United States, Georgia, Sumter County, Americus, 32.07239, -84.23269Zainaldin, Jamil S., 1948-2005-07-08Encyclopedia article about Souther Field. Building on the rapid development of aviation during World War I (1917-18), the U.S. Army in 1918 constructed Souther Field, just northeast of Americus, Georgia, as a primary flight-training facility. After the end of the conflict, the U.S. War Department deactivated the field and sold its surplus airplanes to the public. Because of its geographic and climatic advantages, Souther Field was reactivated during World War II (1941-45) to train aviation cadets of the U.S. Army Air Force and the British Royal Air Force. Today Souther Field is a public-use airport owned by the city of Americus. Its longest paved runway is 6,021 feet.GSE identifier: SS8H9text/htmlengForms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Forms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.Airports--Georgia--AmericusUnited States. Army Air ForcesWorld War, 1914-1918World War, 1939-1945Souther Field (Americus, Ga.)Souther FieldText