Saufley Field
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NOLF Saufley Field | |||||||||||||||
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AMSL 85 ft / 26 m | | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 30°28′11″N 087°20′17″W / 30.46972°N 87.33806°W | ||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Saufley Field (IATA: NUN, ICAO: KNUN, FAA LID: NUN) is a military airport and support facility located in unincorporated Escambia County, Florida, United States,[2] five nautical miles (9 km) west of the central business district of Pensacola.[1]
It is an active
As Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC) Saufley Field,
History
The U.S. Navy leased what was then known as "Felton's Farm Field" for use as an outlying field of NAS Pensacola from 1933 and it purchased the 866.62 acres (3.5071 km2) site on 16 August 1939.[5] The base opened for operations on 26 August 1940[6] and is named after Lieutenant (junior grade) Richard C. Saufley, USN, Naval Aviator No. 14. Saufley was killed 9 June 1916 in the crash of a Curtiss Model E hydroplane, AH-8, off of Pensacola during an attempted long-endurance flight.[7]
The installation was originally commissioned in 1943 as Naval Auxiliary Air Station Saufley Field and was redesignated Naval Air Station Saufley Field in 1968. NAS Saufley Field's historical role was the initial primary training of Student
In 1979, Saufley Field was redesignated as both NOLF Saufley Field and Naval Education and Training Program Development Center (NAVEDTRAPRODEVCEN) Saufley Field following the latter activity's relocation from the nearby NETPDC Ellyson Field (the former
As the host command for Saufley Field, NETPDC supports 10 major DoD and Navy tenant commands and has a total base population in excess of 1,000 personnel.
Among the tenant commands represented at NETPDC Saufley Field are the
In its concurrent role as NOLF Saufley Field, the installation currently has two inactive uncontrolled 4000 foot runways. The installation also has a permanent structural fire/rescue contingent and the capability to support an aircraft crash/fire/rescue detachment from the NAS Pensacola Fire Department, as well as in excess of 34,425 square feet (3,198.2 m2) of hangar space to support training aircraft.[11] NOLF Saufley Field and has frequently functioned as a temporary home base for turboprop and helicopter training aircraft when airfield construction projects at the local naval air stations has necessitated temporary relocation of flight operations. The Saufley VOR is also located on the installation in the center of the airfield proper.
In 1988, Federal Prison Camp Pensacola was established at Saufley Field by the
In September 2004, the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency designated Saufley Field as a temporary logistical staging area for federal, state and non-governmental agencies in response to Hurricane Ivan, considered one of the worst storms ever to hit the United States until that point.[12] Unfortunately, a closed section of the Saufley Field airfield was also utilized for the Saufley Construction and Demolition Landfill. After Hurricane Ivan, debris disposal in this landfill was grossly mismanaged, resulting in potentially harmful gas emissions, a serious fire hazard, potential groundwater contamination and an air traffic hazard (e.g., increased bird strike/wildlife strike hazard) were created. The private owner of the facility operating it on behalf of the Federal government declared bankruptcy, thus creating a threat to public and private property and compromising Student Naval Aviator training.[13] Closure and mitigation of the landfill was slated to be completed by 2013.[14]
With the retirement of the
In 2016, Gulf Power Company leased a majority of the airfield and began installation of a 366-acre, 50 megawatt solar farm, which was completed in August 2017.[19]
References
Citations
- ^ PDF, effective 2009-05-07.
- U.S. Census Bureau. p. 35 (PDF p. 36/57). Retrieved 2022-08-15.
Naval Air Station Pensacola (Outlying Field Saufley) [...] Saufley Field Naval Outlying Fld
- ^ "SkyVector: Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts".
- ^ Kaiser (1977), p. 32.
- ^ Kaiser (1977), p. 33.
- ISBN 0-8160-1854-5.
- ^ "PART 10 The Seventies 19701980" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
- ^ Naval Aviation News Jun 1977 p. 34
- ^ a b "Welcome to Navy Pensacola". www.militarynewcomers.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2007.
- ^ Saufley Field at GlobalSecurity.org
- ^ "Saufley Field Serves as Logistics Hub Following Hurricane Ivan". NAVY.mil News. 2004-10-01.
- ^ Washington Watch [dead link]
- ^ "Saufley Road C&D Landfill Phase 1 | Escambia County, Florida". Archived from the original on 2016-03-26.
- ^ "Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Florida, Northwestern Pensacola area".
- ^ "FAA Information about Saufley Field Nolf Airport (NUN)".
- ^ "NUN - Saufley Field NOLF Airport | SkyVector". Retrieved 1 May 2023.
- ^ MCON Book [dead link]
- ^ Baucum, Joseph. "Gulf Power, Coronal Energy celebrate completion of three military solar farms". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
Bibliography
- Kaiser, Mike (June 1977). "Evolution of an Airfield: Saufly" (PDF). Naval Aviation News: 32–34.
External links
- History and photos of Saufley Field
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for NUN
- AirNav airport information for KNUN
- ASN accident history for NUN
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KNUN