An auxiliary airfield for
Naval Air Station Pensacola and
Naval Air Station Whiting Field, NOLF Barin originally consisted of twin airfield complexes. The West Field was established on the site of the original Foley Municipal Airport that was constructed in the mid-1930s and leased by the
U.S. Navy in 1942. An adjoining parcel of 656 acres was also purchased by the Navy for construction of a similar, but not quite reverse, mirror image runway complex that would become known as the East Field. On 2 July 1942, the new facility was designated
Naval Auxiliary Air Station Barin Field (NAAS Barin Field) in honor of Lieutenant Louis Theodore Barin (20 August 1890 – 12 June 1920), a Navy test pilot and one of the pilots of the
flying boat NC-1 during the Navy's
transatlantic flight in May 1919. Today, the East Field is still used as NOLF Barin, a satellite airfield for Training Air Wing FIVE (TRAWING 5) at NAS Whiting Field and Training Air Wing SIX (TRAWING 6) at NAS Pensacola. Two runways and the original centerfield flight line complex are still maintained, although the original 1940s/1950s-era hangars and control tower have been demolished and removed. The West Field of four runways remains abandoned, with a 4-lane highway, the
Foley Beach Express, having been built through the center of the West Field's runways. The City of Foley signed a letter of intent with the Navy in January 2024 to continue an agreement that allows the city to maintain the field. The following December, the city announced plans for an aviation museum to recognize the history of the airfield. ==Facilities==