Simmons Army Airfield
Simmons Army Airfield | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AMSL 244 ft / 74 m | | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 35°07′55″N 078°56′11″W / 35.13194°N 78.93639°W | ||||||||||
Website | www.bragg.army.mil/SAAF/ | ||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Simmons Army Airfield
Units
Combat Aviation Brigade
- AH-64E in 2017.[3]
1st Battalion (Attack), 82nd Aviation Regiment AH-64E
- UH-60M
- CH-47F
122nd Aviation Support Battalion
U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command
United States Army Special Operations Command Flight Detachment
History
As part of Exercise Test Drop in August 1952, the 406th Engineer Brigade constructed an airfield in the vicinity of Smith Lake on land acquired by Fort Bragg. The field originally known as Smith Lake Airfield.
In June 1952 the 6th Transportation Company (Helicopter) arrived with 21
In May 1953 Fort Bragg engineers completed final plans for an expanded field and started construction the next summer. In August 1954, the runway was repaved, aprons improved, and the floor was laid for field's first hangar.
On June 21, 1955, the airfield was renamed in honor of Warrant Officer Herbert W. Simmons, Jr., a pilot killed on November 3, 1953, when two
During the mid-1950s, the
Construction in 1956-1957 converted the field to a permanent army airfield, allowing transfer of air activities from overcrowded
In the early 1960s Fort Bragg and Simmons played an important role in emerging air mobility. In December 1961 the 8th Transportation Company (Light Helicopter), departed Simmons AAF with their Piasecki H-21 helicopters for duty in Vietnam. The 8th and another unit, the 57th Transportation Company, were the first helicopter units to serve in Southeast Asia.
By 1965 Simmons comprised 23 permanent buildings, which remain in use. Fixed wing aircraft based at Simmons included the
During July 1965 the 116th Assault Helicopter Company formed at Simmons and trained for duty in Vietnam. The company departed for Vietnam in October 1965 and joined the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion there.
The 18th Aviation Brigade activated at Fort Bragg on July 1, 1966, formed from the 269th Aviation Battalion. Following seven months of training, the 269th departed for Vietnam in January 1967 where it served in the
By 1976 Simmons had 176 aircraft assigned and 375 flights operations a day. In 1983 the number grew to 298 aircraft. The
In the early 1980s there were 22 operating activities with total personnel strength of 2,134 and 298 assigned aircraft.
On August 17, 1987 the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 269th Aviation Battalion, reorganized and was redesignated as the
By 2002 Simmons AAF had more than 180 aircraft, along with Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and Boeing AH-64 Apache flight simulators.
This article incorporates public domain material from A Brief History of Simmons Army Airfield (May 2005). United States Army.
Facilities
Simmons AAF has one runway designated 9/27 with an asphalt surface measuring 4,650 by 110 feet (1,417 x 34 m).[1]
See also
References
- ^ PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 27 August 2009.
- ^ a b Simmons Army Airfield at Fort Bragg. United States Army. Accessed 14 October 2009.
- . June 2016. p. 18.
External links
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective June 13, 2024
- FAA Terminal Procedures for FBG, effective June 13, 2024
- Resources for this U.S. military airport:
- FAA airport information for FBG
- AirNav airport information for KFBG
- ASN accident history for FBG
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KFBG