Not to be confused with Ethan Allen Air Force Base

Ethan Allen Army Airfield is a former United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 airfield located on Fort Ethan Allen

Fort Ethan Allen

Fort Ethan Allen was a U.S. army installation in Vermont, named for American Revolutionary War figure Ethan Allen. First serving as a cavalry post in 1894, today it is the center of a designated national historic district straddling the town line between Colchester and Essex...

, Vermont. It was used for observation aircraft between 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...

 and 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...

.

History

Army observation planes began using a field at Fort Ethan Allen in the early 1920s. It was used primarily for artillery spotting by the 7th Field Artillery Regiment during training exercises. The Army used new Consolidated PT-1

Consolidated PT-1

The Consolidated PT-1 Trusty was a biplane primary trainer used by the United States Army Air Service.-Design and development:...

 trainers, and probably World War I Curtiss JN-4

Curtiss JN-4

The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was one of a series of "JN" biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the U.S...

 and JN-6 Jennys for artillery spotting activities.

In 1927 a flood hit the Burlington, Vermont

Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....

 area and the aircraft at the field were used to search for missing people lost in the area and for aerial reconnaissance of the flooded areas, as the areas affected had flooded roads leading to them.

The airfield was closed by the Army about 1940 along with the gradual inactivation of Fort Ethan Allen. The airfield returned to its original use as a drill field for Vermont National Guardsmen who used the Fort after World War II prior to its transfer to the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 in 1947 and its subsequent sale to the University of Vermont

University of Vermont

The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...

 in 1964.

The Air Force used Fort Ethan Allen primarily for personnel housing and base station facilities supporting Ethan Allen Air Force Base which was co-located with Burlington Airport

Burlington International Airport

Burlington International Airport is a joint-use public and military airport in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. It is owned by the City of Burlington...

. Vermont Army National Guard troops trained at the Fort and the old grass airfield is used occasionally by National Guard Army Aviation Helicopters.