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5010th Combat Support Group
With the departure of the 97th Bombardment Wing, the Eielson Air Force Base Wing (Base Complement) was formed on 1 April 1948. On 20 April 1948, it was designated the 5010th Air Base Wing, and would be the host unit at the base until 1964. The wing provided support to reconnaissance squadrons of Air Weather Service from 1949 through 1958. The wing also hosted Strategic Air Command units on temporary deployment to Eielson, playing host to Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, Convair B-36 Peacemakers and finally Boeing B-47 Stratojet, B-47s. In fact, the largest hangar on Eielson today, now used for Exercise Cope Thunder, was originally built to house two B-36 bombers, the largest bomber ever in Air Force inventory. Construction boomed at Eielson AFB during the wing's tenure in the 1950s. Many of the facilities still in use today were built at that time – Amber Hall, the Thunderdome, Base Exchange, Commissary, Gymnasium, Theater, Base Chapel, some of the schools and many of the dormito ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
O-2A
The Cessna O-2 Skymaster (nicknamed "Oscar Deuce") is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster, used for forward air control (FAC) and psychological operations (PSYOPS) by the US military between 1967 and 2010. Design and development In 1966, the United States Air Force (USAF) commissioned Cessna to build a military variant of the Skymaster to replace the Cessna O-1 Bird Dog. Both the civilian and military Skymasters were low-cost twin-engine piston-powered aircraft, with one engine in the nose of the aircraft and a second in the rear of the fuselage. The push-pull configuration provided centerline thrust, allowing simpler operation than the low-wing mounting of most twin-engine light aircraft, and allowed a high wing to be used, providing clear observation below and behind the aircraft. Modifications made for the military configuration included fore-and-aft seating for a pilot and observer, instead of the six seats of the civilian version; installation of vie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
