Noelke Ranch Airport

The specific reason for the closure is not publicly documented. As a private airfield serving a ranch, it was most likely closed due to a change in the operational needs or ownership of the Noelke Ranch. Common reasons for the closure of such private strips include the owner no longer flying, the sale of the property, or the costs and liability of maintenance outweighing its utility.

The site is currently private ranchland and is not used for aviation. High-resolution satellite imagery of the coordinates shows the clear, faint outline of the former 4,200-foot unpaved runway. The surface is unmaintained, overgrown with sparse, arid vegetation, and is indistinguishable from the surrounding pastureland except for its linear shape. There are no hangars or other airport-specific buildings visible at the site.

The airport's significance was entirely private. It served as a personal airstrip for the Noelke Ranch, a historically significant cattle and sheep ranch in Irion County, Texas. The airport facilitated private transportation for the ranch owners, family, and guests, allowing for convenient travel to and from the remote property. Operations consisted of general aviation aircraft, likely single and light-twin engine planes. The airfield featured a single, unpaved north/south runway with a length of approximately 4,200 feet. It never served public or commercial traffic. The identifier US-10602 is a non-official code used by some data aggregators; its official FAA location identifier when active was 1TE2.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Noelke Ranch Airport. As it was a private facility that has been officially closed and unmaintained for over two decades, and the land has reverted to agricultural use by the ranch, any prospect of reopening is considered extremely unlikely.