Westover Air Reserve Base/Metropolitan Airport

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Westover Air Reserve Base/Metropolitan Airport
IATA: CEF - ICAO: KCEF
Summary
Airport type		Military/Public
Operator		Air Force Reserve Command
Serves		Springfield, Massachusetts
Elevation AMSL		241 ft (74 m)
Coordinates		42°11′38″N, 072°32′05″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
05/23	11,597	3.535	Asphalt
15/33	7,082	2,159	Asphalt

Westover Air Reserve Base/Metropolitan Airport (IATA: CEF, ICAO: KCEF) is a "joint use" military and general aviation airport located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, near the city of Springfield.

The Westover Metropolitan Airport is owned and managed under an agreement with the Department of Defense by the non-profit Westover Metropolitan Corporation, established in 1974 to develop property surplused by the General Services Administration at the former Westover Air Force Base. Ninety-one acres of the property has been operated since that time as a public use, regional civilian airport.^[1]

This military center was one of the Soviet Union's top targets during the Cold War. The air base is one of the biggest employers in the Springfield area and is known for its long runways and backup space shuttle capability. It is also the largest U.S. Air Force reserve base in the country, and houses a fleet of C-5 Galaxy aircraft, the largest aircraft in the U.S.