| March Air Reserve Base | |||
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| IATA: RIV – ICAO: KRIV – FAA: RIV | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military | ||
| Owner | United States Air Force | ||
| Location | Riverside and Moreno Valley, California | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,535 ft / 467.9 m | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 14/32 | 13,300 | 4,054 | Concrete |
| 12/30 | 3,010 | 917 | Asphalt |
March Air Reserve Base (IATA: RIV, ICAO: KRIV, FAA LID: RIV) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's largest air mobility wing of the 4th Air Force[1]. In addition to multiple units of the Air Force Reserve Command supporting Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Pacific Air Forces, March ARB is also home to units from the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve and the California Air National Guard. The host unit at March is the Air Force Reserve's 452nd Air Mobility Wing, which provides host base support for numerous tennant units. It is also the home of 4th Air Force and multiple units of the California Air National Guard. It is also a census-designated place (CDP) with a population of 370 as of the 2000 census.
Contents |
Units
March is currently home to eight C-17 Globemaster IIIs, the first to belong strictly to the Air Force Reserve Command, as well as twelve KC-135R Stratotanker air refueling aircraft (these tankers were the first in the Air Force Reserve to convert to the Block 40 Pacer CRAG modernization upgrade). The base is also used by the California Air National Guard's 163d Air Reconnaissance Wing operating the RQ-1 Predator, F-16C alert site/detachment operations of the California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing and a U.S. Customs Air Unit. The California Department of Forestry also uses the base on an intermittent basis. While the host unit is the 452 AMW, tenant organizations include the Fourth Air Force under Maj Gen Robert E. Duignan, the 4th Combat Camera Squadron, the 163d Reconnaissance Wing, the American Forces Radio and Television Service, the 701st Combat Operations Squadron, the 362nd Recruiting Squadron, U.S. Customs, the March Aero Club, the March Field Air Museum, the Air Force Audit Agency, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the 653d Area Support Group of the U.S. Army, a Navy Operational Support Center, Marine Corps Reserve Center, an Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) Base Exchange, and the March Commissary administered by the Defense Commissary Agency (DECA).
History
Owing to its long history as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-52 base, the runway is very long (13,300 feet) and very wide (300 feet), with 1000 foot overruns at both ends. March is the largest Air Reserve Base in area in the United States. Immediately off the grounds of the base is the March Field Air Museum, which houses in its collection examples of aircraft that have operated (or currently do operate) from the base. One of the oldest airfields operated by the United States military, March ARB began life as Alessandro Flying Training Field in February 1918, being renamed March Field the following month (for Peyton C. March, Jr., the recently deceased son of then-Army Chief of Staff Peyton C. March). It quickly established itself as a major primary training center for American aviators. After the conclusion of World War I, operations wound down, and the base was closed between 1923 and 1927. However, in 1926, Congress created the Army Air Corps, and funds became available to reopen March Field the following year. It soon became one of the centers of development of aerial bombardment. Renamed March Air Force Base in 1947, it served as the home base for bomber units that fought in the Pacific theater of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. March also hosted fighter, aerial refueling, and transport units. On a lighter note, entertainer Bob Hope's first USO show was held at March on May 6, 1941. Hope had been asked to do this show on location by his radio producer Albert Capstaff, whose brother was stationed there. In 1993, as part of The Pentagon's post-Cold War base closing/realignment plan, March AFB's unit complement was reshuffled, and in 1996 it was given over to the United States Air Force Reserve and renamed March Air Reserve Base. The 452nd retired the venerable C-141 Starlifter in 2005.[2]
Present day
Today, March has many uses. The land no longer needed as a result of the downsizing was given to the March Joint Powers Authority, a commission that represents the county and the base's adjoining cities. A prime example was the former SAC B-52 and KC-135 Alert Facility. This land, now called March GlobalPort, is being developed as an air cargo center. In 2004, it was announced that air freight giant DHL/ ABX Air was considering the base for its new Southern California hub; however, competition from nearby San Bernardino International Airport (formerly Norton AFB) and Ontario International Airport, as well as opposition from residents of fast-growing Riverside and Moreno Valley, reduced the viability of its bid. Despite this, on December 10, 2004, DHL / ABX Air announced that it had chosen March as its preferred site. The following Wednesday, DHL signed a 16-year joint-use agreement with the Joint Powers Authority. The company's operation is expected to employ about 250 workers and make 16 flights a day.
Geography
March ARB is located at (33.898848, -117.276285)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.2 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 370 people, 115 households, and 93 families residing in the base. The population density was 59.4 people per square mile (22.9/km²). There were 152 housing units at an average density of 24.4/sq mi (9.4/km²). The racial makeup of the base was 64.59% White, 17.84% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 4.59% Asian, 1.89% Pacific Islander, 2.97% from other races, and 7.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.89% of the population. There were 115 households out of which 50.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.3% were non-families. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.21 and the average family size was 3.55. In the base the population was spread out with 37.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 111.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.8 males. The median income for a household in the base was $31,364, and the median income for a family was $30,455. Males had a median income of $40,625 versus $17,321 for females. The per capita income for the base was $13,765. About 10.8% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
See also
The Museum is located off the grounds of the Base and displays in its aircraft collection examples bombers, fighters, cargo, refueling and reconnaissance aircraft, many of which served at March Field, March AFB and/or March ARB.
References
- ^ US 4th Air Force (Official site)
- ^ 452nd Air Mobility Wing Fact Sheet.
- March Air Reserve Base (Official site)
- FAA Airport Master Record for RIV (Form 5010 PDF)
- Santschi, Darrell R.; Vargo, Joe (19 December, 2004). March in Stride. The Press-Enterprise, p. A1.
- Trone, Kimberly (11 December, 2004). DHL Picks March. The Press-Enterprise, p. A1.
External links
- History of March Field
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF)
- Resources for this U.S. military airport:
- AirNav airport information for KRIV
- ASN accident history for RIV
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KRIV
- March Air Reserve Base is at coordinates Coordinates:
