Airfields are good places for weapons and military gear, but because of that they are also some of the most dangerous places to be. I don't normally shoot on sight, but on airfields and on military bases, it's kill or be killed. The NE airfield is generally the least popular of the three (the others being NW Airfield, the big one, and the SW Airfield, which is deceptively small yet even more dangerous than the NWAF due to its proximity to Chernogorsk/Chapaevsk.
What I'd reccommend for you is to find medium towns, with police stations, hospitals and/or fire stations. Factories, barns, sheds and warehouses are also good for looting equipment. Piano houses are also good places. Wooden houses only spawn low grade loot, mostly useless clothing items and some food and drink, but more often they're just empty. Big cities like Chernogorsk, Elektrozavodsk, Berezino and Novodmitrovsk have every building except military, but see a lot of traffic, and bandits roam theses places like vermin looking for a kill.
Finally, unless you have an axe (splitting or firefighter's) or a working gun, do not engage zombies. Avoid them when possible, and if they spot you, just run like a bitch until they fall behind, and then run some more because these !@#$ers are tenacious. I had two of them chase me for well over 2 miles once, and whenever I thought I was safe and looked behind, I saw them coming from the distance, until finally I had enough of that !@#$ and I killed them with the brand new axe I had just picked up.
Edit:
http://dayzdb.com/map/chernarusplus#7.045.129 Anyone with brain cells to pair can navigate Chernarus like a breeze with this map. Real survivors use in-game maps though. And find a compass.
