Westover Air Reserve Base (IATA: CEF, ICAO: KCEF, FAA LID: CEF) is an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installation located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Westover hosts the largest Air Reserve Base in the world in terms of area. Until 2011, it was a backup landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle and in the past few years has expanded to include a growing civilian access airport (Westover Metropolitan Airport) sharing Westover's military-maintained runways. The installation was named for Major General Oscar Westover who was commanding officer of the Army Air Corps in the 1930s.
The host unit is the 439th Airlift Wing (439 AW) of the Fourth Air Force (4 AF), Air Force Reserve Command. Outside of the AFRC command structure, the 439 AW and Westover are operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC).
Due to its location as one of the few remaining active military air bases in the northeast United States, Westover ARB is transitted by many different U.S. military aircraft of all the services.
Video Westover Air Reserve Base
Units
439th Airlift Wing:
- 439th Operations Group
- 337th Airlift Squadron
- 439th Maintenance Group
- 439th Mission Support Group
Civil Air Patrol:
- Westover Composite Squadron, NER-MA-015, Massachusetts Civil Air Patrol
U.S. Army Reserve:
- 302d Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
- 304th Transportation Company (Cargo)
- 655th Regional Support Group
- 287th Medical Detachment, 804th Medical Brigade
- 226th Transportation Company (Railway Operating)(assigned to the 757th Transportation Battalion (Railway), Milwaukee, WI; battalion and all subordinate units inactivated by September 2015)
Navy:
- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 27
Marine Corps:
- Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, Detachment B
- Marine Air Support Squadron 6
Military Entry Processing Command (DOD):
- Springfield Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS)
Maps Westover Air Reserve Base
History
The field was constructed in anticipation of World War II.
In 1951, Air Defense Command arrived, but then turned over the base in 1955 to Strategic Air Command, which sent the 4050th, later 499th Air Refueling Wing, to operate from the base. The 99th Bombardment Wing arrived in 1956. In case of nuclear war, an alternate SAC command bunker, called The Notch, was constructed deep within nearby Bare Mountain.
Air Force Reserve
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission ruled that Westover would absorb other military units in New England. The expansion proposed the transfer of all military operations at Bradley International Airport to Westover and the nearby Barnes Municipal Airport. The exception to this decision is the 103rd Airlift Wing, which will remain at Bradley. A $32 million building project is underway to accommodate the additional 1600 service members required by the plan.
The new Armed Forces Reserve Center will host Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy Reserve operations. The Massachusetts Army National Guard will also make its debut at the base.
The base celebrated its 75th anniversary with an air show on May 16-17, 2015, where the Blue Angels headlined the 2015 Great New England Air Show. During this time, it was announced that the Westover was in the running for a squadron of the new KC-46A Pegasus. Later that year, it was announced that the base would not be receiving the plane, which instead was given to the 916th Air Refueling Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Westover was also in competition with Tinker Air Force Base and Grissom Air Reserve Base for the plane.
The local government credits Westover with spurring development of the Memorial Drive corridor, including several planned hotels and a high-end retail plaza.
Environmental impact
As a center for military air operations, Westover Air Reserve Base poses several hazards to local residents. These include air pollution, noise pollution, and water contamination hazards - all of which are shared with similar-sized commercial airports. Westover's extended operations history has produced numerous hazardous waste sites.
Facilities and aircraft
The portion of the Westover complex still under military control covers an area of 2,500 acres (10 km²) which contains two runways: 5/23: measuring 11,597 ft × 301 ft (3,535 m × 92 m) and 15/33 measuring 7,082 ft × 150 ft (2,159 m × 46 m). A new Air Traffic Control tower was constructed in 2002 and the old tower was demolished.
According to Federal Aviation Authority records for the 12-month period ending 26 September 1994, the airport had 38,137 aircraft operations, an average of 104 per day: 81% military, 18% general aviation and 1% air taxi. There were 46 aircraft based at this airport: 35% military, 50% single engine, 9% multi-engine, 2% jet aircraft, 2% helicopters and 2% ultralight.
Military facilities are under control of the Commander, 439th Airlift Wing, currently Col. D. Scott Durham. The civilian portion of the airport is run by the Director of Civil Aviation, an employee of the Westover Metropolitan Corporation.
Previous names
Major commands to which assigned
Major units assigned
See also
- Massachusetts 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 website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document "Westover Air Reserve Base".
- Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, D.C.: 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. Air Force Bases Volume I: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982. Office of Air Force History, 1989.
External links
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective December 7, 2017
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for CEF
- AirNav airport information for KCEF
- ASN accident history for CEF
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures
- AC-U-KWIK information for KCEF
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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