Base location rationale

[Guest Dirt Beater]

Doing some research for a senior project on why AF bases are located where they are...does anyone know where I can find some hardcore info in that kinda thing? I have no clue where to start :(

M2, I know you've got something up your sleeve!

[Guest waxgoblin]

i think we have bases in germany cause that was part of the deal after WWII, im sure there are similar cases around the world.

[AFCS_Actuator]

ICBM bases are located in northern latitudes because it's a shorter trip to Russia from there. That's a start at least.

Big airlift bases are located near either coast, again to shorten the trip. I'm not saying that goes for every base, just some. Travis, McChord, Fairchild, and March (technically a reserve base) are all AMC bases on the West Coast. McGuire, Dover, Andrews, Charleston, and MacDill are all AMC on the East Coast. There are only a few AMC bases located in the interior of the U.S.

[ 17. April 2005, 01:15: Message edited by: Goin2UPT ]

[Guest rotorhead]

Some bases, as outlined above, are geographically based...like ICBM bases/USSR (they also could get zillions of acres to wire the massive missile fields)...many SAC bomber and tanker bases/Air Defense Command units were based in the northern tier as well, for USSR proximity. Carswell was a B36 base across the runway from the manufacturer (Convair). Many bases were previous Army bases, like FE Warren (old cav base) or Vandenberg (Camp Cooke). Many bases were named for the town, until someone crashed (namesake), like Rapid City became Ellsworth, Las Vegas AFB became Nellis, etc. Of course, money drives most things...if a town wanted a base, they called the senator, who pushed for the money. For a facinating list of previous bases (almost every town had one!) look to:

http://www.airforcebase.net/usaf/joeslist.html

[M2]

Dirt

Try the main page that Rotorhead referenced (Scott's USAF Installation page) and you should be able to find all the info you need. Otherwise, I would recommend going to the web site of a specific base and seeing if they have a link to the base's history, or try Global Security for some of the history. I know some, such as Langley and Bolling, are quite old. However, why they are in their specific location is usually due to a variety of reasons. I don't think there is specific rhyme nor reason as to their locations, at least not that I know of...

A long time ago I heard a rumor that RAF bases were named after the closest train station, but that turned out not to be an all-encompassing rule.

Cheers! M2

[Guest pinko]

I'm guessing that UPT bases are located out away from civilization to keep the locals happy with the noise we make, to hopefully prevent any loss of life on the ground if a plane happens to go down, and of course to keep students focused with the studying at hand and minimize distractions. I'd guess the weather has to be a factor when they chose the locations as well...

[Guest Fred]

From the site quoted above. Wow, it's a base that was BRAC'd before it was even finished.

Richard Bong AFB, Kenosha County, Wisc., about 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee (designated 1955, abandoned while under construction. 1959; excess 1960) Like many new northern tier Air Force bases in the 1950s, Richard Bong AFB was going to be an ADC fighter-interceptor base but was taken over by SAC as it sought to disperse the bomber force. SAC assumed "jurisdiction, control and accountability" of Bong from ADC on June 5, 1957, assigning it to the Eighth Air Force, and perhaps intending to base B-58s there. SAC's 4040th Air Base Squadron was assigned as the base housekeeping unit on August 1, 1958. The base and the squadron were transferred to Second Air Force on January 1, 1959. Construction was suddenly ordered stopped on October 2, 1959, because, as Secretary of the Air Force James H. Douglas told the people of Racine, "Finally we realized that by 1961-62 when Bong would be ready, we would have several other medium bomber bases empty of squadrons and we really don't need Bong." (New York Times, November 5, 1959, "House Unit Visits Abandoned Base".) See Note 2 in Section 6.

[Herk Mafia]

I think they chose the Vance location because of its horrible weather and the crosswinds. Not to mention tornados and snow. I guess this is so we could get plenty of practice at alternate mission planning and crosswind landings. That has to be the ONLY reason they chose this place.

[Guest waxgoblin]

tktktk, isolation also improves security... area 51 isnt in the city, for a reason

[Guest croftfam]

Originally posted by tktktk:

I'm guessing that UPT bases are located out away from civilization to keep the locals happy with the noise we make, I'd guess the weather has to be a factor when they chose the locations as well...

Columbus was an old Army base on a swamp that they didn't want anymore. That's why CBM sucks! Nobody looked at the wx when they thought about making CBM a training base. When I was there the wx was kicking our butts constantly. In CBM you fly in crappier wx than most because you won't fly if you wait for good wx!

[Bergman]

Originally posted by Fred:

From the site quoted above. Wow, it's a base that was BRAC'd before it was even finished.

Richard Bong AFB, Kenosha County, Wisc., about 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee (designated 1955, abandoned while under construction. 1959; excess 1960) Like many new northern tier Air Force bases in the 1950s, Richard Bong AFB was going to be an ADC fighter-interceptor base but was taken over by SAC as it sought to disperse the bomber force. SAC assumed "jurisdiction, control and accountability" of Bong from ADC on June 5, 1957, assigning it to the Eighth Air Force, and perhaps intending to base B-58s there. SAC's 4040th Air Base Squadron was assigned as the base housekeeping unit on August 1, 1958. The base and the squadron were transferred to Second Air Force on January 1, 1959. Construction was suddenly ordered stopped on October 2, 1959, because, as Secretary of the Air Force James H. Douglas told the people of Racine, "Finally we realized that by 1961-62 when Bong would be ready, we would have several other medium bomber bases empty of squadrons and we really don't need Bong." (New York Times, November 5, 1959, "House Unit Visits Abandoned Base".) See Note 2 in Section 6.

Pretty sweet. I grew up in Racine, WI and we used to go snowmobiling down there all the time. It's a state recreation area now. You can still find where the grating for the runways/taxiways was done and haul ass since it's straight and flat - if there's ever enough snow again (what with global warming and all. ha!)