Ellington Airport (Texas)

Lieutenant Eric Lamar Ellington Field is an airport in southeast Houston, Texas. Its IATA airport code is EFD.

File:EllingtonT38s.jpg

NASA's fleet of T-38 Talons sitting on the flightline at Ellington.

Ellington Field was established when aviation was in its infancy — in 1917, during the height of World War I. Originally created as a training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the field is now used by military, commercial, government and general aviation sectors. It is one of the few airfields built for WWI training purposes still in operation today.

History

In 1917, the U.S. government purchased 1,280 acres of tall prairie grassland from a Dr. R. W. Knox and the Wright Land Company. The location — currently part of southeast Houston — was selected because the weather conditions were ideal for flight training. Soon after construction began on the airfield, the base was named after Lt. Eric Lamar Ellington, an Army pilot killed four years earlier in a plane crash in San Diego, California.

The base — which consisted of a few hangars and some wooden headquarters buildings — was completed in a matter of months. By the end of 1917, the field was ready to receive its first squadron &mdash the 120th Aero Squadron, which was transferred from Kelly Field, along with its Curtiss JN4 Jenny biplanes, which were shipped in wooden crates via railroad.

During WWI, Ellington served as an advanced flight training base. As of 1918, Ellington had its own gunnery and bombing range on a small peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico near San Leon, Texas. Ellington became well-known in military circles, and had a series of "firsts" — including the first camp newspaper, the first American aerial gunnery and bombing range, the first "canteen girls", and the first aerial ambulance in American military history.

After WWI concluded, Ellington was no longer considered necessary, and in 1920 it was deactivated as an active duty airfield. A small caretaker unit was kept there for administrative reasons, but generally, the only flight activity during this time was from Army pilots stationed at Kelly Field, who flew down to practice landings on Ellington's runways.

In 1923, Ellington had been ordered to be completely dismantled. But that plan was abruptly halted when the Texas National Guard decided to establish an aviation squadron. Soon after, the 111th Observation Squadron (known colloquially as "Houston's Own") was born, stationed at Ellington Field. The squadron, which flew Curtiss JN6Hs and De Havilland DH.4s, provided mapping, photography, and reconnaissance support for the 36th Infantry Division.

Just a few years alter, Ellington's status was again threatened as local city leaders began discussing building a municipal airport. That airport — the present day William P. Hobby Airport — confirmed the squadron's fears; by 1927 Ellington's aging facilities were obsolete. The Texas National Guard decided to move the 111th to new facilities at the municipal airport instead. The Texas National Guard and 36th Infantry Division bought most of the airfield's buildings, but let the land lie fallow — by 1928 Ellington was again overtaken by tall prairie grass. That same year, a fire engulfed what was left of the airfield, consuming its remaining structures, save concrete foundations and a metal water tower. For the next 12 years, the U.S. military leased the land to local ranchers for use as pasture.

World War II, with its concomitant need for trained pilots, resurrected Ellington Field from the ash heap of history. Rep. Albert Thomas, who was one of Houston's representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives, pushed for rebuilding Ellington as a pilot training ground. Beyond the area's excellent weather for flying, Thomas argued that the Houston area's enormous petroleum refineries, upon which the war effort depended, needed military protection close by.

Construction began on a much-expanded Ellington Field, which eventually included five control towers, two 46,000 square foot hangars, the most modern medical complex in south Texas and 74 barracks. Ellington became one of the sites where bomber pilots received their advanced training. It also housed the Army Air Corps' bombardier school, known as the "the Bombardment Academy of the Air." In 1943, the bombardier school was replaced with a school for navigators.

From 1945 at the close of the war until 1948, Ellington served primarily as a reserve air base. But in 1948, Ellington was reopened for active duty and renamed Ellington Air Force Base. By 1949, the Air Force had rebuilt Ellington enough to open a radar navigator school. To help navigators learn celestial positioning, a Houston resident paid for the construction of a planetarium at Ellington. The planetarium, which stood 50 feet high and was topped by an aluminum dome, could hold 40 students.

In 1957 the United States Navy[ opened a Naval Air Reserve Center at Ellington, where Navy pilots flew amphibious aircraft on antisubmarine missions over the Gulf of Mexico. But budget problems forced its closure just a year later.

In 1959, Ellington was downgraded to a reserve Air Force base, and has served the military in that caapcity since. Also in 1959, the Civil Air Patrol decided to move its headquarters to Houston. In addition, Ellington also hosted several Reserve Officer Training Corps summer courses, hosting officer candidates from 22 states. The CAP has since relocated their headquarters elsewhere, but a local unit still remains at Ellington.

In 1962, NASA elected to use Ellington as its base for astronaut flight training because of its proximity to the newly-constructed Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, which continues to the present day.

In 1976, Ellington was officially deactivated. All Air Force Reserve squadrons were transferred elsewhere; however, the Texas Air National Guard and National Guard still maintain a presence on the base.

In 1984 the city of Houston purchased Ellington to use as a third civil airport, and it was again renamed Ellington Field.

Present day

Ellington Field has mostly been used for military purposes, for flying NASA aircraft, flying packages for the United Parcel Service, and for flying the United States President into the Houston area. However, the airport is now in civilian management.

Ellington Field once had scheduled commercial air service. Continental Express flew between Ellington Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in north Houston. The service ended on September 7, 2004.

Under the BRAC 2005 Ellington Field Air Guard Station is slated for realignment.

Ellington Field is home to the largest flying club in Texas, and to the annual "Wings over Houston" airshow.

BRAC

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Defense recommended retiring Ellington's 147th Fighter Wing's F-16 Falcon fighter jets (a total of 15 aircraft). However, the wing's combat support would remain intact. The 272nd Engineering Installation Squadron, an Air National Guard unit currently located off-base, would move into Ellington Field.

The total estimated one-time cost to the Defense Department to implement this recommendation would be $1.6 million.

Rep. Tom DeLay, the powerful majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, represents Ellington Field. He asked the commission that recommended Ellington be downsized to reevaluate its position, and hosted the chairman of the committee, Anthony Principi, at Ellington Field in June 2005. It is unclear whether DeLay's advocacy will sway the commission to reverse its recommendations.

External links

• globalsecurity.org: Ellington Field
• [1]
• A short history of Ellington Field, by NASA