive. Vincent Smith of 67 Woodstone Drive who had lived there for 28 years stated that he had witnessed five crashes on his property.
It was in 1975 when ordinaces were formed permitting the airport property to allow for low income housing as reported in local newspapers. There were a number of high profile crashes in the area in 1975 and increased pressure was being mounted by the Bernards Township Board of Education’s Superentindent Dr. Philip Tieman.
After a severe fire in 1981 and investigations into a number of severe crashes by the FAA the Municipal Board, local school boards, and the community that lived around the airfield put enough pressure on the Airport owner to close the facility.
The Somerset Hills Airport officially closed on October 15, 1982 almost 50 years to the day!
(Dedicated) Sunday, October 23, 1932.
Airport Property Transforms to Lord Stirling Village
Prelim approval was granted by the Bernards Township Planning Board on July 14, 1981 to the Lanid (Lanidex) Corporation of Parsippany to develop the 77 acres where the airport stood.
The approved plan called for for 150 townhouses to be built on the first 25 acre tract that were priced from $130-150k. The other 50 acre tract was carved out for single family homes ranging from $110- $135k. Lanid also constructed the Country Side complex off Mount Airy Road next to the Somerset Hills Cemetery.
Finally, in 1986 a report by the New Jersey General Aviation Study Commission’s Subcommittee on Airport Closings showed the airport’s taxes had risen 500 percent in its last 16 years of operation. By 1983, the airport was not listed as “active” by national flight guides, and the 1986 USGS map listed it as “inactive.”
Somerset Hills Airport Owners/Managers
Below is a partial list of what we found. If you know more, please let us know.
- 1932 – George Viehmann, Manager
- 1932, Waldron Schanz, Manager
- George E. Lewis – Airport Manager former Navy pilot
- 1946-1948 – Paul H. Housel – Airport Manager (United Aviation Corp. owner)
- 1961 – 1963 – Owned by Basking Ridge Aviation Company
- 1964- Webster Todd – Manager
- 1968 – Jim Calvin – Owner and operator, 40 planes were permanently based at the airport, where there were two runways across 70 acres.
- Jim Calvin and Robert Hartlaub
The Tuskegee Airman from Basking Ridge, New Jersey
Have a story to share about the airport?
Share your stories below in the comments section.
Reference/Additional information
- Learn more about the infamous Jetport Battle
- Miss Janet Marilyn Shauger, a Bernardsville High School student died in a plane crash in Basking Ridge. Sept 1948.
- The Nov 1977 DOT approval for a AT&T helipad was upheld in June 1979 court rules AT&T can have a helipad. Until then, the Somerset Hills Airport served as AT&T’s helipad.
- American Aviation Historical Society
- Airfields of New Jersey and New England by Paul Freeman
Jean Smalley wrote: “I loved going there as a kid w my dad to watch the planes. We would sit on the hood of the car.. great article!thanks!”
Willie Dade – Before they paved the runway ,my Uncle was landing from the Lord Stirling School end of the runway , and the bumpy grass terrain bent the tip of one of the prop blades.
Gina Kalvin wrote “this is where my father had his 1948 Taylorcraft. Jackie soloed but he sold the plane before I could. Great memories!”
Gloria Borchert wrote: “My father paved the runways.”
Mark Waters wrote us: ” When I was about 10 or 11 years old I saved up $10, rode my bike to the airport, and, without my parents knowing about it, took may first plane ride. It was in a Piper Cub. There was some snow on the grass runway and the plane was outfitted with skis. That experience gave me the “flying bug” and I eventually got my pilot’s license.”
Judith Klein Woodruff wrote: ” As children my dad used to take us there to watch the planes. Later in his life he took flying lessons there and got his pilot license.”
Karen Jones Potts wrote: “My dad spent hours hanging around the airport. He also had a plane that he kept there. He loved that place and always wanted his ashes sprinkled over it during a fly by. He was unable to get that wish because by the time he passed away the airport was no longer there”
My buddies and I used to ride our bikes down Lord Sterling Rd to the airport, get a bottle of Dr Pepper out of the machine there and spend an hour or two hanging around and gawking at the airplanes. This was in the 1968-69 timeframe. Good memories of that place, sad that it’s gone.
I believe one of the fatal crashes in the 60s involved a teenager with the last name Yingling. Can’t remember his first name. Such a tragedy.
When I moved in with my wife in Millington in 1985, I used to check out the field, sneaking in through the loosely chained gate. For years there was a derelict fuselage of what was probably a canvas covered aircraft still on the field, though I did not get to close to examine it as it was inhabited by a beehive. I’m pretty good at aircraft identification as an aviation historian, but could not identify it.
I worked for Jim Calvin as a mechanic at the airport from late 1975 to early 1977, between leaving the Navy and joining the Air Force. Also worked there for the flight school, Sky Quest Aviation, washing and fueling airplanes in trade for flying time. Bernie Tomko, also a veteran of Naval aircraft maintenance, was the other mechanic. He owned a Cessna 150 that was black with yellow wings, and modified for short takeoffs and landings.
By the mid 70’s Jim had plowed up the grass runways and would put in a corn crop, so the paved east-west runway was the only one available.
The P-51 Mustang, N6523D, actually crashed on February 4, 1960. It was purchased THAT DAY by the pilot, who landed about halfway down the runway which was not yet paved.
That aircraft is actually still flying, out in California.
Lee Corbin I remember Bernie and his 150. He would often fly over to Flanders Airport and visit the restaurant. We nick named him “Black Hawk Bernie”. What a great guy!
Took lessons there in 1974. Always wished I finished.
My dad kept his Piper 150 tied down at Somerset Hills from the early 1960’s until it was closing.
My mom even learned to fly at the airport i n 1967. It was not so common at the time for a women to have their private pilots license. It even made the papers.
My brother Bill and I would spend hours there playing and going up for rides. We were able to ride in some pretty cool planes. Bill Tyndall owned an old Stearman bi-plane which was complete with a front and rear seat and a rudder control in each one. I remember flying in an AT-6 (which was not comfortable at all), and almost as tight a fit was the home build Pitt’s “special” biplane. If I recall, I think it was a husband an wife who flew them. Jim Calvin and my dad were friends and we all spent time together socially.
We took a photo of my dads plane from another plane flying close by, and I have that photo to this day, with a tattoo to match on my leg.
Thanks you for the memories and I can’t wait to show the article to my mom!
Send the pics of the plane AND the tattoo!
It must have been in the mid-late 60’s when some of my friends–brothers Pete and Gary Gavornik–(we were teenagers) went up for a ride and the plane crashed. It’s been a long time, but I think it was on take-off and crashed on the other side of the road. They were both seriously injured, and for a while they weren’t sure Gary would live (he did). I believe the pilot survived also.
Again, it’s been a long time, so don’t quote me on the specifics, but it did happen. If anybody remembers more detail it would be good to hear…
My garage was moved from the Basking Ridge airport in summer of 1943. Still stands today. I posted photos on the Facebook post.
I along with my husband and brother went for our 1st ride in a 4 sitter Cesna spring of 1976 to view my parents farm (now the Farmstead Arts Association) from above. The airport staff put us with a pilot who had just been hired and we crashed into the second ridge, totally the plane and injuring all 4 of us.
I grew up in Madison and remember flying in a friends C170B roughly 1968-1974, and nearly purchased a zero timed T craft parked near it.
I also remember the jetport fiasco. One little known by product was that a group like PITA somehow got hunting banned on much of the land involved. The result was the deer herd exploded and disease spread like wildfire. After a few years, the state allowed hunters to cull deer. Normally a hunter got 1 or 2 deer tags a year. The first year of the cull, a hunter would bring his deer to a weigh station. If the deer was sick, it was destroyed and the hunter got another tag. This continued until the hunter got a healthy deer. One year my brother shot 7 deer before he got a healthy one.
Great Article and it brought back tons of memories. I was a line boy there around 1959 to 1961. At the time the airport was owned by Harry Calvin, a Pan Am Flight Engineer. He leased the airport to Rick Decker, who had previously managed Westfield Airport. Rick had a flight school, maintenance facility, and air taxi at Somerset Hills. This included a Twin Beech, D-18. A big bird for Somerset Hills. I was offered flying lessons for pay. After one lesson, I was not interested at the time. I caught the bug later, however, and became rated on 727,747, 757, 767, L-1011, Helicopter, Instrument Helicopter, Sea Plane, and Glider. Now retired, I truly thank Rick Decker and everyone that I came in contact with at Somerset Hills Airport for exposing me to aviation and the great career that I had.
My father was in the US Army in World War11 Signal Corp..He was from Bernardsville NJ and always loved planes..He took lessons in at the Basking Ridge Somerset Hills Airport in 1947 and got his pilot license under the GI Bill..I have a picture of him with me at 1 1/2 yrs old next to his favorite Piper Cub which he took his lessons in..Also found an article in Planifield Courier News dated Sept.8th 1947 naming EX GIs who got their pilot licenses at this airport..Dad, .Grafton Ely, passed away in 1997..We were living in the Belle Mead Depot Neshanic NJ at the time he achieved his license and was working there as an GSA Security Guard..He built models all his life and I realize why his love for the Piper Cub now..I could send a copy of the picture and the article he saved if you’d like..I was always with my Dad going to Airports although he never did get to buy one..
On my visits to NJ to see family, we have driven out to Basking Ridge a few times to try and find the site of the Somerset Hills Airport (SHA) with no luck. Today I saw the sign!! I started taking flying lessons at Somerset Hills Airport after my sophomore year of high school, the summer of 1972. A year later, after tuing 17, I earned my Private Pilot’s license. I got my pilot’s license 10 days before my drivers license…you had to be 17 to drive back then. I always joke that my parents had to drive me to the airport so I could take them for an airplane ride. Back then a two-seat trainer, a Cessna 150, rented for $14 per hour and a 4-seater Cessna 172 was around $18 per hour. They are about 10 times that now. The instructor was somewhere around an additional $6-8 per hour. Needless to say, I could afford to pay for my flying lessons with my burger flipping job at the Overlook Hospital coffee shop.
My father, H. Neil Carlson, was working on his Cessna 170B one weekend when the actor Burgess Meredith (penguin on the original Batman and manager on original Rocky) flew in for Fox Hunting with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Lot’s of fond childhood memories from that place.