Strother Field
Encyclopedia
Strother Field is a public airport
located in Cowley County
, Kansas
, five miles (8 km) southwest of the central business district
of Winfield
and north of Arkansas City
. This airport is jointly owned by both cities.
s:
For 12-month period ending November 4, 2005, the airport had 6,500 aircraft operations, an average of 17 per day, 100% of which were general aviation
. There are 23 aircraft based at this airport: 78% single engine, 9% multi-engine, 4% jet aircraft and 9% ultralights.
indicated a need for the airfield as a training airfield by the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center. Winfield Army Airfield was rushed to completion with the first class of cadets scheduled to arrive for basic training in the BT-13 on December 14, 1942.
It was renamed Strother Army Air Field on 1 November 1942 in honor of Capt. Donald Root Strother, a Winfield native who was the first Army Air Force pilot from Cowley County to be killed in World War II
.
The immediate construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with three concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Four large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper.
Strother Field was activated on 14 November 1942 as a basic flying training airfield. Units activated at the airfield were the 108th Guard Squadron; 448th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 332d Aviation Squadron; 1082d, 1083d, and 1084th Basic Training Flyling Squadrons; 32d Flying Training Wing (Basic). Strother received its aviation cadets from Fort Sumner, New Mexico and Majors Field, Texas.
On 1 July 1944, control of Strother AAF was transferred to Second Air Force
, and the mission of the airfield became advanced fighter pilot training in P-47 Thunderbolt
s. Ground personnel were assigned to the 269th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Fighter Pilot Training Station). At the peak of operation there were approximately 3,400 Air Force personnel and 400 civilian employees at the field. In addition to Strother Field there were four auxiliary fields; northwest of Winfield, southeast of Strother Field, west of Arkansas City, and northwest of Gueda Springs.
The military use of Strother Field ended in October 1945 and it was turned over for civil use. Today, the site is currently Strother Field and Industrial Park. Remaining wartime structures include 2 hangars, 2 link training buildings, 1 tetrahedron wind cone, 2 ruins sites, 1 building of unknown original use and runways.
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 in Cowley County
Cowley County, Kansas
Cowley County is a county located in south-central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 36,311. Its county seat and most populous city is Winfield...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, five miles (8 km) southwest 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 Winfield
Winfield, Kansas
Winfield is a city situated along the Walnut River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301...
and north of Arkansas City
Arkansas City, Kansas
Arkansas City is a city situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of Cowley County, located in south-central Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,415....
. This airport is jointly owned by both cities.
Facilities and aircraft
Strother Field covers an area of 1530 acres (619.2 ha) which contains two 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 13/31: 3,137 x 75 ft (956 x 23 m), Surface: AsphaltAsphaltAsphalt 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...
- Runway 17/35: 5,506 x 100 ft (1,678 x 30 m), Surface: Asphalt
For 12-month period ending November 4, 2005, the airport had 6,500 aircraft operations, an average of 17 per day, 100% of which were 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...
. There are 23 aircraft based at this airport: 78% single engine, 9% multi-engine, 4% jet aircraft and 9% ultralights.
History
An airport, jointly owned by Arkansas City and Winfield, was under construction in April 1942 when the 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....
indicated a need for the airfield as a training airfield by the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center. Winfield Army Airfield was rushed to completion with the first class of cadets scheduled to arrive for basic training in the BT-13 on December 14, 1942.
It was renamed Strother Army Air Field on 1 November 1942 in honor of Capt. Donald Root Strother, a Winfield native who was the first Army Air Force pilot from Cowley County to be killed in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The immediate construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with three concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Four large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper.
Strother Field was activated on 14 November 1942 as a basic flying training airfield. Units activated at the airfield were the 108th Guard Squadron; 448th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 332d Aviation Squadron; 1082d, 1083d, and 1084th Basic Training Flyling Squadrons; 32d Flying Training Wing (Basic). Strother received its aviation cadets from Fort Sumner, New Mexico and Majors Field, Texas.
On 1 July 1944, control of Strother AAF was transferred to 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....
, and the mission of the airfield became advanced fighter pilot training in 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...
s. Ground personnel were assigned to the 269th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Fighter Pilot Training Station). At the peak of operation there were approximately 3,400 Air Force personnel and 400 civilian employees at the field. In addition to Strother Field there were four auxiliary fields; northwest of Winfield, southeast of Strother Field, west of Arkansas City, and northwest of Gueda Springs.
The military use of Strother Field ended in October 1945 and it was turned over for civil use. Today, the site is currently Strother Field and Industrial Park. Remaining wartime structures include 2 hangars, 2 link training buildings, 1 tetrahedron wind cone, 2 ruins sites, 1 building of unknown original use and runways.