Santa Ana Army Air Base
Santa Ana Army Air Base
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| Part of Army Air Forces Flying Training Command | |
| Costa Mesa, Orange County, California, USA | |
USGS 2006 airphoto of Santa Ana Army Air Base (Outlined) Santa Ana AAB on left, Orange County Airport on right
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 Santa Ana AAB
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| Coordinates | 33°40′13.12″N 117°54′09.32″W / 33.6703111°N 117.9025889°WCoordinates: 33°40′13.12″N 117°54′09.32″W / 33.6703111°N 117.9025889°W |
| Type | Non-Flying Army Air Force Facility |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| In use | 1942-1946 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Army Air Force Training Command |
Santa Ana Army Air Base (SAAAB) was an air base built during World War II that was decommissioned in 1946. The air base was used for basic training but did not have planes, hangars or runways. The base was 1,336 acres (5.41 km2) and located in Costa Mesa between Baker Street on the north, Harbor Blvd. on the west, Wilson Street on the south, Newport Blvd. on the east.
On 1 January 1942 the United States Army Air Corps activated Santa Ana Army Air Base and established the West Coast Air Corps Training Center at Santa Ana, California. The West Coast Air Corps Training Center at Santa Ana commanded flying training (basic, primary and advanced) at airfields in the Western United States. On 31 July 1943, was redesignated as the Western Flying Training Command.
Santa Ana Army Air Base was an air base without planes, hangars or runways. The original locations were at Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama, Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas and Moffett Field, Sunnyvale, California. These three Centers were to train a total of 7,000 pilots per year. However the national program was increased to 30,000 pilots per year in August 1940. Many contract training schools were started to help fill this quota.
In February 1941, the Army initiated three Air Corps Replacement Training Centers. These were induction centers for new recruits entering the Army Air Corps with no military experience. Each center was to provide for the classification and preflight instruction for pilots, navigators and bombardiers. The locations were to be at existing air corps facilities. This was the case except for the West Coast Air Corps Training Center at Moffett Field, near Sunnyvale, California. The United States Navy wanted to use the field exclusively for its lighter than air "blimp" base so the Army Air Corps had to look elsewhere for a new facility. A search of sites in southern California was conducted. The City Council of Santa Ana wanted the new center located near it so they arranged to lease a 409-acre site for $6,400 per year from M. H. Whittier Co. Ltd. with an option to buy at $500 per acre. The government could sublet from the city for $1 per year. The Army selected the Santa Ana site on June 16, 1941. The City leased the land on August 21, 1941.
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