Naval Air Station Sanford

Naval Air Station Sanford
A3D-2 (A-3B) Skywarriors of VAH-7 over NAS Sanford in the early 1960s
IATA: NRJ ICAO: KNRJ FAA LID: NRJ
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	United States Navy
Location	Sanford, Florida
Elevation AMSL	57 (now 55) ft / 18 (now 17) m
Coordinates	28°46′40″N 081°14′15″W / 28.77778°N 81.23750°W / 28.77778; -81.23750Coordinates: 28°46′40″N 081°14′15″W / 28.77778°N 81.23750°W / 28.77778; -81.23750
Map
NRJ Location within Florida
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 9/27 (now 9L/27R) 8,000 2,438 Asphalt/Concrete 18/36 6,002 1,829 Asphalt/Concrete

Naval Air Station Sanford (IATA: NRJ, ICAO: KNRJ, FAA LID: NRJ) was a United States Navy naval air station in Sanford, Florida, approximately 20 miles north of Orlando, Florida. Opening less than a year after the start of World War II, NAS Sanford's initial function was as an advanced training base for land-based patrol bombers, followed by carrier-based fighter aircraft. The air station briefly closed following the war and was placed in caretaker status, then reactivated in 1950, eventually serving as a Master Jet Base for carrier-based heavy attack and reconnaissance aircraft until 1969. After its closure, it reopened as civilian general aviation airport under various names with a non-Navy civilian airport identifier (IATA: SFB, ICAO: KSFB, FAA LID: SFB) until finally transitioning to a scheduled air carrier airport under its current name of Orlando-Sanford International Airport.

Naval Air Station Sanford was commissioned as an active naval installation on November 3, 1942 and was initially assigned the airport codes NRJ and KNRJ. The base initially concentrated on advanced land-based patrol plane training, operating PV-1 Venturas, PBO Hudsons and SNB-2 Kansans. Peak wartime complement during 1943-1945 reached approximately 360 officers and 1400 enlisted men, both Navy and Marine Corps, with an additional Naval Reserve officer and enlisted WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) who served in air traffic control, meteorological services, administrative support, and aircraft maintenance.