Bainbridge Army Airfield
| Bainbridge Air Base Bainbridge Army Airfield  |
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| Part of Air Training Command | |
| Located near: Bainbridge, Georgia | |
Bainbridge Army Airfield, Georgia, 1944
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 Bainbridge AB
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| Coordinates | 30°58′18″N 084°38′15″W / 30.97167°N 84.63750°WCoordinates: 30°58′18″N 084°38′15″W / 30.97167°N 84.63750°W |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
 United States Air Force
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| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942-1945, 1951-1961 |
Bainbridge Air Base is a closed United States Air Force base. It was inactivated on 31 March 1961.
Following entry of the United States into World War II, the Chief of the Army Air Corps directed the Air Corps Flying Training Command Southeast Training Center to immediately take action to select air base sites needed to increase its pilot training rate to meet anticipated wartime demands.
A level area near Bainbridge, seven miles (11 km) northwest of the City adjacent to the Seaboard Air Line Railroad was selected by the Air Corps, and the City of Bainbridge and Decatur County purchased 2,070 acres (8.4 km2) for $66,800 and then leased the property to the Army for $1 per annum for a basic flight training base authorizing 89.9 million for its construction.
The contractor broke ground on 3 April 1942, for Bainbridge Army Airfield. The immediate construction involved runways and airplane hangars, with concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Several large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper. In addition to the main facility, several sub-bases and auxiliaries were established to support the training mission.
The first troops moved in on 4 July 1942. Initial construction reached completion on 25 August.
Flight training began on 2 August 1942, with 75 Vultee BT-13s. It was used by the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, Southeast Training Center (later Eastern Flying Training Command) for advanced single-engine flight training, both by military and contract civilian air instructors. The Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced Single-Engine) was the Operational Training Unit. By 1 September the complement of aircraft had risen to 132 BT-13s and 14 BT-15s.. For a time, Bainbridge also hosted twin-engine advanced training in the AT-10 until other bases reached completion.
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