Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. View of the southern end of the former Blytheville AFB (Eaker AFB). 07-4637 photos; United States - US Air Force (USAF) Airline: United States - US Air Force (USAF) Reg: 07-4637 photos; Aircraft: Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules; Serial #: 382-5597; . (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); http://www.fi-aeroweb.com/Defense/KC-46-Tanker.html#:~:text=Compared%20to%20the%20KC%2D135,cargo%20and%20aeromedical%20evacuation%20capabilities.&text=The%20KC%2DX%20Program%2C%20the,current%20KC%2D135%20tanker%20fleet. The airplane dismantler used most of the tarmac we were using and we havent been back since before covid. Honorable Discharged at the rank of E5 Staff Sgt. My family and I were stationed here from about 1964 until 1970. When Vietnam ended and the USAF got back to peacetime, nose art once more disappeared. The walls are riddled with holes. [1] Other aircraft stationed at Blytheville AFB included: KC-97 refueler, B-52G bomber, KC-135A tanker, T-33 jet fighter, and the T-37 traineramong others. After World War II the C-47s were used in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Blytheville Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base from 1942, until it closed in 1992. Serial Number 61-0023 landed safely in Blytheville. It was also a B-52 that made the first airborne hydrogen bomb drop over Bikini Atoll on May 21, 1956. . Sign up and get notified about upcoming volunteer events! KC-135A - 61-0267 - 97th BW, Blytheville Air Force Base by Darren Currie 19 International Air Tattoo 1987 - RAF Fairford. . Far in the northeast corner of Arkansas, five miles west of the Mississippi River, the city of Blytheville remembers a prosperous past while hoping for a bright future. Profile pictures. 10 free downloads. The WASP program tasked select women with many key roles on airfields across the nation. From an extreme case of having to be boarded up like a top secret quarantine, to simply being an old tool shed that never got used. Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment 3. Washington, DCMay 26, 2020.Today, Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) joined Congressman Rick Crawford (AR-1), Congressman French Hill (AR-2), and Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-4) in announcing the introduction of legislation to name the Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base located in Blytheville, Arkansas the "National Cold War Center." The air force base was established in 1942 as a . Abandoned Arkansas had noticed while touring the base, the former base bank had been torn down the week prior to January 1st, 2022. Eaker Air Force Base Historic District, Arkansas International Airport, and Blytheville Municipal Airport. 3 items. We share a body likeness and dress and I had an orange helmet but most of the time I wore my Easy Rider Flag helmet. Certain buildings are worth saving. Posted to Facebook by William Travis. Tom Sylvester used to look up at the sky above Blytheville in the 1970s, watch the planes fly out of the nearby Air Force base and dream about being able to glide among the clouds. The aircraft on display saw extensive service in Southeast Asia and was severely damaged by an enemy surface-to-air missile on April 9, 1972. Blytheville was the only two engine training base in Arkansas. The B-52H, however, continues to serve without a replacement on the horizon; the USAF intends to keep it in service until at least 2025, by which time the newest Stratofortress would have been in service sixty years. Have history here? Some of the land has since been declared a National Historic Landmark. Upon his return to the United States in November 1970, General Brown was assigned as vice commander of the 97th Bombardment Wing at Blytheville Air Force Base, Ark., and took command of the wing in July 1971. The boom is controlled by an operator lying prone under the cargo deck of the aircraft. 1-2 hours. There was some concern that female aircrew--which were becoming far more common in the 1980s than in years previously--would object to the nose art, but no such objections materialized. In the years leading up to the reunification of Germany, the U.S. government sought out to begin a process that would eventually end in many bases like Eaker, to be closed. Another part was that the men who had flown in Vietnam and chafed under the official frowning upon of nose art were now the ones in charge. Deactivated at the close of the conflict, the base was reactivated in the 1950s as Blytheville Air Force Base and was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in 1988 . Suggest edits to improve what we show. I also lived in the dorms that are pictured. The airport was developed from the closed Eaker Air Force Base (formerly Blytheville Air Force Base), after its closure by the U.S. Air Force in 1992. . Building 1225, will be added to the collection of buildings as part of the future National Cold War Center. Doors and numerous truckloads of metal were being hauled off the alert pad. Blytheville herald-news Blytheville courier news (DLC)sn 89051348 - A Blytheville museum shining a light on Cold War history received funding supporting a planned primary exhibit. The Museums C-47 was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and delivered to the USAAF on July 14, 1944. I was one of four Production Supervisors who coordinated the P-Check maintenance and retrofitting of existing 737-200's (42 aircraft) for MetroJet; this included all coach interiors and . Nearly 750 were built before production ended in Oct. 26, 1962; 170 of these were B-52Ds. Places to visit . Many buildings are gone, and will continue to disappear. On the opening night of the war, a group of B-52s took off from Barksdale AFB, Louisiana and struck targets in Iraq with ALCMs, in a 34-hour nonstop round trip mission, a record that stood until 1996. In the Monett City Park is displayed the USAF Thunderbird F4 Phantom #3 Jet. As part of Operation Secret Squirrel, "Valkyrie" would be part of a record setting 34-hour bomb mission from Barksdale to Iraq and back again. Blytheville AFB experienced a great deal of activity throughout the Cold War era, when for instance, the 97th Bombardment Wing went on airborne alert on 22 October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Gym - Center of Wing's Athletic Activities. While with the 97th Bomb Wing at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas, it received the name "Valkyrie" with appropriate nose art of a mail-clad female warrior on horseback; nose art made a renaissance in the USAF in the late 1980s, though not quite as risqu as that seen during World War II. Blytheville Air Force Base. The exhibit is on the old air base, which is now an FBO for the new steel and other corporations that fly in there, along with other airplane related functions. Blytheville Air Force Base (BAFB) Exhibition, Blytheville: See 8 reviews, articles, and 21 photos of Blytheville Air Force Base (BAFB) Exhibition, ranked No.1 on Tripadvisor among 6 attractions in Blytheville. The nose art trend continued through Operation Desert Storm--though some of the ladies were censored or temporarily taped over to avoid offending Saudi religious officials--but then began to disappear again during the 1990s. Over 1,000,000 pictures It originally provided housing, school and community resources to the families of military personnel who were stationed at the adjacent Blytheville Air Force Base (which is now operated as Arkansas International Airport). The KC135 replaced the KC97, as the latter could not keep up with newer, larger and faster aircraft. However, the B-58 was delayed, and in accordance with General Curtis LeMays prescient worries that the B-52 force would simply fall apart, Boeing began development of a new variant of the B-52, the B-52G. "Valkyrie" shows one of Norse mythology's legendary "choosers of the slain" in full armor on horseback, with her shield a SAC emblem and carrying SAC's red lightning bolts in her other hand--which is pretty inventive. The boom operators on KC-135s got a laugh over it, the pilots loved it, commanding officers were horrified and eventually ordered it removed. The local economy tankedand unemployment skyrocketed. It was around 1960 and I still recall vividly sitting in the cockpit of a B-52. Of reinforced concrete and concrete-block construction, moleholes were of two-story height, with one story below ground. BX and Cafeteria. This is the alert facility, or "mole hole," where bomber and tanker aircraft crew in the Strategic Air Command (SAC; USAF) lived while they were pulling alert duty during the Cold War. The 17th Bombardment Wing (H) at Anderson AB was this aircraft's next duty station, arriving there in January 1973. Louisiana was the aircraft's next stop when in May 1974 it was transferred to the 2nd Bombardment Group (H) at Barksdale AFB. MEMORIES. Luckily, the nose art was removed first and donated to the nearby Pima Air and Space Museum. After it became operational in 1955, the B-52 remained the main long-range heavy bomber of the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War, and it continues to be an important part of the USAF bomber force today. In 1942, at the graduation ceremony it was believed that women could not fly as well as men. Armament: Four defensive .50-cal. Transferred from the 97th Bomb Wing, Blytheville Air Force Base, Ark., this aircraft was flown to the museum in November 1978. NCO Club. Constructed on former agricultural land, the site was originally activated as the Blytheville Army Airfield in 1942. Posted June 9th, 2014 by NFFF & filed under Uncategorized. And the aeronautical weather for the pilots with current weather and short-term forecasts with METAR (METeorological Aerodrome Report, observation message of meteorological conditions for aviation) and TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast: short-term forecast message of meteorological conditions for aviation ). School trips were to other countries LOL. of conventional or nuclear bombs, www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=294. A photo of my Mustang in the snow at Barker's Trailerpark in Blytheville Arkansas. The base contributed greatly to the economic and . It was rolled out of Boeings Wichita plant. Since then, there have been only 744 aircraft built by Boeing. In July 1991, she was retired, and as one of the Secret Squirrel aircraft, was donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum immediately. This is not my photograph so it may not be used for commercial purposes. I single had a wonderful time on my motorcycle that summer when I arrived at Blytheville Air Force base and my motorcycle was a major reason for my fond memories of a carefree time in my youth. Alas LRAFB was where we flew C119s to summer camp, but always hoped foe a fly in there. Communism had shriveled in the world. Old Movies. The Air Force needed a long-distance bomber that could travel all the way to the former U.S.S.R., drop a payload on a target and travel back without needing refueling. On June 10, 1942, the U.S. Army opened an advanced pilot training school at Blytheville, Arkansas. After extensive renovations, the "BAFB Exhibition", at the former Blytheville/Eaker Air Force Base, is open for business. The population suffered as well. The base closed in 1992, and unfortunately most of the residential units north of Daisy Drive are vacant and have since . Nowadays, the base goes by a few names. The B-52 has set numerous records in its many years of service. This facility trained Army Air Cadets on Beechcraft AT-10 Wichita advanced trainer planes to learn to fly North American B-25 Mitchell bombers in all theaters of World War 2. Notable people who were stationed at the base durring this time include Carl Jr. and Frank . Albums. Due to the high amount of asbestos flying around in the air, and the safety concerns. At 14 I was hopping buses and trains and hanging out with friends in surrounding towns. Blytheville, Arkansas was selected as a training location due to its proximity to the Mississippi River, where supplies could easily be shipped to and from the site. I took this from the back seat of the P-51 Mustang Gunfighter. The National Cold War Center will be an entirely brand new building itself. The effect on the neighboring towns of Gosnell and Blytheville the closure had on were tremendous. Use code: FLICKR10, International Air Tattoo 1987 - RAF Fairford. Mr. Gorbachev tore down that wall. The Blytheville Air Force Base Capehart Housing Historic District encompasses a large residential area built between 1957 and 1962 as part of a military housing program for service members stationed at the now-closed Blytheville Air Force Base in Blytheville, Arkansas. The pictures and history lesson accompanying are amazing. This has been an ongoing project for over a year. The Southeast Asia War Tour Boeing B-52D Stratofortress BUFF LF USAF Museum (9202) Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 3-10-2019. It seemed like every morning at 5:00 AM the flight line maintenance crews would fire up some of the airplanes engines. [3] Six more men from the 97th were also lost in Vietnam, whose names are recognized on a memorial placard at the former base. The rest I earned via my service to my country. On January 23rd, 2022, it was announced that the former dorms would be demolished. In June 1965, B-52s entered combat in Southeast Asia. 2023 Getty Images. Arkansas had six Army airfields. 88 of the aircraft built are modified versions to serve specific purposes such as reconnaissance aircraft, and cargo carriers. In the post-Cold War era, the U.S. Air Force decided to shut down the Eaker Air Force Base in Blytheville, AR. (Some joked that the ladies might just paint hunky guys on their aircraft!).
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