Rosecrans Memorial Airport
Encyclopedia
Rosecrans Memorial Airport is a joint civil-military public airport
located three miles (5 km) northwest of the city of St. Joseph in Buchanan County
, Missouri
, USA
.
The airport is one of two bases for the Missouri Air National Guard
and also serves general aviation
.
Rosecrans Memorial Airport is located on a field that was once referred to as the French Bottoms. It was surrounded by four towns, three of which existed as late as 1979. The northern portion of the French Bottoms was settled first, in the 1830s-50's, and has since washed away. The settlers were French-born and/or descendants of earlier French settlers. In 1877 most of the land that now comprises the airport was located on a river bank on what was called "made land." This land had been formed by river deposits. By this year the French Bottoms contained sixty houses, one church, and two schools. The rich river bottom land, totaling approximately five thousand acres (20 km²), was traditionally used for farming. Some of the descendants of the early French settlers still lived in the bottoms in 1939, when the area was razed to make way for the airport.
The airport was named in honor of Sgt Guy Wallace Rosecrans "and comrades" of the 153rd Aero Squadron, U.S. Army Air Service, 1917-18. Rosecrans was the only St. Joseph airman killed in World War I
. The new 1939 flying field was the third airport in St. Joseph to bear the name Rosecrans. In 1922 the first Rosecrans Field was opened at Lake Contrary. The second was Rosecrans Municipal Airport on the waterworks road, abandoned because of its small size and its dangerous proximity to the Missouri River bluffs to its east.
The 1939 airport was developed by the city as a municipal airport. Two three-thousand-foot-long (910 m) runways were constructed in 1939, as well as an aircraft hangar located east of the runway intersection. During World War II the federal government established an Army Air Forces base at Rosecrans with numerous improvements being made between 1942 and 1943. The diagonal runways were doubled in length and a 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) north-south runway was constructed, while the aircraft parking apron and many temporary buildings, including Hangar T-1020, were built. In 1948 much of the airfield's facilities were conveyed to the city, with the exception of 142 acre (0.57465412 km²) set aside for use by the Air National Guard
. Airport construction during this period consisted of pump house buildings and T-hangars (1949–50) and a terminal and administration building (1951–52).
The Great Flood of 1951
damaged many of the temporary World War II airport buildings beyond economical repair. The Missouri River changed course in the flood, cutting off the airport from its land connection to St. Joseph. Today, visitors from Missouri must go through Kansas via the Pony Express Bridge
and Elwood, Kansas
in order to reach the airport.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formalized the course change by dredging cut-off channel for the river between the airport and downtown St. Joseph. An oxbow lake (Browning Lake) was formed in the old Bellemont Bend and Elwood Bend portions of the river channel. The cut-off channel modified portions of Bon Ton Bend and St. Joseph Bend, and separated the city from the airport. A bridge and highway were later constructed to connect the two.
Construction during the next twenty years included a main hangar building (1954), a flight office building (1960), an emergency generator building (1963), a center taxiway (1973), and a runway (1974–75).
The Great Flood of 1993
destroyed the City Administration Building and the Cockpit Cafe. Both were rebuilt. The oldest, center hangar had to be demolished. In 1994, the diagonal runway, Runway 13-31, was rebuilt into a new assault landing strip for the Air National Guard
and as an additional VFR runway for general aviation aircraft. A new fixed base operator building and a hangar were also constructed.
The last scheduled commercial airline service at the airport was in 1969, three years before the opening of Kansas City International Airport
, 30 miles (48.3 km) south of downtown St. Joseph via Interstate 29
. Over the years the airport has been used for/by business-related general aviation, agricultural crop spraying, charter passenger and cargo services, area student pilot training, nightly mail delivery, and until its acquisition by American Airlines
, pilot training operations by Trans World Airlines
(TWA). Today, its primary use is as a base for the Missouri Air National Guard
.
. This facility became the foundation for the current Rosecrans Air National Guard Base
.
Rosecrans ANGB is currently home to the 139th Airlift Wing
(139 AW), an Air Mobility Command
(AMC)-gained unit of the Missouri Air National Guard
, which functions as the host wing for the installation. The 139 AW flies the "H2" variant of the C-130H Hercules
tactical airlift aircraft.
An additional tenant command at Rosecrans ANGB is the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center
(AATTC), a combined activity of both the Air National Guard
(ANG) and the Air Force Reserve Command
(AFRC).
The mission of the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center (AATTC) is to increase the warfighting effectiveness and survivability of all USAF air mobility forces. AATTC is made up of full-time Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel dedicated to increasing the warfighting effectiveness and survivability of air mobility forces, providing advanced tactics training to tactical airlift crews and support personnel from the Air National Guard
, Air Force Reserve Command
, Air Mobility Command
, Air Combat Command
, Air Force Special Operations Command
, the United States Marine Corps
, and twelve Allied nations. The AATTC functions as a clearinghouse for gathering and disseminating airlift tactics information. Since 1983 the AATTC has hosted an annual Tactics Symposium at Rosecrans ANGB as a forum for providing crosstalk across the tactics community.
Both the 139 AW and the AATTC are made up of a mix of approximately 400 full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Air Reserve Technician (ART) personnel, augmented by over 1000 traditional part-time Air National Guardsmen and Air Force Resevists.
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 three miles (5 km) northwest of the city of St. Joseph in Buchanan County
Buchanan County, Missouri
Buchanan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 89,201. Its county seat is Saint Joseph. When originally formed in 1838, the county was named Roberts County, after settler Hiram Roberts; it was renamed in 1839 for James Buchanan, then a U.S....
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The airport is one of two bases for the Missouri Air National Guard
Missouri Air National Guard
The Missouri Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Missouri. It is, along with the Missouri Army National Guard, an element of the Missouri National Guard...
and also serves 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...
.
History
The airport was named in honor of Sgt Guy Wallace Rosecrans "and comrades" of the 153rd Aero Squadron, U.S. Army Air Service, 1917-18. Rosecrans was the only St. Joseph airman killed in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The new 1939 flying field was the third airport in St. Joseph to bear the name Rosecrans. In 1922 the first Rosecrans Field was opened at Lake Contrary. The second was Rosecrans Municipal Airport on the waterworks road, abandoned because of its small size and its dangerous proximity to the Missouri River bluffs to its east.
The 1939 airport was developed by the city as a municipal airport. Two three-thousand-foot-long (910 m) runways were constructed in 1939, as well as an aircraft hangar located east of the runway intersection. During World War II the federal government established an Army Air Forces base at Rosecrans with numerous improvements being made between 1942 and 1943. The diagonal runways were doubled in length and a 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) north-south runway was constructed, while the aircraft parking apron and many temporary buildings, including Hangar T-1020, were built. In 1948 much of the airfield's facilities were conveyed to the city, with the exception of 142 acre (0.57465412 km²) set aside for use by the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
. Airport construction during this period consisted of pump house buildings and T-hangars (1949–50) and a terminal and administration building (1951–52).
The Great Flood of 1951
Great Flood of 1951
In mid-July 1951, heavy rains led to a great rise of water in the Kansas River and other surrounding areas. Flooding resulted in the Kansas, Neosho, Marais Des Cygnes, and Verdigris river basins. The damage in June and July 1951 exceeded $935 million dollars in an area covering eastern Kansas and...
damaged many of the temporary World War II airport buildings beyond economical repair. The Missouri River changed course in the flood, cutting off the airport from its land connection to St. Joseph. Today, visitors from Missouri must go through Kansas via the Pony Express Bridge
Pony Express Bridge
The Pony Express Bridge is a highway girder bridge over the Missouri River connecting Elwood, Kansas with St. Joseph, Missouri on US-36.The bridge is referred to in signage as Pony Express Bridges because there are separate bridges for east and west bound traffic. The bridges were built in 1983 to...
and Elwood, Kansas
Elwood, Kansas
Elwood is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,224. It is part of the St. Joseph, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Elwood is located at...
in order to reach the airport.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formalized the course change by dredging cut-off channel for the river between the airport and downtown St. Joseph. An oxbow lake (Browning Lake) was formed in the old Bellemont Bend and Elwood Bend portions of the river channel. The cut-off channel modified portions of Bon Ton Bend and St. Joseph Bend, and separated the city from the airport. A bridge and highway were later constructed to connect the two.
Construction during the next twenty years included a main hangar building (1954), a flight office building (1960), an emergency generator building (1963), a center taxiway (1973), and a runway (1974–75).
The Great Flood of 1993
Great Flood of 1993
The Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993 occurred in the American Midwest, along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from April to October 1993. The flood was among the most costly and devastating to ever occur in the United States, with $15 billion in damages...
destroyed the City Administration Building and the Cockpit Cafe. Both were rebuilt. The oldest, center hangar had to be demolished. In 1994, the diagonal runway, Runway 13-31, was rebuilt into a new assault landing strip for the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
and as an additional VFR runway for general aviation aircraft. A new fixed base operator building and a hangar were also constructed.
The last scheduled commercial airline service at the airport was in 1969, three years before the opening of Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport
Kansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport...
, 30 miles (48.3 km) south of downtown St. Joseph via Interstate 29
Interstate 29 in Missouri
Interstate 29, a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States, begins in Missouri. It travels through the Kansas City and St. Joseph metropolitan areas before exiting the state and entering Iowa...
. Over the years the airport has been used for/by business-related general aviation, agricultural crop spraying, charter passenger and cargo services, area student pilot training, nightly mail delivery, and until its acquisition by American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, pilot training operations by Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
(TWA). Today, its primary use is as a base for the Missouri Air National Guard
Missouri Air National Guard
The Missouri Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Missouri. It is, along with the Missouri Army National Guard, an element of the Missouri National Guard...
.
Rosecrans Air National Guard Base
As previously mentioned, with the end of World War II, much of the former U.S. Army Air Forces installation was transferred to the city with the exception of 142 acre (0.57465412 km²) for the National Guard. With the establishment of an independent U.S. Air Force in 1947, the military facilities became part of the newly-established Air National GuardAir National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
. This facility became the foundation for the current Rosecrans Air National Guard Base
Rosecrans Air National Guard Base
Rosecrans Air National Guard Base or Rosecrans ANGB, is located on a portion of the Rosecrans Memorial Airport , Saint Joseph, Missouri. It is the home of the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard and the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center. It is named in honor of Guy Wallace...
.
Rosecrans ANGB is currently home to the 139th Airlift Wing
139th Airlift Wing
The 139th Airlift Wing is located at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base at Rosecrans Memorial Airport, Saint Joseph, Missouri. It is the home of the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center. The 139th AW is one of the two flying wings currently in the Missouri Air National Guard...
(139 AW), an Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
(AMC)-gained unit of the Missouri Air National Guard
Missouri Air National Guard
The Missouri Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Missouri. It is, along with the Missouri Army National Guard, an element of the Missouri National Guard...
, which functions as the host wing for the installation. The 139 AW flies the "H2" variant of the C-130H Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
tactical airlift aircraft.
An additional tenant command at Rosecrans ANGB is the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center
Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center
The Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center, ', is located at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, Saint Joseph, Missouri. The host unit is the 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard...
(AATTC), a combined activity of both the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
(ANG) and the Air Force Reserve Command
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
(AFRC).
The mission of the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center (AATTC) is to increase the warfighting effectiveness and survivability of all USAF air mobility forces. AATTC is made up of full-time Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve personnel dedicated to increasing the warfighting effectiveness and survivability of air mobility forces, providing advanced tactics training to tactical airlift crews and support personnel from the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
, Air Force Reserve Command
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
, Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
, Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
, Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Force Special Operations Command is the Special Operations component of the United States Air Force and the US Air Force component command to the United States Special Operations Command , a unified command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida...
, the United States Marine Corps
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...
, and twelve Allied nations. The AATTC functions as a clearinghouse for gathering and disseminating airlift tactics information. Since 1983 the AATTC has hosted an annual Tactics Symposium at Rosecrans ANGB as a forum for providing crosstalk across the tactics community.
Both the 139 AW and the AATTC are made up of a mix of approximately 400 full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Air Reserve Technician (ART) personnel, augmented by over 1000 traditional part-time Air National Guardsmen and Air Force Resevists.