An excerpt form THE PIEDMONT REBEL, October 27, 1939 regarding Hickory, North Carolina’s new airport.
--- Hickory came out of the “balloon ascension” stage about a dozen years ago when Ben Seagle, Jr., lured by the novelty and adventure of flying, bought an open, 3-place Alexander Eagle Rock biplane and brought it to Hickory from Greenville, SC, as often as possible.
A little later he leased a strip of barren land in Longview and one Sunday dazzled the crowd from about 5000 by bringing to Hickory the first plane ever owned and kept there. The plane was a two-place cabin special Velie Monocoup.
“I leased and maintained the field for five years,” Ben said recently. “I wonder that I’m still alive since to get into the place I had to jump over power lines on the north and over a house on the south. It took some doing to even hit the field and for that reason I could never give instructions—too hazardous for beginners.”
Ben’s next plane was a dazzler, a two-place high-wing Golden Eagle high speed monoplane, with a cruising speed of 125 and a top speed of 150.
“Looking back I don’t know what a plane like that was doing on a field that that,” said Ben. “That was a fast jalopy. Landed at 65 miles an hour.”
Ben’s efforts to secure a better field were unfruitful. Every time he selected a site, the farmer who owned the property would lift the price sky high and out of reach. His career included a momentous solo hop from Chicago with a stop in Johnson City for gas.
“I had to spiral 15 minutes before I got out of the valley Johnson City’s in.” he said, “and had to keep at 7500 feet to be safe over the mountains. I kept flying at that height until I reached Hickory, so I had to do a lot of spiraling to get down. I took up dozens of people during my flying days and always tried to put across the safety of flying. And it is safe, you know. It’s been a lot safer than traveling by car for at least 10 years.”