Los Alamitos Army Airfield
Encyclopedia
Los Alamitos Army Airfield is a military airport
located one mile (2 km
) southeast of central Los Alamitos
, and within its city limits, in Orange County
, California
, USA
.
s:
perceived as a hostile attitude on the part of the City of Long Beach
regarding improvements and maintenance of Long Beach Airport (then both a municipal airport and Naval Reserve
air station
), and unknown to city officials at the time, the Navy had begun a survey for a more suitable site for flight operations. Admiral Ernest J. King
, then the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, and Admirals William D. Leahy
, Joseph K. Taussig
, and Allen E. Smith pointedly demanded that the City of Long Beach repair the hazardous runways at Long Beach Airport and simply reminded the city that the Pacific Fleet, then laying offshore in both Long Beach and San Pedro
harbors, had a payroll of over US$1 million per month. That sum being quite a lot of money at the time, the city complied with the Navy's demands.
Still, the city continued to show a hostile attitude toward approving a lease on any additional land that the Naval Reserve now required. The Navy thereupon, fed up with the city of Long Beach, decided upon the purchase of some property owned by a Mrs. Susanna Bixby Bryant, a fact made known by the commander of the base, Commander Thomas A. Gray, to the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Admiral John H. Towers. The circumstances behind the purchase were revealed to James V. Forrestal
, Under Secretary of the Navy, and by him to the House Naval Affairs Committee
who approved the purchase. Although Commander Gray had offered Mrs. Bryant US$350 an acre, in the best patriotic spirit she sold the property at US$300 an acre.
With the site acquired, in 1941, construction funds soon followed and Naval Reserve Air Base (NRAB) Los Alamitos began to take shape. The new base provided many jobs and spurred modest growth. On 1 June 1941, operations physically relocated from Long Beach to Los Alamitos.
By May 1942, Los Alamitos was operating with a complete physical plant including administrative office, sick bay
, a synthetic training facility, central files, classroom, and an assembly & repair department. With a station complement of approximately 2,500 officers and men, the initial aviation cadets began their training. The first graduating class numbered 729 cadets, 180 having washed out. By the end of the year, the base's 36 planes had increased to 140, and in 1943, five outlying fields were acquired, Training was carried out mostly in plywood N2T1s. When changed from the command of the Naval Primary Training Command to that of Naval Air Center, Eleventh Naval District, on 15 August 1943, it was used to station carrier air groups. Renamed a naval air station
, its flight operations were conducted by a Fleet Air Detachment, with station complement dropping from about 250 officers and 2000 men to 40 officers and 500 men and the Assembly and Repair Department discontinued but still used by the CASU on board. Many CASUs and ARGUSs (groups to establish forward air bases) were formed at and dispatched from Los Alamitos during the war. With additional construction undertaken after mid-1943, the total investment at the station to 1 January 1945 was $4,827,014.64. Growing from one officer, one man, and one plane in 1928, Los Alamitos in 1945 had become one of the Navy's most important air stations.
On 15 August 1943 it became an operational training base for training of fleet units and was reclassified as a Naval Air Station. In addition to providing training, the base serviced aircraft from the battle fleet, including carrier air group
s from USS
Lexington
, Saratoga
, and Langley
.
NRAB Los Alamitos was initially under the command of the naval operating base at San Pedro, California
. Like other Naval Reserve Air Bases established during the 1930s, it fell under the command of the Naval Air Primary Training Command on 1 October 1942; Naval Air Center, Eleventh Naval District, San Diego
, on 15 August 1943; and finally Naval Air Bases, Eleventh Naval District, on 10 August 1944. As an NRAB, the mission of Los Alamitos was to instruct, train and drill Naval Reserve aviation personnel living in the Eleventh Naval District.
Many former military personnel chose to stay on in the City of Los Alamitos
after the war, living in such neighbourhoods as Carrier Row, where streets are named for World War II
aircraft carrier
s.
As was the case with other naval air stations retained in operating status following the war, Los Alamitos suffered a period of transitions and changes. Under the command of the Chief of Naval Air Training at NAS Pensacola, its missions were to train reservists and service the fleet. On 1 March 1946, while it provided training, CASU 33 supported Air Group 98, but the devotion of activity could be measured by the fact that, as of 28 February 1946, it had only ninety-seven V-6 personnel on active duty as station keepers, yet until the end of September this group provided proficiency flying for more than 1,500 inactive reserve pilots. Meanwhile, CASU 706 supported Patrol Squadron 908 (VP-908), Escort Carrier Air Groups 779 and 778, and Carrier Air Group 716. On 16 August 1946, the first group of aviation cadets in the Selective Training Program came on board, and after 1 September, the station would be used by the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS). On 13 October, the record-making Truculent Turtle, which had flown nonstop for almost 4,500 miles, paid the station a visit. By the end of 1946, with 243 reserve pilots, 1,375 volunteer reserve pilots, 255 inactive reserve enlisted men, and 368 active duty station keepers, Los Alamitos was one of the busiest Naval Air Reserve Stations. Between January and March 1947, the station became the largest in the entire Naval Reserve air training programme.
On 17 May 1947, the administration of NAF Litchfield Park
, southwest of downtown Phoenix, Arizona
, was placed under Los Alamitos to serve volunteer reserve aviation personnel in the Phoenix
-Tucson
area. With 1,300 organised reservists, 1,682 inactive reservists, 12 over-aged reservists, 7 women reservists, and 583 station keepers, Los Alamitos remained the largest Naval Air Reserve Station in the United States.
On board during the first quarter of 1948 were a light carrier aircraft group (CLG); two carrier air groups; two escort carrier air groups; two patrol plane squadrons; three transport squadrons; four fleet aircraft service squadrons; two Marine fighting squadrons and a Marine ground control interceptor unit; two volunteer units, one at Litchfield, one on the station proper; a NATS Unit; GCA; and an all-weather station. Until it was decided that there were not enough personnel to continue associated volunteer units at Bakersfield Municipal Airport and Santa Barbara, Los Alamitos assumed administrative responsibilities for them. At the station full operations were carried on for five days a week from 0730 to 1630. Saturday night was reserved for night flying. Operations were limited on Mondays and Thursdays; weekends were madhouses as the "weekend warriors" came on board.
On 7 November 1949, Los Alamitos received its first jet aircraft
, an FJ-1 Fury
. With all FG
s replaced with F6F Hellcat
s, a reorganisation occurred on 1 December 1950 in which there was provided a wing staff with twenty-five squadrons. During the summer of 1950, 105 midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy
reported for four days of an air cruise and 112 seamen reported for eight weeks of training duty. Meanwhile, there was a waiting list for pilots and ground officers. When the naval aviation cadet programme, which had opened on 1 July, closed on 25 October 1950, Los Alamitos had obtained a tenth of the cadets recruited in the entire nation. Meanwhile, in answer to President Truman
's request for reservists to volunteer for duty during the Korean War
, VG-781 requested mobilisation as a complete unit, and was accepted – the first squadron in the nation to do so – VP-772 reported for active duty on 1 September; three Marine Corps Organized Reserve units were ordered to active duty, and so was VP-772. To speed up training, on 6 March and again on 16 May 1951 ninety-day trainees reported on board. The third group of trainees came on board for training 16 June and many of them and station personnel helped saved lives and property during heavy rains and floods that damaged the nearby town of Los Alamitos. On 15 January 1952, the first helicopter
unit came on board. Also in 1952, a reserve air intelligence unit came on board.
On 16 July 1957, then-Major
John H. Glenn, Jr.
, USMC
, set the Transcontinental air speed record
, flying a F8U-1 Crusader
from NAS Los Alamitos to Floyd Bennett Field, New York
, in 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 8.4 seconds. Project Bullet, as the mission was called, provided both the first transcontinental flight to average supersonic speed, and the first continuous transcontinental panoramic photograph
of the United States
. Glenn was awarded his fifth Distinguished Flying Cross
for the mission.
For the next decade, operations at Los Alamitos were routine. In 1970, however, the Navy closed the station as a Naval Air Reserve training facility and let it serve merely as a Naval Air Station. In 1972, helicopter elements of both the California Army National Guard
and United States Army Reserve
relocated from leased facilities at commercial airports to NAS Los Alamitos. Following approval of an environmental impact statement filed in August 1973, the base was designated an Armed Forces Reserve Center for which the Navy was designated host, and the California Army National Guard
was charged with operating the airfield.
The senior command on post is the 40th Infantry Division (Mechanized), headquartered in the large, prominent building facing the flagpole and main entrance artery.
On 23 August 1977, 'ownership' of the base was transferred from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army 'licensed' the operation of the base to the California Army National Guard. The base was commanded by BG James Benson. Los Alamitos Army Airfield was commanded by LTC James C. Ghormley, III.
In July 2000, Los Alamitos Armed Force Reserve Center was renamed Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Center.
This place served as the starting line for the 14th season of the hit CBS Reality TV Show The Amazing Race
. The base's status as an alternate landing area for Air Force One was mentioned in a West Wing episode.
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 one mile (2 km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
) southeast of central Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos is a small city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,449 at the 2010 census, down from 11,536 at the 2000 census...
, and within its city limits, in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Facilities
Los Alamitos Army Airfield has two runwayRunway
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:
- Runway 4L/22R: 5,900 x 150 ft. (1,798 x 46 m), Surface: PEM
- Runway 4R/22L: 8,000 x 200 ft. (2,438 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete
History
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, due to what the United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
perceived as a hostile attitude on the part of the City of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
regarding improvements and maintenance of Long Beach Airport (then both a municipal airport and Naval Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
air station
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
), and unknown to city officials at the time, the Navy had begun a survey for a more suitable site for flight operations. Admiral Ernest J. King
Ernest King
Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King was Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II. As COMINCH, he directed the United States Navy's operations, planning, and administration and was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the U.S...
, then the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, and Admirals William D. Leahy
William D. Leahy
Fleet Admiral William Daniel Leahy was an American naval officer, building his reputation through administration and staff work. As Chief of Naval Operations he was the senior officer in Navy, overseeing the preparations for war. After retiring from the Navy he was appointed by his close friend...
, Joseph K. Taussig
Joseph Taussig
Joseph Knefler Taussig was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy. He served in the Spanish–American War, China Relief Expedition, World War I and World War II.-Biography:...
, and Allen E. Smith pointedly demanded that the City of Long Beach repair the hazardous runways at Long Beach Airport and simply reminded the city that the Pacific Fleet, then laying offshore in both Long Beach and San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
harbors, had a payroll of over US$1 million per month. That sum being quite a lot of money at the time, the city complied with the Navy's demands.
Still, the city continued to show a hostile attitude toward approving a lease on any additional land that the Naval Reserve now required. The Navy thereupon, fed up with the city of Long Beach, decided upon the purchase of some property owned by a Mrs. Susanna Bixby Bryant, a fact made known by the commander of the base, Commander Thomas A. Gray, to the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Admiral John H. Towers. The circumstances behind the purchase were revealed to James V. Forrestal
James Forrestal
James Vincent Forrestal was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense....
, Under Secretary of the Navy, and by him to the House Naval Affairs Committee
United States House Committee on Armed Services
thumb|United States House Committee on Armed Services emblemThe U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives...
who approved the purchase. Although Commander Gray had offered Mrs. Bryant US$350 an acre, in the best patriotic spirit she sold the property at US$300 an acre.
With the site acquired, in 1941, construction funds soon followed and Naval Reserve Air Base (NRAB) Los Alamitos began to take shape. The new base provided many jobs and spurred modest growth. On 1 June 1941, operations physically relocated from Long Beach to Los Alamitos.
By May 1942, Los Alamitos was operating with a complete physical plant including administrative office, sick bay
Sick bay
A sick bay is a compartment in a ship used for medical purposes — the ship's hospital.The sick bay will contain the ship's medicine chest which may be divided into separate cabinets such as a refrigerator for medicines which require cold storage and a locked cabinet for controlled substances...
, a synthetic training facility, central files, classroom, and an assembly & repair department. With a station complement of approximately 2,500 officers and men, the initial aviation cadets began their training. The first graduating class numbered 729 cadets, 180 having washed out. By the end of the year, the base's 36 planes had increased to 140, and in 1943, five outlying fields were acquired, Training was carried out mostly in plywood N2T1s. When changed from the command of the Naval Primary Training Command to that of Naval Air Center, Eleventh Naval District, on 15 August 1943, it was used to station carrier air groups. Renamed a naval air station
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
, its flight operations were conducted by a Fleet Air Detachment, with station complement dropping from about 250 officers and 2000 men to 40 officers and 500 men and the Assembly and Repair Department discontinued but still used by the CASU on board. Many CASUs and ARGUSs (groups to establish forward air bases) were formed at and dispatched from Los Alamitos during the war. With additional construction undertaken after mid-1943, the total investment at the station to 1 January 1945 was $4,827,014.64. Growing from one officer, one man, and one plane in 1928, Los Alamitos in 1945 had become one of the Navy's most important air stations.
On 15 August 1943 it became an operational training base for training of fleet units and was reclassified as a Naval Air Station. In addition to providing training, the base serviced aircraft from the battle fleet, including carrier air group
Carrier air wing
A Carrier Air Wing is an operational naval aviation organization composed of several aircraft squadrons and detachments of various types of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft...
s from USS
United States Navy ships
The names of commissioned ships of the United States Navy all start with USS, meaning 'United States Ship'. Non-commissioned, civilian-manned vessels of the U.S. Navy have names that begin with USNS, standing for 'United States Naval Ship'. A letter-based hull classification symbol is used to...
Lexington
USS Lexington (CV-16)
USS Lexington , known as "The Blue Ghost", is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship, the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name, is named in honor of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington...
, Saratoga
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Saratoga was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the fifth ship to bear her name. She was commissioned one month earlier than her sister and class leader, , which is the third actually commissioned after and Saratoga...
, and Langley
USS Langley (CVL-27)
USS Langley was an 11,000-ton that served the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947, and French Navy as the La Fayette from 1951 to 1963. Named for Samuel Pierpont Langley, American scientist and aviation pioneer, Langley received nine battle stars for World War II service...
.
NRAB Los Alamitos was initially under the command of the naval operating base at San Pedro, California
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
. Like other Naval Reserve Air Bases established during the 1930s, it fell under the command of the Naval Air Primary Training Command on 1 October 1942; Naval Air Center, Eleventh Naval District, San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, on 15 August 1943; and finally Naval Air Bases, Eleventh Naval District, on 10 August 1944. As an NRAB, the mission of Los Alamitos was to instruct, train and drill Naval Reserve aviation personnel living in the Eleventh Naval District.
Many former military personnel chose to stay on in the City of Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos is a small city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,449 at the 2010 census, down from 11,536 at the 2000 census...
after the war, living in such neighbourhoods as Carrier Row, where streets are named for 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...
aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s.
As was the case with other naval air stations retained in operating status following the war, Los Alamitos suffered a period of transitions and changes. Under the command of the Chief of Naval Air Training at NAS Pensacola, its missions were to train reservists and service the fleet. On 1 March 1946, while it provided training, CASU 33 supported Air Group 98, but the devotion of activity could be measured by the fact that, as of 28 February 1946, it had only ninety-seven V-6 personnel on active duty as station keepers, yet until the end of September this group provided proficiency flying for more than 1,500 inactive reserve pilots. Meanwhile, CASU 706 supported Patrol Squadron 908 (VP-908), Escort Carrier Air Groups 779 and 778, and Carrier Air Group 716. On 16 August 1946, the first group of aviation cadets in the Selective Training Program came on board, and after 1 September, the station would be used by the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS). On 13 October, the record-making Truculent Turtle, which had flown nonstop for almost 4,500 miles, paid the station a visit. By the end of 1946, with 243 reserve pilots, 1,375 volunteer reserve pilots, 255 inactive reserve enlisted men, and 368 active duty station keepers, Los Alamitos was one of the busiest Naval Air Reserve Stations. Between January and March 1947, the station became the largest in the entire Naval Reserve air training programme.
On 17 May 1947, the administration of NAF Litchfield Park
Phoenix Goodyear Airport
Phoenix Goodyear Airport , formerly known as Goodyear Municipal Airport, is a public airport located one mile southwest of the central business district of Goodyear, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States....
, southwest of downtown Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, was placed under Los Alamitos to serve volunteer reserve aviation personnel in the Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
-Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
area. With 1,300 organised reservists, 1,682 inactive reservists, 12 over-aged reservists, 7 women reservists, and 583 station keepers, Los Alamitos remained the largest Naval Air Reserve Station in the United States.
On board during the first quarter of 1948 were a light carrier aircraft group (CLG); two carrier air groups; two escort carrier air groups; two patrol plane squadrons; three transport squadrons; four fleet aircraft service squadrons; two Marine fighting squadrons and a Marine ground control interceptor unit; two volunteer units, one at Litchfield, one on the station proper; a NATS Unit; GCA; and an all-weather station. Until it was decided that there were not enough personnel to continue associated volunteer units at Bakersfield Municipal Airport and Santa Barbara, Los Alamitos assumed administrative responsibilities for them. At the station full operations were carried on for five days a week from 0730 to 1630. Saturday night was reserved for night flying. Operations were limited on Mondays and Thursdays; weekends were madhouses as the "weekend warriors" came on board.
On 7 November 1949, Los Alamitos received its first jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
, an FJ-1 Fury
FJ-1 Fury
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Taylor, John, W.R., ed. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1965-1966. London: Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1967. ISBN 0-71061-377-6....
. With all FG
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
s replaced with F6F Hellcat
F6F Hellcat
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy service. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat, it was a completely new design powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Some tagged it as the "Wildcat's big...
s, a reorganisation occurred on 1 December 1950 in which there was provided a wing staff with twenty-five squadrons. During the summer of 1950, 105 midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
reported for four days of an air cruise and 112 seamen reported for eight weeks of training duty. Meanwhile, there was a waiting list for pilots and ground officers. When the naval aviation cadet programme, which had opened on 1 July, closed on 25 October 1950, Los Alamitos had obtained a tenth of the cadets recruited in the entire nation. Meanwhile, in answer to President Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
's request for reservists to volunteer for duty during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, VG-781 requested mobilisation as a complete unit, and was accepted – the first squadron in the nation to do so – VP-772 reported for active duty on 1 September; three Marine Corps Organized Reserve units were ordered to active duty, and so was VP-772. To speed up training, on 6 March and again on 16 May 1951 ninety-day trainees reported on board. The third group of trainees came on board for training 16 June and many of them and station personnel helped saved lives and property during heavy rains and floods that damaged the nearby town of Los Alamitos. On 15 January 1952, the first helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
unit came on board. Also in 1952, a reserve air intelligence unit came on board.
On 16 July 1957, then-Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
John H. Glenn, Jr.
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, USMC
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, set the Transcontinental air speed record
Transcontinental air speed record
-Transcontinental air speed record:-Junior transcontinental air speed record:-Women's transcontinental air speed record:For the women's record, only in-flight time is counted*1930 Ruth Nichols 13 hours and 21 minutes...
, flying a F8U-1 Crusader
F-8 Crusader
The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass...
from NAS Los Alamitos to Floyd Bennett Field, New York
Floyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field is New York City's first municipal airport. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there...
, in 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 8.4 seconds. Project Bullet, as the mission was called, provided both the first transcontinental flight to average supersonic speed, and the first continuous transcontinental panoramic photograph
Panoramic photography
Panoramic photography is a technique of photography, using specialized equipment or software, that captures images with elongated fields of view. It is sometimes known as wide format photography. The term has also been applied to a photograph that is cropped to a relatively wide aspect ratio...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Glenn was awarded his fifth Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
for the mission.
For the next decade, operations at Los Alamitos were routine. In 1970, however, the Navy closed the station as a Naval Air Reserve training facility and let it serve merely as a Naval Air Station. In 1972, helicopter elements of both the California Army National Guard
California Army National Guard
The California Army National Guard is the land force component of the California National Guard, one of the reserve component United States Army and is part of the United States National Guard. The California Army National Guard is composed of about 20,000 soldiers...
and United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
relocated from leased facilities at commercial airports to NAS Los Alamitos. Following approval of an environmental impact statement filed in August 1973, the base was designated an Armed Forces Reserve Center for which the Navy was designated host, and the California Army National Guard
California Army National Guard
The California Army National Guard is the land force component of the California National Guard, one of the reserve component United States Army and is part of the United States National Guard. The California Army National Guard is composed of about 20,000 soldiers...
was charged with operating the airfield.
The senior command on post is the 40th Infantry Division (Mechanized), headquartered in the large, prominent building facing the flagpole and main entrance artery.
On 23 August 1977, 'ownership' of the base was transferred from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army 'licensed' the operation of the base to the California Army National Guard. The base was commanded by BG James Benson. Los Alamitos Army Airfield was commanded by LTC James C. Ghormley, III.
In July 2000, Los Alamitos Armed Force Reserve Center was renamed Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Center.
This place served as the starting line for the 14th season of the hit CBS Reality TV Show The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
. The base's status as an alternate landing area for Air Force One was mentioned in a West Wing episode.
External links
- Los Alamitos Army Airfield (unofficial page)