Webb Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
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...
facility 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) that operated from 1951 to 1977 in west 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...
within the current city limits of Big Spring
Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. With a population of 25,233 at the 2000 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, Abilene to the east, Lubbock to the north, and San Angelo...
. It was a major training facility, and by 1969 almost 9,000 pilots had been trained at Webb. The last wing was the 78th Flying Training Wing
78th Air Base Wing
The 78th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The 78th ABW acts as the host unit at Robins.-Mission:...
(78 FTW).
World War II
The facility first was used by the United States Army Air Force as Big Spring Army Air Field, opening on 28 April 1942 as part of the Central Flying Training Command.Activated on 26 June 1942, the mission of Big Spring AAF was to train aviation cadets in high altitude precision bombing as bombardiers. Construction of the Army Air Forces Bombardier School began on May 15, 1942, and the airfield received its first class of cadets (118 men) on 16 September 1942. The 79th Bombardier Training Group was the USAAF instructional unit at Big Spring AAF; athe 365th Base Hq and Air Base Squadron maintained the station and commanded the ground support units. Operational squadrons under the 78th BTG were:
- 812nd Bombardier Training Squadron
- 815th Bombardier Training Squadron
- 816th Bombardier Training Squadron
- 817th Bombardier Training Squadron
The AT-11 (Beechcraft Model 18
Beechcraft Model 18
The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
and the B-18 Bolo
B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
were the primary aircraft flown for training. After an intense three month course, the class graduated, exactly one year and ten days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Beginning in 1943, the 78th also trained Free French cadets. Many of the young men who trained at the school went on to fly combat missions in such planes as the B-17 Flying Fortress, 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...
, B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
, B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
, and B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
, in all combat theaters of World War II.
The 78th HTG was replaced on 1 May 1944 by the 2509th AAF Base Unit (Bombardier School) which was activated to replace the separate air and ground units. The 2509th AAFBU managed training and all ground support units at the base until after the end of the war. It continued operations until the surrender of Japan, when the cadets who agreed to remain in postwar service were transferred to Midland AAF
Midland International Airport
-Top Destinations:-See also:* Texas World War II Army Airfields-References:* Shaw, Frederick J. , Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004....
, 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...
. The forty-second class of cadets to finish the school completed the course of training and received the silver wings of bombardiers on 26 September 1945, and the airfield inactivated on 30 November 1945.
At that time, nearly 6,000 students had graduated and the field's training aircraft had flown approximately 400,000 hours and more than 60 million miles. Over 1,200,000 practice bombs had been released on nearby bombing ranges. While engaged in this huge training program and under wartime conditions, only four fatal accidents occurred.
The base was declared surplus and was turned over to the War Assets Administration after being closed. It eventually reverted to city control , and it served as the Big Spring Municipal Airport for six years.
Cold War
The airfield was activated as Big Spring Air Force Base on 1 October 1951 by the United States Air Force Air Training CommandAir 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...
and established the 3560th Pilot Training Wing (Advanced Single-Engine). However, the command was not
formally able to activate the base until 1 January 1952, because the City of Big Spring had difficulty acquiring clear title to some of the property it intended to transfer to ATC
The facility was brought back into service as a primary training installation because of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and the need for additional pilots. Four months later, on 18 May 1952, ATC changed the name of Big Spring Webb Air Force Base to memorialize 1st Lieutenant James L. Webb, a Big Spring native and World War II combat pilot in Europe, who was killed off the Japanese coast flying a P-51 Mustang in 1949 during a training mission.
Instruction of the first class began in April 1952. The initial mission of the 3560th PTW was basic, single engine flight training. The wing was equipped with thirty-seven 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...
propeller and twenty-eight T-33 Shooting Star
T-33 Shooting Star
The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star is an American-built jet trainer aircraft. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948, piloted by Tony LeVier. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then designated T-33A. It was used by the...
jet trainers. The base population soon passed the 2,000 mark. With the end of the Korean War, in 1954 ATC reduced its basic single-engine pilot schools from seven to five, this saw the number of students at Webb remain basically the same as the number of new pilots needed was reduced. The propeller-driven T-28 was phased out in 1956 and converted all training to the jet T-33.
In 1956, the Air Defense Command 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
The 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command stationed at Webb Air Force Base, Texas. It was inactivated on March 1, 1967-History:...
was transferred to Webb from Stewart Air Force Base in New York to defend the southern United States border on air intercept missions as part of the Central Air Defense Force
Central Air Defense Force
The Central Air Defense Force is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command being stationed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri. It was deactivated on July 1, 1960.-History:...
. Originally flying the F-86D Sabre, the squadron upgraded to the F-102 Delta Dagger
F-102 Delta Dagger
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...
in 1960, then transitioning to the F-104 Starfighter
F-104 Starfighter
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force by Lockheed. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969, and continued with Air National Guard units...
in 1963. In March 1967 the 331st was redesignated the 4760th Combat Crew Training Squadron and charged with training Royal Jordanian Air Force
Royal Jordanian Air Force
The Royal Jordanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces.-Early days:...
students on F-104s. It was inactivated on 1 October 1967 when the Jordanians were recalled because of the war with Israel in the summer of 1967.
By 1960, the consolidated pilot training (CPT) program meant the consolidation of preflight, primary, and basic instruction into one school. In the early 1960s, with the introduction of the T-41
T-41 Mescalero
The Cessna T-41 Mescalero is a military version of the popular Cessna 172 used by the United States Air Force and Army as well as the armed forces of various other countries as a pilot training aircraft.-Design and development:...
propeller aircraft and the T-37 and T-38
T-38 Talon
The Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
jet training aircraft, Webb became one of ATC's principal Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) bases. By the end of 1968, almost 9,000 pilots had been trained at Webb.
The Air Force established a standard wing structure--a dual deputy concept--in 1963. While there was
some reluctance in ATC to implement such a system, in July the 3560th Pilot Training Wing had a Deputy Commander
for Operations, a Deputy Commander for Materiel, an air base group, and a medical function. In early August, ATC replaced the Deputy Commander for Operations with a Deputy Commander for Training. The separate 3560th Pilot Training Group was inactivated in 1963, putting all flying training squadrons directly under Wing command. In 1965, the US government escalated American military involvement in Vietnam. Initially, this had little effect at Webb, however ATC decided to replace its 55-week, 252 flying-hour training program with a new course. Known as the 30/90/120-Hour Program, the new
class was 53 weeks long and included 240 flying hours (30 conventional and 210 jet). Class 67-A was the first to enter the new program, beginning on 29 July. The main difference between the previous UPT program and the 30/90/120 program was the addition of a light plane phase, in which civilian contractors provided 27 days of instruction and 30 hours of
flying in the T-41. To provide flying hours for the T-41, ATC reduced the primary phase to 90 hours and left the basic phase unchanged at 120 hours.
In 1968, ATC established a single phase-pilot training squadron concept at Webb; all T-37 instruction was provided by one
specialized squadron, and all T-38 training was conducted by the other. This reorganization did not affect T-41 training. Webb was also the site of several annual summer Field Training encampments for college AFROTC (Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps) cadets throughout the 1950s and most of the 1960s.
In its continuing effort to cut costs, ATC made some major changes in the undergraduate pilot training program. Air Training Command reduced UPT in July 1970 from 53 to 48 weeks and lowered the number of flying hours each student received from 240 to 208.5. The 240-hour program had consisted of 30 hours in a light plane and 210 hours in jets. In the shorter program student pilots received 16 flying hours in a light plane and only 192.5 hours in jet trainers. In 1972, to preserve the illustrious lineage and histories of combat units, the Air Force directed ATC to replace its four-digit flying and pilot training wings with two-digit designations. The command inactivated the four-digit units and activated two-digit wings. At Webb, the 3560th Pilot Training Wing was redesignated the 78th Flying Training Wing
78th Air Base Wing
The 78th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The 78th ABW acts as the host unit at Robins.-Mission:...
(78 FTW) on 1 December. The 78 FTW was subsequently reactivated as the 78th Air Base Wing
78th Air Base Wing
The 78th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The 78th ABW acts as the host unit at Robins.-Mission:...
(78 ABW) at Robins AFB, Georgia, a role it continues in today.
In August 1972, ATC established a a pilot instructor training (PIT) course for Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) instructors at Webb AFB, Texas. The course began in August 1972 and students received 170 hours in the T-37. The special T-37 course was especially useful for pilots who were preparing to fly the A-37, an attack version of the T-37, developed in response to counterinsurgency requirements in Vietnam. In addition, T-38 instruction was provided, as this course was particularly appropriate for the Vietnamese Air Force, which had the F-5, a single-seat combat version of the T-38. The last Vietnamese students graduated from this course in April 1975.
Perhaps the most dominant feature on the ATC landscape in 1974 was the serious fuel shortage the command had to contend with for much of the year. The shortage arose when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries sent oil prices skyrocketing by cutting back on production. Almost overnight, the price of aviation fuel tripled. To conserve fuel, ATC made numerous adjustments to the UPT syllabus at Webb, including a reduction in the number of sorties and flying hours and an increased reliance on the use of synthetic trainers. In other efforts to cope with the crisis, the Air Force cut overall pilot production goals by 18 percent, USAF Officer Training School (OTS
OTS
OTS may refer to:* Anacortes Airport in Anacortes, Washington by IATA airport code* Oakley Training School, a juvenile correctional facility in Hinds County, Mississippi...
) did not accept any pilot applicants for FY 75, and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) initiated a Reduction in Force (RIF) program, rescinding previously promised pilot training and navigator training slots for approximately 75% of the AFROTC cadets in commissioning Year Groups 75, 76 and 77 originally slated for flight training, re-directing them into non-aeronautically rated career fields or offering them opportunities to resign and transfer to officer flight training programs of the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard or Army. Unaffected by the reductions, USAF Academy (USAFA) cadets/graduates of the same period continued to maintain their guaranteed allotment of about 75% assigned to pilot training, about 15% assigned to navigator training, and the remainder assigned to non-flying duties.
Closure
By the mid-1970s, the end of the Vietnam War, the associated financial costs of that conflict and related cuts in force size and future defense budgets meant a marked decrease in the need for Air Force pilots. One of the major issues facing the ATC commander and his staff during 1976 was the prospect of closing two UPT bases. Rather than reduce training production at all seven locations, ATC officials believed it to be more economical to close two bases. So it was on 11 March 1976 that the Secretary of the Air Force proposed closing several military installations, being Craig AFB, Alabama and Webb AFB, Texas.At Webb AFB, the last two pilot training classes completed course work on 30 August 1977, and fixed wing qualification training ended on 1 September 1977. Air Training Command inactivated the 78th Flying Training Wing at Webb AFB on 30 September 1977, and the two installations were placed in caretaker status the following day. The training previously provided by Webb AFB was moved to Sheppard AFB, Texas, where the first class began on 30 June.
Webb AFB was turned over to the General Services Agency for disposal on 1 January 1978, and eventually the property it had occupied was turned over to the Big Spring Industrial Park.
The area currently serves as the general aviation airport for the City of Big Spring, known as Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport
Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport
Big Spring McMahon-Wrinkle Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Big Spring, a city in Howard County, Texas, United States. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, it is...
. In addition, three units of the Big Spring Correctional Center (a federal prison
Federal prison
Federal prisons are run by national governments in countries where subdivisions of the country also operate prisons.In the United States federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In Canada the Correctional Service of Canada operates federal prisons. Prison sentences in these...
privately operated by Cornell Companies
Cornell Companies
Cornell Companies was an American corporation that operates correctional facilities, contracting them to state and local governments. The company's headquarters are located in Houston, Texas...
) are located on the base grounds (as well as FCI Big Spring, which is a separate facility and operated directly by the Bureau of Prisons).
External links
- Photos of pilot training at Webb AFB in 1953, History of the 45th Fighter Squadron.