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Charleston Airport
Airport Directory » United States » Charleston » Charleston AirportCharleston International Airport (IATA: CHS, ICAO: KCHS, FAA LID: CHS) is a joint civil-military airport turn up in Charleston County, South Carolina, USA. The airport has 2 landing track and is functioned under a joint-use understanding with Charleston Air Force Base. It is South Carolina's busiest airport with 106 voyages or more daily. It is approximated that 4,000 mortals go through the airport on an mean solar day and 6,000 during the holiday season.
Facilities and aircraft
Charleston International Airport and Charleston AFB cover an area of 2,060 acres (834 ha) which incorporates 2 landing track: 15/33, measure out 9,001 x 200 foot (2,744 x 61 m) and 3/21 measure out 7,004 x 150 foot (2,135 x 46 m).
For the 12-month time period finish January 31, 2007, the airport had 110,274 aircraft functioning, an mean of 302 per solar day: 30% civil aviation, 30% air cab, 25% armed forces and 15% scheduled commercial. At that clip there were 40 aircraft ground at this airport: 25% single-engine, 45% multi-engine, 20% jet plane, 10% eggbeater.
The invalid will take to use an lift to access the incline area set up when the airport was opened.
Original article.
Charleston AFBLocation of Charleston AFB, South Carolina
Charleston Air Force Base (IATA: CHS, ICAO: KCHS, FAA LID: CHS) is a United States Air Force ground turn up in the centre of North Charleston, South Carolina and is portioned to Air Mobility Command (AMC). A joint civil-military airport, Charleston AFB percentages landing track with Charleston International Airport for commercial airline aircraft functioning on the southward side of the field and civil aviation aircraft functioning on the east side.
Units
Charleston Air Force Base is place to the 437th Airlift Wing (437 AW), the "host" wing for the installing, functioning the C-17 Globemaster III strategical lift aircraft. The wing has 4 operational grouping dwelling of 21 squadrons and 1 wing staff board of directors. It is augmented by a parallel, collocated Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) "relate" wing, the 315th Airlift Wing (315 AW), which shares the same C-17 aircraft with the 437 AW.
Charleston's missionary post is to wing C-17s and supply lift of military personnel and riders, armed forces equipment, load, and aeromedical equipment and provides world-wide in back up of labor by Air Mobility Command and merged scrapper commanding officers.
History
Charleston Air Force Base grow when the town of Charleston bought district in 1931 to construct Charleston Municipal Airport. On 11 December 1941, the Army Air Corps take charge of the field and anti-submarine missionary post were being winged out of Charleston Army Air Field by August 1942. Returned to civilian command after World War II, the United States Air Force set about joint use of the installation on 11 July 1952 and the armed forces division of the field was renamed Charleston Air Force Base on one June 1953.
Major Commands to which allotted
- Air Service Command, one Apr 1942
- First Air Force , nine Jun 1942
- Air Service Command
- Designated for concurrent use by Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, 19 Dec 1942
- First Air Force , 17 Sep 1943
- Air Transport Command , one Jun 1945 - 29 Apr 1946.
- Tactical Air Command ,
- Eighteenth Air Force , 23 Apr 1952 - one Mar 1955
- Air Defense Command (Attached) 16 Feb 1954 - 30 Sep 1968
- Eastern Air Defense Force , 16 Feb 1954 - one Jan 1960
- Military Air Transport Service
- Eastern Transport Air Force , one Mar 1955
- Redesignated: Military Airlift Command
- Twenty-First Air Force , one Jan 1966 - one Jun 1992
- Air Mobility Command
- Twenty-First Air Force , one Jun 1992 - one Oct 2003
- Eighteenth Air Force , one Oct 2003 - Present
Note: Inactivated and declared excess April 25th 1946; detainment take for granted by Army part Engineers, June 29th 1946; reassigned to War Assets Administration, May 24th 1947; allotted AF in inactive position, July 11th 1952; reactivated August 1st 1953.
Major Units allotted
- 67th Observation Group , 23 Dec 1941 - 26 Jan 1942
- 421st Base HQ and Air Base Squadron, one Nov 1942 - ten Apr 1944
- 521st Bombardment Squadron
- Redesignated 16th Antisubmarine Squadron, 18 Oct 1942 - 18 Sep 1943
- Charleston Air Defense Region, one Jan 1943 - ten Apr 1944
- 36th Fighter Group , 22 Jun - 14 Sep 1943
- 400th Bombardment Group , 15 Dec 1943 - ten Apr 1944
- 454th Bombardment Group , three Oct - ten Apr 1944
- 113th AAF Base Unit, ten Apr 1944 - 31 May 1945
- 389th Bombardment Group , twelve Jun 1945 - 13 Sep 1945
- 392d Bombardment Group , 25 Jun 1945 - 13 Sep 1945
- 593d AAF Base Unit, 20 May 1945 - 25 Apr 1946
- 456th Troop Carrier Wing , (TAC) one Aug 1953 - 16 Oct 1955
- 444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , (ADC) 16 Feb 1954 - 30 Sep 1968
- Aerial Port of Embarkation, three Jan 1956 - 15 Feb 1978
- 1608th Air Transport Group, 15 Jan 1954
- Redesignated 1608th Air Transport Wing, one Mar 1955
- Redesignated: 437th Military Airlift (after Airlift) Wing, eight Jan 1966 - Present
- 315th Military Airlift (after Airlift) Wing , one Jul 1973 - Present
References for history unveiling, major commands and major units
Operational History
Origins
The history of Charleston Air Force Basebegan in 1919 when U.S. Army Col Herbert A. Dargue, then Chief of the Air Service (predecessor to the Federal Aviation Administration), see the area looking for a suitable districting field for "planes." But it was Charles Lindbergh's nonstop solo cut across of the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 that heightened town functionaries' involvement to constitute air functioning in Charleston.
In 1928, the City of Charleston leased district and set about functioning a simple field approximately 10 land mile northward of town boundaries. Foreseeing a commercial time to come in air locomote, the town characteristic the Charleston Aircraft Corporation to get the district for a municipal airport. In May 1931, the company bought 432 acres for $25,000 from the South Carolina Mining and Manufacturing Company. Later in the yr, the town get the airport installation for $60,000 and like a shot set about improvements.
During the 1930s, airport functioning spread out to keep step with progresses in general and commercial air power being see throughout the state. Despite the Great Depression, the Federal Government stepped in to attend to the town with modernising the airport. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration literally poured $313,000 into the airport. Workers paved 1 3,500-foot-long landing track and build a 2nd 3,000-foot one. The labor also ameliorated upon the being visible lighting system with up-to-date field visible radiation.
Given the elongating growing in rider air power, Pan American Airways pick out Charleston Airport as its western depot for trans-Atlantic voyages. Although this programme ne'er came to fruition, it brought to a burgeoning increase in traffic for the airport. As a effect, the town bought 300 more acres of district border the airport for $300,000 in 1937 to adapt additional service constructions and depots.
World War II
In 1939, with world stresses heightening, the United States Army Air Corps set about a massive build up of military personnel, ground, and equipment in readying for conflict. As a effect, Charleston get more district in 1940 for additional airport improvements that included building of a depot and disposal construction and continuing of the landing track to 5,000 human foot. Prior to the U.S. moving into World War II, in 1941 the War Department assigned another $199,000 to the Charleston Airport for landing track extension and other improvements take for aircraft diffusion against assail
After the Pearl Harbor assail on ten December 1941, the 56th Pursuit Group ground at Charlotte Airport, North Carolina, and its 61st Pursuit Squadron arrived at the Charleston airport. The squadron's P-39 Airacobra and P-40 Warhawk aircraft furnished coastal defence functioning for the Southern Defense Command, Third Air Force, Carolina Sector. Arriving after that calendar month, the 67th Observation Group, 107th Observation Squadron and the Federalized 105 Observation Squadron (Tennessee National Guard) furnished antisubmarine patrols alongside the east seashore with North American O-47 and O-49 Vigilant observation aircraft.
On 11 December the War Department presumed de facto command of Charleston Municipal Airport yet let Delta and Eastern commercial air hose to elongate their civilian functioning. Although Air Corps force had functioned from the airport since the conflict set about, true tenancy did not take location until 23 March 1942 when the City of Charleston and the War Department signed a rent and officially touch off the installing.
Effective one April 1942, the ground was portioned to Air Service Command and 29th Air Base Group, Distribution Point #2 got the 1st host unit responsible for construction, back up and functioning the installing base. On nine June that same yr, the ground reassigned to First Air Force and was officially named Charleston Army Air Base on 22 October 1942. The installing reassigned dorsum to Air Service Command in December 1942, then move back to First Air Force in September 1943 where it rested until the finish of the conflict. At the same clip as the ground fought to encounter its recess, the 16th Antisubmarine Squadron functioned B-34 Lexington bombers assisting support the eastern seaside from possible assail.
On 31 March 1944, Johns Island Army Airfield got an aide of Charleston AAB, supplying an emergency districting field for the ground.
Renamed Charleston Army Air Field on 15 June 1943, ab initio the ground assisted primarily as an air hangar railroad terminal, supplying the final stage of preparation to service grouping and air hangar grouping going away place for the conflict abroad. Concurrent with its reassignment to First Air Force, in September 1943 the ground modified missionary post. Now it would give the final stage of preparation to B-24 Liberator crews. The 454th Bombardment Group come in September and go forth Charleston for the European Theater of Operations in December 1943. This same calendar month the 400th Bombardment Group come, but this organisation was to operate as a replacing grooming unit instead than an operational grooming unit.
On ten April 1944, the 113th Army Air Field Base Unit (CCTS-H) tripped and took over as Charleston's host unit. But the take for B-24 crews finished with Germany's overcome and finish of the conflict in Europe. In their location, nevertheless, the Army Air Force claimed a large figure of transport crews. Consequently, the ground was reassigned to Air Transport Command on one June 1945 and set about C-54 Skymaster crew grooming that endured until late August 1945.
Only a few calendar month after the Japanese give up, on 25 April 1946 the authority location the ground in excess position as division of the massive postwar drawdown. The City of Charleston called for that the field, which originally had been rent to the U.S. Army for $1 per yr, be returned to the municipality. By this clip, the field dwell of 2,050 acres with more than $12 million worth of installations and improvements. Despite not being functionary returned to the town until 19 October 1948, the town council voted to build a new air depot in 1947, and commercial air functioning restarted on a full-time ground at the currently to the full civilian airport.
Cold War
As a effect of the Cold War, the currently independent United States Air Force calling for monetary funds from Congress to set about troop transport functioning at the Charleston airport. By August 1951, Congress okayed a $28 million public works improvement parcel, and during the rest of the yr, prelude work was underway to build installations for a troop transport wing. In March 1952, the City of Charleston signed a rent understanding with the Air Force for joint use of the airport. For $1 per yr the rent let the U.S. Air Force to use up all belongings southward and due west of the Southern Railways landing tracks while the town retained depot constructions, depots, and other constructions alongside the northward and east bounds of the airport. Construction of ground installations, meanwhile, start out in May 1952.
By early 1953, components of the 456th Troop Carrier Wing, portioned to Tactical Air Command, arrived at Charleston to set up the ground for operational position. On one June 1953, the ground had its current name of Charleston Air Force Base and touch off on one August. Two hebdomads after, on 15 August 1953, the reaching of 50 C-119 Flying Boxcars efficaciously do the ground operational. Although numerous building labors were still underway, the wing maintained a dedication observance on 13 November 1953 to open the ground officially.
With the 456th already in location, progress components of the new set off 1608th Air Transport Group, portioned to Military Air Transport Command (after, Military Airlift Command), 1st get in February 1954 to constitute functioning. One calendar month later on four March 1954, the group had its 1st C-54 Skymaster transport. As the 1608th increased in size, MATS and TAC talked terms ownership of the ground. Eventually, on one March 1955, Charleston AFB come up under the legal power and command of MATS and the 1608th Air Transport Wing (Medium) got the ground's host unit. Also upon duty assignment to MATS, the ground got the depot for all C-54 lift to Europe and the Near East.
On 16 February 1954, Air Defense Command constituted the 444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron as a renter unit on Charleston winging F-86D Sabre attack aircraft as the east seashore's air defence against airborne encroachers. Soon after, the ground attained lasting position and with that declaration MATS start out various installation building labors to further better upon the ground's position. Meanwhile, the 1608th had its 1st C-121C Constellation fittingly named "City of Charleston" on 16 September 1955 (tail figure 54-153). Shortly thenceforth the ground was denominated as an aerial port of boarding, giving Charleston AFB more prominent part in MATS. Tactical Air Command and the 456th go forth Charleston on 16 October 1955, which also stopped the ground's association with the C-119 Flying Boxcars.
Charleston AFB underwent a eminent modify on 18 June 1958 when the 1608th had its 1st C-124C Globemaster aircraft, then once again a calendar month afterwards when it lost it last C-54 transports. The 444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron's aircraft modified as good. In February 1960, it set about functioning F-101 Voodoo aircraft and lost it F-86Ds.
The next large modify came in 1962. The Air Force make up one's mind to retire the C-121 fleet and directed the 1608th its 1st replacing C-130 Hercules on 16 August 1962. The last C-121 Connie go forth Charleston AFB on nine February 1963. Only 2 yr after, on 14 August 1965, the wing had its 1st C-141 Starlifter, the newest airlifter in the Air Force stock list. But, unlike the previous aircraft modifies, the reaching of this new aircraft averaged a modify in host units.
437th Wing
On eight January 1966, the 437th Military Airlift Wing took over as Charleston AFB's host unit. Although the 1608th demobilized and the 437th touch off its location, it looked that every unit with a "1608" in its name just modified it to "437." All of the 1608th's mortals, aircraft, constructions, etc. got the 437th's. The operational history of Charleston AFB is currently inextricably bound to the 437th Airlift Wing's history.
Soon after the wing's reaching, on 30 September 1968 the 444th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron demobilized, finish Charleston AFB's long-standing association with air defence and attack aircraft. In September 1969, the Air Force Reserve Command's 943d Military Airlift Group touch off at Charleston surviving the 1st relate unit in the southeastern U.S. On one July 1973, the 315th Military Airlift Wing (Associate) touch off and replaced the 943d as the 437th's relate Reserve wing, similar to how the 437th replaced the 1608th a few yr earlier.
In 1992, coming after the disestablishment of MAC as division of an Air Force-wide shakeup, the 437th Military Airlift Wing (437 MAW) and 315th Military Airlift Wing (315 MAW) were location under the newly-established Air Mobility Command (AMC) and redesignated as the 437th Airlift Wing (437 AW) and 315th Airlift Wing (315 AW), severally.
Today, the 437 AW and 315 AW (Associate) function the C-17 Globemaster III. The ground has also back up an alarm location for fighter-interceptor aircraft (principally Air National Guard aircraft) of the Aerospace Defense Command (ADC), Tactical Air Command (TAC) and Air Combat Command (ACC), dealing the continental air defence foreign mission. The last unit to use up the alarm location was a disengagement of F-16 aircraft from the 158th Fighter Wing (158 FW) of the Vermont Air National Guard. Detachment functioning officially finished at the finish of FY99, with the installation location in caretaker position. However, since 11 Sep 2001, the installation has seen intermittent functioning by various USAF attack aircraft of the Active and Reserve Components restarting the continental air defence foreign mission under the awareness of USNORTHCOM and NORAD.
Original article.