This is one of the best photos of Charleston's first municipal airport, which was located at Institute and served from 1930 to 1942.

The photographer was standing on the highway looking toward the river. An American Airlines DC-2 is about to take off.

In WWII, this site was taken for the rubber plant, and it has evolved. Today, it is occupied by Bayer.

Aviation can be a thrilling business, and Wertz Field had its share.

In 1942, plant construction began and only part of the landing strip remained - and it was very short.

A U.S. Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell was en route cross-country but ran low on gas. The map in their cockpit was outdated and showed the original long runway, so they set her down and just barely kept from crashing on the short runway.

Question was, how could they take off, since the B-25 needed more runway than they had! Their answer was to strip off as much weight as possible and even cut the fuel to a minimum.

The B-25 was then parked just where the DC-2 shows in the picture. With only the pilot, the brakes were set and the big twin engines were run up until their scream could be heard for miles.

At last, the plane roared toward the Kanawha while spectators held their breath. When the B-25 reached the river, she almost touched the water, but the speed lifted her and she safely cleared the ridge.

The photographer was standing on the highway looking toward the river. An American Airlines DC-2 is about to take off.

In WWII, this site was taken for the rubber plant, and it has evolved. Today, it is occupied by Bayer.

Aviation can be a thrilling business, and Wertz Field had its share.

In 1942, plant construction began and only part of the landing strip remained - and it was very short.

A U.S. Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell was en route cross-country but ran low on gas. The map in their cockpit was outdated and showed the original long runway, so they set her down and just barely kept from crashing on the short runway.

Question was, how could they take off, since the B-25 needed more runway than they had! Their answer was to strip off as much weight as possible and even cut the fuel to a minimum.

The B-25 was then parked just where the DC-2 shows in the picture. With only the pilot, the brakes were set and the big twin engines were run up until their scream could be heard for miles.

At last, the plane roared toward the Kanawha while spectators held their breath. When the B-25 reached the river, she almost touched the water, but the speed lifted her and she safely cleared the ridge.