Fairfax Field | |
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Part of 1951-4: ![]() 1944-tbd: ![]() tbd: ![]() 1935-1942: US Navy |
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Located on Goose Island, Kansas, at the state line on the Missouri River west of North Kansas City, Missouri | |
![]() Northward view of the air base in World War II after the modification center was built along the south taxiway.
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Coordinates | 39°09′10″N 094°36′43″W / 39.15278°N 94.61194°W (1941-89 B-25/GM plant) |
Code | FUDS - WRD (WWII weather station) |
Fairfax Field was an early United States Air Force installation north of Kansas City, Kansas. Used as a pre-war Naval Air Station, the United States Army Air Forces leased the municipal airfield and built an Air Force Plant and modification center for North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber production. Military use of the site continued as late as 1957 by the Strategic Air Command's 3903rd Radar Bomb Scoring Group for bombing practice.
The USAF Central Air Defense Force (CADF) was activated with headquarters at Kansas City, Missouri, on 1 March 1951; on 24 April the Central Army Antiaircraft Command was "established with HQ at Kansas City" (organized 1 May 1951); and on 1 July the USAF 35th Air Division was activated at Kansas City (moved to Dobbins Air Force Base in September). The 4602d Air Intelligence Service Squadron--after being assigned to Peterson Field on 1 March 1952--had its Flight B assigned with "Defense Force Headquarters [at] Kansas City, Missouri". While Grandview Air Force Base was being completed, on 1 October 1952 Kansas City, Missouri, had CADF's Technical and Ground Training Division, and the NSA's Special Study Group met on 1 August 1953 at "Headquarters, Central Air Defense Force, Kansas City, Missouri".
The airfield was first used in 1921 for an air meet and became the 1925 Sweeney Airport and the 1928 Fairfax Airport. A naval reserve air base was established at Fairfax Field in 1935; a Navy squadron and a Marine squadron were established on July 12. In 1937 Fairfax acted as an "army reserve base" with Douglas O-46 observation planes, and by 1938 the airport had four runways, including one 2,700 ft (820 m) long. Fairfax's "U.S. Naval Reserve aviation base", had a 30-day pre-flight training course in 1940.