Williams Air Force Base
| Williams Air Force Base Williams Army Airfield  |
|
|---|---|
| Part of Air Training Command (ATC) | |
| Located in Maricopa County, Arizona | |
2006 USGS airphoto
|
|
 Williams AFB
|
|
| Coordinates | 33°18′29.00″N 111°39′35.81″W / 33.3080556°N 111.6599472°WCoordinates: 33°18′29.00″N 111°39′35.81″W / 33.3080556°N 111.6599472°W |
| Type | Air Force Base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| In use | 1941–1993 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Air Training Command |
| Occupants | 82d Training Wing (1973–1993) |
Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located in Maricopa County, Arizona east of Chandler, and about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Phoenix. The area has since been annexed by the city of Mesa. It is a designated Superfund site due to a number of soil and groundwater contaminants.
It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993. Williams was the leading pilot training facility of the USAF, supplying 25% of all pilots.
Since its closure, the base has largely been annexed by the City of Mesa. It was converted into the civilian Williams Gateway Airport, later renamed Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. In recent years, the land has emerged as an educational and industrial campus anchored by Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus and Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
During March 1941, some citizens of Mesa, Arizona were actively working on obtaining an Air Corps facility located near their city. One of the sites seriously considered for the new airfield was on the Gila River Indian Reservation located near Chandler, Arizona. At the time, the land on which Williams would eventually be built was vacant and not used for agriculture due to a lack of irrigation. It had no homes or farms and was essentially desert with a few Indian ruins scattered on it. On their own initiative, the city of Mesa began to acquire rights to the property that was divided among 33 different owners. Agreements were made for a railroad spur line, along with the appropriate electric, water, telephone and gas services.
The hard work paid off with the announcement in June 1941 that the War Department had approved the site for an Army Air Corps base. Construction of the new base started on 16 July 1941, and initial construction was completed in December, making the base operational.
...
Wikipedia