Ladd Army Airfield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ladd AAF | |||
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| IATA: FBK – ICAO: PAFB – FAA: FBK | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military: Army Airfield | ||
| Operator | United States Army | ||
| Serves | Fort Wainwright | ||
| Location | Fairbanks, Alaska | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 454 ft / 138 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 6/24 | 8,575 | 2,614 | Asphalt/Concrete |
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
| Ladd Field | |
|---|---|
| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
| Designated as NHL: | February 4, 1985[2] |
| Added to NRHP: | February 4, 1985[3] |
| NRHP Reference#: | 85002730 |
| Governing body: | United States Army and/or BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT |
Ladd Army Airfield (IATA: FBK, ICAO: PAFB, FAA LID: FBK) is the military airfield located at Fort Jonathan Wainwright, located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was originally called Ladd Field, in honor of Major Arthur K. Ladd, a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps who died in a South Carolina plane crash in 1935.[4]
The U.S. government began, for the first time, serious infrastructure expenditures in Alaska during the 1930s. Most prominent was an increase in the military presence. For most of the early 20th century, the only Army post in Alaska was Chilkoot Barracks/Fort Seward, located just outside of Haines. With the threat of war looming as the 1930s ended, the need was established to develop multiple facilities as a means of defending Alaska against possible enemy attack.
The U.S. government acquired homesteads southeast of the town of Fairbanks beginning in 1938. From this land, totalling about 6 square miles, was created Ladd Field. Major construction of facilities began in 1941 and 1942, after the U.S. entered World War II. The initial construction occurred several miles from Fairbanks along a bend of the Chena River, consisting of an airfield, hangars, housing and support buildings. Many of these buildings still stand today.
Ladd Field's primary role during WWII was as a major stopping point for the Lend-Lease program, which ferried Allied planes to Russia across the Bering Strait.
For most of its early history Ladd was an Air Force installation. At the time it opened, the Air Force was still a part of the Army. When the Air Force was made a separate branch in the late 1940s, the name was changed to Ladd Air Force Base. For many years, it would be one of two Air Force bases in the Fairbanks area. 26 Mile Field, originally a satellite field to Ladd, was designated Eielson Air Force Base in 1947.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985.[2][5]
[edit] References
- ^ FAA Airport Master Record for FBK (Form 5010 PDF), retrieved 2007-03-15
- ^ a b Ladd Field. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ Fort Wainwright: Ladd Field
- ^ Erwin N. Thompson (April 18, 1984), National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Ladd Field / Fort WainwrightPDF (1.01 MiB), National Park Service
[edit] External links
- Ladd Army Airfield, Fort Wainwright, Alaska (official site)
- Alaska FAA airport diagram (GIF)
- Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
- Ladd Army Airfield at GlobalSecurity.org
- Ladd Army Airfield at WikiMapia
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for FBK
- ASN accident history for FBK
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker for FBK
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations for FBK
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for FBK
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