Westover Joint Air Reserve Base
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For the civil airport use of this facility, see Westover Metropolitan Airport
| Westover Joint Air Reserve Base
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| IATA: CEF – ICAO: KCEF – FAA: CEF | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Owner | Air Force Reserve Command | ||
| Serves | Springfield, Massachusetts | ||
| Location | Chicopee, Massachusetts Ludlow, Massachusetts Granby, Massachusetts |
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| Elevation AMSL | 241 ft / 73 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 5/23 | 11,597 | 3,535 | Asphalt |
| 15/33 | 7,082 | 2,159 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (1994) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 38,137 | ||
| Based aircraft | 46 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
Westover Joint Air Reserve Base (IATA: CEF, ICAO: KCEF, FAA LID: CEF) is a Air Force Reserve Command, airport located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee, Granby, and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Westover hosts the largest Air Reserve Base in the world and is a backup landing site for NASA space shuttles[2]. It was named for General Oscar Westover, commanding officer of the Army Air Corps in the 1930s.
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[edit] Joint Use Mission
The Westover complex serves the "Joint Use" mission of military and civilian cooperation. The core aviation facilities at Westover are owned by the Department of Defense while nearly a hundred acres are under private ownership. The two parties coordinate operations in order to promote national defense and economic development. The mile-long runways provide significant separation between the two components.
[edit] History
Westover Field was created by a war-readiness appropriation signed by president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. It became the largest military air facility in the Northeast during the course of World War II. The post-war Berlin Airlift was based in large part at Westover. It was renamed Westover Air Force Base after that agency's creation and became instrumental in waging the Cold War. The Eighth Air Force and its 99th Bomber Wing was headquartered at Westover in order to provide range and support to nuclear bombers.
As a former Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-52 and KC-135 base, this military center was one of the Soviet Union's top targets during the Cold War.[3] The SAC constructed a secret underground bunker several miles away in Amherst, Massachusetts to coordinate Westover's operations during a nuclear war. The command post was was linked to the main base by buried cables and microwave antennae. The U-2 spy plane film that set off the Cuban Missile Crisis was developed at Westover. It was a base of operations for the Air Force in both the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. Bombing and cargo missions in Vietnam were made directly from Westover. Eight fully-armed nuclear bombers stood ready in Christmas Tree formation to scramble if a conflict broke out with the Soviet Union.
In 1974, as the last Vietnam War veterans stepped onto Westover's tarmac, the base was turned over to the Air Force Reserve. The decision followed four years after the Eighth Air Force was deactivated by President Richard Nixon.
The current military operations at Westover Joint Air Reserve Base are centered around its exceptionally long runways. The Air Force Reserve Command uses Westover for its largest cargo and bomber planes. It maintains a fleet of C-5 Galaxy aircraft operated by the 439th Airlift Wing (439 AW), an Air Force Reserve unit gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC). In 2003, the Air Force Reserve Command changed the name of Westover Air Reserve Base to that of Westover Joint Air Reserve Base.
It is currently the largest Air Force Reserve base in the world. It will expand significantly over the next decade to further encompass Navy, Marines, Army, and mainline Air Force functions from bases that were closed by the Base Realignment and Closure process.
[edit] Associated Units
[edit] 22nd Air Force
- 384th AREFS
- 439th Operations Group
- 337th Airlift Squadron
- 439th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
- 439th Aeromedical Staging Squadron
- 439th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
- 439th Operations Support Squadron
- 439th Airlift Control Flight
- 439th Maintenance Group
- 439th Maintenance Squadron
- 439th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
- 439th Maintenance Operations Squadron
- 439th Mission Support Group
- 439th Mission Support Squadron
- 439th Services Squadron
- 439th Communications Squadron
- 439th Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 439th Civil Engineering Squadron
- 439th Security Forces Squadron
- 58th Aerial Port Squadron
- 42nd Aerial Port Squadron
[edit] Air Force Auxiliary
- Westover Civil Air Patrol
[edit] Army
- 287th Medical Detachment, 804th Medical Brigade
[edit] Marines
- Headquarters, 25th Marines Regiment
- Marine Wing Support Squadron 472, Detachment
- Marine Air Support Squadron-6
- Machine Gun Platoon, Support Company, Anti-Terrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division
[edit] All Services
- Springfield Military Entrance Processing Station
- 302nd Combat Support Brigade
[edit] Expansion
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission ruled that Westover would absorb other military units in New England. The expansion includes the transfer of all military operations at Bradley International Airport to Westover and the nearby Barnes Municipal Airport. The exception to this decision is the 103rd Airlift Wing, which will remain at Bradley. A $32 million building project is underway to accommodate the additional 1600 service members required by the plan.[4]
The new Armed Forces Reserve Center will host Army, Air Force, Marines, and Naval Reserves operations.
The Massachusetts Army National Guard will also make its debut at the base.[5]
[edit] Economic Impact
The air base is one of the biggest employers in the Springfield area and produces an estimated $200 million in economic activity at current levels. Much of base's extensive landholdings have been sold as surplus and developed into industrial parks for tenants such as Friendly Ice Cream.
The local government credits Westover with spurring development of the Memorial Drive corridor, including several planned hotels and a high-end retail plaza.[6]
[edit] Facilities and aircraft
The Westover complex covers an area of 2,500 acres (10 km²) which contains two runways: 5/23: measuring 11,597 x 301 ft. (3,535 x 92 m) and 15/33 measuring 7,082 x 150 ft. (2,159 x 46 m).[1] A new Air Traffic Control tower was constructed in 2002 and the old tower was demolished.
According to FAA records for the 12-month period ending September 26, 1994, the airport had 38,137 aircraft operations, an average of 104 per day: 81% military, 18% general aviation and 1% air taxi. There were 46 aircraft based at this airport: 35% military, 50% single engine, 9% multi-engine, 2% jet aircraft, 2% helicopters and 2% ultralight.[1]
Military facilities are under control of the commanding officer, currently Brig. Gen. Wallace W. "Wade" Farris Jr. [7]. The civilian portion of the airport is run by the Director of Civil Aviation, an employee of the Westover Metropolitan Corporation.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c FAA Airport Master Record for CEF (Form 5010 PDF), retrieved 2007-03-15
- ^ http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Westover_AFB.htm
- ^ http:www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/agency/sac.htm
- ^ http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/03/groundbreaking_held_for_new_re.html
- ^ http://www.masslive.com/republican/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1206429609281870.xml&coll=1
- ^ http://www.masslive.com/republican/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1206429609281870.xml&coll=1
- ^ http://www.westover.afrc.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=8379
[edit] External links
- Westover Air Reserve Base (official site)
- Westover Joint Air Reserve Base at WikiMapia
- FAA Airport Diagram(PDF), effective 5 June 2008
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KCEF
- ASN accident history for CEF
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KCEF
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