Muir Army Airfield

Muir Army Airfield
IATA: MUIICAO: KMUIFAA LID: MUI
Summary
Airport type Military
Owner United States Army
Location Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania
Elevation AMSL 488 ft / 149 m
Coordinates 40°26′05″N 076°34′09″W / 40.43472°N 76.56917°W / 40.43472; -76.56917
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7/25 3,967 1,209 asphalt
Source:[1]

The Muir Army Airfield (IATA: MUI, ICAO: KMUI, FAA LID: MUI) is a military airport located at Fort Indiantown Gap, near Annville, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS), operated by the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is 24 nautical miles (48 km) northeast of the central business district of Harrisburg, in South Central Pennsylvania. The airfield has one active runway designated 7/25 with a 3,967 x 100 ft. (1,209 x 30 m) asphalt surface.[1]

History

Muir Army Airfield was established as an airstrip in the 1930s and was originally the central parade ground and emergency landing field of the Fort Indiantown Gap military reservation. On July 12, 1941, the first airplane piloted by Major Edgar Scattergood, Air Office of the 28th Infantry Division, landed on the newly dedicated Muir Field.[2] The 3200x100 foot runway was of good size at the time; however, the Army Corps of Engineers built the runway in a northeast-southwest direction.

The airfield was named in honor of Major General Charles H. Muir, the Commanding General of the 28th Division during World War I.

Eastern Army National Guard Training Site

EAATS was established in by the United States Army in 1981[3] and focuses on utility and cargo missions, specifically conducting UH-60, UH-72, which has also been called Little Ugly Helicopter, and CH-47 qualifications for pilots, instructor pilots, and maintenance test pilots, as well as enlisted maintainers and crewmembers.[4] The 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, headquartered at Muir Army Airfield, provides all the maintenance support for EAATS.[4]

Statistics

Muir Army Airfield currently accommodates 75 helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft, conducting about 70,000 take-offs and landings annually,[2] making it the second busiest helicopter base in the world.[5]

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/1/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.