Scribner Army Airfield
Encyclopedia
Scribner State Airport is a public use airport
located three nautical mile
s (6 km) southeast of the central business district
of Scribner
, a city in Dodge County
, Nebraska
, United States
. It is owned by the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics.
In addition to being a civilian airport, the airfield hosts the IHRA drag racing circuit.
of 1,325 feet (404 m) above mean sea level. It has two runway
s with concrete
surfaces: 17/35 is 4,200 by 75 feet (1,280 x 23 m) and 12/30 is 3,199 by 60 feet (975 x 18 m).
For the 12-month period ending August 22, 2007, the airport had 2,600 aircraft operations, an average of 216 per month: 96% general aviation
and 4% military
. At that time there were 21 aircraft based at this airport: 67% single-engine
and 33% ultralight.
military training airfield. The 2060 acres (8.3 km²) site is located south of the Elkhorn River and is surrounded by low rolling hills on the east, north and west. Agriculture is the main industry of the area.
The first official news that Scribner Army Airfield would be constructed came on 1 October 1942, with eviction notices given to area farmers shortly thereafter. Construction soon began, with two runways completed by 26 November 1942. 87 buildings and structures were constructed. The base was officially opened on 9 December 1942.
Scribner AAF was one of eleven training airfields in Nebraska, and came under the command of Second Air Force
. It was initially designated as a satellite base to Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa
, though by 1943 it became an independent base, with Ainsworth Army Airfield
, Nebraska, being designated as Scribner's satellite. The 4316th Army Air Force Base Unit had host unit responsibilities at Schribner. In December 1942, the Base Commander was Major A. J. Guffanti.
The field's primary mission was to provide aircrew training for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
bomber air crews. In addition, P-47 Thunderbolt
fighter pilots completed proficiency training at Scribner before reassignment to the European Theater of Operations
. Crews that used Scribner Army Airfield included the following:
Schribner also became a camouflage school. By 1943 the entire airfield was camouflaged to look like a farm and small village to prove that an airfield could be hidden from the enemy. The hangar was painted red to resemble a barn, chicken wire was stuffed with green colored spun glass to resemble trees, and a mock silo beside the barn really housed the sliding hangar doors. Another building was given a steeple and painted to resemble a church, and a "school house" was built with spun-glass children. Even the runways were coated with tar and coated with wood chips and ground corncobs, and painted green or brown, depending on the season.
The USAAF training airfield closed on 31 December 1945 and the State of Nebraska acquired the Airfield property from the U.S. Government in 1946. By 1951, word came that the then surplus Scribner Air Base was being considered as the site of a proposed United States Air Force Academy
. This did not happen, however, the U.S. Air Force acquired 136 acre (0.55037296 km²) for installation of an ionosphere sounding station. This High Frequency radio receiver site did operate and is in fact still in operation as an unmanned annex of Offutt AFB. During this same era, some of the old WW-II era temporary barracks and administrative facilities, located near the HF receiver site, was known as "Site-X" -- an emergency relocation site for Headquarters, Strategic Air Command at Offutt AFB, in use until SAC's underground command post at Offutt became operational. The detachment operated until 30 April 1959, when it was discontinued.
The remainder of the former Airfield was rented out. Nebraska Department of Aeronautics continues to operate the airfield, leasing storage and small segments of land to local concerns. A United States Air Force
communications center is also located on the site.
Scribner State Airfield currently has two active runways. A few wartime buildings still are in use, along with the remains of the wartime runways, one of which is partially used as a IHRA drag strip.
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 three 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 (6 km) southeast 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 Scribner
Scribner, Nebraska
Scribner is a city in Dodge County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 971 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Scribner is located at ....
, a city in Dodge County
Dodge County, Nebraska
- History :Dodge County was formed in 1855. It was named after the US Senator Augustus Caesar Dodge.- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 36,160 people, 14,433 households, and 9,756 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics.
In addition to being a civilian airport, the airfield hosts the IHRA drag racing circuit.
Facilities and aircraft
Scribner State Airport covers an area of 789 acres (319.3 ha) at an elevationElevation
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 1,325 feet (404 m) above mean sea level. It has two 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 with concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surfaces: 17/35 is 4,200 by 75 feet (1,280 x 23 m) and 12/30 is 3,199 by 60 feet (975 x 18 m).
For the 12-month period ending August 22, 2007, the airport had 2,600 aircraft operations, an average of 216 per month: 96% 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...
and 4% 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...
. At that time there were 21 aircraft based at this airport: 67% 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...
and 33% ultralight.
History
Scribner State Airport was constructed in 1942 as a United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
military training airfield. The 2060 acres (8.3 km²) site is located south of the Elkhorn River and is surrounded by low rolling hills on the east, north and west. Agriculture is the main industry of the area.
The first official news that Scribner Army Airfield would be constructed came on 1 October 1942, with eviction notices given to area farmers shortly thereafter. Construction soon began, with two runways completed by 26 November 1942. 87 buildings and structures were constructed. The base was officially opened on 9 December 1942.
Scribner AAF was one of eleven training airfields in Nebraska, and came under the command of Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
. It was initially designated as a satellite base to Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, though by 1943 it became an independent base, with Ainsworth Army Airfield
Ainsworth Army Airfield
Ainsworth Municipal Airport is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Ainsworth, in Brown County, Nebraska, United States...
, Nebraska, being designated as Scribner's satellite. The 4316th Army Air Force Base Unit had host unit responsibilities at Schribner. In December 1942, the Base Commander was Major A. J. Guffanti.
The field's primary mission was to provide aircrew training for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bomber air crews. In addition, P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
fighter pilots completed proficiency training at Scribner before reassignment to the European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
. Crews that used Scribner Army Airfield included the following:
- 583rd Bombardment Squadron (3 July-1 August 1943) (B-17 Flying Fortress)
- Component of: 383d Bombardment Group383d Bombardment GroupThe 383d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 3 January 1946....
, assigned to Geiger Field, Washington - Provided Operational Training at Schribner.
- 36th Fighter Group (November 1943-March 1944)
- 22nd, 23rd, and 53rd Fighter Squadrons (P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
) - Deployed to Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
in EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Schribner also became a camouflage school. By 1943 the entire airfield was camouflaged to look like a farm and small village to prove that an airfield could be hidden from the enemy. The hangar was painted red to resemble a barn, chicken wire was stuffed with green colored spun glass to resemble trees, and a mock silo beside the barn really housed the sliding hangar doors. Another building was given a steeple and painted to resemble a church, and a "school house" was built with spun-glass children. Even the runways were coated with tar and coated with wood chips and ground corncobs, and painted green or brown, depending on the season.
The USAAF training airfield closed on 31 December 1945 and the State of Nebraska acquired the Airfield property from the U.S. Government in 1946. By 1951, word came that the then surplus Scribner Air Base was being considered as the site of a proposed United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
. This did not happen, however, the U.S. Air Force acquired 136 acre (0.55037296 km²) for installation of an ionosphere sounding station. This High Frequency radio receiver site did operate and is in fact still in operation as an unmanned annex of Offutt AFB. During this same era, some of the old WW-II era temporary barracks and administrative facilities, located near the HF receiver site, was known as "Site-X" -- an emergency relocation site for Headquarters, Strategic Air Command at Offutt AFB, in use until SAC's underground command post at Offutt became operational. The detachment operated until 30 April 1959, when it was discontinued.
The remainder of the former Airfield was rented out. Nebraska Department of Aeronautics continues to operate the airfield, leasing storage and small segments of land to local concerns. A 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...
communications center is also located on the site.
Scribner State Airfield currently has two active runways. A few wartime buildings still are in use, along with the remains of the wartime runways, one of which is partially used as a IHRA drag strip.