Naval Air Station Glenview

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The Glenview Naval Air Station was an operational U.S. Naval Air Station from 1923 to 1995. Located in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, the air base primarily operated seaplanes on nearby Lake Michigan, and later, P-3 Orions, stationed there as a staging point for Anti-submarine warfare against Soviet submarines. The former air base has now been redeveloped into a residential subdivision and commercial area called The Glen, although the control tower has been preserved as a historic building. Hangar 1, including the control tower, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as building #98001357.

[edit] Pre-military history

The base was originally built by the Curtiss Flying Service and intended to be the hub of Chicago's air service. When the field was dedicated on October 20, 1929, it was home to the largest hangar built to that time, Hangar One.

Hangar One, one of the most advanced hangars at the time, included many innovations which were considered state-of-the-art in its time. A one gigacandela electric light was erected which allowed for airfield activity in the dark. Additionally, a system of carefully designed sliding doors created dividers for storage and zone heating. Glassed-in galleries allowed passengers the opportunity to watch the mechanics at work on the ground floor. A passenger-friendly restaurant and lounge were opened in the upper levels. A loudspeaker system informed the passengers of the flight arrivals and departures. The final cost for the airfield and Hangar One was $3 million in 1930. By adjusting the price for inflation, the relative cost in 2005 would be about $32.4 million. It was widely believed to be one of the Midwest's finest airports.

In 1930, the National Air Races took place at Curtiss Field and in 1933, the International Air Races took place there in conjunction with the Century of Progress. Such aviation luminaries as Charles Lindbergh, Wiley Post, and Jimmy Doolittle attended. In 1934, Post tried to set an aviation altitude record from Curtiss. By 1938, civilian and military operations both ran out of the field, but in 1940, it was sold outright to the United States Navy. The name was officially changed to the Naval Air Station Glenview on January 1, 1943.

[edit] Alumni

Astronaut Neil Armstrong, served as a reservist at GNAS.
Former President George H. W. Bush, received carrier pilot training at GNAS during World War II.
Former President Gerald Ford, served at GNAS for several months during World War II.
Butch O'Hare, became the U.S. Navy's first flying ace and Medal of Honor recipient.
Admiral Daniel Gallery, captured the German submarine, the U505, which is now on display at Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry.