Laughlin Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
Laughlin Air Force Base is a facility of the United States Air Force
located five miles (8 km) east of the central business district
(CBD) of Del Rio, Texas
.
training base in the USAF, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing
of the Air Education and Training Command
(AETC). On weekdays, the airfield sees more takeoffs and landings than any other airport in the country.
on 29 (or 28) January 1942. The damage occurred during two bombing runs against Japanese warships and transports in the Makassar Strait off the coast of Balikpapan, Borneo. The field became simply Laughlin Field on November 11, 1943 and later an Army Air Force Auxiliary Field. It was closed in October 1945.
Laughlin Air Force Base reopened on May 1, 1952. In October 1952, ATC transferred the base to Crew Training Air Force (CREWTAF) and activated the 3645th Flying Training Wing (Fighter), as a combat crew replacement training facility for pilots headed for Korea
. Training provided new pilots with basic bombing and gunnery combat skills in the F-80 Shooting Star, F-84 Thunderjet
, and T-33
jet aircraft, but within a short time crews used only the T-33. In Sept. 1955, Laughlin came under the control of the Flying Training Air Force and switched missions with Williams Air Force Base
, Arizona
. Laughlin undertook single-engine pilot training, still using the T-33.
The Air Force transferred jurisdiction of the base to the Strategic Air Command
on April 1, 1957 and the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (Light) moved there from Turner Air Force Base
, Georgia
. Following graduation of the last class in March 1957, ATC inactivated the 3645th FTW. The 4080th Wing provided high-altitude reconnaissance and air sampling using the Lockheed U-2
A and the RB-57D Canberra
. The 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was redesignated the 4080th Strategic Wing on June 15, 1960, and the RB-57 mission was phased out.
Laughlin U-2s were among the first to provide photographic evidence of Soviet missile installations in Cuba
in 1962 when 4080th U-2 pilot Major Steve Heyser flew his U-2C over Cuba after taking off from Edwards AFB, California. Heyser landed at McCoy AFB, Florida, following the mission, with McCoy becoming a U-2 operating location for the duration of the Cuban Missile Crisis
. The film from Major Heyser's mission was developed and analyzed and these same photos were shown to the United Nations
Security Council on October 22, 1962, proving to the world that offensive missiles were being erected on the island of Cuba.
Another 4080th pilot, Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr., perished when his U-2 was hit by shrapnel from a Soviet-made SA-2 on October 22, 1962 while overflying Cuba. While not suffering a direct hit, Anderson was struck by fragments from the missile warhead's proximity explosion that penetrated and compromised his pressure suit. His body was returned to the U.S. following the crisis, still clad in its pressure suit. Major Anderson posthumously became the first recipient of the Air Force Cross
, the Air Force's second highest decoration for valor. Laughlin's primary operations training complex, Anderson Hall, is named in his honor.
In 1961, Headquarters US Air Force notified Laughlin officials their mission would expand to again include an Air Training Command
undergraduate pilot training program. Plans called to transfer in about half the student load from Laredo Air Force Base
, Texas. ATC reactivated the 3645th Pilot Training Wing (later redesignated 3646th Pilot Training Wing) at Laughlin in October 1961 to prepare for the phase-in of students and T-37 and T-33 trainers. The 4080th SW continued at Laughlin as a tenant organization until 1963.
Today, aircraft flown at Laughlin include the T-6A Texan II, the T-38C Talon
and T-1A Jayhawk. Fifteen classes of approximately 20-25 pilots each are graduated every year.
.
(CDP), with a population of 2,225 at the 2000 census
. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the base has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km2), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 2,225 people, 651 households, and 570 families residing on the base. The population density
was 377.6 people per square mile (145.9/km2). There were 664 housing units at an average density of 112.7/sq mi (43.5/km2). The racial makeup of the base was 78.4% European American, 10.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.5% from other races
, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.3% of the population.
There were 651 households out of which 56.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.8% were married couples
living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.3% were non-families. 6.6% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.18.
On the base the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 23.6% from 18 to 24, 42.7% from 25 to 44, 2.5% from 45 to 64, and 0.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 130.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 136.4 males.
The median income for a household on the base was $38,625, and the median income for a family was $38,625. Males had a median income of $26,938 versus $19,643 for females. The per capita income
for the base was $15,121. About 3.1% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
.
Park University offers onsite and online classes on base. Their office is located at the Education Center and is open to military and civilian personnel.
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...
located five miles (8 km) east of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
(CBD) of Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio, Texas
Del Rio is a border city in and the county seat of Val Verde County, Texas, United States.. Del Rio is connected with Ciudad Acuña via the Lake Amistad Dam International Crossing and Del Río-Ciudad Acuña International Bridge...
.
Overview
Laughlin AFB, the largest pilotAviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
training base in the USAF, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing
47th Flying Training Wing
The 47th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force pilot training wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, near Del Rio, Texas...
of the Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
(AETC). On weekdays, the airfield sees more takeoffs and landings than any other airport in the country.
History
Laughlin AFB was originally named Laughlin Army Air Field on March 3, 1943, after Jack T. Laughlin, a B-17E Flying Fortress pilot. He was trained as a pilot and was actually co-pilot of B-17E, Tail number 41-2476. The day of his first bombing mission, he was bumped by the Group Commander Major Stanley K. Robinson (Robinson was co-pilot next to Capt Walter W. Sparks pilot). Major Robinson brought along his own combat experienced navigator, Lt Richard Cease. Basically, Laughlin had no assigned position on the plane for the mission. He became Del Rio's first World War II casualty when the plane he was flying in (most likely as a waist gunner for the mission) was lost to the sea, having succumbed to damage received over the Makassar StraitMakassar Strait
Makassar Strait is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea.The Mahakam River of Borneo empties into the strait....
on 29 (or 28) January 1942. The damage occurred during two bombing runs against Japanese warships and transports in the Makassar Strait off the coast of Balikpapan, Borneo. The field became simply Laughlin Field on November 11, 1943 and later an Army Air Force Auxiliary Field. It was closed in October 1945.
Laughlin Air Force Base reopened on May 1, 1952. In October 1952, ATC transferred the base to Crew Training Air Force (CREWTAF) and activated the 3645th Flying Training Wing (Fighter), as a combat crew replacement training facility for pilots headed for Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. Training provided new pilots with basic bombing and gunnery combat skills in the F-80 Shooting Star, F-84 Thunderjet
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
, and T-33
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...
jet aircraft, but within a short time crews used only the T-33. In Sept. 1955, Laughlin came under the control of the Flying Training Air Force and switched missions with Williams Air Force Base
Williams Air Force Base
Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in Mesa, and about southeast of Phoenix, Arizona.It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Laughlin undertook single-engine pilot training, still using the T-33.
The Air Force transferred jurisdiction of the base to 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...
on April 1, 1957 and the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (Light) moved there from Turner Air Force Base
Turner Air Force Base
Turner Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base whose site is located within the current city limits of Albany, Georgia. Following its closure as a USAF installation in the late 1960s, it was transferred to the U.S. Navy and renamed Naval Air Station Albany...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Following graduation of the last class in March 1957, ATC inactivated the 3645th FTW. The 4080th Wing provided high-altitude reconnaissance and air sampling using the Lockheed U-2
Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
A and the RB-57D Canberra
B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra was a United States-built, twin jet engine light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, which entered service with the United States Air Force in 1953. The B-57 was initially a version of the English Electric Canberra built under license. However, the Glenn L...
. The 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was redesignated the 4080th Strategic Wing on June 15, 1960, and the RB-57 mission was phased out.
Laughlin U-2s were among the first to provide photographic evidence of Soviet missile installations in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 1962 when 4080th U-2 pilot Major Steve Heyser flew his U-2C over Cuba after taking off from Edwards AFB, California. Heyser landed at McCoy AFB, Florida, following the mission, with McCoy becoming a U-2 operating location for the duration of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. The film from Major Heyser's mission was developed and analyzed and these same photos were shown to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council on October 22, 1962, proving to the world that offensive missiles were being erected on the island of Cuba.
Another 4080th pilot, Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr., perished when his U-2 was hit by shrapnel from a Soviet-made SA-2 on October 22, 1962 while overflying Cuba. While not suffering a direct hit, Anderson was struck by fragments from the missile warhead's proximity explosion that penetrated and compromised his pressure suit. His body was returned to the U.S. following the crisis, still clad in its pressure suit. Major Anderson posthumously became the first recipient of the Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United States)
The Air Force Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. The Air Force Cross is the Air Force decoration equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross .The Air Force Cross is awarded for extraordinary heroism...
, the Air Force's second highest decoration for valor. Laughlin's primary operations training complex, Anderson Hall, is named in his honor.
In 1961, Headquarters US Air Force notified Laughlin officials their mission would expand to again include an 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...
undergraduate pilot training program. Plans called to transfer in about half the student load from Laredo Air Force Base
Laredo Air Force Base
Laredo Air Force Base is an inactivated United States Air Force near Laredo, Texas. First activated in 1942 as Laredo Army Airfield, the facility instructed recruits in aerial gunnery during World War II, then as a United States Air Force base in the 1950s and 1960s, performed Undergraduate Pilot...
, Texas. ATC reactivated the 3645th Pilot Training Wing (later redesignated 3646th Pilot Training Wing) at Laughlin in October 1961 to prepare for the phase-in of students and T-37 and T-33 trainers. The 4080th SW continued at Laughlin as a tenant organization until 1963.
Today, aircraft flown at Laughlin include the T-6A Texan II, the T-38C 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....
and T-1A Jayhawk. Fifteen classes of approximately 20-25 pilots each are graduated every year.
Local entertainment
Aside from the reservoir outside of Del Rio for fishing and some lake diving, most forms of recreation are either in the town of Del Rio or across the border in Ciudad AcuñaCiudad Acuña
Ciudad Acuña, also known simply as Acuña, is a city located in the Mexican state of Coahuila, at and a mean height above sea level of 271 meters...
.
Geography
The residential area of the base is a census-designated placeCensus-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP), with a population of 2,225 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the base has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,225 people, 651 households, and 570 families residing on the base. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 377.6 people per square mile (145.9/km2). There were 664 housing units at an average density of 112.7/sq mi (43.5/km2). The racial makeup of the base was 78.4% European American, 10.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.5% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.3% of the population.
There were 651 households out of which 56.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.3% were non-families. 6.6% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.18.
On the base the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 23.6% from 18 to 24, 42.7% from 25 to 44, 2.5% from 45 to 64, and 0.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 130.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 136.4 males.
The median income for a household on the base was $38,625, and the median income for a family was $38,625. Males had a median income of $26,938 versus $19,643 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the base was $15,121. About 3.1% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Education
Laughlin AFB is served by the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School DistrictSan Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District
San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District is a school district based in Del Rio, Texas .The school district serves all of the city of Del Rio and unincorporated portions of Val Verde County....
.
Park University offers onsite and online classes on base. Their office is located at the Education Center and is open to military and civilian personnel.
See also
- Texas World War II Army AirfieldsTexas World War II Army AirfieldsIn today's United States Air Force, many personnel have spent some of their military service being trained in Texas during World War II. Be it basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, technical training, officer training, or flight training at other facilities across the state...
- Air Training CommandAir Training CommandAir 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...