machine guns in tail plus up to 43,000 lbs. Desert Storm was the swan song for the B-52G. [1] It was located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. The B-52 has set numerous records in its many years of service. Over 1,000,000 pictures The nine surviving jets are scattered from coast to coast most of them restored and on display. There are some items of interest in this photo of things that didn't appear on my uniform. At Mildenhall. 2, no. Arkansas had six Army airfields. In June 1972 General Brown assumed command of the 416th Bombardment Wing at Griffiss Air Force Base, N.Y. Jun 18, 2016 - blytheville afb photos | Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville . From its days as an Army Airfield until closing in 1992 as a major Strategic Air Command facility, the Blytheville Air Force Base told many stories. I had a great time and intend to go again next year. The aircraft on display saw extensive service in Southeast Asia and was severely damaged by an enemy surface-to-air missile on April 9, 1972. 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. The 17th Bombardment Wing (H) at Anderson AB was this aircraft's next duty station, arriving there in January 1973. Because it was an Air Force base, the airport has room and facilities that are not available in many other complexes. Americans did not have to fear every day of an imminent Soviet missile strike. Three crewmen died in the crash. Blytheville had their own team. On January 23rd, 2022, it was announced that the former dorms would be demolished. 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. It was rolled out of Boeings Wichita plant. Blytheville, established as lumber mill town in the 1880s, has also served as a center for the cotton-growing industry, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) airbase and a gateway city for the Natural State. BLYTHEVILLE ARMY AIRFIELD 1942. Touch . I completed USAF Technical School in Denver Co the end of June 1972 and received two weeks leave before reporting to my base and when I arrived home my old farm boss, USAAF Veteran Bill Morriss had a brand new Suzuki motorcycle in his garage. No photo description available. In its prime, it housed over 3,000 service members, and a whole fleet of Strategic Air Command B52 BUFF Stratofortresses. Washington, DCMay 26, 2020.Today, Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) joined Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-1), Congressman French Hill (AR-2), and Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-4) in announcing the introduction of legislation to name the Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base located in Blytheville, Arkansas the "National Cold War Center." The air force base was established in 1942 as a . Today, "Valkyrie" still wears her 1991-era SIOP camouflage and a SAC badge on the nose; the nose art is on the port side. It has the exact same problems as the hospital, though both buildings trade off on extremities. In the politically correct 2000s, nose art has been hidden in wheel-well doors or, in the case of the A-10, behind the integral ladder door, and often as not, simply does not exist. 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. Air Base Group Headquarters. Building 1225 is currently registered on the National Register Of Historic Places and is quoted as being the crown jewel of the National Cold War Center campus. Though Phase Two of the project is underway (as of February 2022), there have been no announcements of when the museum will officially open. Of the 3,778 acres the base is comprised of, two thirds of the land is abandoned. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Ruth Eaker, General Eakers widow, signing autographs during the name change of the base in 1988. The airport was developed from the closed Eaker Air Force Base (formerly Blytheville Air Force Base), after its closure by the U.S. Air Force in 1992. . Eaker Air Force Base was originally named Blytheville Army Airfield when it was built in 1942. When 58-0183 got its nose art, it was assigned to the 97th Bomb Wing at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, but it would carry its nose art into combat during the First Gulf War as part of the 2nd BW at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. Eaker Air Force Base in its entirety is a mix of private and federal property. In selected cases, due to ground water table conditions, the moleholes were built fully aboveground, with the lower story earthen bermed for semi-hardening. Engines: Eight P&W J57-P-43WB turbojets, 13,750 lbs thrust each w/ water injection, Weight: 168,445 lbs empty; 488,000 lbs max, Speed: 636 mph max at 20,800 ft; 523 mph cruise, Range: 4,100 miles w/10,000 lb bomb load; 7,976 miles ferry, Armament: Four .5 in machine guns; payload 50,000 lbs bombs & missiles. The local economy tankedand unemployment skyrocketed. The accounting & financing building has a large and open floor plan. Some commanders, such as General Charles Donnelly in USAFE (no relation to the author) reportedly considered making names and/or nose art on USAFE aircraft a requirement. It was located 3 miles (5 km) northwest of central Blytheville, Arkansas. The base closed in December 1992 and has re-opened as a general aviation/commercial airport and industrial park known as the Arkansas Aeroplex. Base Closure What happened to Blytheville, Arkansas? Eleven of these jets were flown from 1969 to Feb 1974 when they were retired due to the oil crisis. It is aRead more . During World War II, the site served as a training airfield as part of the 70,000 Pilot Training Program. I only ask that you send older photos (probably sometime before 1970).and they can be of People, Places in Blytheville, and Things. Improve this listing. (photo courtesy of Delta) On Tuesday, June 2, 2020, Delta Air Lines . Albums. Memphis Discovery Tour . This has led to the current dilapidated state of some buildings. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. Suggest edits to improve what we show. I took this from the back seat of the P-51 Mustang Gunfighter. Lots of good memories. Microscopy, Atomic Force Pulmonary Ventilation Acoustic Impedance Tests. My job was to keep the alert aircraft supplied with the parts they needed to be mission ready. In 1942, at the graduation ceremony it was believed that women could not fly as well as men. A B52 with a full nuclear payload, is the seventh most powerful country in the world.. It boasted a vibrant downtown and it had an eclectic population due to the wide variety of people the base brought to the city. This article was made possible by the help of Barrett Harrison, President of the Arkansas Aeroplex, Technical Sergeant Robert Charles, curator of the BAFB Exhibit, many Air Force veterans and the National Cold War Center. After a brief hiatus of less than a decade, the facility reopened as the Blytheville Air Force Base. Owners of said buildings had big ambitions to renovate and repurpose the old buildings, but either plans never took off or money was tight. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); http://www.fi-aeroweb.com/Defense/KC-46-Tanker.html#:~:text=Compared%20to%20the%20KC%2D135,cargo%20and%20aeromedical%20evacuation%20capabilities.&text=The%20KC%2DX%20Program%2C%20the,current%20KC%2D135%20tanker%20fleet. In 1988, the based was renamed to honor World War II General, Ira C. Eaker. Currently, the main tarmac is used as Blythevilles airport. The 97th deployed to Edwards AFB, California, while operating this aircraft. Blytheville Air Force Base was established in 1942 as a pilot training station. Select from premium Blytheville Air Force Base of the highest quality. Any monthly plan. The top attractions to visit in Blytheville are: Historic Greyhound Bus Depot Visitor Center; The Ritz Theatre; Delta Gateway Museum; Blytheville Air Force Base (BAFB) Exhibition; That Bookstore in Blytheville; See all attractions in Blytheville on Tripadvisor Cover photos. Nearly 750 were built before production ended in Oct. 26, 1962; 170 of these were B-52Ds. N503DN Delta Air Lines | Airbus A350-941 | Arkansas International Airport by M.J. Scanlon 17 . 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. A bomber crew from Blytheville were among the first shot down during Operation Linebacker II, a December 1972 mission targeting complexes in North Vietnam. The hospital is also a very large (plan wise) building, so it is very possible to get lost inside the building without a map. Abandoned Arkansas had noticed while touring the base, the former base bank had been torn down the week prior to January 1st, 2022. Full view. As crew chiefs we had all spent many tours in the mole hole. When the klaxon sounded, the aircrews scrambled to their aircraft, and got a radio code to start their engines; after the engines were running, they got another code that instructed them either to shut down, and go back to the alert facility (in which case it would be called a Coco alert), or to taxi (that would be a Bravo alert). I hope they can save this base so that it doesnt get destroyed. [3] Unfortunately, Eaker Air Force Base topped the Strategic Air Command's list of base closures in 1991 and with the Cold War coming to an end, the installation was officially chosen; in March 1992, the last aircraft left the base. Photo Gallery. This is a photoshopped 1972 Suzuki Brochure that I have transposed my face over the riders face. In December 1972, after being repaired, it flew four additional missions over North Vietnam. Location. It worked very well and it was how I towed my new 1972 Suzuki GT750J from my parent's home in Alma the 300 miles to Blytheville Air Force Base. The KC135, along with the B52 is one of the only fixed wing aircraft with over fifty years of service. It was located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Blytheville, Arkansas. Roof repairs began on February 19, 2022. 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. 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. Loved it. Retired from service in December 2019, MD-88 N907DL is stored at the former Blytheville (Eaker) Air Force Base, now Arkansas International Airport, in Blytheville, Arkansas. Armament: Four defensive .50-cal. In December of 1992, the base officially closed. In June 1965 B-52s entered combat in Southeast Asia.