Westover Air Reserve Base

For civil use of this facility and airport information, see Westover Metropolitan Airport.
Westover Air Reserve Base
Part of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)
Located near: Chicopee, Massachusetts

A Westover C-5B Galaxy taxies in from a local training mission
Westover ARB
Location of Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°11′38″N 72°32′05″W / 42.19389°N 72.53472°W / 42.19389; -72.53472 (Westover ARB)
Site information
Controlled by  United States Air Force
Site history
Built 1939
In use 1939 – present
Garrison information
Garrison  439th Airlift Wing
Airfield information
IATA: CEF – ICAO: KCEF – FAA LID: CEF
Summary
Elevation AMSL 241 ft / 73.5 m
Website www.westover.afrc.af.mil
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
5/23 11,597 3,535 Asphalt/Concrete
15/33 7,082 2,159 Asphalt/Concrete

Westover Air Reserve Base (IATA: CEF, ICAO: KCEF, FAA LID: CEF) is an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installation located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Westover hosts the largest Air Reserve Base in the world in terms of area. Until 2011, it was a backup landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle and in the past few years has expanded to include a growing civilian access airport (Westover Metropolitan Airport) sharing Westover's military-maintained runways.[2] The installation was named for Major General Oscar Westover who was commanding officer of the Army Air Corps in the 1930s.[3]

The host unit is the 439th Airlift Wing (439 AW) of the Fourth Air Force (4 AF), Air Force Reserve Command. Outside of the AFRC command structure, the 439 AW and Westover are operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC).

Due to its location as one of the few remaining active military air bases in the northeast United States, Westover ARB is transitted by many different U.S. military aircraft of all the services.[4]

Units

439th Airlift Wing:

337th Airlift Squadron

Civil Air Patrol:

U.S. Army Reserve:

Navy:

Marine Corps:

Military Entry Processing Command (DOD):

History

The field was constructed in anticipation of World War II.[6]

In 1951, Air Defense Command arrived, but then turned over the base in 1955 to Strategic Air Command, which sent the 4050th, later 499th Air Refueling Wing, to operate from the base. The 99th Bombardment Wing arrived in 1956. In case of nuclear war, an alternate SAC command bunker, called The Notch, was constructed deep within nearby Bare Mountain.[6]

Air Force Reserve

A C-123K Provider (731st Tactical Airlift Squadron) and a C-130B Hercules (337th Tactical Airlift Squadron) are in front of the Westover Air Force Base Hangar for a 1977 publicity photo.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission ruled that Westover would absorb other military units in New England. The expansion proposed 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.[7]

The new Armed Forces Reserve Center will host Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy Reserve operations. The Massachusetts Army National Guard will also make its debut at the base.[8]

The base celebrated its 75th anniversary with an air show on May 16-17, 2015, where the Blue Angels headlined the 2015 Great New England Air Show. During this time, it was announced that the Westover was in the running for a squadron of the new KC-46A Pegasus. Later that year, it was announced that the base would not be receiving the plane, which instead was given to the 916th Air Refueling Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Westover was also in competition with Tinker Air Force Base and Grissom Air Reserve Base for the plane.[9]

The local government credits Westover with spurring development of the Memorial Drive corridor, including several planned hotels and a high-end retail plaza.[8]

Environmental impact

As a center for military air operations, Westover Air Reserve Base poses several hazards to local residents. These include air pollution, noise pollution, and water contamination hazards – all of which are shared with similar-sized commercial airports.[10] Westover's extended operations history has produced numerous hazardous waste sites.[11]

Facilities and aircraft

The portion of the Westover complex still under military control 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).[12] A new Air Traffic Control tower was constructed in 2002 and the old tower was demolished.

According to Federal Aviation Authority records for the 12-month period ending 26 September 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 Commander, 439th Airlift Wing, currently Colonel Albert Lupenski.[13] The civilian portion of the airport is run by the Director of Civil Aviation, an employee of the Westover Metropolitan Corporation.

Previous names

  • Northeast Air Base, c. 1 Aug 1939
  • Westover Field, 1 Dec 1939
  • Westover Air Force Base, 13 Jan 1948
  • Westover Air Reserve Base, 1991
  • Westover Joint Air Reserve Base, 2003
  • Westover Air Reserve Base, 2003

Major commands to which assigned

Re-designated First Air Force, 9 April 1941

Major units assigned

Redesignated 1600th Air Transport Wing, 1 Oct 1948 – 1 Apr 1955
Redesignated 1917th Airways & Air Communications Squadron, 1 Oct 1948
Redesignated 1917th Communications Squadron, 1 Jul 1961 – 1984
  • 8501st Air Transport Group, 27 Jun 1949 – 19 Jul 1951
  • Squadron VR-6 (US Navy), 3 Aug 1949 - c. 10 Jun 1955
  • 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1 January 1951 – 18 August 1955
  • 3084th Aviation Depot Squadron (Later:) Group,
Stoneybrook AFS [next to Weatover AFB] till 17 Mar 1954 – 1 Nov 1954
Redesignated 24th Munitions Maintenance Squadron, 1 Jan 1960 – 30 Sep 1972
  • 99th Munitions Maintenance Squadron, 30 Sep 1972 – 31 Mar 1974
  • 99th Air Refueling Squadron, 22 Aug 1957 – 30 Sep 1973
  • 4729th Air Defense Group, 8 Jul 1957 – 25 Jun 1958
  • North Atlantic Communications Region, 2 Jun 1958 – 1 Jul 1963
  • Air Force Satellite Photo Processing Laboratory
Redesignated 6594th Test Squadron, 26 Jan 1961 – 10 Nov 1965
Redesignated: 337th Tactical Airlift Squadron, 1972
Redesignated: 337th Military Airlift Squadron, 1 October 1987
Redesignated: 337th Airlift Squadron, 1 February 1992 – present
  • 905th Military Airlift Group, 1 April 1966
Redesignated: 905th Tactical Airlift Group, 1972-1 April 1974
Redesignated: 439th Military Airlift Wing, 1 October 1987
Redesignated: 439th Airlift Wing, 1 February 1992 – present

See also

References

  1. 1 2 FAA Airport Master Record for CEF (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2011-07-30
  2. ↑ Westover AFB, Mass – 99th Bomb Wing – B-52 – NEED INFO
  3. ↑ Bowers, Peter M., "Captain of the Clouds", Airpower, Granada Hills, California, July 1972, Volume 2, Number 4, page 33.
  4. ↑ "Presidential aircraft parked temporarily at Westover". 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs. 25 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2015-07-17. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  5. ↑ http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/trans/0757trbn.htm
  6. 1 2 Faulkner, Frank (January 1990). Westover: Man, Base and Mission (1st ed.). Springfield, Mass.: Hungry Hill Press. p. 160. ISBN 0-9616486-1-9.
  7. ↑ Groundbreaking held for new reserve center – MassLive.com
  8. 1 2 Westover project good for economy – MassLive.com
  9. ↑ Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs (29 October 2015). "Seymour-Johnson chosen for first Reserve-led KC-46A basing". Air Force Reserve Command. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "ALLEY CITIZENS FOR A SAFE ENVIRONMENT, Plaintiff, Appellant, v. Edward C. ALDRIDGE, etc., et al., Defendants, Appellees.".
  11. ↑ "Westover Air Force Base". Hampshire College, Amherst, Mass.: Military Waste Cleanup Project, Institute for Science and Interdisciplinary Studies. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  12. ↑ FAA Airport Master Record for CEF (Form 5010 PDF), retrieved 2007-03-15
  13. ↑ http://www.westover.afrc.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/141/Article/555528/colonel-albert-v-lupenski.aspx
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