Curtiss Wright hangar to be a showcase
By Mike Cox
MWC423@bellsouth.net

The structure sits alone, and appears forgotten by the rest of Owens Field. It clashes with the renovated terminal at the opposite end of the property and is at odds with all the newer, modern planes and vehicles.

At first, the building seems to be a storehouse for junk from the past; old jeeps, bits and pieces of rusted metal, and odd plane parts are scattered around. Then you see the plane.

A vintage B–25 from World War II, recently rescued from the bottom of Lake Greenwood, fills most of the space in the old hangar. When you notice the plane it becomes obvious this is no forgotten collection of junk; it is history sitting and waiting for someone to take notice.

The Curtiss–Wright hangar was built in 1929, when Owens Field was the Columbia airport. As the area’s primary operating terminal until the 60s, Owens Field ushered visitors, including some notable ones, into the Richland County area. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhardt, Jimmy Doolittle, along with Glenn Curtiss and the Wright Brothers, all walked through the Curtiss–Wright Hangar.

In the infancy of aviation, the Wright Brothers were known as the world’s primary flying machine builders. In 1909, at the first great international aviation meet in Rheims, France, the Wrights entered three planes, intending to dominate the competition. They were upstaged by an unknown named Glenn Curtiss, who went on to establish the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and became the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world during WWI.

Curtiss–Wright was formed in 1929 from 12 affiliated Wright and Curtiss companies. The new organization quickly became the most successful aviation enterprise in the US and operated several airports across the country. The facility at Owens Field was one of the first in the southeast and is one of the few still standing.

Renovation for the hangar is in the planning stage right now. Asbestos was discovered in the building and removal is costly. Jim Hamilton, manager of the downtown facility, estimates a million dollars must be raised to complete renovation.

The structural integrity of the facility is sound and local groups, along with Richland County, plan to continue with the renovation until completion, and make the hangar a showcase for the rich aviation history in the Columbia area.