Ainsworth Army Airfield
Encyclopedia
Ainsworth Municipal Airport is a public use airport
located six nautical miles (11 km) northwest of the central business district
of Ainsworth
, in Brown County
, Nebraska
, United States
. It is a publicly owned airport owned and managed by the Ainsworth Airport Authority.
A total of sixty four buildings were constructed at what would be known as Ainsworth Army Airfield. To construct the base, once land was acquired through condemnation and purchase from seven local landowners, laborers were hired from as far away as Omaha and Sioux City. Two hundred Native Americans from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota
came to Ainsworth and were put on the payroll as laborers as well. Before the construction was completed, a total of 1,200 workers came to build the Airfield. By November 1942, the laborers had completed all housing at the base, and a railroad spur was built from the existing Chicago Northwestern Railroad several miles to the south. These tracks brought most of the supplies for the base, including building materials, food, and coal. The 2496 acres (10.1 km²) field included three 7,300 x 150 feet (45.7 m) concrete runways, a hangar, warehouse, repair and machine shops, link and bomb trainers, Norden bombsite vaults, and barracks for over 600 officers and enlisted men.
Ainsworth AAF was activated on 30 November 1942 as one of eleven United States Army Air Force training bases in Nebraska
. The base was under the command of the 353d Army Air Force Base Unit of the Second Air Force
, based at Colorado Springs AAF
Colorado
. The 4315th Army Air Force Base Unit commanded the support elements at Ainsworth as part of Air Technical Service Command. Ainsworth was a satellite field of Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota
.
The primary objective of this facility was to train air crews of 540th and 543rd Bombardment Squadron
s of the 383d Bombardment Group
based at Rapid City Army Airfield for training with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft before being sent to the European Theater. The 540th and 543rd remained at Ainsworth between December 1942 to April 1943. Bomber crews practiced bombing runs over the wildlife refuge in Cherry County
, the next county to the west.
Other units that trained at Ainsworth during the war were:
Also, aircraft camouflage experiments were also conducted at the field. When the facility was fully manned, there were a total of 544 enlisted men and 112 officers who lived on the base. Married personnel lived in Long Pine
, Ainsworth and Johnstown
.
The base closed on 31 December 1945. Following the withdrawal of the military personnel, the base was closed down except for civilians who manned the Fire Department and the Weather Squadron.
In 1946, a year after the end of World war II, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
issued a Revokable License to the City of Ainsworth for commercial aircraft operations at the Airfield. Ainsworth AAF was declared surplus property in 1948, and the City of Ainsworth received title to the Airfield for use as a municipal airport.
By late 1948, Ainsworth Municipal Airport was used for charter flights, aircraft rental, flight lessons and a maintenance shop. In the mid 1980s the National Scientific Balloon Facility rented space at Ainsworth for periodic balloon missions. By the late 1980s, the Ainsworth Airport discontinued these services due to the depressed local economy.
Currently the Ainsworth Municipal Airport, owned by the city of Ainsworth, is overseen by the Airport Authority, which provides basic services, with an airport manager who oversees airport activities such as fuel sales, hangar rental, tie-downs, weather station operation, aircraft communications arid flight plan design. Approximately 1300 acres (5.3 km²) of farm land and pasture is rented out to area farmers.
Today there are a handful of buildings remaining from the World War II–era at the airport. One of the aircraft hangars is still in use, a supply warehouse , the bombardier training building and the bombsight building. In addition, aircraft taxiways, hardstands, aprons, runways and roads exist in various states of repair.
of 2,589 feet (789 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 17/35 is 6,824 by 110 feet (2,080 x 34 m) and 13/31 is 5,501 by 75 feet (1,677 x 23 m).
It also has one helipad
designated H1 which measures 50 by 50 feet (15 x 15 m). For the 12-month period ending August 19, 2008, the airport had 4,000 aircraft operations, an average of 10 per day: 99% general aviation
and 1% military
.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located six nautical miles (11 km) northwest of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Ainsworth
Ainsworth, Nebraska
Ainsworth is a city in Brown County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,862 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Brown County.-Geography:Ainsworth is located at ....
, in Brown County
Brown County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,525 people, 1,530 households, and 996 families residing in the county. The population density was 3 people per square mile . There were 1,916 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a publicly owned airport owned and managed by the Ainsworth Airport Authority.
History
Ainsworth Municipal Airport was constructed by the United States Army Air Force between August and November 1942. The 2403 acres (9.7 km²) site is bordered by farm land on the west and north, Sand Draw on the east, and Highway 20 on the south.A total of sixty four buildings were constructed at what would be known as Ainsworth Army Airfield. To construct the base, once land was acquired through condemnation and purchase from seven local landowners, laborers were hired from as far away as Omaha and Sioux City. Two hundred Native Americans from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
came to Ainsworth and were put on the payroll as laborers as well. Before the construction was completed, a total of 1,200 workers came to build the Airfield. By November 1942, the laborers had completed all housing at the base, and a railroad spur was built from the existing Chicago Northwestern Railroad several miles to the south. These tracks brought most of the supplies for the base, including building materials, food, and coal. The 2496 acres (10.1 km²) field included three 7,300 x 150 feet (45.7 m) concrete runways, a hangar, warehouse, repair and machine shops, link and bomb trainers, Norden bombsite vaults, and barracks for over 600 officers and enlisted men.
Ainsworth AAF was activated on 30 November 1942 as one of eleven United States Army Air Force training bases in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. The base was under the command of the 353d Army Air Force Base Unit of the Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, based at Colorado Springs AAF
Peterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and it provides runways for the adjacent City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport under a shared joint civil-military airport arrangement...
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The 4315th Army Air Force Base Unit commanded the support elements at Ainsworth as part of Air Technical Service Command. Ainsworth was a satellite field of Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
.
The primary objective of this facility was to train air crews of 540th and 543rd Bombardment Squadron
543rd Bombardment Squadron
The 543d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 383d Bombardment Group stationed at Peterson Field, Colorado. It was inactivated on 1 April 1944.-History:...
s of the 383d Bombardment Group
383d Bombardment Group
The 383d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 3 January 1946....
based at Rapid City Army Airfield for training with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft before being sent to the European Theater. The 540th and 543rd remained at Ainsworth between December 1942 to April 1943. Bomber crews practiced bombing runs over the wildlife refuge in Cherry County
Cherry County, Nebraska
Cherry County is unusual in being split between two time zones, Mountain Time and Central Time. The lines between the two runs roughly north to south along the eastern third of the county. Cherry County is also the location of the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, the Fort Niobrara National...
, the next county to the west.
Other units that trained at Ainsworth during the war were:
- The 364th Fighter Squadron166th Air Refueling SquadronThe 166th Air Refueling Squadron flies the KC-135R Stratotanker. It is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 121st Air Refueling Wing.-History:...
of the 357th Fighter Group357th Fighter GroupThe 357th Fighter Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The 357th operated P-51 Mustang aircraft as part of the U.S. Eighth Air Force and its members were known unofficially as "The Yoxford Boys" after a village near their base...
based at Casper AAF, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
trained with Bell P-39 Aircobra aircraft at Ainsworth from October to November 1943.
- The 53d Fighter Squadron53d Fighter SquadronThe 53d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 52d Operations Group and stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It was inactivated on 31 March 1999.-World War II:...
of the 37th Fighter Group based at Scribner AAF, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
trained with Republic P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
aircraft at Ainsworth between November 1943 to March 1944.
Also, aircraft camouflage experiments were also conducted at the field. When the facility was fully manned, there were a total of 544 enlisted men and 112 officers who lived on the base. Married personnel lived in Long Pine
Long Pine, Nebraska
Long Pine is a city in Brown County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 341 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Long Pine is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Ainsworth and Johnstown
Johnstown, Nebraska
Johnstown is a village in Brown County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Johnstown is located at ....
.
The base closed on 31 December 1945. Following the withdrawal of the military personnel, the base was closed down except for civilians who manned the Fire Department and the Weather Squadron.
In 1946, a year after the end of World war II, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
issued a Revokable License to the City of Ainsworth for commercial aircraft operations at the Airfield. Ainsworth AAF was declared surplus property in 1948, and the City of Ainsworth received title to the Airfield for use as a municipal airport.
By late 1948, Ainsworth Municipal Airport was used for charter flights, aircraft rental, flight lessons and a maintenance shop. In the mid 1980s the National Scientific Balloon Facility rented space at Ainsworth for periodic balloon missions. By the late 1980s, the Ainsworth Airport discontinued these services due to the depressed local economy.
Currently the Ainsworth Municipal Airport, owned by the city of Ainsworth, is overseen by the Airport Authority, which provides basic services, with an airport manager who oversees airport activities such as fuel sales, hangar rental, tie-downs, weather station operation, aircraft communications arid flight plan design. Approximately 1300 acres (5.3 km²) of farm land and pasture is rented out to area farmers.
Today there are a handful of buildings remaining from the World War II–era at the airport. One of the aircraft hangars is still in use, a supply warehouse , the bombardier training building and the bombsight building. In addition, aircraft taxiways, hardstands, aprons, runways and roads exist in various states of repair.
Facilities and aircraft
Ainsworth Municipal Airport covers an area of 2493 acres (1,008.9 ha) at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 2,589 feet (789 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s: 17/35 is 6,824 by 110 feet (2,080 x 34 m) and 13/31 is 5,501 by 75 feet (1,677 x 23 m).
It also has one helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
designated H1 which measures 50 by 50 feet (15 x 15 m). For the 12-month period ending August 19, 2008, the airport had 4,000 aircraft operations, an average of 10 per day: 99% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and 1% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
.
See also
- Nebraska World War II Army AirfieldsNebraska World War II Army AirfieldsNebraska World War II army airfields were major United States Army Air Force training centers for pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers during World War II. Nebraska was a favored because it has excellent, year-round flying conditions...
- List of airports in Nebraska