Moore Army Airfield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Airport type | Army Airfield, Defunct | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operator | United States Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Fort Devens, Ayer / Shirley, Massachusetts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Built | 1929 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In use | 1929–1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupants | Army, Navy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 256 ft / 78 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°34′18″N071°36′12″W / 42.57167°N 71.60333°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Moore Army Airfield is a former airfield located in Fort Devens, Massachusetts. It was closed following the closure of the fort in 1995. It is named for Ayer native Chief Warrant Officer 2 Douglas Moore. It was the only Army Airfield named for someone killed in the Vietnam War. It is currently used for racing and State Police driver training. [1]
The earliest information concerning the construction of the airfield dates to 1 July 1926. It was originally known as Ayer (Camp Devens) Emergency Field. The sod airfield's dimensions were: 2,300 by 850 feet (700 m × 260 m). It also ran northwest/southeast. Camp Devens Airfield, as it was called later, was operated by the Army. A second runway was established the following year. Approximate dimensions were said to be 2,325 by 1,560 feet (709 m × 475 m). In 1934, it was marked as an auxiliary airfield to the Navy.
When the nearby fort was expanded in 1940, the airport supposedly "gained" its own airfield. It was described as having a 5,200-foot (1,600 m) runway. In 1944, the army withdrew from the airfield and it became known as Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Ayer, which supported training operations at Squantum Naval Air Station. Carrier Air Groups 4 and 83 were at Ayer in 1944. The nearby Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Beverly was used as a bounce field. [2]
The Navy discontinued their use of Ayer NAAS for unknown reasons between the years of 1944–1946. Fort Devens was deactivated as part of demobilization, in 1946, but it was reopened in 1948. By 1954, it was known as Ayer AAF. Then it was renamed Fort Devens AAF between 1954 and 1959. It had three operating runways but they were used intermittently on and off throughout the years. The longest runway was listed in 1960 as being 3,745 feet (not including overrun). In the 1970s it got an upgraded control tower and it was used for helicopter operations. The air traffic controllers worked in conjunction with their counterparts at the nearby Hanscom AFB. Around 1976 the field was renamed Moore Army Airfield. [2]
The field was closed around 1995 after the Army left. It is now a State Police driver training facility on week days. On weekends the runways are currently the largest and only centrally located venue in southern New England for SCCA Solo II style autocross competitions. [1] Several other clubs also use the runways for similar competitions. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] There is now talk of putting an industrial park over the runways of Moore Army Airfield. [2]
In the morning hours of February 10, 2004, a single-engine Diamond DA20 Katana N-303EC suffered an in-flight engine-loss during an instructional flight. The aircraft landed at the closed airport with no additional damage or injuries.[ citation needed ]
Long Beach Airport is a public airport three miles northeast of downtown Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is also called Daugherty Field, named after local aviator Earl Daugherty. The airport was an operating base for JetBlue, but this ended on October 6, 2020, as the carrier moved its operating base to LAX, despite the then ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Long Beach Airport's largest airline is now Southwest Airlines as JetBlue has ended all services at Long Beach.
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a protected harbor that can accommodate aircraft carrier-size vessels, ship's intermediate maintenance activity (SIMA) and a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway (5/23) measuring 8,001 ft × 200 ft.
Hunter Army Airfield, located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart located in Hinesville, Georgia.
Gray Army Airfield, also known as Gray AAF, is a military airfield located within Joint Base Lewis–McChord near Tacoma, in Pierce County, Washington, United States.
Bisbee Douglas International Airport is a county-owned airport 9 miles northwest of Douglas and 17 miles east of Bisbee, both in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, that was formerly known as Douglas Army Airfield. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 categorizes it as a general aviation facility.
Siskiyou County Airport is a public airport located three miles (4.8 km) northeast of Montague, serving Siskiyou County, California, United States. It has one runway and is mostly used for general aviation.
Cape Field at Fort Glenn was a military site significant for its role in World War II. It consists of Fort Glenn, an airfield of the United States Army Air Corps later renamed Cape Air Force Base, and the adjacent Naval Air Facility Otter Point, both located on Umnak Island in the Aleutian Islands of southwestern Alaska. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
Yucca Army Airfield is a former military airfield located about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Yucca, in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It is on the east side of Interstate 40, 25 miles (40 km) south of Kingman. It is now used as a private facility owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles named Chrysler Arizona Proving Grounds.
Marine Corps Air Facility Walnut Ridge is a former United States Army and United States Marine Corps airfield located in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. After it was closed, it was redeveloped into Walnut Ridge Regional Airport.
During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) established numerous airfields in Massachusetts for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.
Fort Sumner Municipal Airport is a village owned, public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Fort Sumner, a village in De Baca County, New Mexico, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation airport.
Freeman Army Airfield is an inactive United States Army Air Forces base. It is located 2.6 miles (4.2 km) south-southwest of Seymour, Indiana.
Holtville Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located five nautical miles (9 km) northeast of the central business district of Holtville, a city in Imperial County, California, United States. Holtville was a U.S. Navy airfield during World War II.
Naval Auxiliary Air Station Hollister is a former United States Navy air station.
Naval Air Station New Iberia, located near New Iberia, Louisiana, was a short-lived training facility of the United States Navy which operated for a mere five years in the 1960s. The naval base at New Iberia was actually designated NAAS, indicating that it was a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. The U.S. Navy airfield identifier for New Iberia was KNIL.
Cape Air Force Base also known as Fort Glenn Army Air Base, is a site significant for its role in World War II fighting, operating alongside Naval Air Facility Otter Point.
Hanau Army Airfield is a former military airfield located in Langendiebach, part of the municipality of Erlensee, some 5.2 km (3.2 mi) north-northeast of Hanau in Hesse, Germany.
Biancur Field, (Eglin Air Force Base Auxiliary Field #6,, is a satellite airfield located northwest of the Main Base, 5.9 miles north-northeast of Valparaiso, Florida. It is also known as site "Test Site B6".
Victorville Army Airfield auxiliary fields were four airfields used during World War II to support the Victorville Army Airfield pilot training near Victorville, California, and Adelanto, California. After the war the Victorville Army Airfield was renamed George Air Force Base on January 13, 1948. The airfields were built in 1941 by the United States Army Air Corps just before the war. Victorville Army Airfield covered 2,200-acre in the Mojave Desert. The US Army held a groundbreaking ceremony on 12 July 1941. The base, called Victorville Army Flying School, was ready to use before the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Army built four runways in a triangle configuration, with one runway down the middle of the triangle. Seven hangars were built to support operation. On April 23, 1943, the base was renamed Victorville Army Airfield.