![]() ![]() As soon as construction permitted, the headquarters of the district was established in the administration building of the municipal airport. No fuel storage facilities existed, and all such supplies were handled by commercial contract.Ī lease between the federal government and the city was concluded and on 1 March 1942, the AAF Materiel Center, Midwestern Procurement District (Materiel Command) was established at Wichita Army Airfield. No facilities were available either for troop housing or troop messing. The field could boast of only one hangar and three small warehouses. Other facilities at the airport, however, were meager. A parking apron with dimensions of 8,373 by 931 feet, and seven taxi strips were provided. All had a wheel load capacity of 60,000 pounds. The runways were adequate five runways were each 150 feet wide two were 7,500 feet, one 7,100 feet, one 6,000 feet, and one 4,500 feet in length. The airport, at that time, was located about six miles from the city of Wichita and comprised some 1,337 acres. On 6 October 1941, the unit was ordered to extended active duty and remained an integral part of the United States Army Air Corps until 6 October 1945, with duty assignments in Tennessee and Okinawa. This was the start of a cooperative relationship between the people of Wichita and military aviation. The unit's limited equipment included one BC-1A, one C-47, and four L-1 aircraft. ![]() In August 1941, the Kansas National Guard 127th Observation Squadron was activated as the first military unit assigned to the Wichita airport. The event was a success and ground-breaking ceremonies for the airport were held on 28 June 1929. The event was used by city planners to raise funds for a proposed Wichita Municipal Airport. McConnell's history began in October 1924, when the city of Wichita hosted more than 100,000 people for the National Air Congress. Origins Kansas Aviation Museum, formerly Wichita Municipal Airport from 1935 to 1951 Although the field was designed originally to serve only municipal civil airport needs, it had an Air Force connection almost from the beginning. McConnell Air Force Base was known during the first part of its existence as the Wichita Municipal Airport. McConnell's primary mission is to provide global reach by conducting air refueling and airlift where and when needed. It is the home of Air Mobility Command's 22nd Air Refueling Wing (22 ARW), Air Force Reserve Command's 931st Air Refueling Wing (931 ARW), and the Kansas Air National Guard's 184th Wing (184 W). The airbase was named in honor of the brothers Fred and Thomas McConnell of Wichita, who had both been Air Force pilots and veterans of World War II. McConnell Air Force Base ( IATA: IAB, ICAO: KIAB, FAA LID: IAB) is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. IATA: IAB, ICAO: KIAB, FAA LID: IAB, WMO: 724505ģ,659.7 metres (12,007 ft) Asphalt and concrete
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