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Ellington Airport (Texas)

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For other places with the same name, see Ellington.
Ellington Field
File:Header left.jpg
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
OwnerCity of Houston
LocationHouston, Texas
Elevation AMSL32 ft / 10 m
Coordinates29°36′26″N 095°09′32″W / 29.60722°N 95.15889°W / 29.60722; -95.15889
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
4/22 8,001 2,439 Concrete
17L/35R 4,609 1,405 Concrete
17R/35L 9,001 2,744 Concrete
Statistics (2005)
Aircraft operations121,270
Based aircraft269
File:00197AD copy.jpg
FAA diagram of Ellington Field (EFD)

Ellington Field (IATA: EFD, ICAO: KEFD, FAA LID: EFD) is an airport located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of downtown Houston, within Harris County in the U.S. state of Texas.[1]

The airport was established in 1917 when aviation was in its infancy during the height of World War I. Originally created as a training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, Ellington Field is currently used by military, commercial, government and general aviation sectors. Ellington Field is a former airbase of the United States Air Force. The airport is one of the few airfields built for WWI training purposes still in operation today.

Overview

World War II, Vietnam era and modern US aircraft flying in formation at Wings Over Houston at Ellington Field

Ellington Field consists of three active runways (a 9,001 - foot ILS CAT I runway, a 8,001-foot runway, and a 4,609-foot runway). [2] The airport supports the operations of the United States military and a variety of general aviation tenants. [3] The field is a base for NASA's administrative, cargo transport and high-altitude aircraft, which includes NASA's fleet of T-38 Talon jets, the Shuttle Training Aircraft, and the Vomit Comet, a zero-g trainer. [4] The only two WB-57F aircraft used for atmospheric research and reconnaissance still flying in the world today are housed at Ellington. [5] The Texas Air National Guard and National Guard maintain a presence at the base. Ellington Field is home to the largest flying club in Texas, and the annual "Wings Over Houston" airshow. [2] Ellington Field once had scheduled commercial air service: Continental Express flights between Ellington Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in north Houston ended in 2004.

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense recommended retiring Ellington's 147th Fighter Wing's F-16 Falcon fighter jets (a total of fifteen aircraft); this recommendation was approved by the Base Realignment and Closure committee. [6] The aircraft will be replaced with 12 MQ-1 Predator unmanned drones. [7] The wing's combat support arm will remain intact. The 272nd Engineering Installation Squadron, an Air National Guard unit currently located off-base, will relocate to Ellington Field.

History

Pre–World War

In 1917, the U.S. government purchased 1,280 acres (5.2 km²) of land from Dr. R. W. Knox and the Wright Land Company to establish an airbase in Houston. The location, near Genoa Township in southeast Houston, was selected because the weather conditions were ideal for flight training. Soldiers from nearby Camp Logan briefly assisted with the construction of the airfield when civilian workers went on strike. [8] Soon after construction began on the airfield, the base was named after Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington, an Army pilot killed four years earlier in a plane crash in San Diego, California.[9]

The base, which consisted of a few hangars and some wooden headquarters buildings, was completed in a matter of months. By the end of 1917, the field was ready to receive its first squadron — the 120th Aero Squadron, which was transferred from Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, along with its Curtiss JN4 Jenny biplanes, which were shipped in wooden crates via railroad. [8]

World War I

During World War I, Ellington served as an advanced flight training base. As of 1918, Ellington had its own gunnery and bombing range on a small peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico near San Leon, Texas. Ellington became well-known in military circles, and had a series of "firsts", including the first camp newspaper, the first American aerial gunnery and bombing range, the first "canteen girls", and the first aerial ambulance in American military history. [8] Before the end of the war, approximately 5,000 men and 250 aircraft were assigned to the base. [6]

Ellington was no longer considered necessary after WWI concluded. The base was deactivated as an active duty airfield in 1920. A small caretaker unit was kept at the airfield for administrative reasons, but generally, the only flight activity during this time was from Army pilots stationed at Kelly Field who flew down to practice landings on Ellington's runways.

In 1923, Ellington had been ordered to be completely dismantled. But that plan was halted when the Texas National Guard established an aviation squadron at the field. [8] Soon after, the 111th Observation Squadron (known colloquially as "Houston's Own" and later the 147th Fighter Wing) was born, stationed at Ellington Field. [8] The squadron, which flew Curtiss JN6Hs and De Havilland DH.4s, provided mapping, photography, and reconnaissance support for the 36th Infantry Division.

Several years later, Ellington's status was again threatened as local city leaders began to discuss the construction of a municipal airport. That airport, the present day William P. Hobby Airport, confirmed the squadron's fears; by 1927 Ellington's aging facilities were obsolete. The Texas National Guard decided to move the 111th to new facilities at the municipal airport instead. [8] The Texas National Guard and 36th Infantry Division bought most of the airfield's buildings, however, the field remained unused; by 1928 Ellington was again overtaken by tall prairie grass. That same year, a fire engulfed what was left of the airfield, consuming its remaining structures, except for the concrete foundations and a metal water tower. For the next 12 years, the U.S. military leased the land to local ranchers for use as pasture.[8]

World War II

World War II, with its increasing need for trained pilots, helped to reestablish Ellington Field as an active facility. Rep. Albert Thomas, who was one of Houston's representatives in the United States House of Representatives, pushed for rebuilding Ellington as a pilot training center. Beyond the area's excellent weather for flying, Thomas argued that the Houston area's petroleum refineries, upon which the war effort depended, would need military protection in the region. [8]

File:S82-33282.jpg
Space shuttle Challenger at Ellington Field in 1982

In 1940, construction began on a much-expanded Ellington Field, which eventually included five control towers, two 46,000 square foot hangars, the most modern medical complex in south Texas and 74 barracks. Ellington became the home of the 69th, 70th, 71st, 72nd, 74th, 75th and 76th Fighter Squadrons. [10] The base was one of the sites where bomber pilots received their advanced training and also housed the United States Army Air Corps' bombardier school, known as "the Bombardment Academy of the Air." [8] In 1943, the bombardier school was replaced with a school for navigators. By the end of 1943, more than 65 women who served in the Women's Army Corps were stationed at Ellington. [11] Ellington served primarily as a reserve airbase from the end of the war in 1945 until 1948. [8]

Post war

File:EllingtonT38s.jpg
NASA's fleet of T-38 Talons sitting on the flightline at Ellington.

In 1948, Ellington Field was one of many airfields selected to be reactivated in an effort to maintain a large military force in the United States after World War II ended. [8] The airfield was reopened for active duty and renamed Ellington Air Force Base. By 1949, the Air Force had rebuilt Ellington enough to open a navigator school. [12] Navigator cadets trained in TB-25 and TB-29 "Flying Classroom" aircraft. Navigation training was enhanced at Ellington when the Air Force installed a microwave navigation system. To help navigators learn celestial positioning, a Houston resident paid for the construction of a planetarium at Ellington. The planetarium, which stood 50 feet high and was topped by an aluminum dome, could hold 40 students. [8]

The United States Navy opened a Naval Air Reserve Center at Ellington in 1957. [8] Navy pilots flew amphibious aircraft on antisubmarine missions over the Gulf of Mexico, however budget problems forced its closure just a year later.

In 1959, Ellington was downgraded to a reserve Air Force base, and has served the military in that capacity since. The Civil Air Patrol moved its headquarters from Bolling Air Force Base to Houston the same year. In addition, Ellington also hosted several Reserve Officer Training Corps summer courses, hosting officer candidates from 22 states. The Civil Air Patrol has since relocated their headquarters, but a local unit still remains at Ellington.

The space age

From the 1950s through the 1970s, Ellington Field was utilized for pilot and navigator training for air reservists, air guardsmen, and Navy, Marine, and foreign students. [9] NASA established Ellington as its base for astronaut flight training in the early 1960s because of its proximity to the newly-constructed Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The T-38 Talon (T-38N) is the primary jet aircraft used for astronaut training at Ellington. [10]The field was the site of the Apollo lunar landing training program. [8] Most of NASA’s aircraft based at the Johnson Space center are kept and maintained at the base.

Ellington Field was officially deactivated by the Air Force in 1976. All Air Force Reserve squadrons were transferred to other military facilities; however, the Texas Air National Guard and National Guard still maintain a presence at the base. In 1984, the city of Houston purchased Ellington to use as a third civil airport, and it was again renamed Ellington Field.

File:19780305.jpg
Space shuttle Enterprise at Ellington Field in 1978


See also

References

  1. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for EFD PDF, effective 2007-03-15
  2. ^ a b "Program Overview: Ellington Field". www.fly2houston.com. Retrieved 2007-03-07.
  3. ^ "About Ellington Field". www.fly2houston.com/EllingtonAbout. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  4. ^ "Ellington Field Aircraft" (PDF). www.nasa.gov NASA. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  5. ^ "Study of Cloud Ice Crystals May Improve Climate Change Forecasts, Goddard Space flight Center". http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2007-02-24. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  6. ^ a b "Ellington Field". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  7. ^ "Ellington Field to house 12 new Predator aircraft units". www.bizjournals.com/houston. Retrieved 2007-03-13.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Ellington Field: A Short History, 1917-1963" (PDF). www.jsc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  9. ^ a b "Ellington Field". www.tsha.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
  10. ^ a b "Ellington Field, A Journey Through History" (PDF). http://www.jsc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2007-02-24. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  11. ^ "WACS Train at Ellington Field, Texas,". UT Discovery. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
  12. ^ "Air Education and Training Command Significant Events, US Air Force". http://www.aetc.af.mil. Retrieved 2007-03-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
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