Naval Air Station Olathe
Encyclopedia
Naval Air Station Olathe is a former United States Navy
base located in Gardner, Kansas
. On its grounds at one point was Olathe Air Force Station
. After it was closed, it was redeveloped into New Century AirCenter
.
Navy Base because it was to be used for the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and Naval Air Primary Training Command (NAPTC) which had been operating out of Fairfax Airport
.
Future astronaut John Glenn
was in the first class to be trained at the base and he was to make his first solo flight in a military plane from the base.
Glenn described the airport in its early days:
After World War II, NAS Olathe was used for flight operations by units of the Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve, as well as a naval air technical training center for active duty enlisted personnel. During the Korean War, NAS Olathe-based Naval Reserve Fighter Squadron 774 (VF 774) was recalled to active duty for two years, including six months of action aboard USS Boxer (CV-21)
.
NAS Olathe's runways were lengthened in 1951 to accept the first tactical jets, North American FJ-1 Fury
s, to be based at NAS Olathe. By 1954, a Jet Transition Training Unit (JTTU) was established at Olathe for propeller pilots transitioning to jet aircraft. F4D Skyray
fighters later operated at NAS Olathe by Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve squadrons until 1966.
World War II hero, then-Captain, later Vice Admiral
James H. Flatley
, Jr., commanded NAS Olathe for about a year. The base was to be renamed NAS Olathe (Flatley Field) for him in 1962.
For over 20 years, Naval Air Reservists from across the Midwest honed their skills and maintained their readiness with squadrons and support units at NAS Olathe. However, budgetary pressures of the Vietnam War forced NAS Olathe to close. The base was decommissioned on October 29, 1969 and the air station was officially closed in July 1970 with the understanding that the Navy could retain thirteen buildings for non-flying Naval Reserve
aviation programs as Naval Air Reserve Center Olathe.
The airport was acquired by Johnson County in 1973 and renamed Johnson County Industrial Airport to reflect a new mission of being an industrial park (including the Fred Allenbrand Criminal Justice Complex for Johnson County). On September 28, 1994 the name was changed to New Century AirCenter so as not to minimize its aviation component.
In 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) voted to close NAVAIRESCEN Olathe and consolidate its units and functions at other Naval Air Reserve activities, with all Navy activities ceasing in 1996.
The base was featured in a segment on the A&E Network
entitled “Haunted America” in which it is claimed the base is the site of paranormal
activity after a pilot crashed into an aircraft hangar next to the airport control tower in the 1950s. According to the report: security guards hear voices, whistles, footsteps on the floor and on overhead catwalks. Locks refuse to stay locked and doors open and close without wind or human intervention and an occasional apparition makes an appearance.
was temporarily based at NAS Olathe prior to its relocation to Grandview Airport, Missouri, later renamed Richards-Gebaur AFB.
In 1951, the United States Air Force
's Air Defense Command selected NAS Olathe as a site for one of twenty-eight radar stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent ADC general radar surveillance network for the United States. Prompted by the start of the Korean War
, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the second segment of the permanent network. The NAS Olathe site was to provide air defense radar coverage of the Kansas City area.
Receiving the Defense Secretary’s approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction of a radar station on the western part of the ground station, about a mile from the runway and ramp/hangars being used by the Navy. Additional housing units were also constructed at NAS Olathe to accommodate the Air Force personnel.
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...
base located in Gardner, Kansas
Gardner, Kansas
Gardner is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,123.-History:Gardner was founded where the California Trail and Santa Fe Trail divided, sending travelers due west over the mountains and through Colorado and Salt Lake City toward San...
. On its grounds at one point was Olathe Air Force Station
Olathe Air Force Station
Olathe Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force radar station that was located in Gardner, Kansas. It was located next to Naval Air Station Olathe, now the grounds of New Century AirCenter.-History:...
. After it was closed, it was redeveloped into New Century AirCenter
New Century AirCenter
New Century AirCenter , formerly known as Naval Air Station Olathe, Flatley Field and Johnson County Industrial Airport, is a general aviation airport located four miles southwest of the central business district of Olathe, a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States.Although most U.S...
.
Navy use
The airport opened as Naval Air Station Olathe on October 1, 1942 and was referred locally as the Gardner, KansasGardner, Kansas
Gardner is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,123.-History:Gardner was founded where the California Trail and Santa Fe Trail divided, sending travelers due west over the mountains and through Colorado and Salt Lake City toward San...
Navy Base because it was to be used for the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and Naval Air Primary Training Command (NAPTC) which had been operating out of Fairfax Airport
Fairfax Airport
Fairfax Airport was an airport in Kansas City, Kansas from 1921 until it closed in 1985. It is most famously associated with the construction of most of the B-25 Mitchell bombers....
.
Future astronaut John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
was in the first class to be trained at the base and he was to make his first solo flight in a military plane from the base.
Glenn described the airport in its early days:
- It was a sea of mud and we made our way from building to building on wooden 'duck boards'.
After World War II, NAS Olathe was used for flight operations by units of the Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve, as well as a naval air technical training center for active duty enlisted personnel. During the Korean War, NAS Olathe-based Naval Reserve Fighter Squadron 774 (VF 774) was recalled to active duty for two years, including six months of action aboard USS Boxer (CV-21)
USS Boxer (CV-21)
USS Boxer was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She was the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for a British ship captured by the Americans during the War of 1812...
.
NAS Olathe's runways were lengthened in 1951 to accept the first tactical jets, North American FJ-1 Fury
FJ-1 Fury
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Taylor, John, W.R., ed. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1965-1966. London: Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1967. ISBN 0-71061-377-6....
s, to be based at NAS Olathe. By 1954, a Jet Transition Training Unit (JTTU) was established at Olathe for propeller pilots transitioning to jet aircraft. F4D Skyray
F4D Skyray
The Douglas F4D Skyray was an American carrier-based supersonic fighter/interceptor built by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
fighters later operated at NAS Olathe by Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve squadrons until 1966.
World War II hero, then-Captain, later Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
James H. Flatley
James H. Flatley
Vice Admiral James Henry "Jimmy" Flatley Jr. was a World War II naval aviator and tactician for the United States Navy-Early life:...
, Jr., commanded NAS Olathe for about a year. The base was to be renamed NAS Olathe (Flatley Field) for him in 1962.
For over 20 years, Naval Air Reservists from across the Midwest honed their skills and maintained their readiness with squadrons and support units at NAS Olathe. However, budgetary pressures of the Vietnam War forced NAS Olathe to close. The base was decommissioned on October 29, 1969 and the air station was officially closed in July 1970 with the understanding that the Navy could retain thirteen buildings for non-flying Naval Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
aviation programs as Naval Air Reserve Center Olathe.
The airport was acquired by Johnson County in 1973 and renamed Johnson County Industrial Airport to reflect a new mission of being an industrial park (including the Fred Allenbrand Criminal Justice Complex for Johnson County). On September 28, 1994 the name was changed to New Century AirCenter so as not to minimize its aviation component.
In 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) voted to close NAVAIRESCEN Olathe and consolidate its units and functions at other Naval Air Reserve activities, with all Navy activities ceasing in 1996.
The base was featured in a segment on the A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
entitled “Haunted America” in which it is claimed the base is the site of paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
activity after a pilot crashed into an aircraft hangar next to the airport control tower in the 1950s. According to the report: security guards hear voices, whistles, footsteps on the floor and on overhead catwalks. Locks refuse to stay locked and doors open and close without wind or human intervention and an occasional apparition makes an appearance.
Air Force use
From 1950 to 1955, the Air Force Reserve's 442d Troop Carrier Wing442d Fighter Wing
The 442d Fighter Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command fighter wing, operationally-gained by Air Combat Command . It is based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri...
was temporarily based at NAS Olathe prior to its relocation to Grandview Airport, Missouri, later renamed Richards-Gebaur AFB.
In 1951, 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 selected NAS Olathe as a site for one of twenty-eight radar stations built as part of the second segment of the permanent ADC general radar surveillance network for the United States. Prompted by the start of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the second segment of the permanent network. The NAS Olathe site was to provide air defense radar coverage of the Kansas City area.
Receiving the Defense Secretary’s approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction of a radar station on the western part of the ground station, about a mile from the runway and ramp/hangars being used by the Navy. Additional housing units were also constructed at NAS Olathe to accommodate the Air Force personnel.