The Cloud Club

The Cloud Club. . , The first licensed African American owned and operated airport in Maryland if not the nation, opened here in 1941. Originally known as Riverside Field, the Columbia Air Center was established by a group of African American aviators known as the Cloud Club., The Cloud Club, Inc. was formed in May of 1940 in Washington, DC. The club first met and flew at Beacon Field in Alexandria, Virginia. Friction between the Club and the airport began after Club members were accused of violating the airfield's rules and regulations. Racial tension prompted the aviators to search for a field on which to build and operate their own airport., The club's members found a suitable field in Croom, Maryland on the west bank of the Patuxent River. Landowner Rebecca Fisher agreed to lease the 450-acre property to the Cloud Club for $50.00 per month. In 1941, with the guidance of club member John W. Greene and the financial assistance of C.M. Gill, the Cloud Club erected an office, two hangers and a landing strip at Riverside Field. The Cloud Club then hired flight instructors, purchased and leased aircraft and named Greene as Airport Manager., Cloud Club members developed Riverside Field into a safe and well run operation. They gave flying lessons and hosted air shows. The airfield's first air show, in 1941, drew over 800 spectators and featured parachute jumping, acrobatic and precision flying and airplane rides. The Washington Afro-American newspaper heralded this event as "the first of its kind," as all of the pilots and performers were African American., In December of 1941, soon after the United States entered World War II, the Cloud Club was notified that wartime restrictions would suspend civilian flying at the field. The U.S. Navy used Riverside Field for training until mid-1944, when the airfield was reopened to general aviation and renamed the Columbia Air Center. Operations thrived after the war, but by the 1950's, flying activity began to decline and the airfield closed in 1956.