Chapman Field ( airfield ) Chapman Field is a former World War I military airfield , located south of South Miami , Florida . It operated as a training field for the Air Service , United States Army between 1917 until 1921 . It was later used as a contract pilot training school during World War II . The airport was closed after being severely damaged by a hurricane in 1945 . Today part of the former airport is the USDA Chapman Field Subtropical Horticulture Research Station History . World War I . The airport was established in 1917 . During 1918 , the army subsequently dredged a portion of the bayside marsh to create a marl landing field , a lagoon for water landings , and channels to Biscayne Bay . Roads were cut through the palmettoes and slash pines on the limestone ridge a mile inland . Water was pumped from underground , stored in three tanks of 20 , 000 to 100 , 000 gallon capacity , and distributed across the base by underground piping with hydrants for fire fighting . Electricity was provided by lines to Miami , and steam was generated for heat . The base was completed in September , 1918 . The Cutler Aerial Gunnery Field was a state - of - the - art facility for the Army flyers that came to complete their training in the use of guns in aircraft . Built as a model town on the high ground of a coral rock ridge , the base had a sewage system , a hospital with an operating room and an entertainment center , provided by the Knights of Columbus and the YMCA . The coral , sand and clay landing field occupied what is now the golf course for Deering Bay . At its western edge , a row of hangars and maintenance shops sat beside the field , just east of what is now SW 60th Avenue , the entrance road into the Horticulture Research Station . Today , also within the USDA Station , an access road west of and parallel to 60th Avenue is a remnant of the old Ingraham Highway , which was relocated about three quarters of a mile to the west as the base was constructed . Ingraham Highway would eventually be renamed Old Cutler Road . Army units assigned to Chapman Field were : On November 15 the airfield was formally named the Victor Chapman Military Reservation by Major Kenly , head of the aeronautical division , in honor of the first U . S . flier to be killed in France during World War I . Three days after the renaming ceremony , World War I ended , however construction continued until completion in March 1919 . Inter - War period . The base was declared surplus in 1921 by the War Department and was to be put up for sale . Dr . David Fairchild , a plant explorer in charge of the Bureau ' s Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction , took interest in the abandoned base and believed that it could be developed into an " Ellis Island for plants " - a place where sensitive plants could be bred for resistance to colder temperatures prior to their introduction to areas of the northern U . S . However no clear title to the property could be conveyed , and part of it was leased to the Department of Agriculture for a plant research station in 1923 . On a portion of the remaining land outside the USDA station , the government maintained an airfield used by army reservists who practiced bombing runs over Biscayne Bay during the winter months . During the Depression years of the early 1930s interests in Miami were hoping the War Department would develop a major air facility on the site , which would provide a considerable number of new jobs . In 1938 , because of fears of possible war , Congress passed the Civilian Pilot Training ( CPT ) program , providing free ground school to college students and free flight training for the upper 10 % scholastically . World War II . As World War II began , the Army Air Corps planned to build a major air base in Dade County . The Chapman Field site was immediately considered for revival and the effort was supported by local land owners , real estate brokers , businessmen and politicians . However , the area was rapidly developing , increasing property values and rendering the acreage prohibitively expensive for purchase . The Air Corps decided against using Chapman and instead , the development of Homestead Field began . The facilities at Chapman Field , instead was leased to the Embry - Riddle Company in August 1942 for training of both civilian and military pilots . Civilians , including potential WASPS ( Women Airforce Service Pilots ) were taught at the Seaplane Base on MacArthur Causeway ( named County Causeway until 1942 ) while written exams and Navy flight training were conducted at Chapman Field . Women seeking additional flying time for WASP approval also took training at Chapman Field . These women attended the Riddle program to build up flying time and to get ratings prior to their formal training at Sweetwater AAF , Texas . University of Miami coeds were also trained as WASP pilots . Civil use . With the end of the war , the GI Bill of Rights made available technical training to returning vets , and a contract was given to Embry - Riddle to provide training based at Chapman Field . In the fall of 1945 a hurricane hit the Miami area and destroyed almost all of the wooden buildings used for the school . In November , 1947 , the Chapman Field property that was not in possession of the USDA was declared surplus by the federal government . The University of Miami acquired 150 acres that included most of the old airfield and hangar area . Dade County received the remainder of the property to the northeast . In 1947 a request was made by Embry - Riddle to make Chapman Field a commercial airport , but this was denied by Dade County , and the company eventually moved to Opalocka Airport when the field was subsequently closed . Dade County had ambitious plans for Chapman Field Park in 1949 , including a swimming beach , hiking trails , and a boat marina . Envisioned as a companion to Matheson Hammock , development of the park was doomed from a lack of accessibility to the property , title acquisition problems , a lack of development funds , and encroaching residential development . The county built a trash and recycling center for household trash , tree and yard cuttings and demolition debris on the northwest edge of the park , which is still in use today . Finding the Chapman Field property either unsuitable or too expensive for its purposes , The University of Miami leased 128 acres of its land to developer Ben Cooper in 1956 . The following year , after Cooper agreed to spend $ 250 , 000 in improvements to the adjacent park property , the county leased him an additional 48 acres , using the combined properties to build King ’ s Bay Yacht & Country Club , a semi - private golf course and clubhouse , for the neighboring community . The Club property changed hands several times over the next thirty years and eventually , Edward Easton , Armando Codina and Jeb Bush partnered to form Deering Bay Associates , redeveloping the property in 1991 , now 220 acres , into the Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club . Between 2002 and 2006 , the ball fields underwent extensive remodeling , through the use of $ 580 , 000 in funds provided by the South Florida Water Management District ( SFWMD ) . New clay and grass infields , dugouts , batting cages , lighting and shaded bleachers have all been completed . In November , 2008 , the SFWMD Governing Board approved investing over $ 300 , 000 in additional funds to help restore the 566 acre , Chapman Field Park . The park project is intended to achieve several objectives , including : Clearing exotic vegetation , removing solid waste , re - establishing red mangroves , restoring historic wildlife habitat and improving water quality in Biscayne Bay From the air , the outline of the drainage canals can still be seen , otherwise the land has been completely redeveloped over the years , including the construction of a golf course on the site , complete with water retention ponds .