Naval Air Station Meridian

Coordinates: 32°33′07″N 88°33′20″W / 32.55194°N 88.55556°W / 32.55194; -88.55556
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Naval Air Station Meridian
McCain Field
Near
AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
1L/19R 2,439.3 metres (8,003 ft) Concrete
1R/19L 2,438.7 metres (8,001 ft) Concrete
10/28 1,951.3 metres (6,402 ft) Concrete
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Naval Air Station Meridian or NAS Meridian (ICAO: KNMM, FAA LID: NMM) is a military airport located 11 miles northeast of Meridian, Mississippi in Lauderdale County and Kemper County, and is one of the Navy's two jet strike pilot training facilities.

History

On July 16, 1957, the first shovel of earth was thrown, marking the beginning of the

Teoc, Mississippi.[2]

Aerial view of NAS Meridian in the early 1960s. Top is East.

Training Squadron SEVEN (

Hurricane Gladys and Hurricane Camille
, respectively.

In August 1971, Training Air Wing ONE (TRAWING ONE) was commissioned and Training Squadron NINETEEN (VT-19) was also established. The Wing motto became "Readiness for Victory at Sea through Training." That October saw the arrival of the TA-4J, the new advanced jet trainer based on the

Richard M. Nixon, accompanied by Senator John C. Stennis
and many other high-ranking military and civilian officials, attended the dedication of the new Naval Technical Training Center (NTTC). Known locally as the Stennis Center, it was officially commissioned April 17, 1974.

NAS Meridian was selected and upgraded to a Major Shore Command on October 1, 1982. In March 1984, NAS Meridian was one of 15 installations chosen for the Department of Defense Model Installation Program. In September 1985, the enlisted galley was dedicated to the memory of Marine Lance Corporal Roy M. Wheat, a Mississippi native and Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in Vietnam.[3]

Current operations

NAS Meridian supports aviation and technical training, and other tenant activities. Departments working under the NAS

Commanding Officer form the backbone for the entire installation's functioning. The Administrative Services Department provides general administrative services for the command. Responsibilities include: processing military personnel matters with the Personnel Support Activity Detachment, Meridian; processing special requests, leave and TAD orders, evaluations and command correspondence; maintaining command directives and correspondence files; providing duplicating services and messenger systems; and coordinating administrative systems and services throughout the command.[4]

The Air Operations Department employs 230 military and civilian personnel to operate NAS Meridian/McCain Field and Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) Joe Williams. Their primary mission is to support Commander,

Air Traffic Control Division operates the control tower and radar final control systems. They provide flight planning services and issue clearances and instructions to pilots for all phases of military flight operations within the vicinity of the airport. Ground Electronics Maintenance Division (GEMD) ensures all assigned UHF, VHF and FM
radio communications, air navigation aids, weather monitoring/reporting equipment and precision approach radars required to conduct safe and effective flight operations around NAS Meridian and its outlying field operate at or above designated performance standards. GEMD also provides sound support services and functions as point of contact for matters related to 3M, frequency management, equipment configuration and computer repair/assistance.

NAS Meridian maintains a separate runway, Joe Williams Outlying Landing Field (OLF), approximately 25 miles northwest of the main air station. Joe Williams OLF is an 8,000 foot long runway located in a rural area between the communities of Bogue Chitto and De Kalb. The field is used to reduced traffic congestion at the main air station, primarily when students are conducting Field Carrier Landing Practice in preparation for initial aircraft carrier qualification.[5][6]

HH-1N Huey helicopters were formerly used by the station's Search and Rescue personnel to provide 24-hour rescue coverage of the Eastern Mississippi/Western Alabama area. The 25-member SAR team consisted of pilots, aircrewmen and hospital corpsmen who were trained in first aid, helicopter rappelling and tree extraction. The team also assisted in a wide variety of civilian emergencies, such as searching for missing persons, assisting with aircraft and boating mishaps and occasional MEDEVAC
missions.

Tenant units

See also

References

  1. PDF
  2. ^ "Press Release - Mississippi Papers on John McCain's Return to Meridian | the American Presidency Project".
  3. ^ "Commander, Navy Installations Command > Regions".
  4. ^ "Commander, Navy Installations Command > Regions".
  5. ^ "NAS MERIDIAN Tenants". www.mybaseguide.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-04.
  6. ^ "AirNav: KNJW - Joe Williams Naval Outlying Field".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Naval Air Station Meridian.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naval_Air_Station_Meridian&oldid=1162167326"