Naval Air Station Olathe
| Naval Air Station Olathe | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of NAS Olathe in 1944
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| Summary | |
| Airport type | Military |
| Operator | United States Air Force |
| Location | Gardner, Kansas |
| Elevation AMSL | 1,087 ft / 331 m |
| Coordinates | 38°49′51″N 094°53′25″W / 38.83083°N 94.89028°W |
Naval Air Station Olathe is a former United States Navy base located in Gardner, Kansas. On its grounds at one point was Olathe Air Force Station. After it was closed, it was redeveloped into New Century AirCenter.
The base opened as Naval Air Station Olathe on 1 October 1942 and was referred locally as the Gardner, Kansas, Navy Base because it was to be used for the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and Naval Air Primary Training Command (NAPTC) which had been operating out of Fairfax Airport.
Future astronaut John Glenn was in the first class to be trained at the base and he was to make his first solo flight in a military plane from the base.
Glenn described the airport in its early days:
After World War II, NAS Olathe was used for flight operations by units of the Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve, as well as a Naval Air Technical Training Center Olathe (NATTC Olathe), a training center for active duty USN and USMC enlisted personnel. During the Korean War, NAS Olathe-based Naval Reserve Fighter Squadron 774 (VF 774) was recalled to active duty for two years, including six months of action aboard the aircraft carrier USS Boxer (CV-21).
NAS Olathe's runways were lengthened in 1951 to accept the first tactical jets, North American FJ-1 Furys, to be based at NAS Olathe. By 1954, a Jet Transition Training Unit (JTTU) was established at NAS Olathe for propeller pilots transitioning to jet aircraft. F4D Skyray fighters were later operated at NAS Olathe by Naval Air Reserve and Marine Air Reserve squadrons until 1966.
World War II hero, then-Captain, later Vice Admiral, James H. Flatley, Jr., commanded NAS Olathe for about a year. The base was renamed NAS Olathe (Flatley Field) for him in 1962.
For over 20 years, Naval Air Reservists and Marine Air Reservists from across the Midwest honed their skills and maintained their readiness with squadrons and support units at NAS Olathe. However, budgetary pressures of the Vietnam War forced NAS Olathe to close. The base was decommissioned on October 29, 1969 and the air station was officially closed in July 1970 with the understanding that the Navy could retain thirteen buildings for non-flying Naval Reserve aviation programs as Naval Air Reserve Center Olathe.
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Wikipedia