Graham Air Base
Encyclopedia
Graham Air Base was a United States Air Force
base located in Marianna, Florida
. After it was closed, it was reused as Marianna Municipal Airport
.
was transferred from the jurisdiction of Eastern Flying Training Command to Third Air Force
on 12 October 1944. The station came under the command of the 137th Army Air Forces Base Unit. With the reassignment to Third Air Force, the mission of the base was changed from the training of pilots for single-engine pursuit fighter aircraft to training of combat crews for the A-26 Invader
light bomber aircraft.
After the war ended, the airfield was closed on 15 February 1946 and the Federal Government returned control of 2010 acres (8.1 km²) to the City of Marianna in 1947.
installation under the Air Training Command
(ATC) in response to increased demands for pilots as a result of the Cold War
and the associated increase in number of Air Force combat flying wings, especially within the Strategic Air Command
. The facility was activated on 27 January 1953 and renamed Graham Air Base for William J. Graham, a civilian instructor who provided primary flight training to pilots and headed the school. Graham AB replaced Greenville Air Force Base
, Mississippi
as a contract pilot training school as Greenville AFB became an ATC basic single engine and jet pilot training school.
The 3300th Pilot Training Squadron was reassigned from Greenville to Marianna to support the mission, with predominantly civilian instructors providing training in USAF PA-18 Super Cub and AT-6 Texan, and subsequently T-34 Mentor
and T-28 Trojan
aircraft, graduating a group of USAF student pilots from primary training every six weeks. Because its short runways could not readily accommodate the USAF jet trainers of the period, student pilots completing primary training were then assigned to other air force bases with longer runways for more advanced training in aircraft such as the T-33 Shooting Star
. Although its instructor cadre was primarily civilian, Graham AB was still an Air Force installation with an overall military cadre in command and operated under constant military supervision.
Students were a combination of both commissioned USAF officers and non-commissioned air cadets, the latter who would receive their commissions upon completion of flight training. New bachelor officer quarters, cadet barracks and other facilities were built, and by 1953 military personnel began arriving and were greeted warmly by the residents of Jackson County. The air base ultimately employed 700 civilians in addition to assigned USAF military cadre and student personnel . Notable graduates of initial pilot training at Graham AB include former Chief of the National Guard Bureau
, Lieutenant General
Russell C. Davis
and former Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General
Michael P. C. Carns, who was also a member of the first graduating class of the USAF Academy in 1959.
In June 1958, the Air Force began replacing their prop-driven T-28s with the first T-37 Tweet jet trainers, and by 1960, the Air Force was fully committed to transitioning to the Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) concept at selected Air Training Command installations with longer runways which would eventually host T-37 Tweet and T-38 Talon
jet trainers. Facilities like Graham AB, with civilian contractor instructors and short runways became obsolete and were eventually closed in the early 1960s.
The Air Force decided to close Graham AB in late 1960, despite the efforts of influential Florida Congressman Robert L. F. Sikes
(D-FL) to keep it running. Jackson County lost a combined military and civilian payroll of $6 million, along with several hundred military and contractor families. As the installation was being scaled down as a military facility, the industrial committee of the Junior Chamber of Commerce began working to adapt the air base into a combination industrial park and civilian airport. The 3300th Training Squadron was inactivated on 1 February 1961. ATC wanted to close the base in March, but an Air Force imposed freeze on shipping property delayed its final closure. However, on 31 August 1961 the base was turned over to civil control.
. In addition to its civilian general aviation traffic, the airport continues to see significant use by military aircraft, with one third of the airport's daily operations normally consisting of transient military training flights, primarily Army helicopters from Fort Rucker
and Navy helicopters from Naval Air Station Whiting Field
.
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...
base located in Marianna, Florida
Marianna, Florida
Marianna is a city in Jackson County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,230 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,200 . It is the county seat of Jackson County and is home to Chipola College...
. After it was closed, it was reused as Marianna Municipal Airport
Marianna Municipal Airport
Marianna Municipal Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Marianna, a city in Jackson County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the Marianna Municipal Airport Authority. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated...
.
Marianna Army Airfield
Before World War II, the City of Marianna managed an airport at the existing airport site, which covered 635 acres (2.6 km²) and included a 4600 feet (1,402.1 m) long dirt runway. The federal government acquired the airport in 1942 and added 1915 acres (7.7 km²) additional to construct the Marianna Army Air Field for the U.S. Army Air Forces. The airfield opened on 8 August 1942 and eventually had six hard surface runways averaging 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) in length and was used as a training base for the Southeast Army Air Force Training Command. The Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced-Single Engine) was activated on 1 September 1942, with the 17th Single Engine Flying Training Group being the Operational Training Unit. Aircraft used during training were P-40 Warhawks and AT-6 Texans. Marianna AAFwas transferred from the jurisdiction of Eastern Flying Training Command 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....
on 12 October 1944. The station came under the command of the 137th Army Air Forces Base Unit. With the reassignment to Third Air Force, the mission of the base was changed from the training of pilots for single-engine pursuit fighter aircraft to training of combat crews for the A-26 Invader
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
light bomber aircraft.
After the war ended, the airfield was closed on 15 February 1946 and the Federal Government returned control of 2010 acres (8.1 km²) to the City of Marianna in 1947.
Graham Air Base
In 1953, the old Marianna Army Air Field was reactivated as a United States Air ForceUnited 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...
installation under the Air Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
(ATC) in response to increased demands for pilots as a result of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the associated increase in number of Air Force combat flying wings, especially within the Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
. The facility was activated on 27 January 1953 and renamed Graham Air Base for William J. Graham, a civilian instructor who provided primary flight training to pilots and headed the school. Graham AB replaced Greenville Air Force Base
Greenville Air Force Base (Mississippi)
Greenville Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Greenville, Mississippi. It was closed in the 1960s and redeveloped into Mid-Delta Regional Airport.- History :...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
as a contract pilot training school as Greenville AFB became an ATC basic single engine and jet pilot training school.
The 3300th Pilot Training Squadron was reassigned from Greenville to Marianna to support the mission, with predominantly civilian instructors providing training in USAF PA-18 Super Cub and AT-6 Texan, and subsequently T-34 Mentor
T-34 Mentor
The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C...
and T-28 Trojan
T-28 Trojan
The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...
aircraft, graduating a group of USAF student pilots from primary training every six weeks. Because its short runways could not readily accommodate the USAF jet trainers of the period, student pilots completing primary training were then assigned to other air force bases with longer runways for more advanced training in aircraft such as the T-33 Shooting Star
T-33 Shooting Star
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer aircraft. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the...
. Although its instructor cadre was primarily civilian, Graham AB was still an Air Force installation with an overall military cadre in command and operated under constant military supervision.
Students were a combination of both commissioned USAF officers and non-commissioned air cadets, the latter who would receive their commissions upon completion of flight training. New bachelor officer quarters, cadet barracks and other facilities were built, and by 1953 military personnel began arriving and were greeted warmly by the residents of Jackson County. The air base ultimately employed 700 civilians in addition to assigned USAF military cadre and student personnel . Notable graduates of initial pilot training at Graham AB include former Chief of the National Guard Bureau
Chief of the National Guard Bureau
The Chief of the National Guard Bureau is the head of the National Guard Bureau, which is a joint activity of the Department of Defense , and is the highest ranking officer in the National Guard and the National Guard of the United States ; the latter of which is a joint reserve component of the...
, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Russell C. Davis
Russell C. Davis
Lieutenant General Russell C. Davis was Chief, National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia.Davis began his military career in the U.S. Air Force in 1958 as an aviation cadet. Following pilot training, he was assigned at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska. He was released from active duty in April...
and former Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Michael P. C. Carns, who was also a member of the first graduating class of the USAF Academy in 1959.
In June 1958, the Air Force began replacing their prop-driven T-28s with the first T-37 Tweet jet trainers, and by 1960, the Air Force was fully committed to transitioning to the Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) concept at selected Air Training Command installations with longer runways which would eventually host T-37 Tweet and T-38 Talon
T-38 Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
jet trainers. Facilities like Graham AB, with civilian contractor instructors and short runways became obsolete and were eventually closed in the early 1960s.
The Air Force decided to close Graham AB in late 1960, despite the efforts of influential Florida Congressman Robert L. F. Sikes
Robert L. F. Sikes
Robert Lee Fulton Sikes was a U.S. Representative from Florida.Born in Isabella, near Sylvester, Georgia, Sikes attended the public schools....
(D-FL) to keep it running. Jackson County lost a combined military and civilian payroll of $6 million, along with several hundred military and contractor families. As the installation was being scaled down as a military facility, the industrial committee of the Junior Chamber of Commerce began working to adapt the air base into a combination industrial park and civilian airport. The 3300th Training Squadron was inactivated on 1 February 1961. ATC wanted to close the base in March, but an Air Force imposed freeze on shipping property delayed its final closure. However, on 31 August 1961 the base was turned over to civil control.
Civil use
Today the airport is known as Marianna Municipal AirportMarianna Municipal Airport
Marianna Municipal Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Marianna, a city in Jackson County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the Marianna Municipal Airport Authority. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated...
. In addition to its civilian general aviation traffic, the airport continues to see significant use by military aircraft, with one third of the airport's daily operations normally consisting of transient military training flights, primarily Army helicopters from Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
and Navy helicopters from Naval Air Station Whiting Field
Naval Air Station Whiting Field
Naval Air Station Whiting Field is a United States Navy base located near Milton, Florida, in central Santa Rosa County, and is one of the Navy's two primary pilot training bases . NAS Whiting Field also provides training for U.S. Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force student pilots, as well as...
.