Bowers Airport
Encyclopedia
Bowers Airport is a public airport located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north-northeast of Ellensburg, Washington
. It provides general aviation
service.
, however taken over by Air Technical Service Command as a maintenance and supply depot, supporting transient Lend-Lease aircraft being flown to Alaska
for subsequent transfer to the Soviet Union
. Airfield had one axillary field, located at 47°06′39"N 120°37′58"W. Now abandoned, although remains of a runway are still visible in aerial photography.
Military use ended in February 1945, turned over to War Assets Administration for subsequent transfer to Kittias County. Developed as a civil airport.
Bowers Field is named in honor of Ensign Keith Bowers, the first man from Kittitas County killed in World War II
. Bowers was at Pearl Harbor
when it was attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. The field became a training base for military pilots during the war.
Today, large numbers of former aircraft dispersal areas maintained, along with extensive system of taxiways with what appear to be modern aircraft shelters.
Ellensburg, Washington
Ellensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 18,174 at the 2010 census. The population was 18,250 at 2011 Estimate from Office of Financial Management. Ellensburg is located just east of the Cascade Range on I-90 and is known as the...
. It provides 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.
History
Established in 1943 as Ellensburg Army Airfield, manned by the 302d Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron. Planned as a fighter airfield for Fourth Air ForceFourth Air Force
The Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....
, however taken over by Air Technical Service Command as a maintenance and supply depot, supporting transient Lend-Lease aircraft being flown to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
for subsequent transfer to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Airfield had one axillary field, located at 47°06′39"N 120°37′58"W. Now abandoned, although remains of a runway are still visible in aerial photography.
Military use ended in February 1945, turned over to War Assets Administration for subsequent transfer to Kittias County. Developed as a civil airport.
Bowers Field is named in honor of Ensign Keith Bowers, the first man from Kittitas County killed in 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...
. Bowers was at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
when it was attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. The field became a training base for military pilots during the war.
Today, large numbers of former aircraft dispersal areas maintained, along with extensive system of taxiways with what appear to be modern aircraft shelters.
See also
- Washington World War II Army AirfieldsWashington World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Washington for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....