Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base
 | |
|---|---|
| Part of Oregon Air National Guard | |
| Located near: Klamath Falls, Oregon | |
 An F-15 Eagle from the 173rd Fighter Wing (FW), Oregon Air National Guard | |
| Coordinates | 42°09′22″N 121°43′59″W / 42.15611°N 121.73306°W |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1928 |
| In use | 1954-Present (USAF use) |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison |  173d Fighter Wing |
Airfield information | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4,095 ft / 1,248 m | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www.173fw.ang.af.mil | ||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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- See: Klamath Falls Airport for civil airport information
Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base is the home base of the Oregon Air National Guard 173d Fighter Wing.
Overview
The 173rd Fighter Wing (FW) of the Oregon Air National Guard occupies 61 acres of leased land on the Klamath Falls International Airport, located approximately 4 miles southeast of Klamath Falls, Oregon. The mission of the 173rd FW is to train the best air-to-air combat pilots, train flight doctors and serve Oregon and the Nation in times of peace and war. The unit currently flies the F-15.
The 173rd FW occupies 5 administrative, 1 dorm, 1 services and 66 industrial buildings totaling approximately 484,981 square feet with 485 full-time personnel. A unit training drill is conducted once a month and results in a surge of up to a total of 750 personnel.
In 1928 the citizens of Klamath Falls approved the sale of $50,000 worth of bonds to construct an airport. The airport was known as the Klamath Falls Municipal Airport and consisted of gravel runways and one Fixed Base Operator. In 1942 the airport was selected as a site for a Naval Air Station, and in 1945 the airport transferred back to civilian use.
In 1954 the airport was selected as a site for U.S. Air Force Base. In 1957 the airport was dedicated as Kingsley Field in honor of Lieutenant David Kingsley. David R. Kingsley, an Oregon World War II hero, was killed in action on June 23, 1944 after a bombing mission over the oil fields of Ploesti, Rumania. In 1978 the Department of Defense chose to close Kingsley Field Air Force Base. It has been used by the Oregon Air National Guard since.
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency