Roswell International Air Center
Encyclopedia
Roswell International Air Center (RIAC) , also known as Roswell Industrial Air Center, is a city-owned public-use airport
located seven miles (11 km
) south of the central business district
of Roswell
, a city in Chaves County, New Mexico
, United States.
. At the time of its closure, it was the largest base of the United States Air Force
Strategic Air Command
. Roswell International Air Center was developed after the closure of Walker Air Force Base
on 30 June 1967.
Walker AFB was named after General
Kenneth Newton Walker, a native of Los Cerrillos, New Mexico
. He was killed during a bombing mission over Rabaul
, New Britain
, Papua, New Guinea. on January 5, 1943. Though intercepted by enemy fighters, his group scored direct hits on nine Japanese ships. General Walker was last seen leaving the target area with one engine on fire and several fighters on his tail. For his actions, General Walker was awarded the Medal of Honor
posthumously by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1943.
The base was renamed in his honor on January 13, 1948. Walker Hall, at Maxwell Air Force Base
, Alabama
, home of the College of Aerospace Doctrine Research and Education, is also named after the general.
In 1966, the Air Force announced that Walker AFB would be closed. This was during a round of base closings and consolidations as the Defense Department struggled to pay the expenses of the Vietnam War
within the budgetary limits set by Congress.
It is also known for the Roswell UFO incident
, an event that supposedly happened on 4 July 1947. It is alleged that a "flying disk
" crashed during a severe thunderstorm near RIAC at Corona, New Mexico
.
The site was used for several years to launch stratospheric balloons for Air Force projects.
The site is the storage facility for many of American Airlines' retired Airbus A-300 aircraft.
On 2 April 2011, a Gulfstream G650
crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport, during a test flight, killing all four aboard.
s:
For the 12-month period ending October 31, 2007, the airport had 43,990 aircraft operations, an average of 120 per day: 51% general aviation
, 31% military
, 18% air taxi
and <1% scheduled commercial
. At that time there were 46 aircraft based at this airport: 76% single-engine
, 17% multi-engine, 4% jet
and 2% helicopter
.
RIAC is the home of the New Mexico Rehabilitation Center.
The Boeing Company uses RIAC for braking performance testing of its aircraft, most recent was the testing of the BF Goodrich carbon brakes on the 737-900ER model. Also testing on brakes was performed on the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
A New Mexico
National Guard unit uses some of the buildings of the facility.
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 seven miles (11 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 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"...
of Roswell
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
, a city in Chaves County, New Mexico
Chaves County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.9% White*2.0% Black*1.2% Native American*0.6% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.2% Two or more races*22.0% Other races*52.0% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, United States.
History
From 1941 to 1967, the facility was known as Roswell Army Airfield during World War II, and Walker Air Force Base during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. At the time of its closure, it was the largest base of 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...
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...
. Roswell International Air Center was developed after the closure of Walker Air Force Base
Walker Air Force Base
Walker Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force base located three miles south of the central business district of Roswell, a city in Chaves County, New Mexico, US...
on 30 June 1967.
Walker AFB was named after General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Kenneth Newton Walker, a native of Los Cerrillos, New Mexico
Los Cerrillos, New Mexico
Los Cerrillos is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 229 at the 2000 census. Accessible from State Highway 14 or The Turquoise Trail, Cerrillos is on the road from Santa Fe...
. He was killed during a bombing mission over Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
, New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
, Papua, New Guinea. on January 5, 1943. Though intercepted by enemy fighters, his group scored direct hits on nine Japanese ships. General Walker was last seen leaving the target area with one engine on fire and several fighters on his tail. For his actions, General Walker was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
posthumously by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
in 1943.
The base was renamed in his honor on January 13, 1948. Walker Hall, at Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, home of the College of Aerospace Doctrine Research and Education, is also named after the general.
In 1966, the Air Force announced that Walker AFB would be closed. This was during a round of base closings and consolidations as the Defense Department struggled to pay the expenses of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
within the budgetary limits set by Congress.
It is also known for the Roswell UFO incident
Roswell UFO incident
The Roswell UFO Incident was the recovery of an object that crashed in the general vicinity of Roswell, New Mexico, in June or July 1947, allegedly an extra-terrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants. Since the late 1970s the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and of...
, an event that supposedly happened on 4 July 1947. It is alleged that a "flying disk
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
" crashed during a severe thunderstorm near RIAC at Corona, New Mexico
Corona, New Mexico
Corona is a village in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States, located on U.S. Route 54. The population was 165 at the 2000 census.Corona is the closest habitation to a purported UFO crash in 1947 about 30 miles to the southeast...
.
The site was used for several years to launch stratospheric balloons for Air Force projects.
The site is the storage facility for many of American Airlines' retired Airbus A-300 aircraft.
On 2 April 2011, a Gulfstream G650
Gulfstream G650
The Gulfstream G650 is a twin-engine business jet aircraft under development by Gulfstream Aerospace. Gulfstream began the G650 program in 2005 and revealed it to the public in 2008...
crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport, during a test flight, killing all four aboard.
Facilities and aircraft
Roswell International Air Center Airport covers an area of 5029 acres (2,035.2 ha), with three paved runwayRunway
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:
- Runway 3/21: 13,001 x 150 ft. (3,963 x 46 m), Surface: asphalt/concrete
- Runway 12/30: 7,425 x 200 ft. (2,263 x 61 m), Surface: asphalt/concrete
- Runway 17/35: 9,999 x 100 ft. (3,048 x 30 m), Surface: asphalt
For the 12-month period ending October 31, 2007, the airport had 43,990 aircraft operations, an average of 120 per day: 51% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, 31% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
, 18% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
and <1% scheduled commercial
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
. At that time there were 46 aircraft based at this airport: 76% 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...
, 17% multi-engine, 4% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
and 2% helicopter
Helicopter
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...
.
Airline and destinations
Other uses
The RIAC is home to a plastic manufacturer; Novabus Inc. has a bus factory there; a candy manufacturer and the Roswell Municipal Airport. Eastern New Mexico University has a campus there, and aircraft repair and refurbishing companies have airliners stored onsite.RIAC is the home of the New Mexico Rehabilitation Center.
The Boeing Company uses RIAC for braking performance testing of its aircraft, most recent was the testing of the BF Goodrich carbon brakes on the 737-900ER model. Also testing on brakes was performed on the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
A New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
National Guard unit uses some of the buildings of the facility.
External links
- Visit the official Walker Air Force Base Museum website.
- Roswell International Air Center at City of Roswell web site
- Historical record of stratospheric balloons launched there at StratoCat web site