Moore Air Base is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

facility located fourteen miles (21 km) northwest of

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. It was deactivated on 1 February 1961. The installation was sold to private concerns and partially transferred to the Department of Agriculture on 15 July 1963.

History

World War II

Moore Field was opened on 20 September 1941 as an

Army Air Forces Training Command The United States Army Air Forces during World War II had major subordinate Commands below the Air Staff level. These Commands were organized along functional missions. One such Command was the Flying Training Command (FTC). It began as Air Corp ...

single-engine training school. It was named for 2d Lt. Frank Murchison Moore, on 22 November. Moore was a native of

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, who was killed on 2 September 1918, during the

Battle of Fismes and Fismette The Battle of Fismes and Fismette was a battle in Fismes, France that took place during the First World War from 3 August to 1 September 1918 during the end of the Second Battle of the Ourcq and the Aisne-Marne Offensive. Location Fismes is a ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The airfield was the home of the 503d, 504th and 506th school squadrons, Army Air Forces Pilot School (Advanced Single Engine), the flying training units. The flying school was redesignated as the 2d Training Group in 1943. The facility conducted advanced pilot training of 6,000 pilots using BT-13, PT-19, AT-6, P-36 and P-43 aircraft. The school was reorganized as the 2529th Army Air Force Base Unit (Pilot School, Advanced Single Engine) on 1 April 1944. The school and airfield were closed on 31 October 1945.

Postwar use

In 1950 part of the field was operating as the Weaver H. Baker Memorial Sanatorium, and part was jointly operated by Mission,

McAllen McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...

, and Edinburg as Tri-Cities Municipal Airport.

Contract flying base

In June 1954, after the closing of the sanatorium and as part of the

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military expansion by the United States, the

announced that Moore Field would be reactivated as a contract pilot training school under the

Air Training Command Air Training Command (ATC) is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command designation. It was headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, but was initially formed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was re-designated as Ai ...

. Air Training Command had planned to reopen the base in 1954, but delayed the reopening 12 months due to a freeze in military construction budgets. The 3301st Pilot Training Group (Contract Primary) was reassigned to Moore from Columbus AFB, Mississippi on 1 April 1955. Training was conducted by California Eastern Airways Incorporated, using T-28s and T-34s. In August 1959, Moore began using the jet-powered T-37 in place of the T-28s. With the upgrade to jet trainers, the contractor at the base was changed to Beiser Aviation Corporation. In 1960, plans were made by Air Training Command to redesign the flight training program, and consolidate its flight schools. As a result of the Consolidated Pilot Training (CPT) program, contractor flying schools were planned to be phased out. All contract primary training ended at Moore in December, however several ground training classes continued at the base until 1 February 1961 when the 3301st was inactivated. Some 4,000 Air Force pilots received their primary flight training and academic instruction by the 3301st at Moore Air Force Base.

Closure and current use

Although inactivated, Moore Air Force Base remained in Air Force hands until 15 July 1963 until it was finally closed. Part of the installation was sold to private entities and the rest was transferred to the Department of Agriculture. Under control of the Agriculture Department, it was used as part of the program to eradicate the screwworm fly. It continues to be known as Moore Air Force Base under this new mission. In 1977 Scientists of the Screwworm Research Unit relocated from the laboratory at Moore Air Force Base, to the sterile fly production facility near Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. Today Moore Field Airport (FAA Identifier: 7TE7) is still controlled by the Department of Agriculture as a private airport. It is gated and not open to the public. The buildings on the flightline area are being used and in good condition. The cantonment area is overgrown and abandoned with remainders of streets in various states of deterioration, however the World War II-era water tower still is standing and being maintained. A few abandoned buildings can be seen in the containment area, inaccessible and surrounded by vegetation. All three runways are in excellent condition as well as the ramp area with 8 aircraft assigned to the field. Permission is required prior to landing aircraft at the facility.

References

* Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas * Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), ''Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy'', Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC. * Thole, Lou (1999), ''Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now'' – Vol. 2. Publisher: Pictorial Histories Pub,

External links

* Lucy H. Wallace, "Moore Air Force Base", (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qbm03), accessed June 22, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
History of USDA-ARS Screwworm Research and the USDA-ARS Screwworm Research Unit
{{USAAF Training Bases World War II Airports established in 1941 Installations of the United States Air Force in Texas Military installations closed in the 1960s Airports in Texas Buildings and structures in Hidalgo County, Texas