Hereford Army Airfield
Encyclopedia
Hereford Army Airfield is an abandoned military airfield located about 2 miles (3.2 km) west-southwest of Hereford, Arizona
.
facilities. The Hereford AAF had housing capacity for 598 troops. According to the 2011 Archive Research Site Summary, historic construction maps of the airfield depict a skeet range southeast of the runways. It is unknown, however, whether the skeet range depicted in the field progress report was ever constructed
Due to its mission of training bomber crews, the longest runway at Hereford was 9,200’ long, which was significantly larger than the typical runway of a World War II era training field. The airfield offered specialized night training in B-25 Mitchell
and B-26 Marauder
medium bombers. Historical documents also indicate that UC-78 aircraft were also flown out of Hereford AAF.
The Hereford airfield was apparently reused for some period of time as a civil airport, as the 1983 USGS topo map labeled the site as "Hereford Airport", but only depicted the north/south runway. The other two runways were not depicted at all. However, this rejuvenation of the field was evidently short lived as Hereford was not listed in the 1987 Flight Guide.
It appears that one of the runways at Hereford was used by small private aircraft until about 1990, however as of the late 1990s, the entire Hereford site was privately owned. The site has been used for a ranching operation that included removal of almost all military structures & planting of grasses. The only evidence of the USAAF construction remaining was the deteriorating concrete parking apron, deteriorating bituminous runways & taxiway, and a pile of concrete tower bases.
The north/south runway has been graded & reused as 'Airstrip Road', and one lucky family gets to use the old 500’ x 500’ concrete apron as their driveway. It does not appear that the 1980s redevelopment (as an airport) resulted in any improvements to the site aside from a single prefab hangar & equipment shed which were erected on the apron.
By 1998, the Hereford field was apparently abandoned again, and the land has become part of the suburbs of fast-growing Sierra Vista
. Plots have been subdivided, and several houses ranging from simple to elaborate have been built on the site with many more to come.
As of 2011 the area has been extensively developed into rural residential homes, with the zoning lot size at 4 acres. The main runway is barely discerned as Airstrip Road, with the occasional piece of asphalt still visible in the grass. The large concrete apron can still be seen, being used as a gigantic driveway for one home.
Hereford, Arizona
Hereford is an unincorporated community in Cochise County along the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is south of Sierra Vista and is a part of the Sierra Vista-Douglas micropolitan area...
.
Military use
The airfield was was acquired by the War Department in August 1942 for use as an auxiliary air field for Douglas Army Airfield, Arizona. A total of 2598 acres (10.5 km²) were acquired by the War Department. Improvements included three bituminous runways, three bituminous taxiways, a concrete parking apron, 38 buildings, and 18 miscellaneous structures. Four ordnance-related structures were also identified, as well as two ammunition storagefacilities. The Hereford AAF had housing capacity for 598 troops. According to the 2011 Archive Research Site Summary, historic construction maps of the airfield depict a skeet range southeast of the runways. It is unknown, however, whether the skeet range depicted in the field progress report was ever constructed
Due to its mission of training bomber crews, the longest runway at Hereford was 9,200’ long, which was significantly larger than the typical runway of a World War II era training field. The airfield offered specialized night training in B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The 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...
and B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
medium bombers. Historical documents also indicate that UC-78 aircraft were also flown out of Hereford AAF.
Civil use
Hereford AAF was declared surplus in 1945, and custody was assumed by the War Assets Administration, which sold the property. It was apparently abandoned by 1949. The War Assets Administration terminated the leases and sold the purchased property. The private owners apparently accepted ownership of some of the improvements in lieu of a restoration that might have been required.The Hereford airfield was apparently reused for some period of time as a civil airport, as the 1983 USGS topo map labeled the site as "Hereford Airport", but only depicted the north/south runway. The other two runways were not depicted at all. However, this rejuvenation of the field was evidently short lived as Hereford was not listed in the 1987 Flight Guide.
It appears that one of the runways at Hereford was used by small private aircraft until about 1990, however as of the late 1990s, the entire Hereford site was privately owned. The site has been used for a ranching operation that included removal of almost all military structures & planting of grasses. The only evidence of the USAAF construction remaining was the deteriorating concrete parking apron, deteriorating bituminous runways & taxiway, and a pile of concrete tower bases.
The north/south runway has been graded & reused as 'Airstrip Road', and one lucky family gets to use the old 500’ x 500’ concrete apron as their driveway. It does not appear that the 1980s redevelopment (as an airport) resulted in any improvements to the site aside from a single prefab hangar & equipment shed which were erected on the apron.
By 1998, the Hereford field was apparently abandoned again, and the land has become part of the suburbs of fast-growing Sierra Vista
Sierra Vista, Arizona
Sierra Vista is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 43,044....
. Plots have been subdivided, and several houses ranging from simple to elaborate have been built on the site with many more to come.
As of 2011 the area has been extensively developed into rural residential homes, with the zoning lot size at 4 acres. The main runway is barely discerned as Airstrip Road, with the occasional piece of asphalt still visible in the grass. The large concrete apron can still be seen, being used as a gigantic driveway for one home.
See also
- Arizona World War II Army AirfieldsArizona World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Arizona for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....