Breedlove Airport

When Charles Lindbergh was traveling the U.S. by airplane on a speaking tour, he was unable to land at Lubbock because there was no airport at the time. City leaders and aviation enthusiasts, determined to see that Lubbock would not miss out on the new wave of aviation, raised the funds for a municipal airport. The airport was established in 1930 at its present location north of the city, and was managed by Clent Breedlove, a well-known local aviator.

In Sep. 1939, Breedlove left his position to open his own flying service located at the second hangar at the Lubbock Municipal Airport. Then on Dec. 20, 1941, he opened Breedlove Airport just east of the Tahoka Highway (now MLK Boulevard) on East 50th Street. Breedlove lived at the airport with his wife Aulyne and daughter Mary Louise. He and his wife owned and operated the airport until 1947. It consisted of four large runways, a hangar, shop and parts room, storage hangar, doping room, café, restrooms and two-story administration building with control tower.

During World War II, Breedlove Airport, situated on 219 acres of land, was used to train thousands of cadet pilots in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) and the Texas Tech Pre-Flights Program (309th College Training Detachment). The site also served as Lubbock’s commercial airport during the war years. On Feb. 6, 1943, Congressman George H. Mahon announced that a new military corps was to use Texas Tech’s facilities for war-time training. The Pre-Flight Program was a way for colleges and civilian contractors to provide the initial training for pilots, was critical to fulfilling the desperate need for pilots during the war, and also gave a large economic boost to Lubbock – area businesses. The CPTP and Pre-Flight Programs educated an estimated 3,750 military students in the basics of flight, civil air regulations and various college-level courses.