Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
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| Marine Corps Air Station Yuma | |
|---|---|
| Yuma, Arizona | |
 MCAS Yuma logo |
|
| Type | Military base |
| Built | 1928 |
| In use | 1959- present |
| Controlled by | USMC |
| Garrison | 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing |
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma (MCAS Yuma) is a United States Marine Corps air station which is the home to the AV-8B Harrier II's of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and also Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1.
The station is located 2 miles (3 km) from the city of Yuma, Arizona, at . Its ICAO airport code is KYUM. It occupies approximately 3,000 acres (12 km²), most of which is flat desert wilderness.
In 1928, the federal government purchased 640 acres (2.6 km²) near Yuma at the recommendation of Colonel Benjamin F. Fly. Temporary dirt runways were installed for usage by military and civilian planes. It was called Fly Field.
The outbreak of World War II transformed the air field into the Yuma Army Air Base. It was primarily a training facility for pilots.
After the war, the base was downgraded to inactivity and claimed as a headquarters for the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Reclamation.
In the early 1950s the base was re-activated by the United States Air Force, once again becoming a training facility, as Vincent Air Force Base.
In 1959, control of the base was passed over to the United States Navy and then, nine days later, to the United States Marine Corps. The base was retitled Marine Corps Air Station Yuma on July 20, 1962.
Use of the base continues up to the present day. It is the busiest air station in the Marine Corps. The site offers excellent year-round flying conditions and thousand of acres of open terrain.
