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Don Boyd | all galleries >> Memories of Old Hialeah, Old Miami and Old South Florida Photo Galleries - largest non-Facebook collection on the internet >> Miami and Florida AVIATION Historical Photos Gallery - Airports, Airlines, Aircraft - All Years - click on image to view >> Brown's Airport / Aero Country Club Photo Gallery - click on image to enter > 1960 - Brown's Airport / Aero Country Club in Kendall
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13-NOV-1960 ©1960 Norman Dale Reed

1960 - Brown's Airport / Aero Country Club in Kendall

Kendall, Dade County, Florida


Thank you to Norman Dale Reed for contributing this great old image. Norman says there was a spot landing competition going on at the time of the photo.


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DAVID ROTOLANTE 05-Nov-2020 19:13
After finishing our paper routes, my friends and I would ride our bikes over to Brown's to watch the planes take-off and land. My younger brother says that's where he got the idea to become a pilot. On our street there were many people that worked for the airlines at MIA and a few that were pilots at Eastern Airlines, they can remember flying and landing their piper cub and landing on SW 94th Street. It was a great time to grow up in the 50s and 60s in Kendall, FL
Don Boyd16-Feb-2011 12:32
Steve, thank you for posting your great memories, your nice comments and how your career in life evolved from your early days at this field. The names you mentioned sure sound familiar and I've met Bill Turso in the past at MIA.

Fortunately you got on with a fine airline that survived over the decades instead of one of many that didn't make it over time. Congratulations on your long flying career and best wishes for a long healthy retirement! Thanks again for writing in.

Don
Steve Berman 15-Feb-2011 20:42
My name is Steve Berman. I grew up on SW 85th Street, just east of Schoolhouse Road in Miami. I used to ride my bike to Brown's and hang around hoping to catch a ride. I eventually soloed there in about 1958. I remember my instructor was named Bob Jones. Some other things that I remember were the lunch counter, a Stearman and (for some reason) a Bellanca. Shortly thereafter, I started taking lessons in earnest at Tursair at the old Tamiami. My father owned a Piper Apache and he leased it to Bill Turso for multi-engine training. My instructor at that time was Don Chalmers who also was a designated airman inspector (FAA type inspector). My father built a house for Don Chalmers after I showed him the development he was building while doing turns around a point near the old Richmond Blimp Base.

Earl Smalley bought the airport from the Howe brothers and created the Aero Country Club. He was an entrepreneur who was one of the early investors in what later became Hertz Rent A Car. I still see some of the Smalley children at various social functions.

I left college early, attended Embry Riddle A&P school, and went to work for Riddle Airlines (later to become Airlift Intn'l). They had just purchased some AW 650's which required a flight engineer and my A&P license allowed me to take the Flight Engineer exam. About three years later I went to work for Delta Air Lines and retired thirty three years after that as an international captain on the L-1011. My last flight was to Dublin, Ireland.

I mention all of this because it all began as a teenager interested in airplanes hanging around Brown's Airport.

Thanks for your efforts in maintaining this wonderful web site.

Best regards,
Steve Berman
305-666-9637