Muir Army Airfield
Encyclopedia
The Muir Army Airfield is a military airport
located at Fort Indiantown Gap
, near Annville
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is home to the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS), operated by the Pennsylvania Army National Guard
. It is 24 nautical mile
s (48 km) northeast of the central business district
of Harrisburg
, in South Central Pennsylvania
. The airfield has one active runway
designated 7/25 with a 3,967 x 100 ft. (1,209 x 30 m) asphalt
surface.
military reservation. On July 12, 1941, the first airplane piloted by Major Edgar Scattergood, Air Office of the 28th Infantry Division, landed on the newly dedicated Muir Field. The 3200x100 foot runway was of good size at the time; however, the Army Corps of Engineers
built the runway in a northeast-southwest direction. Normally, the prevailing wind blows out of the mountains
from the northwest, so there is usually a permanent crosswind during normal weather conditions.
The airfield was named in honor of Major General
Charles H. Muir
, the Commanding General of the 28th Division during World War I
.
in 1981 and focuses on utility and cargo missions, specifically conducting UH-60
, UH-72, and CH-47 qualifications for pilots, instructor pilots, and maintenance test pilots, as well as enlisted maintainers and crewmembers. The 28th Combat Aviation Brigade
, headquartered at Muir Army Airfield, provides all the maintenance support for EAATS.
s and three fixed-wing aircraft
, conducting about 70,000 take-offs and landings annually, making it the second busiest helicopter base in the world.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located at Fort Indiantown Gap
Fort Indiantown Gap
Fort Indiantown Gap, also referred to as "The Gap" or "FIG", is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily located in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. A portion of the installation is located in eastern Dauphin County...
, near Annville
Annville, Pennsylvania
Annville Township is a township and census-designated place in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,518 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Annville Township is located at ....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is home to the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS), operated by the Pennsylvania Army National Guard
Pennsylvania Army National Guard
The Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania...
. It is 24 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 (48 km) northeast of the central business district
Downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Downtown Harrisburg, is the central core business and government center which surrounds the focal point of Market Square, and serves a the regional center for the greater metropolitan area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA....
of Harrisburg
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, in South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania
South Central Pennsylvania is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the fourteen counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, and York....
. The airfield has one active 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...
designated 7/25 with a 3,967 x 100 ft. (1,209 x 30 m) asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface.
History
Muir Army Airfield was established as an airstrip in the 1930s and was originally the central parade ground and emergency landing field of the Fort Indiantown GapFort Indiantown Gap
Fort Indiantown Gap, also referred to as "The Gap" or "FIG", is a census-designated place and U.S. Army post primarily located in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. A portion of the installation is located in eastern Dauphin County...
military reservation. On July 12, 1941, the first airplane piloted by Major Edgar Scattergood, Air Office of the 28th Infantry Division, landed on the newly dedicated Muir Field. The 3200x100 foot runway was of good size at the time; however, the Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
built the runway in a northeast-southwest direction. Normally, the prevailing wind blows out of the mountains
Blue Mountain (Pennsylvania)
Blue Mountain is a ridge that forms the eastern edge of the Appalachian mountain range in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It cuts across the eastern half of the state from New Jersey to Maryland, providing a distinct boundary between a number of Pennsylvania's geographical and cultural regions...
from the northwest, so there is usually a permanent crosswind during normal weather conditions.
The airfield was named in honor of Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Charles H. Muir
Charles Henry Muir
Charles Henry Muir was a soldier in the United States Army.-Biography:He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1885, and from the Infantry and Cavalry School, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1895, at the head of his class...
, the Commanding General of the 28th Division during 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...
.
Eastern Army National Guard Training Site
EAATS was established in by the United States ArmyUnited 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...
in 1981 and focuses on utility and cargo missions, specifically conducting UH-60
Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
The UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System competition in 1972...
, UH-72, and CH-47 qualifications for pilots, instructor pilots, and maintenance test pilots, as well as enlisted maintainers and crewmembers. The 28th Combat Aviation Brigade
28th Combat Aviation Brigade (United States)
The Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division is a heavy aviation unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. The Combat Aviation Brigade is one of five brigades of the 28th Infantry Division. It provides provides aviation assets for both federal and state active duty missions. The...
, headquartered at Muir Army Airfield, provides all the maintenance support for EAATS.
Statistics
Muir Army Airfield currently accommodates 75 helicopterHelicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s and three fixed-wing aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
, conducting about 70,000 take-offs and landings annually, making it the second busiest helicopter base in the world.
See also
- List of United States Army airfields
- United States Army Aviation Center of ExcellenceUnited States Army Aviation Center of Excellence-Mission: "The U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence trains military, civilian, and international personnel in and leadership skills, integrates aviation warfighting doctrine and requirements determination across the DOTMLPF, manages available resources, and sustains our commitment to the...
External links
}- Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (official site)
- Muir Army Airfield and EAATS profile from GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...