Marine Corps Air Station New River

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Coordinates: 34°42′26″N 077°26′43″W / 34.70722, -77.44528

MCAS New River
McCutcheon Field


MCAS New River Insignia
IATA: none – ICAO: KNCA – FAA: NCA
Summary
Airport type Military
Operator United States Marine Corps
Location Jacksonville, North Carolina
Built 1943
In use 1943 - present
Commander Col. Darrell L. Thacker, Jr.
Occupants Marine Aircraft Group 29
Marine Aircraft Group 26
Elevation AMSL 26 ft / 8 m
Website www.newriver.usmc.mil
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
1/19 4,790 1,460 Asphalt
5/23 5,114 1,559 Asphalt
Sources: Official website[1] and FAA[2]

Marine Corps Air Station New River (ICAO: KNCA, FAA LID: NCA) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter base near Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the eastern part of the state. In 1972, the airfield was named McCutcheon Field for Brigadier General Keith B. McCutcheon, one of the fathers of Marine Corps helicopter aviation.

Contents

[edit] Resident units

[edit] History

The base was originally 29 parcels of land, a simple stretch of tobacco farm that was purchased for $64,502 in 1941. Officials at Camp Lejeune investigated the area in search of an existing airfield for hosting aircraft in support of amphibious operations. Capt. Barnett Robinson, a member of Marine Glider Group 71, concluded in his search that the farmland would suit the Marine Corps’ needs.

The location was placed under the command of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and received its first squadron, VMSB-331 from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point on March 9, 1943. On June 1, VMSB-331 was divided in half to create VMSB-332 however both squadrons were soon after relocated to Bogue Field. From mid-1943 through August 1944 the PBJ squadrons VMB-433, VMB-443 and VMB-612 were stationed there. In April 26, 1944, the area of land around New River and Peterfield Point, named after the original owner of the farmland that was part of the government purchase, was commissioned Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Camp Lejeune. This delineated the airfield from Camp Lejeune, and marks its official birth as a Marine Corps installation. Over the next few years, paratrooper Marines, glider troops and air delivery personnel where trained in King Air hangar, the Stations’ first hangar, which was transported from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.

From right, a V-22 Osprey, a CH-53E Super Stallion, a CH-46 Sea Knight, a UH-1N Huey, and an AH-1 Cobra fly in formation over Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, March 18, 2008.
From right, a V-22 Osprey, a CH-53E Super Stallion, a CH-46 Sea Knight, a UH-1N Huey, and an AH-1 Cobra fly in formation over Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, March 18, 2008.

As World War II came to an end, MCAAF Camp Lejeune was closed and reverted back to caretaker status as an outlying airfield of MCAS Cherry Point. This didn’t last long, however, as in 1951 the installation was reactivated and became Marine Corps Air Facility Peterfield Point, Camp Lejeune. Only one year later the name was changed again, this time to Marine Corps Air Facility New River. July of 1954 marked the arrival of the first operational Marine Aircraft Group, MAG-26, which was transferred from MCAS Cherry Point.

The area faced another major name change in 1968, where it was recommissioned as Marine Corps Air Station (Helicopter) New River, marking its growth from a small training area to a major operational airfield.

[edit] MV-22 Osprey

The Air Station is the only Marine Corps base with the new MV-22 Osprey. It has the ability to fly like a plane, and take off and land like a helicopter. The MV-22 is slowly replacing the CH-46E medium lift helicopter. Currently there are three operational Osprey squadrons, VMM-263, VMM-162 and VMM-266.

[edit] See also

United States Marine Corps Portal

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Marine Corps Air Station New River, official site, retrieved 2007-11-12
  2. ^ FAA Airport Master Record for NCA (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-10-25

[edit] External links


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