| Lamesa Army Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Part of Army Air Forces Training Command | |
| Located near Lamesa , Texas | |
 2006 USGS photo
  Lamesa AAF | |
| Coordinates | 32°50′41″N 101°55′12″W / 32.84472°N 101.92°WCoordinates: 32°50′41″N 101°55′12″W / 32.84472°N 101.92°W |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| In use | 1942-1945 |
Lamesa Field is an abandoned military airfield located approximately 8 miles (13 km) of south-southwest of Lamesa, Texas.
History[]
The airfield was opened in 1942 and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a contract flying school. It was assigned to the Air Corps Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command). The facility was a primary (stage 1) pilot training airfield operated under contract by Clint Breedlove Aerial Service. Fairchild PT-19s were the primary trainer at the airfield.
In addition to the primary flight school, the John Wilson Glider School provided elementary and advanced glider training to Army aviation cadets of the 28th Army Air Forces Glider Training Detachment until its deactivation in 1943.
In that year, the 3rd Army Air Forces Liaison Training Detachment was moved from Plainview to Lamesa, with liaison pilot training provided by Clint Breedlove Aerial Services.
Liaison pilot training ended at Lamesa in 1944, at which point the field was presumably closed.
For at least a few years after the war, the airfield served as Lamesa Municipal Airport, until replaced (at some point between 1944–63) by the current Lamesa Municipal Airport (8 miles south). There were originally two hangars on the airfield; one survives, however the entire airfield has been removed and returned to agriculture.
See also[]
References[]
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
- Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now - Vol. 2. Publisher: Pictorial Histories Pub, ISBN 1-57510-051-7
The original article can be found at Lamesa Army Airfield and the edit history here.