Hutchinson Naval Air Station
Encyclopedia
Sunflower Aerodrome Gliderport is a private glider
airport in Reno County
, Kansas
, United States
. It is located eight nautical mile
s (9 mi
, 14 km
) south of Hutchinson
, and 2 miles (3 km) west-southwest of Yoder
. It was opened in 1971. The facility is used for glider flying. It is a private facility, and prior arrangements are needed for its use.
by the United States Navy
and named Naval Air Station Hutchinson. It was an active naval aviation facility from 1942 to 1946. After the end of World War II it was briefly a civil airport known as Yoder Commercial Airport. It was reopened by the Navy as a naval air station
in 1952 with a training role for Naval Air Reserve personnel.
In 1957, the Navy closed its facilities and the base was taken over by the Kansas Air National Guard
's 117th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, later redesignated as the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and the 190th Tactical Reconnaissance Group
(190 TRG), flying EB-57 Canberra jet reconnaissance aircraft. It was also used by the United States Air Force
's Air Defense Command as a general surveillance radar facility. During its Air Defense Command use, the radar site was known as Hutchinson Air Force Station, while the opertaional airfield, flight line and associated infrastructure was known as Hutchinson Air National Guard Base.
The Kansas Air National Guard moved the 190 TRG and its aircraft to Forbes AFB in 1967, and in 1968 the Air Defense Command closed its radar site, marking an end to all military activity at the airfield. It is now currently used as a civilian glider port, and is rented and used by the WSA, KSA, and SSA organizations.
s (162 ha
) at an elevation
of 1,582 feet (482 m) above mean sea level. It has three runway
s:
There are 24 aircraft based at this facility: 83% glider
and 17% single-engine
.
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
airport in Reno County
Reno County, Kansas
Reno County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 64,511 for the 2010 census. The largest city and county seat is Hutchinson. The Hutchinson Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Reno County.-19th century:In 1887, the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located eight nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (9 mi
Mile
A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile...
, 14 km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
) south of Hutchinson
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...
, and 2 miles (3 km) west-southwest of Yoder
Yoder, Kansas
Yoder is a small unincorporated community in Reno County in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Kansas, about 10 miles southeast of the city of Hutchinson on K-96. Although Yoder is unincorporated, with no city government, it does have a U.S. Post Office and its own zip code...
. It was opened in 1971. The facility is used for glider flying. It is a private facility, and prior arrangements are needed for its use.
History
The facility was built during World War IIWorld 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...
by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and named Naval Air Station Hutchinson. It was an active naval aviation facility from 1942 to 1946. After the end of World War II it was briefly a civil airport known as Yoder Commercial Airport. It was reopened by the Navy as a naval air station
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
in 1952 with a training role for Naval Air Reserve personnel.
In 1957, the Navy closed its facilities and the base was taken over by the Kansas Air National Guard
Kansas Air National Guard
The Kansas Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is, along with the Kansas Army National Guard, an element of the Kansas National Guard. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force, as well as of the state....
's 117th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, later redesignated as the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and the 190th Tactical Reconnaissance Group
190th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 190th Air Refueling Wing is an aerial refueling unit located at Forbes Field, Kansas.-History:...
(190 TRG), flying EB-57 Canberra jet reconnaissance aircraft. It was also used by 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...
's Air Defense Command as a general surveillance radar facility. During its Air Defense Command use, the radar site was known as Hutchinson Air Force Station, while the opertaional airfield, flight line and associated infrastructure was known as Hutchinson Air National Guard Base.
The Kansas Air National Guard moved the 190 TRG and its aircraft to Forbes AFB in 1967, and in 1968 the Air Defense Command closed its radar site, marking an end to all military activity at the airfield. It is now currently used as a civilian glider port, and is rented and used by the WSA, KSA, and SSA organizations.
Facilities and aircraft
The facility covers an area of 400 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (162 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
) at an elevation
Elevation
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 1,582 feet (482 m) above mean sea level. It has three 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:
- 4/22 is 4,200 by 35 feet (1,280 x 11 m) with a concrete surface;
- 13/31 is 4,200 by 100 feet (1,280 x 30 m) with a concrete surface;
- 17/35 is 7,000 by 200 feet (2,134 x 61 m) with an asphalt surface.
There are 24 aircraft based at this facility: 83% glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
and 17% 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...
.
External links
- Aerial image as of 1 October 1991 from USGS The National Map