Comment thread "History of "Searcy Field"" for Stillwater Regional Airport

Searcy Field (now Stillwater Regional Airport) was a storage and disposal site for 475 combat airplanes after World War II. Paul Mantz purchased all 475 aircraft for $55,000 in 1944. He kept only 12 of them, selling the rest for in parts and for scrap. Between that and the sale of the fuel drained from the fleet, he made a nice profit. The remaining aircraft he used in the making of Hollywood movies.