| Plattsburgh Air Force Base | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| USGS aerial photo as of 4 May 1994 | |||
| |||
| IATA: PBG – ICAO: KPBG | |||
| Summary | |||
| Owner | United States Air Force | ||
| Location | Town of Plattsburgh, near Plattsburgh, New York | ||
| Built | 1954–1955 | ||
| In use | 1955–1995 | ||
| Occupants | United States Air Force | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 234 ft / 71 m | ||
| Coordinates | 44°39′14″N 073°27′56″W / 44.65389°N 73.46556°WCoordinates: 44°39′14″N 073°27′56″W / 44.65389°N 73.46556°W | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 17/35 | 11,758 | 3,584 | Asphalt/Concrete |
Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km²) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, 20 miles (32 km) south of the Canadian border. It is located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burlington, Vermont, in the city of Plattsburgh, New York.[1]
The base closed on 25 September 1995, pursuant to the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990 (10 U.S.C. Sec. 2687 note) and the recommendations of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission. It is now a civilian airport and industrial complex, operated by the Plattsburgh Air Base Development Authority. The airfield is now known as Plattsburgh International Airport.
Overview[]
 |
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. |
Major units[]
308th Bombardment Wing[]
380th Bomb Wing[]
497th Air Refueling Wing[]
820th Strategic Aerospace Division[]
History[]
Previous designations[]
- Plattsburgh Air Force Base (1955-25 September 1995)
Major commands to which assigned[]
Major commands to which the base was assigned:
- Strategic Air Command, 1954 – June 1, 1992
- Air Mobility Command, 1 June 1992 – 25 September 1995
Major units assigned[]
- 308th Bombardment Wing (Wing existed on paper at Plattsburgh, but was inoperational)
- 380th Bomb Wing
- 26th Air Refueling Squadron (7 August 1957 – 31 July 1959)
- 310th Air Refueling Squadron (25 January 1967 – 30 September 1995)
- 380th Air Refueling Squadron (16 August 1956 – April 1961; 15 September 1964 – 30 September 1995)
- 528th Bomb Squadron (11 July 1955 – 30 September 1995)
- 529th Bombardment Squadron (11 July 1955 – 25 June 1966 and 6 January 1971 – 30 September 1995)
- 530th Bombardment Squadron (11 July 1955 – 25 June 1966)
- 531st Bombardment Squadron (1 May 1959 – 1 January 1962)
- 556th Strategic Missile Squadron: 15 September 1964 – 25 June 1965)
- 497th Air Refueling Wing (1 January 1963 – 15 September 1964)
- 26th Air Refueling Squadron (1 January 1963 – 15 September 1964)
- 380th Air Refueling Squadron (1 January 1963 – 15 September 1964)
- 820th Strategic Aerospace Division
Operational history[]
Origins[]
Construction[]
Early history[]
Missile operations[]
A Convair SM-65F Atlas #100 at Site 6 Au Sable Forks NY
Assigned aircraft[]
A B-47 Stratojet from Plattsburgh on display
Second half of the Cold War[]
F-4D Phantom IIs from the 134th Tactical Fighter Squadron from the Vermont Air National Guard at Plattsburgh
Built during the Cold War, Plattsburgh AFB's runway is large enough to land the space shuttle. It was on a list of alternate landing sites for the space shuttle.[2] Space shuttle Columbia astronaut Michael P. Anderson, born at Plattsburgh AFB, was an Air Force pilot at Plattsburgh AFB when he got selected by NASA in 1994.
BRAC 1991 and closure[]
Governor Mario Cuomo speaking at a rally in favor of keeping the base
Accidents and incidents[]
KC-135 Fuselage Departs Plattsburgh AFB
Base culture[]
Earl Stevenson, TSGT USAF (Ret. dec.), the subject of the memoir, "Strictly a Loner: My Life and Times with Plattsburgh's Poorest Millionaire" learned to play the stock market from his commander at Vandenberg AFB in the late 1950s. After space-A hopping around the world, he stopped in Plattsburgh, New York in 1966 and began renting rooms in the Northern New York city. He was often seen at the Base Hospital, the NCO club (image in book) and base Thrift Shop. He also frequented the Skyway Plaza.[3]
Current status[]
Operating tables being taken out of the old base hospital, in the Double Cantilever Hangar
After the base was decommissioned, the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corporation (PARC) was created to manage the 5,000-acre (20 km2) property. PARC split up the base into 165 parcels for redevelopment.[4] On 16 and 17 August 1996, PARC hosted a massive music concert on the runway of the old decommissioned airbase featuring the band Phish. 70,000 people attended this concert known as the Clifford Ball[5] which added $20 million to the local economy.[6]
Current PARC tenants on former airbase properties leased by PARC include Wood Group Pratt & Whitney Industrial Turbine Services (the first and longest continuous tenant), Bombardier,[7] Composite Factory, Inc.,[8] ORC Macro,[9] Pratt & Whitney,[10] GSM Vehicles (vintage trailer restoration) and the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO).[11]
The U.S. Air Force lists Plattsburgh among its BRAC "success stories."[12] The base's reuse and the circumstances surrounding it were chronicled in Flying High Again: PARC's Redevelopment of Plattsburgh Air Force Base, written by Marian Calabro and published by CorporateHistory.net in 2008.[13][14] While digging for new PARC construction was underway low level nuclear materials (such as contaminated protective clothing) were found buried. The levels of radiation were safe and the area was decontaminated.
Geography[]
Plattsburgh AFB is bordered by the city of Plattsburgh and the Saranac River to the north and the Salmon River to the south. It lies on the western shore of Lake Champlain on the New York-Vermont border.[1]
Demographics[]
|
|
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. |
See also[]
Notes[]
Footnotes[]
Citations[]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Public Health Assessment, Plattsburgh Air Force Base, Plattsburgh, Clinton County, New York". Plattsburgh, New York: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. 5. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/hac/pha/pha.asp?docid=254&pg=0. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ "Schumer Urges Airbus To Pick New York Facilities To Build New Aircrafts (sic)". Senator Chuck Schumer's Publicity Office. 25. Archived from the original on 30 November 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20081130064935/http://www.senate.gov/~schumer/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=260610&. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ Baumgarten, K.L. (2007). Strictly A Loner: My Life and Times with Plattsburgh's Poorest Millionaire. Plattsburgh, N.Y.: Studley Printing & Publishing. pp. 102. ISBN 0971392897. http://www.strictlyaloner.com. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ "Welcome to PARC". Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Authority. 2010. http://www.parc-usa.com/home.htm. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ "Small Adirondack Town Is Host of a Giant Concert". 18 August 1996. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D03E1D61630F93BA2575BC0A960958260. Retrieved 26 November 2007.,
- ↑ Weiss, Lois (4 September 1996). "Concert shows potential for military bases – Plattsburgh Airbase, New York". Real Estate Weekly. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. https://archive.is/sXsz. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
- ↑ "Bombardier to open plant at Plattsburgh, N.Y. (Plattsburgh Air Force Base)". RailwayAge. 1. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-15843331.html. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ LoTemplio, Joe (21). "Local Composite eyes opportunistic designation". Press Republican. http://blog.pressrepublican.com/archive/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7076:local_composite_eyes_opportunistic_designation&catid=34:news-articles&Itemid=64. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ "Tenants". Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Authority. 2010. http://www.parc-usa.com/home.htm. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ LoTemplio, Joe (7). "Demolition work on old airport hangar under way". Press-Republican. http://pressrepublican.com/0100_news/x550068737/Demolition-work-on-old-airport-hangar-under-way. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ "PATAKI: WestingHouse Air Brate To Bring 150 Jobs To Plattsburgh to Service Manufacturers Worldwide, Add Jobs at Yonkers Plant WABCO". Governor George Pataki's Press Office. 8 October. Archived from the original on 7 February 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060207091406/http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/97/oct8_5_97.html. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ "Air Force BRAC Success Stories". Air Force Real Property Agency. 8. Archived from the original on 17 January 2004. http://web.archive.org/web/20040117064007/http://www.afrpa.hq.af.mil/factshts/success.htm. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ↑ Calabro, Marian (2008). Flying High Again: PARC's Redevelopment of Plattsburgh Air Force Base. Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.: CoroporateHistory.net. pp. 160. ISBN 0976833123.
- ↑ Heath, Dan (16). "PARC success revealed in new book". Press-Republican. http://www.pressrepublican.com/archivesearch/local_story_136220030.html. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
References[]
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN 0-912799-02-1).
- Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1984. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- Mueller, Robert (1989). Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. USAF Reference Series, Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. ISBN 0-912799-53-6, ISBN 0-16-002261-4
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plattsburgh Air Force Base. |
- SAC Bases: Plattsburgh AFB
- Plattsburgh Barracks
- Plattsburgh International Airport
- 556th Missile Sites
- Brief video histories of PAFB and its redevelopment
The original article can be found at Plattsburgh Air Force Base and the edit history here.