Cary Ranch Airport

As a private-use facility, the airport's closure was not due to broad economic or military reasons. It was closed by a private owner decision. Such closures are typically due to the owner no longer needing the airstrip, ceasing to fly, selling the property, or the owner's passing. The airport, identified by the FAA as OK43, was registered to an individual, J.B. Cary, and its closure was a private matter related to the operational needs of the ranch.

The site of the former airport has reverted to ranchland and pasture. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows the faint, overgrown outline of the north-south runway. The land is no longer maintained as an airfield and is unusable by aircraft. It is currently used for agricultural purposes, likely cattle grazing, consistent with the surrounding landscape.

Cary Ranch Airport was a private turf airstrip activated in May 1978. Its significance was primarily local, serving as a private transportation and utility hub for the Cary Ranch. In remote areas like western Oklahoma, private airstrips are valuable assets for ranchers, enabling quick travel, aerial surveillance of livestock and property, and support for agricultural operations like crop dusting. The airport consisted of a single 2,200 by 50-foot turf runway (17/35). It represents a typical example of a late 20th-century private general aviation facility supporting American agriculture and ranching.

There are no known plans or public prospects for reopening Cary Ranch Airport. As a privately owned airstrip that has been closed for approximately two decades and has reverted to farmland, any reopening would be solely at the discretion and expense of the current landowner. It is considered permanently closed.