History — Flying Dollar Airport

Looking pretty good for 94.

If we do say so ourselves.

The Flying Dollar Airport was originally known as Barrett Airport. It came about in 1927, when Barclay White convinced Raymond Price and Nelson Bender of the need for an airport near Skytop Lodge. Shares (visible here) were sold to finance the endeavor. These investments supported the acquisition and improvement of area farmland for the runway. That transformation is visible in the series of aerial photographs (1939 - 2016) below:

1939

1959

1963

1968

1981

1986

1992

1999

2005

2008

2016

1920s:

A firsthand account of the founding of Barrett Airport by neighbor Arvella Price Magdzak.

1930s:

Another firsthand account by Donald C. Hewlings. Including a rare price list for local flights. ($15 to New York City)

"Pocono Picnic," the story of a Skytop fly-in by Lewin B. Barringer.

Stock is sold to finance the purchase and clearing of farmland for an airfield:

Flying Dollar’s iconic steel hangar is constructed:

1930s — 1930s

2020 — 2020

While draining fuel, Barrett Airport owner Donald Nelson loses two planes in a hangar fire ignited by static electricity.

Barrett Airport hosts an Air-Meet.

1940s:

Barrett Airport hosts another Air-Meet.

"How to Fly a Jenny," a satirical manual, written anonymously and found at the airport.

Between 1945 and 1970, Barrett Airport fell into disrepair and was abandoned, becoming overgrown with hollyhock and blueberry bushes. In the late 1960s, a developer called Sky View Estates bought the property and received approval to build condominiums.

Remarkably, just as construction was set to begin, Sky View went bankrupt.

In 1970, Seaboard World Airlines cargo pilot Ivan “Ike” Battern began inquiring with local real estate outfits about whether there were any airfields in the area that might be up for sale. A savvy real estate agent with a long memory recalled the old airport next to Skytop Lodge. As soon as they were shown to him, Ike bought the 57 acres at the top of Dutch Hill Road, eventually rechristening them "The Flying Dollar" for the dollars that seemed to be flying away as he labored to bring the place up to snuff.

(The new owners can confirm that the airport is aptly named.)

1970s:

Profile of Ivan Battern and his Travelaire: "The Flying Dollar."

Profile of Ivan Battern and how he rescued the abandoned Barrett Airport and made it his own.

Profile of Victor Sommers of Mountainhome, who landed at Skytop in July of 1928 in his Waco-10 biplane.

1980s:

The Morning Call profiles Ivan Battern.

Northeast Weekend Flyers reviews the Flying Dollar Airport and nearby Overlook Inn.

1990s:

Mountain Pilot Magazine reviews the Flying Dollar Airport and nearby Overlook Inn.

2000s:

Pilots Digest puts Ike on their cover.

Village View News interviews Ivan Battern and his wife, Andrea.

The Pocono Record explores the Ultra-Light experience, featuring Flying Dollar tenant Glenn Kreckman and our favorite fly-in club: The Wing Nuts.

Ike reminisces in writing about finding and buying the Flying Dollar — and contemplates selling it after almost forty years. He would die three years later, still living there.

2010s:

In 2014, the Flying Dollar Airport changed hands for the first time in forty years. The new owners decided to keep the name, in honor of Ike and his wonderful wife Andrea, whose dedication breathed new life into the old airport on the hill.

The Pocono Record reports on the changing of the guard at the Flying Dollar — and a unique, recent acquisition.

The Pocono Record quotes Flying Dollar owner David Turner on the subject of recreational drone use.

2020s:

Designed by Lundberg Design of California and constructed by local contractors Anns Construction, Flying Dollar owners and pilots David Turner and Aaron Hill build a new residence along the runway.