 In 1943, H.F. Wattenbarger purchased the property for use as a farm, but that same year he began leasing the airport for wartime training of 300 Army Air Cadets.After the training program ended, Wattenbarger resumed operation as a private airport and farm.Robert Campbell, owner and operator of Campbell’s Aero Service, became the airport's primary operator in the late 1940s, continuing for nearly two decades.