Fort Sumner Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Fort Sumner Municipal Airport is a public airport located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of central Fort Sumner, New Mexico
.
airline built an airfield in Fort Sumner as part of its coast-to-coast air passenger network, but the site was abandoned when the airline's ambitious plans collapsed in the Great Depression
.
The airfield was reopened in February 1941, and was rebuilt in 1942 by the United States Army Air Force as a World War II
training airfield. It was assigned to the AAF Flying Training Command West Coast Training Center and was known as Fort Sumner Army Airfield. The flying cadets at the airfield were trained in advanced twin engine aircraft as phase three of their pilot training. The airfield had at least seven auxiliary landing fields, two of which have been identified:
On 6 August 1944, the airfield was transferred to Second Air Force
, where it became a replacement facility for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
crew training.
The facility was inactivated on 15 November 1945 and returned to civil control. It is now a public airport providing general aviation
service.
The airport retains the large parking ramp from its training use. Two of the three wartime runways are still in use, the 00/18 runway now abandoned. The containment area street pattern still exists, with large numbers of foundations of wartime buildings still in evidence, including the foundations of a large cluster of what were probably the barracks of the POW Camp on the north side of the station.
's high altitude balloon
program. NASA spent about $100.000 to construct large insulated walls and air conditioning inside the one remaining wartime hangar so payloads could use the place in a controlled environment. Three bays with tall sliding doors that opened into the main hangar area provided a workable area for scientists and their payloads with large steel A-frames used to suspend the payloads. Other NASA buildings were constructed at the airport.
Current two operational balloon launch campaigns are conducted at the airport each year. These occur in the May–June and September–October timeframe surrounding the two stratospheric turnaround events. The NASA Ft. Sumner facility has grown in capability over the years and now includes a machine shop and still utilizes the old World War II hangar as a work area, storage area for support vehicles, and a hangar for NSBF
aircraft during balloon flight operations.
Fort Sumner, New Mexico
Fort Sumner is a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,249 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of De Baca County...
.
History
The airfield's origins date to the 1920s when the Transcontinental Air TransportTranscontinental Air Transport
Transcontinental Air Transport was an airline founded in 1928 by Clement Melville Keys that merged in 1930 with Western Air Express to form what became TWA....
airline built an airfield in Fort Sumner as part of its coast-to-coast air passenger network, but the site was abandoned when the airline's ambitious plans collapsed in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
The airfield was reopened in February 1941, and was rebuilt in 1942 by the United States Army Air Force as a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
training airfield. It was assigned to the AAF Flying Training Command West Coast Training Center and was known as Fort Sumner Army Airfield. The flying cadets at the airfield were trained in advanced twin engine aircraft as phase three of their pilot training. The airfield had at least seven auxiliary landing fields, two of which have been identified:
- Fort Sumner Army Auxiliary Airfield #5 - Taiban 34°35′20"N 104°00′29"W
- Fort Sumner Army Auxiliary Airfield #7 - Tucumcari 35°10′58"N 103°36′11"W
- The facility later became a Prisoner of War Camp in March, 1944 as pilot training was phasing down. Now Tucumcari Municipal AirportTucumcari Municipal AirportTucumcari Municipal Airport is a public airport located approximately east of Tucumcari, New Mexico. It provides general aviation service.-History:...
On 6 August 1944, the airfield was transferred to 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....
, where it became a replacement facility for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
crew training.
The facility was inactivated on 15 November 1945 and returned to civil control. It is now a public airport providing 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...
service.
The airport retains the large parking ramp from its training use. Two of the three wartime runways are still in use, the 00/18 runway now abandoned. The containment area street pattern still exists, with large numbers of foundations of wartime buildings still in evidence, including the foundations of a large cluster of what were probably the barracks of the POW Camp on the north side of the station.
NASA use
In the 1980s, the airport was chosen as a launch site for NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's high altitude balloon
High altitude balloon
High-altitude balloons are unmanned balloons, usually filled with helium or hydrogen that are released into the stratosphere, generally reaching between ....
program. NASA spent about $100.000 to construct large insulated walls and air conditioning inside the one remaining wartime hangar so payloads could use the place in a controlled environment. Three bays with tall sliding doors that opened into the main hangar area provided a workable area for scientists and their payloads with large steel A-frames used to suspend the payloads. Other NASA buildings were constructed at the airport.
Current two operational balloon launch campaigns are conducted at the airport each year. These occur in the May–June and September–October timeframe surrounding the two stratospheric turnaround events. The NASA Ft. Sumner facility has grown in capability over the years and now includes a machine shop and still utilizes the old World War II hangar as a work area, storage area for support vehicles, and a hangar for NSBF
Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility
The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility is a NASA facility responsible for providing launch, tracking and control, airspace coordination, telemetry and command systems, and recovery services for unmanned, high altitude balloons...
aircraft during balloon flight operations.
See also
- New Mexico World War II Army AirfieldsNew Mexico World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in New Mexico for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....