Graham Air Base
| Graham Air Base Marianna Army Airfield  |
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| Part of Air Training Command (ATC) | |
| Located near Marianna, Florida | |
Marianna Army Air Field - 1948
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 Graham Air Base
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| Coordinates | 30°50′16″N 85°10′55″W / 30.83778°N 85.18194°WCoordinates: 30°50′16″N 85°10′55″W / 30.83778°N 85.18194°W |
| Type | Air Force Base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1942 |
| In use | 1942-1945;1953-1961 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Air Training Command |
| Occupants | 17th Single Engine Flying Training Group (1942-1945) 3300th Pilot Training Group (1953-1961) |
Graham Air Base was a United States Air Force base located in Marianna, Florida. After it was closed in 1960, it was reused as Marianna Municipal Airport.
The federal government acquired the airport at the city of Marianna in 1942 and added 1,915 acres (7.7 km2) additional in order to construct the Marianna Army Air Field for the U.S. Army Air Forces. The airfield opened on 8 August 1942 and eventually had six hard surface runways averaging 4,000 feet (1,200 m) in length and was a training base for the Southeast Army Air Force Training Command. In addition to the main airfield, Marianna AAF also had the following known sub-bases and auxiliaries
The Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced-Single Engine) was activated on 1 September 1942, with the 17th Single Engine Flying Training Group being the Operational Training Unit. Aircraft used during training were P-40 Warhawks and AT-6 Texans. Marianna AAF was transferred from the jurisdiction of Eastern Flying Training Command to Third Air Force on 12 October 1944. The station came under the command of the 137th Army Air Forces Base Unit. With the reassignment to Third Air Force, the mission of the base was changed from the training of pilots for single-engine pursuit fighter aircraft to training of combat crews for the A-26 Invader light bomber aircraft.
After the war ended, the airfield was closed on 15 February 1946 and the Federal Government returned control of 2,010 acres (8.1 km2) to the City of Marianna in 1947.
In 1953, the old Marianna Army Air Field was reactivated as a United States Air Force installation under the Air Training Command (ATC) in response to increased demands for pilots as a result of the Cold War and the associated increase in number of Air Force combat flying wings, especially within the Strategic Air Command. The facility was activated on 27 January 1953 and renamed Graham Air Base for William J. Graham, the school head and senior civilian instructor who provided flight training to pilots. Graham AB replaced Greenville Air Force Base, Mississippi as a contract pilot training school as Greenville AFB became an ATC basic single engine and jet pilot training school.
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Wikipedia