Gerstner Field, Military airfield training site in Lake Charles, Louisiana

Gerstner Field was an aviation training facility near Lake Charles, Louisiana, containing 24 aircraft hangars, 12 barracks, and 12 officer buildings along with numerous other structures. The infrastructure supported large-scale training operations with all essential facilities for flight operations.

The United States Army established this training base in 1917 as part of the national World War I effort and operated it until 1919. The brief operational period was crucial for developing early military aviation techniques.

The field was named for Fredrick J. Gerstner, who drowned on 31 December 1914 when his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Oceanside, California, during the Mackay Trophy contest. Local officials had lobbied for a military facility after the Army rejected the area for infantry training as too flat. The first troops arrived in November 1917, before construction was finished.

The site straddled both sides of LA 27, with Old Camp Road forming its northern boundary; woods and brush now cover the west side. No structures, museum or marker are documented in the sources, so expect open ground rather than a developed attraction.

The airfield's name honours Fredrick J. Gerstner, who drowned on 31 December 1914 when his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Oceanside, California, during the annual Mackay Trophy contest. A hurricane on 6 August 1918 killed three, injured eight and destroyed ninety-six airplanes at the field.