Hybla Valley Airport (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

Hybla Valley Airport
Virginia's first airport permit was granted to Elvin W. Robertson's Hybla Valley Airport in February 1929. As President of Mount Vernon Airways, he utilized the airfield as a site for barnstorming and air circuses. Robertson, Fairfax Supervisor Chairman W.F.P. Reid, and the president of Germany's Zeppelin Company envisioned the field to be an ideal airport for the Hindenburg's passenger and mail service. Additionally, the site was a contender for the Washington regional airport. US Navy pilots trained and government surplus aircraft were sold here during World War II. Ashburn Flying Service operated the field from 1945 until its closing in 1956.

Erected 2010 by Fairfax County History Commission.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Marker actually installed here on March 23, 2012.
Marker is easiest to see from the 5 Guys restaurant parking lot.


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Here follows an excerpt from the "Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields" website written by Paul Freeman:

Alexandria Airport / Hybla Valley Airport, Alexandria, VA
(Southwest of Reagan National Airport, VA)

Elvin Robertson had started a flying business offering sightseeing rides in the late 1920s from a field further north along the Potomac. When Philadelphia Rapid Transit acquired the field for a railroad terminal, Robertson moved a short distance away to Hybla Valley, and established what was originally known as Alexandria Airport in 1925-26.

The earliest depiction which has been located of Alexandria Airport was on the 1926 USGS topo map, which depicted an irregularly-shaped “Landing Field” with a single hangar on the east side, with the eastern boundary formed by the original alignment of Washington & Richmond Highway (Route 1).

Robertson had a Jenny biplane, a Lincoln Standard 4-place biplane with a Hispano Suiza V-8, and later became a dealer for Alexander Eaglerocks with Curtiss OX-5 engines. Robertson's Mount Vernon School of Aeronautics offered flight instruction, and became popular in 1928 after Lindbergh’s New York to Paris flight.

The airfield area at Alexandria Airport, as depicted on a 1929 Commerce Department Airway Bulletin, described Alexandria Airport as consisting of a 110 acre sod field, measuring 3,000' x 2,300. One 140' x 60' hangar was situated at the northeast corner of the field. The owner & operator was listed as Mount Vernon Airways. The 1/1/36 Department of Commerce Airway Bulletin described Alexandria Airport as a commercial field, consisting of a rectangular 2,600' x 1,200' sod field, having a single 3,000' northwest/southeast runway. A hangar was said to be marked with “Mt. Vernon Airways”. The field was said to offer facilities for servicing aircraft, day & night.

A 2012 photo by Cindy Furman of what appears to be a automobile license plate frame advertising Alexandria Airport, of unknown vintage (circa 1930s?). Cindy reported it was “found... on our recently purchased farm in Warrenton Virginia. It is a metal sign about 10 inches x 6 inches. The airplane is a dark blue & the lettering is silver with a red background & there are holes in the bottom, maybe for hanging? On the back, I can make out a stamp saying New York Bronze Sign Co, Metal advertising signs, Fremont, Ohio.”

The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airports Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo) described Alexandria Airport as consisting of single 4,000' northwest/southeast sod landing strip. The aerial photo in the directory depicted a single hangar (with "Alexandria Airport" painted on the roof) at the northeast edge of the field.

A 1937 aerial view (from the Fairfax County Historical Imagery Viewer) depicted Alexandria Airport in its original (smaller) configuration, with a irregularly-shaped grass airfield with a hangar & several light aircraft on the east side of the field. A closeup from the 1937 aerial view (from the Fairfax County Historical Imagery Viewer) of the Alexandria Airport hangar, showing its roof painted with “Service, Alexandria Airport, Mt. Vernon Airways Inc.”

At some point, the airfield began to also go by the name Hybla Valley Airport, although this was not consistent, as some later maps continued to label it as Alexandria Airport. E.C. Germain operated Washington Air Charter Service from Hybla Valley prior to WW2. This firm was a division of Mount Vernon Airways, Inc.

According to a 2/78 article by Jack Perine in the Mid Atlantic Soaring Association's Convector, The employees of the Engineering Research Corporation (builders of the Ercoupe) operated a glider club at Hybla Valley Airport. According to Jack Perine, “Memberships were $12, and my first solo while in 2nd year high school was in their primary glider.”

In 1939, with war on the horizon, Robertson sold the field to the Navy to train military pilots. According to Brian Rehwinkel, Hybla Valley was one of several outlying fields used to support primary flight training at Naval Reserve Aviation Base Anacostia during WW2 (the others being Hyde, Beltsville, Cheltenham, Nottingham, and Riverside). Hybla Valley Airport was labeled simply as "U.S. Navy" on the 1940 & 1942 Washington Sectional Charts (courtesy of Mike Keefe). A 1940 aerial view depicted Hybla Valley as having 4 runways.

An 8/14/43 U.S. Navy aerial view looking southeast at “Hybla Valley Landing Field” (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel). It depicted the field as having 4 unpaved runways, with several hangars on the east side of the field. Brian observed, “This photo was taken by the Navy, so I am assuming the Navy was still in possession of the field, or still had a lease for use of the field – but it does not appear the Navy was actively using the field for training.” It was listed as "Naval Air Facility, Hybla Valley" in the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer), and described as having a 5,000' runway.

After the war, the Navy established an office there to sell off WW2 airplanes, and Hybla Valley Airport was reopened as a civil airport. It was depicted as a commercial airport on the 1945 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).

The 1945 Haire Publishing Company Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) described Hybla Valley Airport as having 4 gravel runways (with the longest being a 5,280' northeast/southwest strip), and said that the field also had 4 hangars. It listed the operator as Mount Vernon Airways, and listed the manager as W. R. Ashburn.

In 1945, Bob Ashburn started Ashburn Flying Service at Hybla Valley, helped by some Standard Oil financing. By now the field had 3 runways: 2 gravel & one paved, ranging from 2,500' to 3,000'. Ashburn had a Cessna Bobcat twin which he used for aerial photography and mapping terrain for highways for the now burgeoning DC area. Eventually, the main runway reached 4,800', a pretty respectable runway for the era. Arthur Godfrey was known to come in his DC-3. Ashburn’s operation grew to 30 airplanes, with another 50 or 60 tied down around them. The fixed base operation was considered one of the best in the mid-Atlantic region with facilities for meals & lodging as well as aircraft maintenance.

Ashburn Flying Services had Cubs, Luscombe Silvaires (radio equipped), 175 hp Fairchild PT-19s for advanced training & PT-26s for instrument training. Prices in that era were fascinating: A medical cost $5, dual instruction was $11/hour, and solo was $8/hr. The typical pilot training course cost $198 dual, $136 solo, plus $1 for a log book, totaling $335.

The 1945 AAF Airfield Directory (courtesy of Scott Murdock) described Hybla Valley Airport as a 179 acre irregularly-shaped property within which were 4 gravel & clay runways, the longest being three 5,000' strips oriented north/south, northeast/southwest, and northwest/southeast. The field was said to have 4 cinderblock hangars, the largest being three 150' x 30' structures. The airport was said to be privately owned & operated.

Alexandria Airport was depicted on the 1948 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) as having a 4,800' unpaved runway. A 1949 aerial view depicted Alexandria Airport as having 3 runways. The 4th runway (depicted on the 1945 topo map) had evidently been replaced by a horse track. Four hangars & numerous other buildings were located on the east side of the field, along with a total of 29 light aircraft visible parked outside.

But all was not going well - the suburbs were surrounding the airport & the approaches were poor. The suburbs crowded closer, and in 1950, Frank Reid, who then owned the airport, sold it to a developer, but with a lease to continue to operate the airport until 1955. The 1951 USGS topo map depicted the 3 runways of Hybla Valley Airport, along with the oval racetrack on the airport's west side. The 1951 Washington Sectional Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe) depicted Alexandria as having 3 runways, with the longest being a 3,450' hard-surface strip (with a 4,800' strip available).

The last photo which has been located showing Hybla Valley Airport in operation was a June 1953 photo (courtesy of Libby Haynes) of Libby Haynes & Ed Daggit in “Firebird”, her PT-23 at Hybla Valley. Libby recalled, “My 'Firebird' was a Fairchild PT-23, built by the St. Louis Boxcar Company (guess I'm lucky it didn't have flanged steel wheels). I bought it as World War II surplus in 1952 (for $500, over twice my monthly salary) and sold it in 1956 after my first child was born. My husband flew C-124s from Dover AFB, but he would ride with me! Originally, it was an open-cockpit airframe. Later, a model designated PT-26 was built with a sliding hatch. This airplane was identical to the PT-19 except for a slightly more powerful engine & the hatch. The hatch on my airplane was taken from a cannibalized PT-26.”

Merton Meade recalled, “We moved to Hybla Valley in the autumn of 1953 when I was a lad of 10 years. My mother would take me across the street every single day to visit the airport where absolutely NOTHING happened during the day during the week. Weekends were quite active. She tired of this after only a short time, so she looked up the airport owner who was Bob Ashburn, introduced herself, and asked permission for her son to hang around. I think this surprised Mr. Ashburn that a parent would actually ASK, so he said if I'd behave myself I could stay around. Even at that age I recognized this as a 'meal ticket' & the rest, as they say... A wonderful man was Bob Ashburn, and so was his wife Betty & the 2 daughters, Jane & Barbara. When I was at Hybla Valley, there were 2 runways in use. One was the mile long one ending in the dump where there was several old aeroplanes, and the other was the 3,600' gravel one. At various times in the field's history, there was up to 4 runways there.”

Merton Meade recalled, “In the 1934 photo I recognize the big hangar which was there until after the end. The white house was not there in 1953. Paralleling the big hangar were 3 rows of T-hangars. I first met Arthur Godfrey at Hybla Valley & maintained a friendship with him until his death. At Hybla Valley, during those years, Bob Ashburn had 2 Cubs & one Luscombe. The Cubs rented for $7.26/hour solo with a $3 premium for dual instruction. The Luscombe was $4/hour more.”

Alexandria Airport was described on the 1955 Washington Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Mike Keefe) as having 3 runways, with the longest being a 3,450' hard-surface strip (with a 4,800' strip available). The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Alexandria Airport was on the January 1956 Washington Sectional Chart. It depicted Alexandria as having a 3,400' paved runway.

Sadly, a newspaper article announced, "the VA State Corporation Commission yesterday canceled Ashburn Flying Services permit to operate the field", and after 32 years, Hybla Valley Airport was to be no more. According to a historical plaque erected in 2010 by the Fairfax County History Commission, Ashburn Flying Service operated Hybla Valley Airport until the airport's closure in 1956. The 1956 USGS topo map still depicted the outlines of Hybla Valley Airport's former runways, and the former hangars were still depicted on the east side, but the airport itself was no longer labeled. By the time of the July 1956 Washington Sectional Chart, Hybla Valley Airport was no longer depicted at all. A 1957 aerial view showed that Hybla Valley Airport remained intact, but all the aircraft were gone. The 1958 Army Map Service map (courtesy of Kevin Walsh) still depicted Hybla Valley Airport & its 3 runways.

A 1962 aerial view of the last remaining element of the former Hybla Valley Airport – one hangar which remained standing for a few more years. Three other hangars had been torn down, and houses had been built over the northern portion of the field. The southern portion remained largely clear. Cherrie of Hybla Valley recalled that "there were a couple of hangars on the west side of Fordson Road. They burned down around the late 1960s. The concrete pads the hangars sat on remained there for many years. A condo complex now sits where the airport used to be."

Anthony Craig recalled that "I attended Hybla Valley Elementary School on Lockheed Boulevard around 1976-79. The teachers at the school would state that the school was built on an old airfield. Some even justified it by the flat land that surrounds us. I remember maybe 2 very tall, like a light post, but twice the size things in the yards around the school. I never knew exactly what they were, but the teachers stated that they were for aviation."

A 1979 aerial view showed that the last hangar was gone, with no trace remaining of the former airport. The 2002 USGS aerial photo showed that the site of Hybla Valley Airport has been completely redeveloped, being occupied by the Hybla Valley School & a residential neighborhood. A historical display commemorating the history of Beacon Field & Hybla Valley Airport which sits in front of a Costco warehouse at the corner of Route 1 & Ladson Lane. The memory of Hybla Valley Airport lives on, through the names of the streets which have been built over the former airport: Lockheed Boulevard, Piper Lane, Convair Drive, Grumman Place, Fairchild Drive, Stinson Road, and Northrop Road. The site of Hybla Valley Airport is located southwest of the intersection of Lockheed Boulevard & Richmond Highway (Route 1).