In 1917, the Army Aviation Commission accepted these 960 acres from Lonoke citizens to establish an aviators school. Approximately 2,500 enlisted men and officers were stationed here from 1918 to 1919. A thousand planes, sometimes known as "flying coffins," were used in training, but not a single fatal accident occurred. World War I ended before the first class graduated. The field was named in honor of West Point graduate M.M. Eberts, an early Arkansas Army aviator.