Selfridge Air National Guard Base
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Selfridge Air National Guard Base
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| IATA: MTC – ICAO: KMTC – FAA: MTC | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Owner | United States Air Force | ||
| Location | Mount Clemens, Michigan | ||
| Built | 1917 | ||
| In use | 1917-Present | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 580 ft / 186.8 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 01/19 | 9,000 | 2,743 | PEM |
Selfridge Field is a joint Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. The host organization is the 127th Wing (127 WG) of the Michigan Air National Guard, but a variety of Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army reservists and national guardsmen use the facility as well. In 1971, Selfridge ANG Base became the largest and most complex Reserves Forces base in the United States.
The airfield was named for Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge, the first U.S. military officer to die in an aviation accident while flying with Orville Wright at Fort Myer, Virginia on 17 September 1908. It was an active Air Force base from the 1940s throughout the 1960s, but it always had a significant Reserve and National Guard presence. It became a wholly reserve facility in the 1980s.
The Army leased the 640 acres (2.6 km²) of land from Henry B. Joy for $190,000. On July 1, 1917 Selfridge Field was opened. During the period when the field was a base of the Air Service and Army Air Corps, Selfridge was the home of the 1st Pursuit Group, the oldest combat group in the Air Force. After World War II, Selfridge Field expanded to its present size of 3,600 acres (15 km²). In 1947, Selfridge Field became Selfridge Air Force Base.
On 1 July 1971, Selfridge Air Force Base was transferred to the Michigan Air National Guard, becoming the first major active Air Force base to come under control of the Air National Guard. Today Selfridge Air National Guard Base is the home of many diversified units of all the armed services.
The 127th Wing (127 WG) of the Michigan Air National Guard was established at Selfridge ANG Base on April 1, 1996, by consolidating the former 127th Fighter Wing and the 191st Airlift Group. The flying units, the 171st Airlift Squadron which flies the C-130 Hercules, and the 107th Fighter Squadron which flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon, retained their original designations.
The 927th Air Refueling Wing (927 ARW), an Air Force Reserve Command wing, is also headquartered at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. The 927 ARW comes under Fourth Air Force (4 AF), headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. The mission of the 927 ARW is to organize, equip and train to provide air refueling support to fighter, bomber and airlift aircraft under widely varying situations ranging from small movements in battle to large movements over long distances. The mission also encompasses the movement of cargo and support of aeromedical and special support operations. Pursuant to recent BRAC action, the 927 ARW is slated to transfer their KC-135 aircraft to the Michigan Air National Guard and relocate to MacDill AFB, Florida in the 2008-2009 time frame. Once at MacDill, the 927 ARW will become an Air Force Reserve "Associate" wing to MacDill's 6th Air Mobility Wing, with both organizations flying the KC-135R PACER CRAG variant of the Stratotanker.
Another activity at Selfridge is STARBASE, an Air National Guard initiative that engages in activity-based science and math lessons. The program uses an aviation theme to allow local children to excel, regardless of their economic situation. STARBASE traces its roots to the Air National Guard’s 127th Wing at Selfridge ANG Base, Mich., in 1991. The Department of Defense came on board with the STARBASE program in 1993.
Selfridge was also the home of Tuskegee Airmen units during WWII and has an active Tuskeegee Airmen Chapter in Detroit, Michigan. Selfridge is also known as the "Home of Generals" because so many officers assigned there were promoted to general the most famous, being General Curtis E. LeMay, perhaps the most famous Commander of the Strategic Air Command and a former Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Historically, Lieutenant LeMay was once fined $50 for flying through Hangar #6 at Selfridge in a bi-wing trainer.
[edit] Selfridge Military Air Museum
The base also supports the on-base Selfridge Military Air Museum, which features outdoor displays of over 15 aircraft, many of types previously assigned to Selfridge. Exhibits includes photos and artifacts about aviation in American wars, including aerospace. The museum is operated by the Michigan Air Guard Historical Association.
[edit] External links
- The Founding of Selfridge Field from Mount Clemens Public Library
- Selfridge Field and the beginnings of Air Power by Vivian Baulch in The Detroit News "Rearview Mirror"
- Selfridge AGB, Michigan from GlobalSecurity.org
- Selfridge Military Air Museum
- Resources for this U.S. military airport:
- AirNav airport information for KMTC
- ASN accident history for MTC
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KMTC
