Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue

Coordinates: 34°41′26″N 077°01′47″W / 34.69056°N 77.02972°W / 34.69056; -77.02972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

34°41′26″N 077°01′47″W / 34.69056°N 77.02972°W / 34.69056; -77.02972

MCALF Bogue
AMSL
21 ft / 6 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
5/23 4,010 1,218 AM-2 Aluminum Matting (non-skid coated)

Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue (

Marine Air Ground Task Force
(MAGTF) commander on the battlefield.

History

When the United States Navy purchased 573 acres (2.32 km2) of land in 1942 for an auxiliary airfield, three 4,000-foot (1,200 m) runways were built for the use of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina. Facilities were also constructed to support two squadrons with a combined total of 45 aircraft and accommodations for 1,050 personnel.

World War II

During

Marine Aircraft Group 33 (MAG-33) later that year.[2]

Specialized training facilities were established in the surrounding area to support the training of the resident dive-bombing squadrons. Dive-bombing circle targets were constructed on nearby islands, and vertical targets were built for low-level bombing practice. A maneuvering target boat was also used on the Neuse River to practice attacks on shipping.

MAG-33 transferred to

SB2C Helldiver
.

A

J2F Duck
amphibian was assigned to Bogue for the rescue of downed flyers, but proved unsuitable for open-sea landings.

Post-war operation

Bogue was decommissioned on 15 June 1947 and became an Outlying Field of Cherry Point. The Marines' first Short Airfield for Tactical Support (SATS) system was installed at Bogue in 1958. It was a deployable catapult & arresting system, intended to permit jet aircraft to operate from short expeditionary airfields.

Vietnam Era

A VMA-231 AV-8A taking off from Bogue, in 1978.

The Marine Corps reopened Bogue (sometime between 1965 and 1976) as a satellite airfield for aircraft & helicopters from MCAS New River & MCAS Cherry Point due to the Vietnam War.

As of 2003, Bogue is still actively used as a satellite airfield with one active runway, along with the painted outline of the deck of an

LHA amphibious assault ship
, used for carrier landing practice.

MCALF Bogue Field is the primary location for

Field Carrier Landing Practice) per training year.[citation needed] Training squadron
aircraft take priority over normal traffic while exercises take priority over all other users, including training.

Bogue Field consists of a runway constructed of aluminum panels which can be disassembled and reconstructed anywhere in the world in a matter of days by a specialty construction battalion.[3] The remains of two other runways still exist. The Airport Facility Directory includes the remark, "Runway 18 utilized for catapults only."

Although Bogue Field has no aircraft permanently assigned, it serves as a training facility primarily for AV-8 Harriers from

F/A-18 Hornet fighters from MCAS Beaufort
, South Carolina and helicopters from MCAS New River, North Carolina.

Bogue Field Committee

MCAS Cherry Point has enjoyed a comfortable relationship with the nearby communities of Emerald Isle and Bogue, although area residents have formed a committee to evaluate the impact that MCALF Bogue has on their community. The obvious noise impact on the community is considered by some to be offensive to the citizens living too close to normal flight patterns. In January 2001, a group of residents from

Morehead City
that have concerns about safety issues of the Harrier noise, quality of life, and accident potential zones, have formed the Bogue Field Committee in an effort to have the federal government properly fund the AV-8 Harrier program so that safety is no longer an issue for the pilots. Since most committee members feel that this is not likely, their goals are now to have the USMC to stop flying the plane over highly populated areas.

Notes

  1. PDF
    , effective 20 December 2007
  2. OCLC 51012704
    .
  3. ^ Payne, LCpl Doug (10 January 2008). "Marines give Bogue facelift" (PDF). USMC MCAS Cherry Point PAO. USMC (Windsock). pp. A3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2008.

See also

References

Books

  • Shettle, M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Company.
    ISBN 0-9643388-2-3
    .

Web

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marine_Corps_Auxiliary_Landing_Field_Bogue&oldid=1158430249"