Selfridge Air National Guard Base

Selfridge Air National Guard Base Michigan Air National Guard
USGS aerial photo - 28 March 1999
IATA: MTC ICAO: KMTC FAA LID: MTC
Summary
Airport type	Military: Air Force Base
Owner	United States Air Force
Operator	Michigan Air National Guard
Location	Harrison Township, Michigan
Built	1917
In use	1917 - present
Occupants	127th Wing
Elevation AMSL	580 ft / 177 m
Coordinates	42°36′30″N 082°50′08″W
Website	www.127wg.ang.af.mil
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 01/19 9,000 2,743 PEM
Source: FAA and official website

Selfridge ANGB

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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

Origins

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.

World War II

At the outbreak of World War II, the 17th Pursuit Squadron, 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 three squadrons of the first all-black 332d Fighter Group, popularly known as The Tuskegee Airmen. Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the first black to graduate from West Point in the 20th Century, and later the first black Air Force general, led the group in their Mediterranean and European operations. Selfridge also trained hundreds of French airmen during the war.

Cold 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.

55th Fighter Wing

The 56th Fighter Wing was established on 28 July 1947 at Selfridge AAF, Michigan as part of the Strategic Air Command's Fifteenth Air Force. It included the 61st, 62d and 63d Fighter Squadrons flying Lockheed P-80 Shooting Stars.

In July and August 1948, the wing pioneered the first west-to-east jet fighter transatlantic crossing along the northern air route from the United States to Europe, involving 16 of its F-80's. The flight proceeded to Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, Germany, by way of Maine, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland. Although the operation was not connected with the Berlin Airlift, it did focus world attention on the U.S. Air Force's ability to rapidly deploy jet fighters during a crisis. It was inactivated on 6 February 1952 as part of the phaseout of fighter wings from Strategic Air Command.

439th Fighter-Bomber Wing

In June 1952, the 439th Fighter-Bomber Wing was activated at Selfridge under 10th Air Force of the Air Force Reserve. The 439th had previously been a reserve C-46 Commando Troop Carrier Wing which had been established in 1949 and activated during the Korean War in April 1951. It's personnel and equipment were sent as replacements to Far East Air Force and was inactivated in April 1951.

The new Fighter-Bomber Wing was initially equipped with F-51 Mustangs and later F-80C Shooting Stars. In 1956, F-84 Thunderstreaks were assigned. In November 1957, the reserve unit was inactivated as Air Defense Command took over Selfridge.

1st Fighter Wing (Air Defense)

On 18 August 1956, the 1st Fighter Wing (Air Defense) was activated at Selfridge AFB. Equipped first with F-86 Sabre fighters, the wing transitioned to F-102 Delta Dagger interceptor aircraft in 1958 providing Air Defense of the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. It served as part of the 30th Air Division and the Detroit Air Defense Sector until being reassigned to Hamilton AFB, near San Fransisco in January 1970.

Nike Missile/Air Defense Command Radar station

In 1949, a test of Air Defense Command radar sets at Selfridge, an AN/CPS-5 Radar set operated by the 661st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was able to track aircraft at ranges up to 210 miles. Later, Selfridge Air Force Base was one of twenty-eight stations built as part of the second segment of the Air Defense Command permanent radar network. Prompted by the start of the Korean War, on July 11, 1950, the Secretary of the Air Force asked the Secretary of Defense for approval to expedite construction of the permanent network. Receiving the Defense Secretary’s approval on July 21, the Air Force directed the Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction. During the construction period the AN/CPS-5 remained in operational use as part of the temporary site, designated LP-17

Selfridge AFB and the 661st AC&W Squadron became part of the permanent network in 1952. Initially designated as LP-20, the site used a pair of AN/CPS-6 radar sets. An AN/FPS-6 height-finder radar arrived in 1957.

Selfridge joined the SAGE system in 1959, the squadron being re-designated as the 661st Radar Squadron (SAGE), and the site being re-designated as P-16. By 1960 the AN/CPS-6 radar had been retired, and was replaced by AN/FPS-20 search and AN/FPS-6 and -6A height-finder radars. In 1961 the site received an AN/FPS-35 radar; however, problems prevented the radar from becoming operational in 1961. It became operational the following year. Meanwhile an AN/FPS-26A replaced the AN/FPS-6A height-finder radar circa 1963. On 31 July 1963, Selfridge AFB was redesignated as NORAD ID Z-20.

In addition to the main facility, Selfridge operated several AN/FPS-18 Gap Filler sites:

• Burnside, MI (P-20A) 43°10′53″N 083°03′11″W
• Emery, MI (P-20B) 42°22′00″N 083°39′42″W
• Marblehead, MI (P-20C) 41°32′21″N 082°44′26″W

The Selfridge long-range radar site was shared with the United States Army as a Nike missile command-and-control center. In 1950, Nike-Ajax headquarters facilities were constructed at Selfridge as well as the Detroit Artillery Armory. Army Air-Defense Command Post (AADCP) D-15DC was established at Selfridge AFB, MI in 1960 for Nike missile command-and-control functions. The site was initially an AN/FSG-l Missile-Master Radar Direction Center. It was later upgraded to the AN/TSQ-51 "Missile Mentor" solid-state computer system.

The 661st Radar Squadron was deactivated on 1 July 1974 when the Army deactivated their Nike missile defense system around Detroit.

Michigan Air National Guard

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 ahead 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.

Other Uses

Other activities located at Selfridge include 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 is also the host base to the Headquarters for the Michigan Wing, Civil Air Patrol and the 176th Selfridge Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and occupations. It performs three congressionally assigned key missions: emergency services, which includes search and rescue (by air and ground) and disaster relief operations; aerospace education for youth and the general public; and cadet programs for teenage youth. In addition, CAP has recently been tasked with homeland security and courier service missions. While CAP is sponsored by the USAF, it is not an operating reserve component under the Air Force or the federal government.

Selfridge was also one of the homes 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 30 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

• Michigan World War II Army Airfields
• Central Air Defense Force (Air Defense Command)

Other sources

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

• The Founding of Selfridge Field from Mount Clemens Public Library
• Selfridge AGB, Michigan from GlobalSecurity.org
• Selfridge Military Air Museum
• Civil Air Patrol
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective May 16, 2024
• FAA Terminal Procedures for MTC, effective May 16, 2024
• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • FAA airport information for MTC
  • AirNav airport information for KMTC
  • ASN accident history for MTC
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KMTC