Stead Air Force Base - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the civilian airport after 1966, see Reno Stead Airport
Reno Stead Airport
Reno/Stead Airport is a large general aviation airport located in the North Valleys area, northwest of the central business district of Reno, a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States...

Stead Air Force Base is a former 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...

base operational in Nevada

Nevada

Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

from 1942 to 1966. After its closure, it was reopened as Reno Stead Airport

Reno Stead Airport

Reno/Stead Airport is a large general aviation airport located in the North Valleys area, northwest of the central business district of Reno, a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States...

. It was primarily used for survival training by 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...

and hosted an Air Defense Command SAGE

Semi Automatic Ground Environment

The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD from the late 1950s into the 1980s...

DC-16 direction center.

World War II

Reno Army Air Base was originally assigned to the 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....

in October 1942. Although the base was originally intended for use as a training center for Signal and Chemical Personnel, the operation of its facilities required the additional construction to accommodate the number of troops brought there for training.

The 3d Operational Training Unit, Ferrying Division, Air Transport Command

Air Transport Command

Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...

assumed command of the base on 7 June 1943 until its deactivation in 1945. It was used as a training airfield for transport pilots to be assigned to the China-Burma-India Theater to fly supply missions over the Himalayan Mountains from airfields in the Assam Valley of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

to China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

("The Hump

The Hump

The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in...

"), as the mountainous terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains between Reno and Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base, California was similar. The 585th Army Air Force Base Unit was designated as the host unit on 31 March 1944. On 28 September 1945 ATC shutdown transport training, and the base was placed on temporary inactive status 20 October 1945.

In April 1948, the 192d Fighter Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard

Nevada Air National Guard

The Nevada Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Nevada. It is, along with the Nevada Army National Guard, an element of the Nevada National Guard.-History and organization:...

, took over the then vacant base for training activities. In December 1949, 1st Lt Croston Stead, a Reno native, lost his life when his P-51 Mustang

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

crashed at the base during a flying training mission. In January 1951, the base was named Stead Air National Guard Base in his honor.

Survival training

In 1951 it was determined that the Sierra Nevada Mountains and forests would be suitable for survival training; the USAF Survival School and 3904th Composite Wing moved to Stead Air Force Base from Camp Carson, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

on 29 May 1951. Equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars for training, SAC had begun the training for its personnel, teaching them how to survive if forced down in remote and/or unfriendly terrain, how to escape capture, and how to escape if captured

Other commands wanted to train aircrews in survival techniques, and in September 1954, Stead AFB became part of the 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...

(ATC) and the 3904th Composite Wing became the 3635th Combat Crew Training Wing. After a number of name changes, the survival training school became the 3637th Combat Crew Training Squadron.

In January 1958, a small group of instructor pilots from Randolph AFB, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

was sent to Stead AFB to determine the feasibility of advanced helicopter training in the area's mountains. On July 15, 1958, the 3635th Crew Training Wing was redesignated as the 3635th Flying Training Wing (Advanced), concurrent with the relocation of the USAF Helicopter Pilot School to Stead.

Air Defense Command

In 1959 a Semi Automatic Ground Environment

Semi Automatic Ground Environment

The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment was an automated control system for tracking and intercepting enemy bomber aircraft used by NORAD from the late 1950s into the 1980s...

(SAGE) Data Center (DC-16) was established at Reno AFB. The SAGE system was a network linking Air Force (and later FAA) General Surveillance Radar stations into a centralized center for Air Defense, intended to provide early warning and response for a Soviet nuclear attack. ReADS was inactivated on 1 April 1966 as part of an ADC consolidation and reorganization; and its units were reassigned to the 28th Air Division.

Until recently, the SAGE blockhouse housed the Desert Research Institute (DRI), weather station. As of March 2000, it began housing the Nevada Terawatt Facility (Zebra), relocated from the Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...

Helicopter training

During the summer and fall of 1958, the USAF Helicopter School was moved from Randolph AFB to Stead AFB and designated the 3638th Flying Training Squadron (Helicopter). The base provided ample facilities and an unencumbered airspace in which to operate the flying training mission. The base had also recently undergone a large building project of all new Capehart family housing which lent well to the accompanying military families. Pilots would undergo training in the H-19 Chickasaw

H-19 Chickasaw

For other uses of "H19" see H19 .The Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw, was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army and United States Air Force. It was also license-built by Westland Aircraft as the Westland Whirlwind in the United Kingdom...

and Piasecki H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee helicopters. The syllabus would contain basic transition training and instruments as well as advanced operational techniques in high altitude confined area and mountain operations. Training in the HH-43 Huskie was also introduced as that airframe entered the USAF inventory. Pilots from all fixed-wing and rotary-wing backgrounds would also attend the USAF Survival School at Stead in preparation for operational assignments.

Flying training was conducted at Stead as well as an auxiliary airfield, Sky Ranch, located about 10 miles (16.1 km) east of the base. A number of unprepared ridgetop and pinnacle landing spots at altitudes up to 8100 feet (2,468.9 m) MSL were located on Peavine Mountain

Peavine Mountain

Peavine Mountain is a mountain located in Washoe County Nevada, at the northwest corner of the Truckee Meadows, forming one of the most dominant geographical features in the Reno/Sparks area...

directly south of the base. A similar number of tree-lined spots were located in Dog Valley, southwest of Peavine, to conduct confined area landing and takeoff procedures. The area north of Stead to Pyramid Lake was used for instrument training.

The first students to go through helicopter pilot training were rated fixed-wing USAF pilots. In fact, all pilots undergoing helicopter pilot training since 1944 had been rated pilots. In 1965, students were entered into helicopter pilot training having received approximately 120 hours in the T-28 Trojan

T-28 Trojan

The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...

, but not yet having received their wings. They would receive their wings upon graduation from helicopter training.

The 3638th Flying Training Squadron (Helicopter) trained not only USAF pilots but also many from foreign countries. At least a dozen countries, including Japan, Argentina, Pakistan, India, France, Bolivia and China (Taiwan), sent pilots to basic helicopter pilot training as well as instructor pilot upgrading. There was an Exchange Program with England's Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

and the Royal Australian Air Force

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

for a 2-year tour by the Exchange pilots. U.S. Marine Corps pilots flying the Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw were given a short course in high altitude mountain flying techniques. Four RAAF helicopter pilots also received several hours of mountain indoctrination on their way from UH-1 Huey training at Fort Rucker

Fort Rucker

Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...

and returning to Australia to fly their own "Hueys". From 1958 through 1965, the Helicopter School trained over 1252 USAF and 384 foreign helicopter pilots.

In support of the Air Rescue Service

Air Rescue Service

The Air Rescue Service is a disestablished organization in the United States Air Force. Previously a subcommand of the Military Air Transport Service , a USAF major command , ARS was redesignated as the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service on 1 Jan 1966 when MATS was redesignated as the Military...

, which was seeking a better performing aircraft for combat search and rescue missions in Southeast Asia, the Helicopter School also conducted Lime Light 36, an escalated training program to provide crews for the Sikorsky HH-3E

Sikorsky S-61R

The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R...

helicopter then deploying. Between August 23 and September 29, 1965, crews and support personnel trained as a unit at Stead. On September 30, 117 men and six HH-3Es deployed to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base

Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base

Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force base, the home of 2nd Air Division/23rd Wing Air Combat Command.The 231 Squadron "Hunter" is assigned to Udorn, equipped with the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet-A.-History:...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

, and integrated with the three HH-43 crews of Detachment 5, 38th Air Rescue Squadron.

Part of the School included the Instructor Training (IT) Section of the Squadron. Experienced line pilots assigned to the squadron to be instructors had to be indoctrinated into the standardized techniques and grading procedures used in the school. This sometimes required some rethinking on the part of the new instructors that had been used to doing it "their way" when in the field. They were reminded about how they handled the controls when they had only 5 hours of helicopter time and relate it to their students. Standardized procedures were necessary for scoring of the student's progress and if a change of instructors might be required.

The Helicopter School was tasked with other missions. From February through July 1962, eleven pilots and six H-21B helicopters where airlifted by C-124 Globemaster aircraft to Christmas Island

Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....

, South Pacific in support of Operation Dominic atomic tests. They would provide personnel airlift and search and rescue. They also conducted recovery of rocket nose cones shot through the clouds of an atomic device detonation by Research agencies. This required entering ground zero within 20 minutes of detonation and flying 15 – over the shark infested Pacific Ocean without any flotation device on the helicopter. All nose cones were successfully recovered.

In 1960 and again in 1964, helicopters were provided to NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

's Astronaut Desert Survival Training Site near Naval Air Station Fallon

Naval Air Station Fallon

Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon is the United States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located southeast of the city of Fallon in western Nevada in the United States. Since 1996, it has been home to the Naval Fighter Weapons School , and the surrounding...

, Nevada.

Closure

In 1964, the Secretary of Defense made the announcement that Stead AFB was to be closed and the Helicopter School and Survival School would be relocated. The USAF Helicopter School moved to Sheppard AFB, Texas in late 1965, to Hill AFB, Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

in 1971 and to Kirtland AFB, 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...

in 1976 where USAF Advanced Helicopter Training is still being conducted (See "History of the USAF Helicopter School"). Helicopter training is also conducted by the 23d Flying Training Squadron

23d Flying Training Squadron

The 23d Flying Training Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force, currently assigned to 58th Operations Group performing helicopter training at Fort Rucker, Alabama.-History:...

at Fort Rucker

Fort Rucker

, 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...

. The Survival School was relocated to Fairchild AFB, Washington, where it continues to operate.

In 1966, Stead AFB was closed, the airfield transferred to the City of Reno

Reno, Nevada

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

and the housing facilities sold to private individuals. The airfield is now Reno Stead Airport