TSTC Waco Airport
Encyclopedia
TSTC Waco Airport is an airport located within city limits, northeast of central Waco, Texas
. Before 1968, it was known as James Connally Air Force Base
.
It is currently used as an industrial airpark operated by Texas State Technical College System
as well as its Waco campus.
George W. Bush
during his Presidency flew in and out of the airport on Air Force One
during visits to his home at the Prairie Chapel Ranch
.
. It was deactivated after the war in 1945 but was reactivated in 1948 as a pilot training base under the Air Training Command
. It was named for Colonel James T. Connally who had been killed in Japan in 1945. The airport was initially called Connally Air Force Base but the name evolved to also include his first name.
In 1957, the base became the headquarters of Twelfth Air Force
(12 AF) and concurrently concentrated on providing navigator flight training under the cognizance of the Air Training Command
.
In 1968, as part of a nation-wide reduction in air force bases and naval air stations to stay within congressional funding limits while continuing to prosecute the war in Vietnam, James Connally AFB was closed. All navigator training consolidated at Mather Air Force Base
, California
and 12th Air Force relocated to Bergstrom Air Force Base
in Austin, Texas
. At this point, the facility was conveyed to the State of Texas by the General Services Administration
(GSA).
The airport and the base facilities were used as a technical school while General Dynamics remained as a tenant performing modification work on various military aircraft. The General Dynamics facility was later sold and renamed Chrysler Technologies Airborne Systems. Chrysler
subsequently sold the operation to Raytheon
which renamed the facility Raytheon Aircraft Integration Systems. In 2002, Raytheon sold the facility to L-3 Communications
and it is currently known as L-3 Communications Integrated Systems / Waco Integration and Modification Center.
In 1991, TSTI was renamed Texas State Technical College (TSTC).
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
. Before 1968, it was known as James Connally Air Force Base
James Connally Air Force Base
James Connally Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located north of Waco, Texas. After its closure in 1968, the airport reopened as TSTC Waco Airport.-History:...
.
It is currently used as an industrial airpark operated by Texas State Technical College System
Texas State Technical College System
Texas State Technical College System is a system of two-year technical schools in Texas. It is the only state-operated system of two-year colleges in Texas....
as well as its Waco campus.
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
during his Presidency flew in and out of the airport on Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
during visits to his home at the Prairie Chapel Ranch
Prairie Chapel Ranch
Prairie Chapel Ranch is a 1,583 acre ranch in unincorporated McLennan County, Texas, located seven miles northwest of Crawford. The property was acquired by President George W...
.
Military Use
The airport opened May 5, 1942 as Waco Army Air Field and was the headquarters Army Air Force Central Instructors' School during World War IIWorld 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...
. It was deactivated after the war in 1945 but was reactivated in 1948 as a pilot training base under 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...
. It was named for Colonel James T. Connally who had been killed in Japan in 1945. The airport was initially called Connally Air Force Base but the name evolved to also include his first name.
In 1957, the base became the headquarters of Twelfth Air Force
Air Forces Southern
The Twelfth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona....
(12 AF) and concurrently concentrated on providing navigator flight training under the cognizance 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...
.
In 1968, as part of a nation-wide reduction in air force bases and naval air stations to stay within congressional funding limits while continuing to prosecute the war in Vietnam, James Connally AFB was closed. All navigator training consolidated at Mather Air Force Base
Mather Air Force Base
Mather Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force Base located east of Sacramento at Rancho Cordova, California on the south side of U.S. Route 50....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and 12th Air Force relocated to Bergstrom Air Force Base
Bergstrom Air Force Base
Bergstrom Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located seven miles southeast of downtown Austin, Texas. It was activated during World War II as a troop carrier training airfield, and was a front-line Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. At this point, the facility was conveyed to the State of Texas by the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
(GSA).
Civilian Use
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
subsequently sold the operation to Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
which renamed the facility Raytheon Aircraft Integration Systems. In 2002, Raytheon sold the facility to L-3 Communications
L-3 Communications
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. is a company that supplies command and control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and products, avionics, ocean products, training devices and services, instrumentation, space, and navigation products. Its customers include...
and it is currently known as L-3 Communications Integrated Systems / Waco Integration and Modification Center.
In 1991, TSTI was renamed Texas State Technical College (TSTC).