Printer
TextFairfax County History Commission Historical Roadside Marker
Beacon Field Airport
Marker
Text:
In 1929, Airway Beacon No. 55, a pilot's navigation aid, was installed
on this site owned by W.F.P. Reid. Beacon Field is named for the beacon
tower. Under the Civilian Pilot Training Program established in 1938,
Ashburn Flying Service trained hundreds of pilots at Beacon Field for
military service to support World War II. In 1942, the airport was
temporarily closed for security reasons. The Civil Aeronautics
Administration Region One Safety Office moved here following the war.
Veterans of World War II and the Korean conflict trained under the GI
Bill at the Lehman/Reid flying school. Many became commercial pilots.
Beacon Field Airport closed 1 October 1959.
Date Installed: August 18, 2009
Marker Credits: Funded by Mr. & Mrs. Harry P. Lehman and the
History Commission.
Marker Location: Alexandria. Northwest of the intersection of
Memorial Drive and U.S. Route 1 in the Beacon Center parking lot. From
Memorial Drive, turn north into Beacon Center at the first entrance west
of U.S. Route 1. Marker is on the median between the entrance drive and
Giant grocery store parking lot, directly across from Capital One Bank.
Website Survey 