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The [[airfield]] was named for Lieutenant [[Thomas Selfridge]], the first U.S. military officer to die in an aviation accident while flying with [[Orville Wright]] at [[Fort Myer]], Virginia on 17 September 1908. It was an active Air Force base from the 1940s throughout the 1960s, but it always had a significant Reserve and National Guard presence. It became a wholly reserve facility in the 1980s.
The [[airfield]] was named for Lieutenant [[Thomas Selfridge]], the first U.S. military officer to die in an aviation accident while flying with [[Orville Wright]] at [[Fort Myer]], Virginia on 17 September 1908. It was an active Air Force base from the 1940s throughout the 1960s, but it always had a significant Reserve and National Guard presence. It became a wholly reserve facility in the 1980s.


The [[United States Army|Army]] leased the 640 [[acre]]s (260 ha) of land from [[Henry B. Joy]] for $190,000. On July 1, 1917 Selfridge Field was opened. During the period when the field was a base of the [[U.S. Army Air Service|Air Service]] and [[U.S. Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]], Selfridge was the home of the [[1st Operations Group|1st Pursuit Group]], the oldest combat group in the Air Force. After [[World War II]], Selfridge Field expanded to its present size of 3,600 acres (1500 ha). In 1947, Selfridge Field became '''Selfridge Air Force Base'''.
The [[United States Army|Army]] leased the 640 [[acre]]s (260 ha) of land from [[Henry B. Joy]] for $190,000. On July 1, 1917 Selfridge Field was opened. During the period when the field was a base of the [[U.S. Army Air Service|Air Service]] and [[U.S. Army Air Corps|Army Air Corps]], Selfridge was the home of the [[1st Operations Group|1st Pursuit Group]], the oldest combat group in the Air Force. The Army used the field to train pilots as Europe was engulfed in war. Horses pulled mowers to keep the grass cut and mud ruled. More than 100 men of the First Pursuit Squardron rose through the ranks to become Air Force generals. Notable among them are Spaatz, Curtis E. LeMay, Frank O'D. Hunter, George H. Brett, James Jimmy Doolittle, Paul B. Wurtsmith, Emmet Rosie O'Donnell and Earle E. Partridge.

Congress approved funds for improvements at Selfridge, turning it into one of the finest airfields in the nation, the goal of every young pursuit pilot. In 1922 the base hosted the first John Mitchell Trophy Race. A Selfridge pilot, 1st Lt. D. F. Stace, won with a world speed record of 178 mph. The same year Selfridge pilot 1st Lt. R. Maughn won the Pulitzer Trophy Race and Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell set another record at 224 mph.

In 1924 a lanky young cadet, Charles A. Lindbergh, fresh from San Antonio Air Cadet Training Center, arrived at Selfridge. He returned in 1927 after completing the first trans-Atlantic non-stop solo flight. His Spirit of St. Louis was escorted by a squadron of 22 pursuit planes.

In 1924 Major Carl A. Spaatz, who became the first chief of staff of the Air Force in 1947, organized and led a spectacular air show at Selfridge, the beginning of a long history of air shows at the base.

In 1925 Selfridge staged a winter war maneuver to see how useful airplanes would be under extreme conditions. A squadron of planes with ice skids flew off to Camp Skeel at Oscoda, Mich. We could carry on this transcontinental campaign into the Arctic regions with the same equipment we have used this week," said squadron commander Maj. Thomas Lamphier.

During the 1930s and 1940s fliers from Selfridge often performed maneuvers over Detroit, much to the delight of local citizens.

At the outbreak of World War II, the 17th Pursuit Squardon, a longtime Selfridge institution, was rushed to the Philippines. A cadre from Selfridge headed by Col. Lawrence P. Hickey organized the VIII Fighter Command in England, which by the end of the war had 16 fighter groups attacking targets in Europe.

Selfridge kept on turning out new units. It trained the first all-black 332d Fighter squadron, popularly known as The Tuskegee Airmen. Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the first black to graduate from West Point in this century, and later the first black Air Force general, led the squadron. A squadron member, Daniel Chappie James, later became the first black to attain the rank of four-star general when he was named Commander of the North American Air Defense Command, (NORAD). Selfridge also trained hundreds of French airmen during the war.

After [[World War II]], Selfridge Field expanded to its present size of 3,600 acres (1500 ha). In 1947, Selfridge Field became '''Selfridge Air Force Base'''.


On 1 July 1971, Selfridge Air Force Base was transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard, becoming the first major active Air Force base to come under control of the [[United States Air National Guard|Air National Guard]]. At Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the 127th Wing is host to more than 30 tenant units representing every branch of the military - active duty, Reserves and National Guard - the Coast Guard, Border Patrol and the US Customs and Border Protection Northern Air and Marine Wing. Team Selfridge is one community with syngergistic goals and missions.
On 1 July 1971, Selfridge Air Force Base was transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard, becoming the first major active Air Force base to come under control of the [[United States Air National Guard|Air National Guard]]. At Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the 127th Wing is host to more than 30 tenant units representing every branch of the military - active duty, Reserves and National Guard - the Coast Guard, Border Patrol and the US Customs and Border Protection Northern Air and Marine Wing. Team Selfridge is one community with syngergistic goals and missions.

Revision as of 19:10, 23 March 2010

Selfridge Air National Guard Base

Michigan Air National Guard
USGS aerial photo as of 28 March 1999
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OwnerUnited States Air Force
OperatorMichigan Air National Guard
LocationHarrison Township, Michigan
Built1917
In use1917 - present
Occupants127th Wing
Elevation AMSL580 ft / 177 m
Coordinates42°36′30″N 082°50′08″W / 42.60833°N 82.83556°W / 42.60833; -82.83556
Websitewww.127wg.ang.af.mil
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
01/19 9,000 2,743 PEM
Source: FAA[1] and official website[2]
Selfridge ANGB is located in Michigan
Selfridge ANGB
Selfridge ANGB
class=notpageimage|
Location of Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan

Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB (IATA: MTC, ICAO: KMTC, FAA LID: MTC) is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. The host organization is the 127th Wing (127 WG) of the Michigan Air National Guard, but a variety of Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army reservists and national guardsmen use the facility as well. In 1971, Selfridge ANG Base became the largest and most complex Reserves Forces base in the United States. It was named for Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, the first U.S. military officer to die in an aviation accident.

History

The airfield was named for Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, the first U.S. military officer to die in an aviation accident while flying with Orville Wright at Fort Myer, Virginia on 17 September 1908. It was an active Air Force base from the 1940s throughout the 1960s, but it always had a significant Reserve and National Guard presence. It became a wholly reserve facility in the 1980s.

The Army leased the 640 acres (260 ha) of land from Henry B. Joy for $190,000. On July 1, 1917 Selfridge Field was opened. During the period when the field was a base of the Air Service and Army Air Corps, Selfridge was the home of the 1st Pursuit Group, the oldest combat group in the Air Force. The Army used the field to train pilots as Europe was engulfed in war. Horses pulled mowers to keep the grass cut and mud ruled. More than 100 men of the First Pursuit Squardron rose through the ranks to become Air Force generals. Notable among them are Spaatz, Curtis E. LeMay, Frank O'D. Hunter, George H. Brett, James Jimmy Doolittle, Paul B. Wurtsmith, Emmet Rosie O'Donnell and Earle E. Partridge.

Congress approved funds for improvements at Selfridge, turning it into one of the finest airfields in the nation, the goal of every young pursuit pilot. In 1922 the base hosted the first John Mitchell Trophy Race. A Selfridge pilot, 1st Lt. D. F. Stace, won with a world speed record of 178 mph. The same year Selfridge pilot 1st Lt. R. Maughn won the Pulitzer Trophy Race and Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell set another record at 224 mph.

In 1924 a lanky young cadet, Charles A. Lindbergh, fresh from San Antonio Air Cadet Training Center, arrived at Selfridge. He returned in 1927 after completing the first trans-Atlantic non-stop solo flight. His Spirit of St. Louis was escorted by a squadron of 22 pursuit planes.

In 1924 Major Carl A. Spaatz, who became the first chief of staff of the Air Force in 1947, organized and led a spectacular air show at Selfridge, the beginning of a long history of air shows at the base.

In 1925 Selfridge staged a winter war maneuver to see how useful airplanes would be under extreme conditions. A squadron of planes with ice skids flew off to Camp Skeel at Oscoda, Mich. We could carry on this transcontinental campaign into the Arctic regions with the same equipment we have used this week," said squadron commander Maj. Thomas Lamphier.

During the 1930s and 1940s fliers from Selfridge often performed maneuvers over Detroit, much to the delight of local citizens.

At the outbreak of World War II, the 17th Pursuit Squardon, a longtime Selfridge institution, was rushed to the Philippines. A cadre from Selfridge headed by Col. Lawrence P. Hickey organized the VIII Fighter Command in England, which by the end of the war had 16 fighter groups attacking targets in Europe.

Selfridge kept on turning out new units. It trained the first all-black 332d Fighter squadron, popularly known as The Tuskegee Airmen. Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the first black to graduate from West Point in this century, and later the first black Air Force general, led the squadron. A squadron member, Daniel Chappie James, later became the first black to attain the rank of four-star general when he was named Commander of the North American Air Defense Command, (NORAD). Selfridge also trained hundreds of French airmen during the war.

After World War II, Selfridge Field expanded to its present size of 3,600 acres (1500 ha). In 1947, Selfridge Field became Selfridge Air Force Base.

On 1 July 1971, Selfridge Air Force Base was transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard, becoming the first major active Air Force base to come under control of the Air National Guard. At Selfridge Air National Guard Base, the 127th Wing is host to more than 30 tenant units representing every branch of the military - active duty, Reserves and National Guard - the Coast Guard, Border Patrol and the US Customs and Border Protection Northern Air and Marine Wing. Team Selfridge is one community with syngergistic goals and missions.

The 127th Wing (127 WG) of the Michigan Air National Guard is a combined Air Combat Command (ACC) and Air Mobility Command (AMC) gained organization that was established at Selfridge ANG Base on April 1, 1996, by consolidating the former 127th Fighter Wing and the 191st Airlift Group. The flying units which previously flew the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the C-130 Hercules, converted their flying missions per the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission law. Now, the ACC tasked 107th Fighter Squadron flies the A-10C Thunderbolt II (Warthog). The 127th Airlift Group was renamed the 127th Air Refueling Group and now its 171st Air Refueling Squadron flies the KC-135 Stratotanker.

The 127th Wing is also home to the Air National Guard's 107th Weather Flight, which reports to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). These specially trained Airmen collect weather data, develop forcasting products and direct forecasts to the warfighters on the ground, sometimes going head of a main operation to prepare soldiers with weather data for the success of the mission.

Also pursuant to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action of 2005, the 927 ARW transferred their KC-135 aircraft to the Michigan Air National Guard and relocated to MacDill AFB, Florida in 2008. At MacDill, the 927 ARW has become an Air Force Reserve "Associate" wing to MacDill's 6th Air Mobility Wing, with both organizations flying the KC-135R PACER CRAG variant of the Stratotanker.

Another activity at Selfridge is STARBASE, an Air National Guard initiative that engages in activity-based science and math lessons. The program uses an aviation theme to allow local children to excel, regardless of their economic situation. STARBASE traces its roots to the Air National Guard’s 127th Wing at Selfridge ANG Base, Mich., in 1991. The Department of Defense came on board with the STARBASE program in 1993.

Selfridge was also the home of Tuskegee Airmen units during WWII and has an active Tuskeegee Airmen Chapter in Detroit, Michigan. Selfridge is also known as the "Home of Generals" because so many officers assigned there were promoted to general the most famous, being General Curtis E. LeMay, perhaps the most famous Commander of the Strategic Air Command and a former Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Historically, Lieutenant LeMay was once fined $50 for flying through Hangar #6 at Selfridge in a bi-wing.

Selfridge Military Air Museum

The base also supports the on-base Selfridge Military Air Museum, which features outdoor displays of over 15 aircraft, many of types previously assigned to Selfridge. Exhibits includes photos and artifacts about aviation in American wars, including aerospace. The museum is operated by the Michigan Air Guard Historical Association.

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Selfridge Air National Guard Base

  1. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for MTC PDF, effective 2008-07-31
  2. ^ 127th Wing, Selfridge ANGB, official site
  • 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.

External links

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