Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station

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Coordinates: 43°06′48″N 078°56′51″W / 43.11333°N 78.94750°W / 43.11333; -78.94750 (Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station)
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station
United States of America
A KC-135R Stratotanker of the 914th Air Refueling Wing based at Niagara Falls ARS.
A KC-135R Stratotanker of the 914th Air Refueling Wing based at Niagara Falls ARS.
Niagara Falls is located in the United States
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
Location in the United States
Coordinates43°06′48″N 078°56′51″W / 43.11333°N 78.94750°W / 43.11333; -78.94750 (Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station)
TypeAir Reserve Station
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUS Air Force (USAF)
Controlled byAir Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
ConditionOperational
Websitewww.niagara.afrc.af.mil
Site history
Built1928 (1928) (as Niagara Falls Airport)
In use1946 – present
Garrison information
Current
commander		Colonel Lara B. Morrison
Garrison
Airfield information
Identifiers
AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
10L/28R 2,994.9 metres (9,826 ft) Asphalt/Concrete
6/24 1,581.3 metres (5,188 ft) Asphalt
10R/28L 1,210.6 metres (3,972 ft) Asphalt
Airfield shared with Niagara Falls International Airport
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station

military installation operationally gained by Air Mobility Command. It is located adjacent to Niagara Falls International Airport, New York, 4.7 miles (7.6 km) east-northeast of Niagara Falls, New York. The station is the last "federal" USAF installation in the state, the other remaining USAF installations falling under the Air National Guard).[3]

The host unit for the base is the 914th Air Refueling Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command which operates the KC-135 Stratotanker. The 107th Attack Wing of the New York Air National Guard is also stationed at the base.

A

Military Entrance Processing Station
(MEPS) for all five branches of the U.S. is also located at the station. Both the 914 ARW and 107 ATW number in excess of 3,000 military personnel.

History

For nearby military operations prior to World War II (e.g., Bell
XFM-1 military test flight in 1937[4]), see Buffalo, New York § History
.

The Army's Air Service had begun operations in

Bell Aircraft Corporation completed a manufacturing plant in Wheatfield adjacent to the airport[6] for World War II military pursuit planes in 1941[7] and the 3522d Army Air Force Base Unit managed[when?] the airport and coordinated use of the airfield.[8][verification needed
]

Bell Modification Center

For
P-63 Kingcobra
.

The Bell Modification Center at the Niagara Falls Airport was 1 of 21 built by

the airfield leased by the USAAF was improved with macadam runways (three at 4000x150 feet and the E/W runway at 4200x300), taxiways, etc. Military units at Niagara Falls included a Modification Center Headquarters and a training school, "Niagara Falls East Tr Sch" (a different modification center, "Buffalo Mun-Mod Ctr B", was located at the 1925 Buffalo Municipal Airport).[4]
: 168 

Naval air station

The Naval Air Station Niagara Falls was established in 1946 and the installation was expanded.[

Air Force Reserve and NYANG use of the airport).[citation needed
]

136th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
.

1981 tarmac of NFAFB with NYANG McDonnell F-101 Voodoos.

USAF base

Niagara Falls Air Force Base (NFAFB) was established by 1955 after the 76th Air Base Squadron was activated in February 1952 as the host unit. Following Korea operations, the 107th converted to

F-86F Sabres
in February 1953 (F-86D in September).

In January 1954, the 107th received its first jet aircraft (

T-33 & F-86 at Niagara Falls Air Force Base—collided in 1956,[9] the AFB's medical unit treated injuries from a 1958 railcar explosion.[10] In 1959 a NFAFB helicopter crashed in Letchworth State Park searching for an 83-year-old professor emeritus,[11] and in 1961 an F-100 from the base crashed into the Niagara Gorge.[12]

SAGE interceptors
The 47th FIS aircraft were modified[
914th Troop Carrier Group and concurrently assigned to the Air Force Reserve at Niagara Falls. In 1968, the 107th Tactical Fighter Group was stationed at Niagara Falls Air Force Base[15]
(3rd activation in 17 years.)
Vietnam War
In July 1968, approximately 400 members of the 107th were deployed to
31st Tactical Fighter Wing. In 1969, the Niagara Support Center was planned to be closed,[16] and the 4621st ABG was inactivated on 31 March 1970 (the last active-duty ADC organization at the base).[17][failed verification
]

Air reserve station

In 1971 the 914th assumed command of the installation from active duty units[

which?] and switched from C-119 to C-130A Hercules aircraft. At the same time, the 107th converted to McDonnell F-101 Voodoo interceptors. The 1985 Niagara Falls A-4 collision of Blue Angels at the Western New York Air Show '85 was "in front of a reviewing stand" (1 pilot killed.)[18][19][20]
The 914th received C-130E aircraft in 1986, and was the first to convert to the Air Force's more advanced C-130, the H-3, in late 1992. The 107th received F-4C Phantoms, then F-4Ds and in 1990, F-16ADF Fighting Falcons.

In October 1990, over 300 members of the 914th Airlift Group spent seven months in the

MQ-9 Reaper. The 107 AW flew its last airlift mission in December 2015 and in 2017 was redesignated as the 107th Attack Wing (107 ATKW), while all C-130H2 aircraft and operations remained with the 914 AW.[22]

The USGS added the military station to the Geographic Names Information System on November 17, 2008.[2] Since 2011, the Army Reserve's 277th Quartermaster Company has provided support for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft operations.

In 2016, it was announced that the 914th would replace their aging C-130 aircraft with eight KC-135 Stratotankers. The conversion was included in the 2017 budget and changed the 914th's mission to an air refueling role with a subsequent re-designation as the 914th Air Refueling Wing (914 ARW).[23][24]

Army Reserve Presence

Three Army Reserve units call the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station home. All three are located in the Armed Forces Reserve Center (AFRC) which was built in 2013. The units are the 277th Quartermaster Company (Petroleum), 1982nd Forward Surgical Team (FST) and Alpha Company, 865th Combat Support Hospital (CSH).

Major units assigned

  • 90th Reconnaissance Wing, 1946–1949
  • 26th Reconnaissance Group, 1946–1949
  • 107th Group (Currently designated 107th Attack Wing), 1948–Present
  • 518th Air Defense Group, 1953
Re-designated 15th Fighter Group (Air Defense), 1955–1960
  • 47th
    Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
    , 1952–1960
  • 35th Air Defense Missile Squadron, 1960–1969[citation needed]
  • 445th Fighter-Bomber Group, 1955–1957
  • 914th Troop Carrier Group (Currently designated 914th Air Refueling Wing, 1963–Present

Aircraft assigned

  • F-47 Thunderbolt
    , 1948–1952
  • F-51 Mustang
    , 1952–1954
  • F-86 Sabre
    , 1953–1960
  • F-94 Starfire
    , 1954–1957
  • F-102 Delta Dagger
    , 1959–1960
  • F-100 Super Sabre
    , 1960–1970
  • C-119 Flying Boxcar
    , 1963–1971
  • F-101 Voodoo
    , 1971–1982
  • F-4 Phantom II
    , 1982–1990
  • F-16 Fighting Falcon
    , 1990–1994
  • KC-135 Stratotanker
    , 1994–2008, 2016–Present
  • C-130 Hercules
    , 1971–2016
  • MQ-9 Reaper
    , 2014–Present

References

  1. ^ "Airport Diagram – Niagara Falls Intl (IAG)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. May 21, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Niagara Falls International Airport Air Reserve Station (2511965)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 2, 2013. Entry Date: 17-Nov-2008 … 430657N 0785624Ws
  3. ^ "Niagara Air Reserve Station Mission and History". NIMAC and the Niagara Air Reserve Station. Niagara Military Affairs Council. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Futrell, Robert F. (July 1947). Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States: 1939-1945 (Report). Vol. ARS-69: US Air Force Historical Study No 69 (Copy No. 2). Air Historical Office. Niagara Falls East Tr Sch … Niagara Falls…Mod Ctr HQ
  5. ^ Shaw, Frederick J (2004). Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy (Report). Air Force History and Museums Program. The Air Service relied on existing commercial centers for locating several of its bases and technical schools. For example, in March 1917 [Mar. 25, 1916-Mar. 1916] it opened a school for photofinishers at Rochester, New York [p. 12] … On 1 October [1979], some of ADC mission [sic] and units…transferred to TAC. Already, for several years, the Air National Guard had possessed most fighter-interceptors [e.g.,] F–101s operated from Niagara Falls, New York (p. 127)
  6. ^ a b http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121126/CITYANDREGION/121129434/1010 "former Bell Aircraft Plant in Wheatfield, where it continues to maintain a research library and restoration facility. … Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics last month designated the former Bell Aircraft Plant – which is adjacent to the Niagara Falls International Airport grounds – as a historic aerospace site."
  7. ^ "Speedy Production of Planes Slated At New Factory" (Google news archive). The Evening Independent. October 9, 1941. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  8. ^ [full citation needed]Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
  9. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ "Schenectady Gazette - Google News Archive Search".
  11. ^ "St. Joseph News-Press - Google News Archive Search".
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ Condit, Kenneth W. (1992) [1971 classified vol]. "Chapter 15: Continental Defense". The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy: 1955-1956 (Report). Vol. VI of History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Washington, DC: Historical Office, Joint Staff.
  14. ^ NORAD Operational Interceptor Force 31 Dec. 1959 (Map). May 1, 1960. (p. 91 of: Preface by Buss, L. H. (Director) (November 1, 1959). North American Air Defense Command and Continental Air Defense Command Historical Summary: January–June 1959 (Report). Directorate of Command History: Office of Information Services.
  15. ^ "The Times-News - Google News Archive Search".
  16. ^ "Niagara Falls Air Force Units Are Phased Out" (Google news archive). Observer-Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. October 28, 1969. Retrieved September 9, 2013. [the] Army [will] close its Niagara Support Center [and] Niagara Falls chemical plant… Department of Defense plans to cutback at 307 military bases. To be inactivated at the Niagara Falls Air Base are the 35th Defense Missile Squadron and the 4621st Air Base Group and its associated units.
  17. Peterson Air Force Base: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on February 13, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  18. ^ "Pilot Killed as 2 Jets Collide at Air Show". The New York Times. July 14, 1985.
  19. ^ "The Southeast Missourian - Google News Archive Search".
  20. ^ "Gadsden Times - Google News Archive Search".
  21. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 22, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ^ "107th Attack Wing > Home".
  23. ^ "kc-135-aircraft-jobs-new-york-Niagara-Falls-air-base". Air Force Times. February 23, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  24. ^ "Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station - Home". Archived from the original on June 13, 2006.

External links

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