Webb Air Force Base
Webb Air Force Base Big Spring Army Airfield | |
---|---|
Part of Air Training Command (ATC) | |
Big Spring, Texas, USA | |
Coordinates | 32°13′05″N 101°31′17″W / 32.21806°N 101.52139°W |
Type | Air Force Base |
Site information | |
Controlled by | United States Air Force |
Site history | |
Built | 1942 |
In use | Open 1942 – closed 1977 |
Webb Air Force Base (IATA: BGS[1]), previously named Big Spring Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force facility of the Air Training Command that operated from 1951 to 1977 in West Texas within the current city limits of Big Spring. Webb AFB was a major undergraduate pilot training (UPT) facility for the Air Force, and by 1969, almost 9,000 pilots had been trained at Webb. The last operational wing at Webb AFB was the 78th Flying Training Wing.
History
World War II
The facility first was used by the United States Army Air Forces as Big Spring Army Air Field, opening on 28 April 1942 as part of the Central Flying Training Command.
Activated on 26 June 1942, the mission of Big Spring AAF was to train aviation cadets in high-altitude precision bombing as bombardiers. It was one of the "West Texas Bombardier Quadrangle" schools of the Army Air Forces Training Command. The other bases in the quad were
Construction of the Army Air Forces Bombardier School began on 15 May 1942, and the airfield received its first class of cadets (118 men) on 16 September 1942. The 79th Bombardier Training Group[3] was the USAAF instructional unit at Big Spring AAF; the 365th Base Hq and Air Base Squadron maintained the station and commanded the ground support units. Operational squadrons under the 78th BTG were:
- 812nd Bombardier Training Squadron
- 815th Bombardier Training Squadron
- 816th Bombardier Training Squadron
- 817th Bombardier Training Squadron
The base was declared surplus and was turned over to the War Assets Administration after being closed. It eventually reverted to city control,[4] and it served as the Big Spring Municipal Airport for six years.
Cold War
The airfield was reactivated as Big Spring Air Force Base on 1 October 1951 by the United States Air Force for the Air Training Command (ATC) which established the 3560th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Single-Engine). However, the command was not formally able to operationally activate the base until 1 January 1952 because the City of Big Spring had difficulty acquiring clear title to some of the property it intended to transfer to ATC
The facility was brought back into service as a primary training installation because of the
Instruction of the first class began in April 1952. The initial mission of the 3560th PTW was basic, single-engine flight training. The wing was equipped with 37
In 1956, the
Closure
By the mid-1970s, the end of the Vietnam War, the associated financial costs of that conflict and related cuts in USAF force structure and future defense budgets meant a marked decrease in the need for Air Force pilots. One of the major issues facing the ATC commander and his staff during 1976 was the prospect of closing two UPT bases. Rather than reduce training production at all seven locations, ATC officials believed it to be more economical to close two bases. So it was on 11 March 1976 that the Secretary of the Air Force proposed closing several military installations, to include UPT bases
At Webb AFB, the last two pilot training classes completed course work on 30 August 1977, and fixed wing qualification training ended on 1 September 1977. Air Training Command inactivated the
Webb AFB was turned over to the General Services Administration for disposal on 1 January 1978 and the property later turned over to the Big Spring Industrial Park.
The airfield and flight line was converted to an uncontrolled/
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Emblem of the AAF Bombardier School Big Spring AAF
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3560th Pilot Training Wing
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331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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78th Flying Training Wing
Hangar 25 Air Museum
The Hangar 25 Air Museum is an aviation museum located focused on the history of Webb Air Force Base, and located on the site (now the Big Spring McMahon–Wrinkle Airport). Following the retirement of an assistant city manager in May 1995, Bobby McDonald, a member of the Big Spring Air Park Development Board, proposed preserving one of the World War II-era hangars at the airport. Just over one year later, due to the work of Nelda Reagan, another city official, the newly established Hangar 25 Restoration Committee received a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation to restore Hangar 25. However, shortly thereafter, a storm damaged the roof of the hangar and repairs were deemed too costly. Restoration efforts were refocused on Hangar 44, but the original name of the project was retained.[10]
The 24,000 sq ft (2,200 m2) museum was dedicated on 31 May 1999.[11] Two months before, it received its first two aircraft, a T-33A and a T-37B.[12] It acquired the nose of a B-52 in August and a Harrier the following January.[13][14]
Solar panels were installed on the west hangar door and the concrete floor was restored in July 2014.[15]
Exhibits include a piece of sidewalk with a drawing of Snoopy and a stained glass window that was originally located in the base chapel.[16][17]
Events
The museum holds an annual Silver Wings Ball.[18]
Collection
Aircraft
Ground vehicles
See also
- Texas World War II Army Airfields
- 34th Flying Training Wing (World War II)
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ "Big Spring-Webb AFB, TX profile - Aviation Safety Network". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "USAFHRA Document 00169712". airforcehistoryindex.org. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "USAFHRA Document 00147684". airforcehistoryindex.org. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "USAFHRA Document 00169727". airforcehistoryindex.org. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ a b "USAFHRA Document 00487755". airforcehistoryindex.org. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "USAFHRA Document 00461834". airforcehistoryindex.org. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "Squadron Service of the F-102". home.att.net. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "USAFHRA Document 00434488". airforcehistoryindex.org. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "USAFHRA Document 00487794". airforcehistoryindex.org. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "Restoration of Hangar 25 Air Museum". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Billingsley, Sandra R. (30 May 1999). "Big Spring Hangar Gets Another Day in Spotlight". San Angelo Standard-Times. pp. 1B–2B. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Long, China (19 February 1999). "Air Museum to Receive Pair of Training Aircraft". Abilene Reporter-News. p. 4A. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "B-52 Arrives at Big Spring Museum". Abilene Reporter-News. 19 August 1999. p. 4A. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "What's Going On". Odessa American. 28 January 2000. p. 2E. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Air Museum to Show Off Improvements". Standard-Times. 20 July 2014. p. 8B. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Class 67C Snoopy Memorial". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Webb Air Force Base Chapel Stained Glass Window". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Permian Basin Calendar". Odessa American. 13 February 2023. p. 9A. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Beech AT-11 "Kansan"". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Airframe Dossier - Boeing B-52G-105-BW Stratofortress, s/n 58-0232 USAF, c/n 464300". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Cessna T-37B "Tweet"". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "McDonnell Douglas AV-8 "Harrier"". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Airframe Dossier - Hawker Siddeley AV-8C Harrier, s/n 159238 USN". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Lockheed T-33A "Shooting Star" ("T-Bird")". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Lockheed T-33A "Shooting Star" ("T-Bird")". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "North American F-100F "Super Sabre"". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "North American T-28 "Trojan"". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Northrop T-38A "Talon"". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Kaiser M-725". Hangar 25 Air Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
External links
- Big Spring Flying School Class 43-06, Big Spring Flying School Yearbook
- Through the Crosshairs Class 43-11, Advanced Bombardier School, Big Spring, Texas Yearbook
- Gyro, The Class 43-18, Big Spring Army Air Field Yearbook
- Webb Air Force Base from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Photos of pilot training at Webb AFB in 1953[permanent dead link], History of the 45th Fighter Squadron.
- Hangar 25 Air Museum official website