Pilot Mike Bush, Co Pilot Larry J Houser, EWO Wayne Carver, Navagtor Doug "D.R" Kincannon, Gunner Jack Alexander. BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. The Strategic Air Command had reached the end of the road. It is very possible the paint that is peeling on the walls is lead-based. Offering the freedom of maintenance-free independent living with the flexibility of an affordable rental program, Westminster Village enables you to remain close to the best of Blytheville near fishing at Big Lake, as well as convenient access to Memphis . (Some joked that the ladies might just paint hunky guys on their aircraft!). of conventional or nuclear bombs, Engines: Eight Pratt & Whitney J57s of 12,100 lbs. Only ten B-52Gs survive today as museum pieces. Whether it be by the hand of the elements, or by deconstruction due to safety issues. Many times I stopped what I was doing and watched the full power, roaring and smoke trailing takeoffs. In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F4 Phantom #3 Jet. The Blytheville Air Force Base Alert Center and Alert Apron constructed as part of a national expansion of Strategic Air Command Facilities across the United States and its Territories, to help in creating a "program to safeguard nuclear deterrence" through the SAC Alert program. Ash worked from a photograph of the B-52 Blytheville plane. Eaker Air Force Base (1942-1992) was a front-line United States Air Force base for over 40 years. During WWII, my Dad and his best friend, John Whittington, would go to the base (teenagers) and work. In any case, out of a sense of history and because commanders were now favorable to the idea, nose art began to return, though the USAF was very careful to ensure any "painted ladies" to have nothing more risque than bikinis. I never earned Air Force Wings, the wings that appear in the photo are those of the Commemorative Air Force of which I am a member. The boom is controlled by an operator lying prone under the cargo deck of the aircraft. Airwomen were tasked with testing electronics of aircraft, testing aircraft by means of flights, and ferrying aircraft. Extensive efforts to offset the negative economic effects on the community of Blytheville were undertaken by local and federal officials, who cleaned up the site and then distributed the land to various organizations, including the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). I'm fairly certain I saw this aircraft at an airshow at Malmstrom AFB in the 1980s, as the nose art is familiar, but it may be wishful thinking on my part. The current BAFB Exhibit is housed in the former B52 crew briefing building, and will continue to be an exhibit. [1] It was located 3 miles (4.8km) northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. If you served in Blytheville Air Force Base, Join TWS for free to reconnect with service friends. If you can make it, even for an hour, we will be glad to have you! The 2nd Bombardment Wing (H) at Barksdale AFB acquired the plane a second time in February 1987. My USAF service had no connection to the Thunderbirds other than Juliet and I saw this Thunderbird perform at Blytheville Air Force Base Oct 25 1972. Would love hear your stories or your thoughts. Hill Aerospace Museum officially received the aircraft for static display on July 11, 1991. In December 1972, after being repaired, it flew four additional missions over North Vietnam. Blytheville Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base from 1942, until it closed in 1992. Was stationed there from 1967 to 1970 with 97th AMS, the old A&E Squadron. In 1942, at the graduation ceremony it was believed that women could not fly as well as men. See original furniture from the famous alert compound, pictures, uniforms & other memorabilia including a . Many DC-3 and C-47s are still in operation, nearing the end of their first half century of service and looking like they could go another half century. Did you serve with BLYTHEVILLE AIR FORCE BASE? The nine surviving jets are scattered from coast to coast most of them restored and on display. Location. B.R.A.C. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "blythevilleairforcebase" Flickr tag. This view also shows how well 58-0183 is preserved, and the EVS bulges beneath the B-52's nose. Cover photos. It was always fascinating to hear stories about how papers were left on desks and furniture left abandoned. At one point, sharkmouths were banned by 7th Air Force in Saigon as being "too warlike"--despite, of course, the "non-warlike" aircraft carrying tons of bombs and missiles. Any and all donations are appreciated. Blytheville Air Force Base (BAFB) Exhibition: BAFB Exhibition - Blytheville/Eaker AFB - See 9 traveler reviews, 32 candid photos, and great deals for Blytheville, AR, at Tripadvisor. Weekly Began in 1902; ceased in 1923. Desert Storm was the swan song for the B-52G. BLYTHEVILLE ARMY AIRFIELD 1942. It has the exact same problems as the hospital, though both buildings trade off on extremities. I hope they can save this base so that it doesnt get destroyed. If was really not abandoned til 10 year ago becuae I went to preschool on the base then I got shut down because all of us got sick becuase the heat and air went out. Dental Clinic. Wing Headquarters. The Library. Below is my Blytheville Air Force Base token collection. The B-52 had 8 engines but the two AGM-28 engines could also be used for take off and getting up to altitude. But it is well-worth the visit. Since its organization on 21 March 1946, SAC had continuously used C-47s or Gooney Birds as they were usually called, for support and administrative purposes. It is planned to be its own exhibit within the system of buildings. After 30 years and learning the computer and finding VetFriends, I went to my first reunion of the USS Navasota AO-106. Roof repairs began on February 19, 2022. The boom operators on KC-135s got a laugh over it, the pilots loved it, commanding officers were horrified and eventually ordered it removed. Abandoned Arkansas had noticed while touring the base, the former base bank had been torn down the week prior to January 1st, 2022. The B-52H, however, continues to serve without a replacement on the horizon; the USAF intends to keep it in service until at least 2025, by which time the newest Stratofortress would have been in service sixty years. To differentiate ALCM-equpped B-52Gs from unmodified aircraft, a wing fairing was added solely for the benefit of Soviet reconnaissance satellites, in accordance with arms control treaties. Improve this listing. [5], For the civil use of this facility and airport information, see, Blytheville Air Force Base Strategic Air Command (SAC) Alert and Weapons Storage Areas Historic District, Last edited on 26 September 2022, at 16:47, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, AFCEC, "Eaker Air Force Base Community Relations Plan", "National Register of Historic Places: Weekly list", "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Blytheville Air Force Base Strategic Air Command (SAC) Alert and Weapons Storage Areas Historic District", "Arkansas Officials Seek Cold War Museum for Former Air Base", "Community Relations Plan for the Former Eaker Air Force Base Blytheville, Arkansas (July 2007}", Arkansas Northeastern College (formerly Mississippi County CC), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blytheville_Air_Force_Base&oldid=1112498994, Part of Strategic Air Command/Tactical Air Command, Continental Air Forces, 16 June 1945 21 March 1946, 25th Twin Engine Flying Training Group, 25 July 1942 29 February 1944, Army Air Force Pilot School, 3 May 1942 31 May 1945, 211th Army Air Force Base Unit, 1 May 1944 15 June 1945, 809th Army Air Force Base Unit, 16 June 1945 31 March 1946, 334th Army Air Force Base Unit, 1 April 1946 25 November 1946, 461st Bombardment Wing, 8 April 1956 1 April 1958, 4329th Air Base Squadron, 1 April 1958 1 July 1959, 97th Bombardment Wing, 1 July 1959 1 September 1991, This page was last edited on 26 September 2022, at 16:47. During World War II, the site served as a training airfield as part of the 70,000 Pilot Training Program. 58-0183 joined the USAF and the 4135th Strategic Wing, based at Eglin AFB, Florida; the 4135th oversaw several B-52 squadrons dispersed over the American Southeast to lessen their chance of being caught on the ground by a Soviet nuclear strike. Currently, the main tarmac is used as Blythevilles airport. After any major war, surplus equipment and property is sold to the general public and agencies. When Vietnam ended and the USAF got back to peacetime, nose art once more disappeared. In July 1963 the aircraft was stationed at Beale AFB, California, with the 456th Bombardment Wing (H). Pinterest. Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. The deactivation of the Eakers (Blytheville) Air Force Base in 1992 hit the community hard as in 2019 the population is about 15,000 while the population of Fayetteville exploded to near 90,000. if I remember correctly it was one of the rooms pictured (162). My father was a pilot in SAC throughout his career (bombers and tankers); he and the other bomber and tanker crews spent a whole lot of time, away from their families, living in this bunker. In order to give the property on which the base was located back to the local authorities, the USAF hired a cultural resource management firm to conduct a survey of the archeological sites on the base property (Cande and Lafferty 1991). Building 1225, will be added to the collection of buildings as part of the future National Cold War Center. Description based on: Vol. Jul 1999. I really hope some other people can find this service and get in touch with people like I did. After World War II the C-47s were used in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Operated by the 97th Bombardment Wing based at Eaker AFB, Blytheville AR. Two North American AGM-28 nuclear Hound Dog Missiles were carried under the wings of the B-52 while eight Quails were carried in the bomb bay. This has led to the current dilapidated state of some buildings. Buildings, schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, car . Owners of said buildings had big ambitions to renovate and repurpose the old buildings, but either plans never took off or money was tight. In 1988, the facility was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in honor of World War II General of the Eighth Air Force, Ira C. Eaker. Though, the program and its members were not considered truly military nor pilots until the 1970s. This Abandoned Air Force base is located three miles Northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. Arkansas had six Army airfields. As I recall, crew members were typically on alert for 10 days of every month. . Nose art, while almost ubiquitous during World War II and Korea, largely disappeared in the 1950s. Capt R.D. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. At Mildenhall. Veteran C. Young. . The Ritz Theater from the outside circa. I was stationed at this base in 1972-1976 and worked in the 97th Supply Squadron which is one of the large buildings located near the center of the photo. Renamed Eaker Air Force Base in 1988 honoring Gen. Ira Eaker, the entire facility closed in 1992. Those dorms were pristine (almost new if I remember correctly) when they were abandoned. Assigned to Blytheville Air Force Base until deactivated in 1992. Merged with: Blytheville herald-news (non-extant), to form: Blytheville courier news. Our B-52s had the Vietnam War Camo paint while this appears to have the Pre-Vietnam War SAC paint which our bombers had before their Vietnam days. However, some F-15E Strike Eagle units have begun painting nose art again, so reports of its demise is probably premature. Holes in the roof create entryways for birds and rain. The majority of buildings have suffered the same fate. The War Assets Administration officially closed down the installation in 1946, at which point control and responsibility for the land was transferred to the city of Blytheville. During the second World War, the United States needed more areas to train pilots, and launch aircraft to respond to the threat on the Eastern front. On 7 July 1971 SACs last C-47 was transferred to the USS Alabama Monument Commission. 1950's. Janet Austin - Duplessis. . B52 for his quick thinking, response to a crisis, and heroic duties. The facility now operates as the Arkansas Aeroplex and Arkansas International Airport. [3] Six more men from the 97th were also lost in Vietnam, whose names are recognized on a memorial placard at the former base. Two B-52G bombers were readied to strike the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons if necessaryfor which the wing received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its performance during the crisis. PIGGOTT, Ark., July 30 (UPI) An Air Force C130 transport plane crashed, and burned at dusk today in a pasture in this town in northeastern Arkansas, killing all six persons aboard. Sign up and get notified about upcoming volunteer events! 3 items. Mold and asbestos float through the air like dust that just got kicked up. This facility trained Army Air Cadets on Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita advanced trainer planes to learn to fly North American B-25 Mitchell bombers in all theaters of World War 2. Notable people who were stationed at the base durring this time include Carl Jr. and Frank . The last model 61-0040, was produced in 1962. Enter your email address to subscribe to Abandoned Arkansas and receive notifications of new posts by email. After it became operational in 1955, the B-52 remained the main long-range heavy bomber of the US Air Force during the Cold War, and it continues to be an important part of the USAF bomber force today. The B-47 Stratojet was slated to be replaced by a mix of both the heavy Stratofortress and the Convair B-58 Hustler high-speed medium bomber. The rest I earned via my service to my country.