Become A Part
HelP Preserve Ranger Airfield
Ranger Airfield is maintained by volunteers and donations. With your support the Ranger Airfield Foundation better meets its goal of preserving a piece of early aviation history.
Phase 1 - Construct new hangar. In addition to space for aircraft, the building will include bathroom with shower, kitchen, and shop. ACCOMPLISHED!
Phase 2 - Restore original 1928 hangar (above, right). This hangar still stands, hidden under numerous additions. Originally 60x60, it had 18 large windows, sliding doors, Texas Pacific signage and a Thurber Brick Co. floor that Amelia Earhart herself once walked on. It has been and will continue to be a true, working Golden Age hangar; restored as it was in 1928. 100% funded
Phase 3 - Construct 1920s vintage-style, private hangars. Contract with the City unanimously approved and signed.
Raf Directors
Jared Calvert
Founder of RAF and Ranger's Old School Fly-In & Airshow. A Commercial, instrument-rated pilot, Jared has flown over 3500 passengers in his 1927 Travel Air.
Robert Ellis
Bob is retired from the U.S. Defense Department. He held posts from Japan to the Pentagon. Bob enjoys flying his Boeing Stearman and Beechcraft Bonanza. His son, Ryan, a medical doctor by trade, is also a private pilot.
C.K. Lee
CK grew up around his father's cropdusting business, is a former congressional staffer, and currently a major bank President. He enjoys flying his WWII-era Boeing Stearman biplane and North American T-6 "Texan".
Travel air 4000
NC6085 was originally powered by a 90 hp OX-5 and trained pilots at Parks Air College in St. Louis, MO. Prior to becoming a crop-duster it was flown at expos where stuntmen jumped off at 5 feet and slid across the ground, on duck hunts with double-barreled shotguns and for wingwalking. It is now powered by a 300 hp nine-cylinder Lycoming. 6085 was purchased and brought to Ranger by Jared Calvert in 2015.
Travel air 2000
A three-seater, open-cockpit biplane built by Travel Air Manufacturing Co. in 1928. It is no surprise the 2000 is a great airplane considering Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, and Lloyd Stearman were all involved in its design and production. Because of a superficial resemblance to Fokkers, Travel Airs frequently represented Fokkers in WWI flying films, earning them the nickname “Wichita Fokker”.
Geebee Model C
The Gee Bee Sportster was a family of sport aircraft built in the United States in the early 1930s by the Granville Brothers of Springfield, Massachusetts. They were low-wing strut and wire-braced monoplanes with open cockpits and originally fitted with a tailskid. The Menasco-powered C cruised 130 mph. A total of 8 Sportsters were built - 4 inline-powered, 4 radial-powered. This aircraft was built and donated by Fritz Schuetzeberg.
Fairchild 22C-7B
From 1931 to 1935, 127 Model 22s were produced by the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation at Hagerstown, Maryland. NC12670 was the first 22 offered with the 4-cylinder inline Menasco engine. Various other powerplants included Cirrus, Wright-Gypsy, Warner Scarab, Michigan Rover, and Genet engines. While a total of 8 were produced with the Menasco C4, Ranger's 22 has been upgraded to the more reliable Menasco D4. Acquisition made possible by former owner Mike McCollum. *Wings currently off awaiting space in restored 1928 hangar.
Taylor-young a
N19653 is number 260 of 606 built by famed designer C.G. Taylor. After Taylor's original aircraft company was acquired by William Piper he formed what would become Taylor-Young Aeroplane Co. Powered by "40" horsepower Continental A-40s of various models, nearly all Taylor-Young A's, including Ranger's, were single magneto. Ranger's 1937 Taylor-Young was donated by Fritz Schuetzeberg.
Piper J3c "Cub"
NC7075H was delivered new to Charles Moseley of Texas in late 1946. The Moseley family flew the aircraft 197 hours before parking it in their barn in 1950. It remained there until 2009. Jared Calvert completed the restoration and began flying the Cub in 2011. In 2012, after an accident in Ohio, Jared bought it from the insurance company and is restoring the aircraft to fly again.
Great Lakes 2T-1A-2
The Great Lakes Sport Trainer is an American biplane trainer and aerobatic aircraft. It was originally produced in large numbers before the company building it went bankrupt in the Great Depression in 1933. Owing to its continuing popularity, however, it was eventually placed back into production in the 1970s and again in 2013. RAF's is powered by a 180 hp Lycoming IO-360 swinging a constant speed propeller. It was cared for by Don Nichols of California for over 35 years.
Mooney Mite M-18C
Tiny & Mighty. With a wingspan under 27' and a length of 18' this Mooney is one of the smallest aircraft ever produced. Constructed of wood and fabric it's also one of the lightest - 520 lbs. Originally designed as a target drone, this was the first of the "backward tail" Mooneys, and it earned the reputation of "the cheapest, most efficient airplane ever built." 200 lbs lighter than a J3 Cub, the Mite will cruise 40mph faster than the Cub on the same 65hp! RAF's Mite was built in Texas in 1954 and was donated by Dan Shumaker - owner, restorer, and caretaker for 48 years.
Ford Model Ts
The Ford Model T is an automobile produced by Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927. It is regarded as the first affordable automobile that opened travel to the common middle-class American. The Model T has a four-cylinder engine, producing 20 hp, for a top speed of 45 mph. Its transmission was billed as a "three speed". In today's terms it would be considered a two-speed because one of the three "speeds" is reverse.
AIRWAY BEACON
The Transcontinental Airway System was a navaid constructed across the U.S. from 1923 to 1933 because aircraft of the era lacked the technology for navigation during night flights or through inclement weather. To remedy this, rotating beacons atop 51-foot towers placed on concrete foundations in the shape of giant arrows painted bright yellow were the trick. Ninety years later, with many of the towers and locations lost to time, Ranger's will serve as a reminder of our past.
1936 John Deere model b
1934 Mccormick-Deering w30
1936 Farmall F20
Our tractors are complete and will be restored post hangar project.
Why Support Ranger Airfield?
In 1911, a small field in Ranger, Texas welcomed its first aviator - R.G. Fowler in his Wright B biplane. 109 years later pilots still fly from its grass. In 2018, a 30-year lease of the entire field was approved as the city could not afford needed improvements. As all those years before, volunteers still make sure the grass is mowed and RAF welcomes visitors from around the globe to take part in living the past.
Considering donating as a business? Each Old School Fly-In & Airshow pilots fly in two hundred aircraft, making Ranger one of the largest fly-ins in Texas. Combine event attendance with a strong social presence and that is a lot of potential exposure. When the hangar project is completed, attendance and online impressions will only grow. Promote your business by supporting the airfield and help preserve a rare piece of history.
Whether an aircraft, cash donation, artifact or bequest, RAF is a 501(c)(3) organization and your contribution is tax deductible. Contact us with ways you would like to help.
Ranger Airfield Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization which maintains Ranger Airfield without pay. RAF directors are unpaid. To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual.
Thank you
