Mitchel Air Force Base

Mitchel Air Force Base
Former Mitchel AFB, 4 April 1994. The remains of a runway 5/23 are visible in the center.
Airport Diagram (pre-runway 5/23 extension)
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military/Defunct
Owner	United States Air Force
Operator	United States Air Force
Serves	New York City
Location	Garden City, New York
Elevation AMSL	85 ft / 26 m
Coordinates	40°43′32″N 73°35′42″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 5/23 6,700 1,737 Concrete 9/27 4,960 1,512 Concrete 12/30 5,142 1,567 Concrete 18/36 4,800 1,463 Concrete
Source: Airfields-Freeman.com

Mitchel AFB

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Location of Mitchel AFB, New York

For the airport in Wisconsin see Mitchell Field

Mitchel Air Force Base also known as Mitchel Field, originally called Hazelhurst Aviation Field #2, was established in 1918 in the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York, USA.

History

Originally named Army Aviation Field, Field #2, In July 1918, Field #2 was renamed Mitchel Field in honor of former New York City Mayor John Purroy Mitchel who was killed while training for the Air Service in Louisiana.

Major Commands to which assigned

• Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps 1917
• Division of Military Aeronautics, 20 May 1918
• U.S. Army Air Service, 24 May 1918
• U.S. Army Air Corps, 2 July 1926
• First Air Force, 18 December 1940
• Continental Air Forces, 13 December 1944
• Air Defense Command, 21 March 1946
• Continental Air Command, 1 Jan 1951-30 June 1961

Major Units assigned

• 9th Air Division, 1 Apr 1931-Jan 1933
• 22d Bombardment Group, 1 Feb-14 Nov 1940
• 8th Fighter Group, 5 Nov 1940-26 Jan 1942
• Headquarters, First Air Force, 18 Dec 1940-3 Jun 1946; 17 Oct 1949-23 Jun 1958
• 57th Fighter Group, 15 Jan 1941-19 Aug 1941
• Headquarters, III Reconnaissance Command, 1 Sep 1941-Nov 1942
• Headquarters, I Fighter Command, 9 Jun 1942-21 Mar 1946
• 325th Fighter Group, 3-31 Aug 1942; 21 May-2 Dec 1947
• 326th Fighter Group, 19 Aug 1942-1 Sep 1942
• 352d Fighter Group, 1-31 Oct 1942
• 353d Fighter Group, 1-7 Oct 1942
• 62d Fighter Wing, 12 Dec 1942-13 Jan 1943
• 80th Fighter Group, 2 Mar-30 Apr 1943
• 356th Fighter Group, 30 May-4 Jul 1943
• 36th Fighter Group, 3-23 Jun 1943
• Headquarters, I Bomber Command, 1 Oct 1943-21 Mar 1946
• 362d Fighter Group, 19 Oct-12 Nov 1943
• 301st Fighter Wing, 1 Nov 1944-30 May 1945
• 373d Fighter Group, 28 Sep-7 Nov 1945
• Headquarters, Air Defense Command, 21 Mar 1946-1 Jan 1951
• 355th Fighter Group, 1 Aug- 20 Nov 1946
• 4th Fighter Wing, 20 Dec 1946-27 Jun 1949
• 319th Bombardment Group, 27 Dec 1946-27 Jun 1949
• 78th Fighter Group, 1 Jun 1947-1 Nov 1948
• 320th Bombardment Group, 9 Jun 1947-27 Jun 1949
• 52d Fighter Group, 25 Jun 1947-10 Oct 1949
• 84th Fighter Group, 1 Jun-18 Oct 1949
• 65th Reconnaissance Group, 14 Jun 1952-1 Apr 1953
• 313th Troop Carrier Group, 1 Feb-2 Oct 1953

Source for Major Commands and Major Units assigned:

Operational History

In 1917, a new army aviation field, Field #2, was established just south of Hazelhurst Field to serve as an additional training and storage base. Curtiss JN-4 Jennies became a common sight over Long Island in 1917 and 1918. Hundreds of aviators were trained for war at these training fields, two of the largest in the United States. Numerous new wooden buildings and tents were erected on Roosevelt and Field #2 in 1918 in order to meet this rapid expansion.

Mitchel Field continued to grow after World War I and between 1929 and 1932 a major new construction program was undertaken. New brick barracks, officersí clubs, housing, warehouses, and operations buildings were constructed, as well as eight massive steel and concrete hangars. Much of this construction remains in place today.

Between the wars Mitchel was the Army's premier air corps base, somewhat of a military Country Club atmosphere with fine housing, clubs, pools, polo fields and tree-lined streets. It became home to several observation, fighter and bombardment groups and it hosted the 1920 and 1925 National Air Races.

The 1920 Pulitzer Race saw Major C. S. Mosely set a new speed record of 156 mph, while in 1925 Lt. Cyrus Bettis set another world speed record of 249 mph in a Long Island built Curtiss Racer. In 1922, the Army laid out its first air route, a model airway, from Mitchel field to McCook Field, Ohio. In 1938, Mitchel was the starting point for the first nonstop transcontinental bomber flight, made by Army B-18s. Mitchel Field also served as a base from which the first demonstration of long-range aerial reconnaissance was made. In May 1939, three B-17s led by Lt. Curtiss Lemay flew 750 miles out to sea and intercepted the Italian ocean liner Rex. This was a striking example of the range, mobility and accuracy of modern aviation at the time.

During World War II, Mitchel was the main point of air defense for New York City, equipped with two squadrons of P-40 fighters. In the late 1940s it was headquarters of the Air Defense Command, First Air Force and Continental Air Command.

By 1949, Mitchel was relieved of the responsibility for defending New York City because of the many problems associated with operating tactical aircraft in an urban area. However, Mitchel did serve as the terminus for the last speed record set on Long Island, a transcontinental speed record of 4 hours, 8 minutes set by Col. W. Millikan in an F-86 on January 2, 1954. After several notable crashes, including a P-47 into Hofstra Universityís Barnard Hall, public pressure ultimately led to the fieldís closure.

The last active unit to be based at Mitchel was the 514th Troop Carrier Wing flying Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars. Due to the noise, small size of the field, and several spectacular crashes, Mitchel was closed in 1961 with the property being turned over to the County of Nassau.

Though closed as an Air Force base in 1961, it still has military housing, a commissary and exchange facilities; with families from military activities in the area.

The Garden City-Mitchel Field Secondary, a remnant of the Long Island Rail Road Central Branch from Garden City, ends in the northern part of Mitchel Field, providing sporadic freight service.

Present

Mitchel Field is now a complex located in East Garden City, New York and Uniondale, New York, and home to Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University.

See also

• Roosevelt Field
• Mitchel Field Bus Depot
• New York World War II Army Airfields
• Eastern Air Defense Force (Air Defense Command)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

External links

• Cradle of Aviation Museum
• Hempstead Plains-Mitchell Field
• Hempstead Plains-Mitchell Field Remembrances
• Hempstead Plains-Early Photos
• Mitchel Field Memories
• Mitchel Field in Wartime Newsday article
• US Family Health Plan