| Bowers Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 USGS Photo | |||
| IATA: LEN – ICAO: KLEN | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Kittias County, Washington | ||
| Location | Kittitas County, near Ellensburg, Washington | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,764 ft / 537 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 07/25 | 5,590 | 1,704 | Asphalt |
| 11/29 | 4,301 | 1,311 | Asphalt |
Bowers Airport (IATA: ELN, ICAO: KELN) is a public airport located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north-northeast of Ellensburg, Washington. It provides general aviation service.
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Established in 1943 as Ellensburg Army Airfield, manned by the 302d Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron. Planned as a fighter airfield for Fourth Air Force, however taken over by Air Technical Service Command as a maintenance and supply depot, supporting transient Lend-Lease aircraft being flown to Alaska for subsequent transfer to the Soviet Union. Airfield had one axillary field, located at . Now abandoned, although remains of a runway are still visible in aerial photography.
Military use ended in February 1945, turned over to War Assets Administration for subsequent transfer to Kittias County. Developed as a civil airport.
Bowers Field is named in honor of Ensign Keith Bowers, the first man from Kittitas County killed in World War II. Bowers was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. The field became a training base for military pilots during the war[1].
Today, large numbers of former aircraft dispersal areas maintained, along with extensive system of taxiways with what appear to be modern aircraft shelters.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.