Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Aviation Field Yorktown
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 20, 2013
1. Aviation Field Yorktown Marker
From July 1919 until August 1921, the U.S. Navy operated an aviation training school at the U.S. Navy Mine Depot, todays Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. The school provided the first advanced aviation training for naval pilots in bomb, torpedo, and gunnery operations.
Less than a year after its initial closure, the Navy decided the airfield, located in close proximity to a deepwater channel, was needed again in order to conduct experimental aviation tests aboard the USS Langley (CV-1), the Navys first full-deck aircraft carrier. On October 17, 1922, while the ship was anchored in the York River, a Vought VE-7SF became the first flight to lift off from the carriers deck. A month later, on November 18, a Patrol Torpedo (PT) seaplane was the first to be catapult launched from the Langley. In August 1926, the Navy Mine Depot airfield was closed and the space was converted for munitions storage.
Photos courtesy of Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.
Erected 2010 by York County.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1919.
Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located
this page online
We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Regionally, this marker was on Virginia’s Peninsula, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It was also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Yorktown's Windmill (here, next to this marker); The Watermen's Museum (a few steps from this marker); Join the Adventure (a few steps from this marker); John Smith Explores the Chesapeake (a few steps from this marker); Whats a Chesapeake Bay Deadrise? (within shouting distance of this marker); Virginia Chesapeake Bay Patent Tong Work Boats (within shouting distance of this marker); Oysters and the Chesapeake Bay (within shouting distance of this marker); Pale Moon (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yorktown.
More about this marker. Marker was removed and replaced by a concrete trash can.
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 20, 2013
2. Yorktown's Riverwalk
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, April 11, 2026
3. Aviation Field Yorktown Marker Location
The Aviation Field Marker used to be on the reverse of this post, in the space now occupied by the concrete trash can.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 825 times since then and 24 times this year. Last updated on April 18, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 3. submitted on April 18, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
