The 1962 Ford Seattle-ite

Back in the 50’s, everyone thought that we would have flying nuclear powered cars,
hover cars, etc. In 1962 the Ford Motor Company was advertising the never-massed-
produced car of the future…the Ford Seattle-ite, named for the 1962 World’s Fair
in Seattle. Some of the interior features included effortless fingertip steering, a 
travel programing computer and a viewing screen that would show performance,
road and weather conditions, an automatically rolling road map, and estimated
time of arrival for any designation selected. The four front wheels would also turn
in tandem.

In 1968 Troh’s Nest was built on the east side of Scouter’s Mountain and was the 
third and last of Henry Troh’s Portland area airports. His home, pictured in the  
in the foreground, was used to run a successful charter business from the 
airport until his untimely passing at 57 from a brain tumor in 1968.

The airport was re-classified as public in 1977 and is known as Troh’s Memorial
Air Park / Happy Valley Airport Happy Valley, OR.

As of 2012, Happy Valley Airport is no longer depicted on Sectional Charts, but
continues to be listed in the FAA Airport/Facility Directory data as an active private airfield with 3 aircraft based on the field (2 single-engine, and 1 helicopter). The site
of Happy Valley Airport is located east of the intersection of Southeast Vrandenburg Road & Southeast Airport Road,

Aerial view looking south at the former Troh house, hangar, and runway at Happy Valley, 2011.

Henry “Hank” Troh is the 2012 Oregon
Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee

In 1944 an estimated crowd at 7,000 attended the opening day celebration (above)
of Henry Troh’s Skyport airport located at Southeast 156th, north of Division Street
in Portland.

Troh’s Air Taxi services included a G.I Bill flight school, Piper aircraft sales, aerial
photography, advertising with lighted aircraft and banner towing, ambulance and 
charter flights.

Blimps, such as the Mobilgas blimp seen above, were based at Troh’s when special events brought them to Portland. 

A photo of the last plane to depart Henry Troh’s Skyport, The construction
of a new retirement community forced the airport to close in June of 1959.