Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

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Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Miramar, California
MCAS Miramar Insignia
Type	Military base
Built
In use	July 18, 1917 - October 30, 1920 1929 - present
Garrison	3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

MCAS Miramar

IATA: NKX - ICAO: KNKX - FAA: NKX
Summary
Airport type		Military
Operator		US Marine Corps
Serves		San Diego, California
Elevation AMSL		478 ft (145.7 m)
Coordinates		32°52′06″N, 117°08′33″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
6L/24R	12,000	3,658	Concrete
6R/24L	8,000	2,438	PEM
10/28	2,800	853	Concrete

Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar (IATA: NKX, ICAO: KNKX, FAA LID: NKX), formerly Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar is an airfield of the United States military, located about 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown San Diego, California, USA, at 32.87° N 117.14° W. Its ICAO airport code is KNKX. The field is named Mitscher Field. The United States Marine Corps installation is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

1 History
2 Attractions
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
- 6.1 Books
- 6.2 Web
7 External links

[edit] History

[edit] 1918 - 1941

During World War I, the city of San Diego offered to lease 8,000 acres to the United States Army for a small fee. Camp Kearny was opened on January 18, 1917 and was named after Stephen W. Kearny who was commander of the Army of the West during the Mexican-American War. During WWI an airstrip was never built on the property although Army and Navy aircraft from Naval Air Station North Island did land on the parade deck. Following the Armistice, the base was used to demobilize servicemen and was closed on October 20, 1920.^[1]

Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis airplane was built by Ryan Airlines Corp. in San Diego. Lindbergh used the abandoned Camp Kearny parade field to practice landings and take-offs before making his historic solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

During the 1930s, the Navy briefly used the air base for helium dirigibles. In 1932 a mooring mast and hangar were built at the camp for the dirigibles. But when the program was abandoned, the base was quiet again.

[edit] World War II

By the time World War II, Miramar was already undergoing a “precautionary” renovation. Camp Holcomb (later renamed Camp Elliott) was built on part of old Camp Kearny, to be used for Marine artillery and machine gun training. Camp Elliott became home to Fleet Marine Force Training Center, West Coast and the 2nd Marine Division, charged with defending the California coast. Runways were constructed in 1940, and the 1st Marine Air Wing arrived on December 21 of that year. The Navy commissioned Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Camp Kearny in February 1943, specifically to train crews for the Consolidated PB4Y Catalina, which was built less than 10 miles away in San Diego. A month later, the Marines established Marine Corps Air Depot Camp Kearny, later renamed Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar to avoid confusion with the Navy facility.

The big Catalinas proved too heavy for the asphalt runway the Army had installed in 1936 and the longer runways built in 1940, so the Navy added two concrete runways in 1943.

During the 1940s, both the Navy and the Marine Corps occupied Miramar. East Miramar (Camp Elliott) was used to train Marine artillery and armored personnel, while Navy and Marine Corps pilots trained on the western side. The bases were combined and designated Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in 1945.

[edit] Naval Air Station

In 1947, the Marines moved to El Toro in Orange County, California, and Miramar was redesignated as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. In 1954, the Navy offered NAAS Miramar to San Diego for $1 and the City considered using the base to relocate its airport. But it was deemed at the time to be too far away from most residents and the offer was declined.

Only the western half of Miramar’s facilities were put to use, and the old station literally began to deteriorate, with many buildings sold as scrap. Miramar found new life as a Navy Master Jet Station in the 1950s, but really came into its own during the Vietnam War. The Navy needed a school to train pilots in dog-fighting and in fleet air defense. In 1969 the Top Gun school was established (and immortalized by the 1986 movie of the same name).

In October 1972, Miramar welcomed the famed F-14 Tomcat. VF-124’s mission was to train Tomcat crews for aircraft carrier operations. The first two operational Tomcat squadrons, VF-1 and VF-2, trained here before deploying aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1974. These squadrons flew “top cover” during the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

[edit] Marines return

F/A-18 Hornet on the taxi way at MCAS Miramar

In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and Marine Corps Air Station Tustin be closed down. Both stations were closed and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing returned to Miramar in October, 1997 when it officially became Marine Corps Air Station Miramar^[2]. On October 1, 1997, Col. Thomas A. Caughlan became the first Marine commanding officer of MCAS Miramar since World War II.^[3] Col. Caughlan was also the last commanding officer of MCAS Tustin.^[3]

In 2006, the San Diego County Proposition A proposed obtaining 3000 acres at MCAS Miramar to develop a commercial airport.^[4] The proposition was defeated 62 percent opposed to 38 percent in favor. Public sentiment was that they did not want to ask the military to leave and that the joint use arrangement increased noise levels to an intolerable level and interfered with the needs of the military.^[5]

[edit] Attractions

MCAS Miramar is home to the Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum, which is open to the public.

The Miramar Airshow is a major airshow held each October at MCAS Miramar.

[edit] Trivia

MCAS Miramar is best known for the TOPGUN training program (formally entitled Naval Fighter Weapons School), immortalized in the film of the same name that starred Tom Cruise. In 1996, the program was relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in western Nevada. During the heyday of TOPGUN at Miramar, NAS Miramar was nicknamed "Fightertown U.S.A."

On November 30, 2006 an F/A-18 Hornet fighter/attack jet from VMFAT-101 crashed at Scripps Ranch just east of Miramar. The pilot ejected safely to the ground three miles east of the airfield.^[6]^[7]

[edit] See also

United States Marine Corps Portal

[edit] Notes

FAA Airport Diagram

^ Shettle United States Marine Corps Air Stations of WWII Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis airplane was built by Ryan Airlines Corp. in San Diego. Lindbergh used the abandoned Camp Kearny parade field to practice landings and take-offs before making his historic solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. During the 1930s, the Navy briefly used the air base for helium dirigibles. In 1932 a mooring mast and hangar were built at the camp for the dirigibles. But when the program was abandoned, the base was quiet again.
^
^ ^a ^b Miramar's first Marine commander since WWII retires Marine Corps News
^ Proposition A: Commercial airport at MCAS Miramar - San Diego County, CA SmartVoter.org
^ Vigorous 'no' for Miramar airport San Diego Union Tribune
^ CNN.com. F-18 jet crashes, pilot ejects and is safe. Retrieved on November 30, 2006.
^ NCTimes.com. F-18 crashes today east of Miramar. Retrieved on November 30, 2006.

[edit] References

[edit] Books

Shettle, M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Company. ISBN 0-964-33882-3.