Beauregard Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Beauregard Regional Airport is a public use airport
in Beauregard Parish
, Louisiana
, United States
. It is owned by Beauregard Parish and is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district
of De Ridder, Louisiana
. The airport serves the general aviation
community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.
The sawmill had been built along the Santa Fe Railroad tracks with the planer mill on one side of the tracks and the big mill, commissary, and office on the other side of the tracks.
Two decades later the nation was experiencing the effects of the Great Depression
. To counteract the unemployment caused by the depression, work projects were activated across the country. One such project was begun in 1934, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of DeRidder under the Auspices of the Emergency Relief Authority which later became the WPA. This project in a stump littered field provided employment for about 400 men, who worked to clear what had once been a densely wooded region. They constructed two earthen runways on 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land leased from the owner. The field was used very little. Barnstorming pilots would occasionally visit and offer rides for $2.00.
The Beauregard Parish Police Jury bought the previously leased 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) plus an additional 280 acres (1.1 km²) for $11,000. An additional 200 acre (0.809372 km²) was later bought to make up 1 square miles (2.6 km²). In February, 1941, the United States Army Corps of Engineers
visited the site urging that a proposed development be filed as a National Defense Project. The Police Jury and the City of DeRidder agreed to furnish the additional 200 acre (0.809372 km²), plus sewage and water facilities, and to remove obstructions to air navigation. The cost to be $475,518.85 excluding labor. On 1 July 1941, a contract for Lease was signed between the Beauregard Parish Police Jury and the United States Army Air Force for a military airfield to be built on the site.
An immediate construction program began to convert the civilian airport into a military airfield and support complex. Construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with three concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Several large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper. During the war years, the base had what was needed for the welfare of the men: a post exchange, library, chapel, finance building, orderly rooms, headquarters sub-depot, officers and enlisted men's clubs, hospital, theater, swimming pool, shooting range, bowling and billiards.
Just before Christmas 1941, the first troops arrived at the DeRidder Army Airbase. It housed anywhere from 3000 to 5000 troops at a time. The airfield was assigned to Third Air Force
as a training airfield.
Initial training was performed by the III Reconnaissance Command
, for reconnaissance and observation units. Units assigned to the airfield were:
In late 1942, the airfield was reassigned to III Tactical Air Command
which performed medium and light bomber tactical bomber training. Units assigned to DeRidder and the aircraft they trained on were:
on 31 March 1944, the II Tactical Air Division of III Tactical Air Command was assigned to DeRidder and conducted replacement training. Training ceased in February 1945 and the airfield was placed in reserve status. DeRidder Army Airbase was declared surplus on October 2, 1946 and transferred to War Assets Administration
on April 30, 1947.
The Beauregard Parish Police Jury assumed responsibility for the airport that year. On December 23, 1948 the government deeded the base to the Police Jury under the terms of the Surplus Property Act.
The airport continues to host military exercises which include parachute jumps by Fort Polk
personnel. Today it operates as the largest general aviation facility that is located in the state of Louisiana. The hangar area is essentially unchanged today except that the 75 feet (22.9 m) control tower has long since been removed and replaced by a metal light beacon tower.
The World War II hangar remains in use and the concrete vault of the Army Air Base Finance Office is located adjacent to the hangar. The vintage sewerage system is still utilized and contributed to a reduced construction cost for the Flight Service Station, a Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) facility completed in 1985.
of 202 feet (62 m) above mean sea level. It has two runway
s: 14/32 is 4,220 by 60 feet (1,286 x 18 m) with an asphalt
surface; 18/36 is 5,495 by 100 feet (1,675 x 30 m) with an asphalt/concrete
surface.
For the 12-month period ending July 8, 2008, the airport had 14,400 aircraft operations, an average of 39 per day: 86% general aviation
and 14% military
. At that time there were 21 aircraft based at this airport: 81% single-engine
and 19% multi-engine.
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...
in Beauregard Parish
Beauregard Parish, Louisiana
Beauregard Parish [p] is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Beauregard Parish was formed on 1 January 1913. The parish seat is DeRidder. As of 2000, the population was 32,986. Beauregard Parish is part of the DeRidder Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Fort Polk...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by Beauregard Parish and is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest 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 De Ridder, Louisiana
De Ridder, Louisiana
DeRidder is a city in and the parish seat of Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 9,808 at the 2000 census. A small portion of the city extends into Vernon Parish....
. The airport serves the 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...
community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.
Origins
The present Beauregard Regional Airport has a long and colorful history, which began prior to its use as an airfield. The airport property includes most of what was once the Graybow Community. In 1912 Graybow was an active community and the location of the Galloway Sawmill.The sawmill had been built along the Santa Fe Railroad tracks with the planer mill on one side of the tracks and the big mill, commissary, and office on the other side of the tracks.
Two decades later the nation was experiencing the effects of 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...
. To counteract the unemployment caused by the depression, work projects were activated across the country. One such project was begun in 1934, 3 miles (4.8 km) west of DeRidder under the Auspices of the Emergency Relief Authority which later became the WPA. This project in a stump littered field provided employment for about 400 men, who worked to clear what had once been a densely wooded region. They constructed two earthen runways on 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land leased from the owner. The field was used very little. Barnstorming pilots would occasionally visit and offer rides for $2.00.
World War II
Interest in the military utilization of the airfield increased significantly in 1939 when war began in Europe. The United States needed a training ground for American troops. In the summer of 1940 and throughout 1941 the area was used for the "Louisiana Maneuvers".The Beauregard Parish Police Jury bought the previously leased 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) plus an additional 280 acres (1.1 km²) for $11,000. An additional 200 acre (0.809372 km²) was later bought to make up 1 square miles (2.6 km²). In February, 1941, 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...
visited the site urging that a proposed development be filed as a National Defense Project. The Police Jury and the City of DeRidder agreed to furnish the additional 200 acre (0.809372 km²), plus sewage and water facilities, and to remove obstructions to air navigation. The cost to be $475,518.85 excluding labor. On 1 July 1941, a contract for Lease was signed between the Beauregard Parish Police Jury and the United States Army Air Force for a military airfield to be built on the site.
An immediate construction program began to convert the civilian airport into a military airfield and support complex. Construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with three concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Several large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper. During the war years, the base had what was needed for the welfare of the men: a post exchange, library, chapel, finance building, orderly rooms, headquarters sub-depot, officers and enlisted men's clubs, hospital, theater, swimming pool, shooting range, bowling and billiards.
Just before Christmas 1941, the first troops arrived at the DeRidder Army Airbase. It housed anywhere from 3000 to 5000 troops at a time. The airfield was assigned to Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
as a training airfield.
Initial training was performed by the III Reconnaissance Command
III Reconnaissance Command
The III Reconnaissance Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
, for reconnaissance and observation units. Units assigned to the airfield were:
- 74th Reconnaissance Group74th Reconnaissance GroupThe 74th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Continental Air Forces, based at Stewart AFB, New York.-History:...
, 10 April-13 December 1942 - 77th Reconnaissance Group77th Aeronautical Systems WingThe 77th Aeronautical Systems Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio....
, 25 July-28 September 1942
In late 1942, the airfield was reassigned to III Tactical Air Command
III Tactical Air Command
The III Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Barksdale Field, Louisiana...
which performed medium and light bomber tactical bomber training. Units assigned to DeRidder and the aircraft they trained on were:
- 321st Bombardment Group (Medium), 1 December 1942-31 January 1943 B-25 MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
- 312th Bombardment Group312th Aeronautical Systems WingThe 312th Aeronautical Systems Group is a component of the United States Air Force 312th Aeronautical Systems Wing. It is stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and is assigned to Air Force Material Command ....
(Dive), 20 February-13 April 1943 A-24 Banshee - 417th Bombardment Group417th Bombardment GroupThe 417th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with V Bomber Command, being stationed at Itami Airfield, Japan, where it was inactivated on 5 November 1945....
, 4 August-10 December 1943 A-20 Havoc - 409th Bombardment Group409th Bombardment GroupThe 409th Air Expeditionary Operations Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Mobility Command. It may be activated or inactivated at any time....
, 10 December 1943-10 February 1944 A-20 Havoc - 408th Fighter Group408th Fighter GroupThe 408th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 25th Air Division , based at Kingsley Field, Oregon. It was inactivated on 1 January 1970-History:...
, 12 February-26 March 1944 P-40 Warhawk
on 31 March 1944, the II Tactical Air Division of III Tactical Air Command was assigned to DeRidder and conducted replacement training. Training ceased in February 1945 and the airfield was placed in reserve status. DeRidder Army Airbase was declared surplus on October 2, 1946 and transferred to War Assets Administration
War Assets Administration
The War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
on April 30, 1947.
The Beauregard Parish Police Jury assumed responsibility for the airport that year. On December 23, 1948 the government deeded the base to the Police Jury under the terms of the Surplus Property Act.
Current use
A requirement of the deed was that the property had to remain a public airport and all benefits of the property must be used to benefit the airport. In this case the federal government, wisely, not only gave the parish an airport but also gave a means by which the airport could provide for its own financial self-support. Today the airport includes over 4200 acres (17 km²) and is, financially, self-supporting.The airport continues to host military exercises which include parachute jumps by Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
personnel. Today it operates as the largest general aviation facility that is located in the state of Louisiana. The hangar area is essentially unchanged today except that the 75 feet (22.9 m) control tower has long since been removed and replaced by a metal light beacon tower.
The World War II hangar remains in use and the concrete vault of the Army Air Base Finance Office is located adjacent to the hangar. The vintage sewerage system is still utilized and contributed to a reduced construction cost for the Flight Service Station, a Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) facility completed in 1985.
Facilities and aircraft
Beauregard Regional Airport covers an area of 4300 acres (1,740.1 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 202 feet (62 m) above mean sea level. It has two 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: 14/32 is 4,220 by 60 feet (1,286 x 18 m) with an 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...
surface; 18/36 is 5,495 by 100 feet (1,675 x 30 m) with an asphalt/concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surface.
For the 12-month period ending July 8, 2008, the airport had 14,400 aircraft operations, an average of 39 per day: 86% 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 14% 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...
. At that time there were 21 aircraft based at this airport: 81% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
and 19% multi-engine.
See also
- Louisiana World War II Army AirfieldsLouisiana World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Louisiana for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
- DeRidder USO BuildingDeRidder USO BuildingThe DeRidder USO was built for the same reasons as all other United Service Organizations; to provide a relaxing atmosphere to members of the armed forces...