Falls Church Airpark was an airport located in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County, Virginia from 1945 to 1961. The facility was located on a parcel of land owned by Eakin Properties, a Virginia real estate development firm. The airport was primarily used for general aviation and civil defense purposes until encroaching residential development forced its closure. The area formerly occupied by the airport is now mainly used as a shopping center with the western end of the complex occupied by the Thomas Jefferson branch of the Fairfax County Public Library system. Parts of several apartment complexes are also located on some of the airport's former grounds.History and usageThe Falls Church Airpark was a pair of unpaved landing strips located in Fairfax County, Virginia. The license for the airport was granted by the state of Virginia on July 25, 1945 but the airport was not available for general use until 1946 when it opened with a single grass runway, 2,650' long. The airport was built on an area known at the time as "Eisenhower's Farm" and was located alongside U.S. Route 50. A 1949 report, compiled by the state of Virginia, described the airport as being located two miles southwest of Falls Church, and featuring a single strip that was characterized as "...poorly graded and hazardous after rains." By 1951, a smaller, crosswind airstrip was added to the complex. During the 1950s, the airport was used general aviation, civil defense, medical transportation, and air shows. Pilot training was also offered at the facility and airplane sales and rentals were made available through a Mooney aircraft dealer located on the property. The airpark also hosted a chapter of the Civil Air Patrol squadron, private flying clubs, a small building that contained a Link Trainer for student pilot use, a hangar used for maintenance work, and a converted house that was used as both an office and a snack bar complete with vending machines. Despite the difficulties in landing and taking off due to the slope of the main runway and the restricting tree lines at the field's western end, the airfield was popular with local pilots and at its peak hosted approximately 75 planes.
