History of Jones Field

When the United States, entered W.W.II in December 1941, the Army Air Force continued to utilize primary flying schools operated by civilian companies under contract, a pilot training program that had been established in 1939. Cadets would then move onto basic and advanced flying schools that were operated by the Army Air Forces. Originally in 1939 ten civilian contractors where chosen to run the primary flight schools without contracts. On December 7th, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked, the schools were already well in operation. The flight instructors were civilian employees, who used Stearman, Ryan and Fairchild trainers owned by the Army Air Force. Each cadet received at least sixty hours of flight training in nine weeks before moving on the basic flight school.

Originally dedicated as the Bonham city airport on November 11th 1929 as George Jones Airport, Jones field, in Bonham Texas served as one of the contract primary flight-training centers for the Army Air Forces during World War II. The secretary of war approved the federal contract authorizing the building of the flying school on June 25, 1941. The land was leased from the city of Bonham, and construction began on July 1, 1941 and the airfield was completed in mid-September, 1941. The contract established the Bonham Aviation School as the civilian contractor for the 302nd Squadron of the United States Army Air Forces. This civil contract flying school provided elementary flying training for the Army Air Forces. In 1942, the property was purchased by the Defense Plant Corporation (who referred to it as PLANCOR 435) and leased it back to Bonham Aviation School. This was a typical arrangement for contract flying schools serving the Army Air Forces. The first class of cadets arrived on October 1, 1941, and the school opened on 4 October 1941. At that time it had three hangars and a 1200’ x 100’ asphalt ramp among its facilities. Jones Field trained pilots in the Fairchild PT-19s. Over the next few years more than 5,000 pilots received flight instruction under the two group commanders Ladd Moore and Harry A. Welter. The army deactivated Jones Field, Five months after the surrender of Germany. The last student flew on 12 Oct 1944, and the school was inactivated on 16 Oct 1944. The property covered 300.58 acres. The field is located 1.5 miles N of Bonham, at 33-36, 96-11, and remains in operation as Jones Field (FOO). Jones Field had four auxiliary fields.