Ethan Allen Army Airfield

Ethan Allen AAF

Location of Ethan Allen Army Airfield, Vermont

Not to be confused with Ethan Allen Air Force Base

Ethan Allen Army Airfield is a former United States Army airfield located on Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont. It was used for observation aircraft between World War I and World War II.

History

Army observation planes began using a field at Fort Ethan Allen in the early 1920s. It was used primarily for artillery spotting by the 7th Field Artillery Regiment during training exercises. The Army used new Consolidated PT-1 trainers, and probably World War I Curtiss JN-4 and JN-6 Jennys for artillery spotting activities.

In 1927, a flood hit the Burlington, Vermont area and the aircraft at the field were used to search for missing people lost in the area and for aerial reconnaissance of the flooded areas, as the areas affected had flooded roads leading to them.

The airfield was closed by the Army about 1940 along with the gradual inactivation of Fort Ethan Allen. The airfield returned to its original use as a drill field for Vermont National Guardsmen who used the Fort after World War II prior to its transfer to the United States Air Force in 1947 and its subsequent sale to the University of Vermont in 1964.

The Air Force used Fort Ethan Allen primarily for personnel housing and base station facilities supporting Ethan Allen Air Force Base which was co-located with Burlington Airport. Vermont Army National Guard troops trained at the Fort and the old grass airfield is used occasionally by Army Aviation in the form of Army National Guard helicopters.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Ethan Allen Army Airfield