Home Page for Campbell Field Airport

Campbell Field Airport
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Located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia

2008 Updates from the airport and "Soup-on-Sunday"

"Come Roll on the Grass"
"Grassroots Airport for Grassroots Flying"
"Home of the $100 Hotdog"
Taildragger Friendly!

Campbell Field Airport & "Soup-on-Sunday" Updates 2008:

12/30/2008 HSC-2 "Fleet Angels":  During the week it is sometimes slow around here so it is nice to have a visit from Naval Station Norfolk.  Today a MH60S "Knighthawk" from HSC-2 came in for a few minutes of practice (and to blow all the grass clippings off the runway!).   HSC-2 is short for the Helseacombatron Two "Fleet Angels".  They are the guys/gals that support our Atlantic Fleet with search and rescue, onboard delivery and executive transport.  The wing has six squadrons based at Naval Station Norfolk.  MH60S Photo, HSC-2 Logo.

Helicopter Sea Combat Support Squadron TWO HSC-2 "Fleet Angels 
"Fleet Angels"
(quality is poor because it is a frame from the webcam feed)

12/14/2008 Soup-on-Sunday:  I did not want it to be the last "SOS" of 2008 but mother nature had other things planned for the final two Sundays in 2008.  It was a perfect day for flying and I guess that is why the arrivals started off slow, by 12:30 there were only 5-6 aircraft on the field.  But the smell of hot dogs and chili was too much for those still in the air and by 1pm the regular crowd of 20+ aircraft were piling in.   We had quite a few aircraft that travelled an hour plus to get here.   We had aircraft from North Carolina, the D.C. area, Philadelphia area and one couple from the upper west side of Manhattan.  Their travel time was by far the longest as they had to take several modes of public transportation and then a long walk just to get to their home airport in New Jersey  (yes, I am spoiled, with my Grumman no more than 40 feet away at all times)!  I guess it is worth it for a hot dog...where would you get one in New York City?  Enjoy the pictures:

Campbell Field Airport
ET enjoying his hot dog in the Pilot's Pub!

Campbell Field Airport
I was trying to get a shot of the brand new R44!

Campbell Field Airport
These kids did not eat any Christmas cookies (and I have a bridge to sell you)!

Campbell Field Airport
A nice V-tail Bonanza departing.

Campbell Field Airport
A Piper Twin out of Norfolk.

11/23/2008 Soup-on-Sunday:  It started out as a very chilly day on the Eastern Shore with temps in the low 20's.  So I wrongly assumed that the "SOS" crowd would be light.  But with temps rising into the lower 40's and severe clear conditions aircraft from at least a five state area started "rolling on the grass" at Campbell Field.  We ended up having, if not a record turnout, a near record turnout of aircraft at the field with 50+ planes (including two Robinson R44 Helo's) flying in.  I was especially impressed to see a large turnout from North Carolina.  We had several planes from Currituck, Manteo and the Raleigh-Durham area.  Quite a few of them were told of the event here by our good friend and hang gliding guru, Jonny Thompson.    From the north we had aircraft from as far away as Baltimore and New Jersey.  I apologize for not taking more photos.  I normally am able to get out near the runway and take pictures of all the aircraft but today I was stuck in the hangar most of the time making sure there were enough hot dogs in the steamer.

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Pair of RV-8's

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Cessna 172 out of Newport News

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1975 Pazmany PL-2
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 "AirShark" CGS Hawk with intimidating graphics.  
Don't get caught in front of this aircraft on short final!


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Beech P35 Bonanza with Aspen Avionics EFD1000 Pro newly installed.  Not shown in the photo is a Garmin stack including the Garmin 430.  If my piggy bank is big enough I would like to put the Aspen system in my Grumman Tiger.

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Shiny 1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D

11/21/2008 Wallops flight Facility Historical Marker Unveiling:  I attended the unveiling ceremony today at the NASA visitor center at Wallops Flight Facility.  The Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society was instrumental in organizing and preparing for the placement of this marker.  Funding for the marker was provided by the Virginia Department of Aviation.  Sposors of the ceremony were BaySys Technonlogies, Inc. and NASA Wallops Flight Facility.
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10/21/2008:  Main hangar at Campbell Field turns 60 years old today.  The airport was established in 75 years ago and the original hangars were on the east side of the field.  In 1948 a large wood t-hangar was erected on the NW side of the field.  The hangar was built for five aircraft,  a t-hangar configuration for four aircraft and the additional main hangar.

Campbell Field Airport


Inscribed in the concrete floor of hangar.
 
9/21/2008 Soup-on-Sunday:  Check out the photos HERE.

9/20/2008 NAS Oceana Air Show:

9/13/2008 WWI Fly-In:  Day one of the Great War Aerodrome WWI Fly-In & Campout was a lot of fun!  I will post a longer write up later but enjoy a couple of photos now!  See more photos HERE
Campbell Field Airport
Great Lakes Biplane owned by Paul Ennis framed by the aerodrome gates.

Campbell Field Airport
The Thomas family poses for pictures in front of the gates.

9/4/2008 Trike Flying at Campbell Field:  Terri, the owner of Lynchburg, Virginia based Precision Windsports, Inc. took a short break from selling the AirBorne Trikes and headed east with his friend John for a few days of trike flying on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.   Terri brought along a brand new AirBorne Outback powered by a Rotax 912.  For two days they flew in formation up and down the Eastern Shore following the seaside and bayside coastline, exploring all the creeks and marsh areas.  I also took a break from my busy task of managing the airport (oozing sarcasm) and flew my Phantom alongside of Terri so I could get a few shots of the Outback in its true element.   Terri and John had a couple of spectacular days of flying ahead of the upcoming tropical storm "Hanna"
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As you can tell from the photos below, the Eastern Shore of Virginia offers some of the best views from the air.  There is little air traffic, no restricted areas or MOA's, no mountains, no large buildings or towers, in short, it is a pilot's paradise!  Bring your plane and your tent and enjoy a couple days of true bliss!  
AirBorne Outback Trike at Campbell Field Airport

AirBorne Outback Trike at Campbell Field Airport

AirBorne Outback Trike at Campbell Field Airport

AirBorne Outback Trike at Campbell Field Airport

AirBorne Outback Trike at Campbell Field Airport

AirBorne Outback Trike at Campbell Field Airport

8/17/2008 Soup-on-Sunday:  A perfect summer day across the mid-atlantic brought in a large crowd.  Over the course of the afternoon around 40 aircraft flew in for hot dogs, hamburgers, chili and steamed corn.  Usually one aircraft steals the show.  Today we had two aircraft that competed for best in show!  We all have our favorite aircraft but when a stunning 1944 Beech Staggerwing D17S arrived people quickly abandoned their comfortable seats in the shade for an up close inspection.   The second aircraft that had people choking on their corn was a 1943 Boeing Stearman B75N1 300HP.   What is it about the 1940's that led to so many cool aircraft being produced!   You can have your Cirrus!  I'll take a Staggerwing or a Stearman any day.

In reality all aircraft are cool (just some are a little cooler than others!) and we had plenty on the field all day.  I saw a beautiful pair of yellow piper cubs, a Piper Super Cub,  a bunch of Cessna 172's, a bunch of Grumman Tigers, at least on Mooney, a Piper Warrior, a Cessna 206, and others.

We are offering hang gliding tandem intro flights this Sunday so no "Soup-on-Sunday" but your are welcome to come in and watch or take a tandem flight.  If you can't make it check it out on the new RUNWAY CAM!

I'll post some photos here soon but in the meantime check out all the photos here.
I have also posted a few videos to YouTube.  Check them out here.

7/13/2008 Hang Gliding @ Campbell Field:  History was made this past Sunday on the Eastern Shore of Virginia as Hang Gliders flew for the first time over the shore.  During the afternoon seven aerotow flights were made, each up to 2500 feet over the Eastern Shore.   The gliders released and soared over the shore and landed smoothly back at Campbell Field.  We were lucky to have an experienced instructor with us for the day;  Jon Thompson from KittyHawk Kites in North Carolina.    After that the Australian built "Dragonfly" aero tug was piloted by the Eastern Shores own Bill McCarter.   I took three tandem tows with Jon while Brad soloed the Wills Wings 195 and 170 gliders.  It was a perfect day and from 2500 feet you could see the entire Eastern Shore.  Our tandem hang gliding business will be launching very soon so look for updates here and the launch of the hang gliding website.  

"Soar the Shore"

Hang Gliding at Campbell Field
First Hang Gliding Flight at Campbell Field

Dragonfly tug at Campbell Field Airport
Jon Thompson flying the Dragonfly Aero Tug

Jon Thompson at Campbell Field Airport
Jon giving Bill some tips while Christine looks on.

Brad from Raven Sky Sports and Jon from Kitty Hawk Kites at Campbell Field Airport
Discussing the first flight.

Hang Gliding at Campbell Field Airport
Getting ready for my flight.

Dragonfly Aero Tug at Campbell Field Airport
The activities attracted a few spectators.  
Here are a few neighborhood kids checking out the Dragonfly.

Hang Gliding at Campbell Field Airport
They still have a long way to get to the moon!

Wills Wing Falcon 3 and Dragonfly tug at Campbell Field Airport
Brad launching the Wills Wing Falcon 3 off the cart.

Last flight at Campbell Field Airport
Last flight of the day.

7/10/2008 New Patio and Furniture:  The teak outdoor furniture just arrived so we went to work building a small brick patio in front of the "Pilots Pub".  I think it looks great.  Fly on in to the next "Soup-on-Sunday" and enjoy it.

New patio at Campbell Field Airport

New patio and teak furniture at Campbell Field Airport

6/14&15/2008 Virginia Festival of Flight:  The 11th Annual Virginia Regional Festival of Flight was a big success!  I had a great time and hope everyone enjoyed the weekend.  A big thank you to the hundreds of volunteers, the Virginia Department of Aviation, the City of Suffolk, the Suffolk Executive Airport and SFQ manager Kent Marshall, the SFQ Airport Commission, the Delegates of the Virginia Aviation Council, and especially all the pilots that flew in every type of aircraft imaginable.  Enjoy these great photos by Mike Likavec and visit the Festival of Flight home page.

6/1/2008 Soup-on-Sunday:  Mediocre weather meant a small crowd today.  We did have a large crowd from Pennsylvania camp out the night before despite the heavy downpours.   They were very brave and even enjoyed the lighting show.  We had a few regulars in today including a 1979 Cessna 182 with a new paint job and interior, it looked great!

1979 Cessna 182 at Campbell Field Airport
1979 Cessna 182 (Looks like a 2008!)

Kids at Campbell Field Airport
Kids!

Soup-on-Sunday at Campbell Field Airport
More Kids!

Soup-on-Sunday at Campbell Field Airport
Cute Picture (and they did fly in)!

6/01/2008 MS Bike Tour:  Campbell Field Airport sponsored the local team that rode in the MS 150 Bike Tour around the Eastern Shore.

MS 150 Bike Ride Campbell Field Airport
Team "Off the Map".  Looking happy before the event
and the inches of rain that will flood their tent that night.

5/25/08 Soup-on-Sunday:  After several weeks of rain outs the weather finally cleared for a beautiful Soup-on-Sunday.  The 30+ aircraft including everything from a Piper Cub to a Cessna 150 and 210 to a Beechcraft twin.

Campbell Field Airport

Campbell Field Airport

Campbell Field Airport

Campbell Field Airport

Campbell Field Airport

Campbell Field Airport

5/4/2008 Soup-on-Sunday & Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society Presentation:  A lousy weather forecast threatened to cancel this weeks "SOS" but the last minute change in the forecast brought beautiful weather to Campbell Field.  Over 30 aircraft flew in and a large local crowd drove in.  I'm guessing that we had 150+ people in attendance.  

This week was a special "SOS" as we had the Virginia Aeronautical Hisorical Society (VAHS) and the Virginia Department of Aviation joining us.  Read the press release.  Four individuals gave presentations.  First, Al Orgain, Chairman of the VAHS gave a talk about the Society and what it does to preserve Virginia aviation history and honor Virginia aviators.  One program that the VAHS sponsors is the Historical Marker Project, commemorating the sites of aviation firsts with roadside historical markers.  One such location to be commemorated soon is the Wallops Island Flight Facility (WAL), here on the Eastern Shore.  Van Crosby, President of the VAHS, was also in attendance to help with Mr. Orgain's presentation.  Next, David Hahn, VAHS Historian, gave a presentation on the history of aviation in Virginia.  

Then a local perspective of aviation history was given by Jeffrey Walker.  Mr. Walker is a lifelong resident of the Eastern Shore and was an active duty pilot with the Navy, then flew for the Virginia Marine Resource Commission and Continental Airlines.  He recollected several interesting stories about the pilots and flights here at the old Kellam Field.   A couple of his interesting remarks included the Shoreflight Pilots Club, who would have breakfast flights out to Hog Island where they would land on the beach.   Then he mentioned the aerial goose hunts and the bags of birds dropped at the end of the runway to evade the law.  These stories, of course, were second hand knowledge!  For more history of the old Kellam Field see the History section.  

Lastly, Randy Burdette, Director of the Virginia Department of Aviation gave a short talk on the department, its finances and the trend of private and public use airports in the commonwealth.   One interesting remark was the high rate of closure of private use airports in Virginia.  In just that last ten years Virginia has lost a high percentage of its private use airports.  In an attempt to slow or stop the rate of closures Randy is organizing an event to unite and educate owners of private use airports.  The Eastern Shore is an area with many private use airports and there were at least six owners in attendance at the event.  I will update this site when Randy releases more details about the event.

A special thanks to Morgan Harris, Aviation Operations Specialist, Virginia Department of Aviation, for driving in the departments display trailer.  We usually find Morgan at the big events such as Sun 'n Fun and the Virginia Regional Festival of Flight so it was a treat to have him out on the Eastern Shore.  I saw many pilots leaving with bags of information from the VADOA's trailer.

I hope everyone enjoyed the presentations, the hot dogs and chili.  I must admit that I am beginning to feel more like a hot dog vendor than an airport owner.  We served almost 200 hot dogs this Sunday and I served 200 hot dogs at last Saturdays event in Suffolk for the Virginia Aviation Council.  That's a lot of dogs!  

Check out photos of the days event here!

  

3/30/2008 Soup-on-Sunday:  We have not had a "SOS" in a while so I was hoping that that the conditions would be perfect this Sunday.  Well, they were not!  While the field was VFR all day just to the south was heavy rain and IFR conditions.  Suprisingly about 10 aircraft ventured in, needless to say all were from the north.  It sort of caught me off gaurd because with the light drizzle and windy conditions I was sure that nobody was going to come in.   Fortunately I had everything ready to go and was able to throw on some hot dogs and chili just in time!  I had a great time and I hope the 20 or so people that braved the weather will come back on a nicer day.
CGS Hawks at Campbell Field Airport
A couple of CGS Hawks.
"Soup-on-Sunday" at Campbell Field Airport

"Soup-on-Sunday" at Campbell Field Airport

"Soup-on-Sunday" at Campbell Field Airport

4/1/2008 PRESS RELEASE:  (Happy April Fool's Day!)

Campbell Field Airport Awards Runway Paving Contract

Campbell Field Airport announced today that it had awarded the runway paving contract to Branscome, Inc. and  the engineering and design contract to Delta Airport Consultants.  These signed contracts come one month before a May 1st deadline set by the Virginia Department of Aviation.  As of May 1st the Virginia Department of Aviation has “outlawed” grass or turf landing surfaces.  Claiming that “no aircraft was ever meant to land on grass” and that grass strips are a “thing of the past”  the department moved quickly forward with a mandate effectively banning all grass and turf landing surfaces.  Campbell Field owner Gordon Campbell commends the Department of Aviation for their progressive stance;  “The department has finally realized that grass runways are just silly.  Finally we can get out of the dark ages and be like most other states that have banned grass landing areas.  Personally I am tired of seeing all that green grass every time I'm on final approach not to mention all the hours I spend cleaning grass stains off my wheel pants, and I really miss the sounds and smell of asphalt.”

The owner is also looking forward to the increased economic development that a paved runway will generate.  “Lets face it, the guys flying Piper Cubs and other small aircraft are not bringing any money into the area. If a Cub and a GV roll up to the hangar at the same time who do you think is getting the red carpet?”  He will also contact Signature Flight Support in hopes that they will open an FBO at the field.

The construction is schedule to begin in 90 days and will necessitate closing the airport for 15 minutes every hour.  Large corporations looking to build corporate hangars can contact the owner directly regarding leasing information.

"Come Roll on the Asphalt"

UPDATE: If you were fooled by this April Fool's Day PR you were not alone!  Quite a few of you took the bait!  It was fun but remember the slogan for the airport is "Come Roll on the GRASS".  There will never be asphalt here! Thanks to the VA Department of Aviation for playing along.  The department and their director is the best in the country!  Happy April Fool's Day!

3/5/2008  Appalachia Volunteers of Boston College:  Every year a group of Boston College students come to the Eastern Shore of Virginia to volunteer during their spring break as part of the Appalachia Volunteers of Boston College.  This year 100 or so students worked in several communities on the Eastern Shore, including 19 that were hosted near Campbell Field Airport in Weirwood.  For the third year in a row Campbell Field Airport hosted a party for all the groups on the Eastern Shore.  This year there was food, a lot of dancing and then a huge bonfire.  

See more Boston College photos here.

Boston College Clean Up Crew
Boston College Students participated in a roadside cleanup of Bayford Road.

Boston College Clean Up Crew
A pickup truck filled with garbage...and some students!

Boston College tours New Ravenna
The group tours New Ravenna Mosaics in Exmore Virginia.  New Ravenna is a leading designer and manufacturer of stone, glass and tile mosaics.  Christine Campbell (far left) hosted the tour.

Boston College Mosaic Class
Boston College students learning the fine art of mosaic production.

See more Boston College photos here.


2/17/2008  Good old airports can last forever but good old hangars eventually die!  The oldest hangar at Campbell Field, and most likely the first, finally succombed to the high winds we had over the past few days.  The airport was established in 1933 and I suspect that this hangar was built shortly thereafter to house Darryl M. Kellams Avro Avian, an English made two place bi-plane.  This hangar has been on the verge of collapse since I purchased the airport in 2003.  When I first met the hangar I shoveled almost a foot of composted leaves and debris off the roof.  That work probably gave a few extra years to the hangar.  However, I then took those years away when I pulled all the vines off the sides which were probably supporting the structure.  The hangar remained productive and was used as an aircraft hangar right up until the end.  Ray Gefken stored his Fisher ultralight airplane there for several years and was continually shoring up the hangar with a few bits of wood here and there.  Fortunately the hangar showed a great deal of compassion for the aircraft within and while one side of the hangar buckled in the wind it remained upright just long enough for Ray to gently remove his aircraft without a single scrap.  If only the goats could have shown some compassion for his aircraft...but thats another story!

Campbell Field Airport CAP meeting in old hangar.
Inside of the hangar during the airports busy years. 
(click on image to open larger size)
Caption reads: 
1947-1948 CAP (Civil Air Patrol) Meeting in hangar at airport Weirwood, VA.
Seated l to r: Parks W. Ward, Harry McCann Sr., Lt. Dan Wilkens, Capt. Harry W. McCann, Jr. "Capt. Mac", Lt. H. M. Terry "Buzzy"

Campbell Field Airport
View of hangar from the air this past fall.

Campbell Field Airport
Hangar barely standing.  Fisher ultralight airplane undamaged.

Campbell Field Airport.com
Hangar after the fall.

11/17&18/2007  74th Anniversary of Campbell Field Fly-In & Campout:  I just posted a series of photos on Flickr, they look great so check them out! Click here for PHOTOS. About 70 aircraft made the trip to Campbell Field over the weekend.  The weather was great but cold!  However, a few brave souls pitched there tents and enjoyed a great movie and bonfire.  Thanks for attending and I hope everyone had a great time! 

The winners of the spot landing contest were:

1st Place    Ralph Brumbley  N6969N    Commanche
2nd Place    Steve Thomas    NC85286    7AC Champ
3rd Place    Richard Sears    N812RS    RV7
Congratulations!


Home Page for Campbell Field Airport

Airport Office: (757) 442-7519

Address:
Campbell Field Airport
9114 Bayford Road, PO Box 64
Weirwood, VA 23413-0064
We are located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the Weirwood Hamlet. We are near the towns of Exmore, Eastville and Nassawadox Virginia.
We are into grassroots aviation and are taildragger friendly.
Copyright Campbell Field Airport 2008