Lake Ridge Aero Park

36.062266, -78.786639

East Geer Street
Durham
NC
Year built
1945
Architectural style
Quonset Hut
Construction type
Steel frame
Metal
Neighborhood
Eastern Durham
Gorman
Use
Airport
Building Type
Institutional
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Not everyone is aware that there is an airport subdivision in eastern Durham county; Lake Ridge Airport, on the shore of Falls Lake near the Durham County line is Durham County's own little airport - no having to share it with the "R" next door. Residences have their backyards facing on the airstrip - I presume if you enjoy door-to-door convenience with your small plane, this is ideal.


10.10.10


10.10.10

Information on the history of this airfield - apparently started when Dan K. Bryan cleared land for the runways in 1945 - is assembled on the Lake Ridge Aero Park website.  They also have a collection of historic photographs.


Find this spot on a Google Map.

36.062266,-78.786639

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2/3/2011 - 3:12pm

If I'm remembering it correctly, there is an interesting story about this airport in Clyde Edgerton's book "Solo".

Submitted by Marsosudiro (not verified) on Thu, 2/3/2011 - 5:19pm

"no having to share it with the "R" next door."

Heh!

Some of your readers may have seen a photo or two that I shot from the air. The airplane I was sitting in lives at this airport (along with its owners). I hope to shoot more for you in 2011.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2/7/2011 - 4:46pm

I have been told that this airport originally opened up under the name of 'Somebody' Field around 1947. Can't remember the name. It was later reclaimed as Skypark. It again fell into disuse for a bit and was revived as Lake Ridge. It's a sweet little 3200 ft grass patch.

Submitted by Vivian Taylor Briggs (not verified) on Wed, 6/15/2011 - 2:00am

I live in Lake Ridge Aero Park. I am going to have to check out "Solo" and see that interesting story.-Vivian Taylor Briggs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/8/2011 - 3:57pm

This airstrip (old durham skypark) set abandon for may years and consisted of 2 intersecting run ways.  It, along with the property around the field, was purchase in the mid 80's by Sterling Gann who developed lake ridge as a fly in community for pilots such as himself. Upon his untimely death in 1989 (injures suffered in a plane crash) the family later sold the airport to investors who live in lake ridge community. 

Submitted by Rick Gutlon on Tue, 2/27/2018 - 8:44am

We recently launched a website to document the airfield's history which starts in 1945.

http://www.lakeridgeaero.com

The site is a work in progress ... if anyone has additional references / photos to the field's "early years" please let us know!

Thanks -

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