Mathis Airport

Mathis Airport (FAA LID: GA27) was a private airport located in unincorporated Forsyth County, Georgia, about 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Suwanee in the northeastern part of metro Atlanta. The airport closed in October 2014.

Mathis Airport
Summary
Airport typeClosed
LocationSuwanee, Georgia
Elevation AMSL1,171 (est) ft / 357.0 (est) m
Coordinates34°06′04.35″N 84°09′39.69″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3/21 1,800 548.6 Asphalt

It had an 1800-foot or 550-meter runway, 1,171 feet (357 m) or 357 meters above mean sea level (AMSL). Mathis Airport sat among residential subdivisions in southern Forsyth County.

From 2004 to 2009, Mathis was home to Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1415, but in 2009 this chapter moved to Air Acres airport in Woodstock, GA.

History
The Mathis Airport site being developed into a subdivision, March 2017

LG Mathis founded Mathis Airport in 1959 as a privately owned/public use airport. The site of the airport included a family cemetery formerly belonging to the Anglin family.[1]

In 1979 LG Mathis and Patrick McLaughlin began Mathis Airpark as a fly-in residential community adjacent to the airport. In 1985 LG Mathis sold half of the airport to his brother, CJ. In 1990 CJ Mathis bought the remaining half of the airport. In 1992 CJ sold the airport to Seven Oaks, LLC. In 1995 Seven Oaks, LLC sold the airport back to CJ Mathis. In June 2004 CJ sold the airport (10.53 acres) and an adjacent subdivision lot (3.54 acres) in the airpark to Flyboy Aviation Properties LLC (Flyboy Aviation).

In 2004, Flyboy Aviation expanded the airport in many ways (tore down the original wooden hangars and cinder-block FBO, added 17 new metal T-hangars, built a new clubhouse, widened and lengthened the asphalt runway, asphalted taxiways and hangar aprons). The larger runway actually covered some nine gravestones from the Anglin family cemetery. Because Georgia law generally prohibits the relocation or removal of gravestones, the gravestones were incorporated into the runway.[2]

In 2013, in the midst of a bankruptcy, the landowner had arranged to sell the land to a developer for residential use, and filed an application for rezoning. In July, a member of a local historical society reported to the police that the landowner had removed the gravestones that had been part of the runway.[1] Filings in the bankruptcy court indicated that the landowner was to sell the airport property for $1.4 million, and explicitly stated, "There are no cemeteries, graves, burial grounds or historic artifacts within the property."[2] Nonetheless, the developer agreed to go forward with the transaction, and also agreed to preserve the grave sites.[2] The issue of the Mathis Airport gravestones was discussed in a December 9, 2017, episode of What on Earth.

In October 2014, the airport was closed and all hangars removed. The land will be converted to build houses on the property.

Facilities

Mathis Airport covers 10.53 acres (4.26 ha) and has one runway:

  • Runway 3/21: 1,800 ft × 35 ft (549 m × 11 m), Surface: Asphalt
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References
  1. LaRenzie, Alyssa (August 15, 2013). "Report: Gravestones missing from airport runway". Forsythe News.
  2. Fleischer, Jodie (November 8, 2013). "Property seller digs up tombstones from family cemetery". WSB-TV.


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