A history of aviation spanning 93 years at the Conway Arkansas Municipal Airport (Cantrell Field) has recently been published. The authors, Robert Hoyt, Al Hiegel, Stuart Hoyt, and Harrell Clendenin, have long ties to aviation and the Conway Airport. The bound paper-back book contains 238 pages of more than 72,000 words of narrative and is amply illustrated with more than 280 colored and black and white pictures.
The work is a compilation of published historical events taken mostly from newspaper articles and memories recorded from veteran pilots and aviation enthusiasts that span the period 1917 to 2010. The narrative tracks the history of local aviation from the first accounts of airplane landings in and around Conway through all the airport developments and management lessee periods beginning with the Conway Airways Corporation down to today’s Cope’s Aircraft Services (Conway Aviation Service). Special attention is focused on airplanes of the different eras and the pilots who owned and flew them. The history of the Civil Air Patrol in Conway is described from 1950-1995. Particular consideration is given to Dennis Cantrell and the important role he played in developing, managing, and expanding the airport. Lastly, the discussions, hearings, and steps in deciding the relocation of the airport to the Lollie Bottoms are chronicled.
In a follow-up to the information contained in the book, if anyone has pictures or stories they would like to share about the people and activities associated with the Conway Airport throughout its history, the authors would welcome this information. Please feel free to forward them via email to Robert Hoyt at Robert.Hoyt@wku.edu
The book may be purchased locally at the Faulkner County Museum on the Court House Square for $20. It may be mail ordered, prepaid, from Robert D. Hoyt, 324 Clarence O’Dell Road, Bowling Green, Ky., 42101, for $21 Priority Mail Delivery.
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