Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

Coordinates: 32°52′04″N 117°08′30″W / 32.86778, -117.14167

F/A-18 Hornet on the flight line at MCAS Miramar

FAA airport diagram

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) (IATA: NKX, ICAO: KNKX, FAA LID: NKX), formerly Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown San Diego, California, United States. The airfield is named Mitscher Field after Admiral M.A. Mitscher who was the commander of Task Force 58 during World War II. The station is best known as the location of the TOPGUN training program and the movie of the same name. In 1996 the school was relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in western Nevada. During the heyday of TOPGUN at NAS Miramar the station was nicknamed "Fightertown USA".

Tenant commands

• Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron
• 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
  • Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3
  • Marine Aircraft Group 11
  • Marine Aircraft Group 16
  • Marine Air Control Group 38
  • Marine Wing Support Group 37
• Marine Aircraft Group 46

History

1918 - 1941

During World War I, the city of San Diego offered to lease 8,000 acres (32 km²) to the United States Army for a small fee. Camp Kearny was opened on January 18, 1917 and was named after Stephen W. Kearny who was commander of the Army of the West during the Mexican-American War. During WWI an airstrip was never built on the property although Army and Navy aircraft from Naval Air Station North Island did land on the parade deck. Following the Armistice, the base was used to demobilize servicemen and was closed on October 20, 1920.^[3] Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis airplane was built by Ryan Airlines Corporation in San Diego. Lindbergh used the abandoned Camp Kearny parade field to practise landings and take-offs before making his historic solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. During the 1930s, the Navy briefly used the air base for helium dirigibles. In 1932 a mooring mast and hangar were built at the camp for the dirigibles, but when the program was abandoned, the base was quiet again.

World War II

By the time World War II, Miramar was already undergoing a “precautionary” renovation. Camp Holcomb (later renamed Camp Elliott) was built on part of old Camp Kearny, to be used for Marine artillery and machine gun training. Camp Elliott became home to Fleet Marine Force Training Center, West Coast and the 2nd Marine Division, charged with defending the California coast. Runways were constructed in 1940, and the 1st Marine Air Wing arrived on December 21 of that year. The Navy commissioned Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Camp Kearny in February 1943, specifically to train crews for the Consolidated PB4Y Catalina, which was built less than 10 miles away in San Diego. A month later, the Marines established Marine Corps Air Depot Camp Kearny, later renamed Marine Corps Air Depot Miramar to avoid confusion with the Navy facility. The big Catalinas proved too heavy for the asphalt runway the Army had installed in 1936 and the longer runways built in 1940, so the Navy added two concrete runways in 1943. During the 1940s, both the Navy and the Marine Corps occupied Miramar. East Miramar (Camp Elliott) was used to train Marine artillery and armored personnel, while Navy and Marine Corps pilots trained on the western side. The bases were combined and designated Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in 1945.

Naval Air Station

In 1947, the Marines moved to MCAS El Toro in Orange County, California, and Miramar was redesignated as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. In 1954, the Navy offered NAAS Miramar to San Diego for $1 and the city considered using the base to relocate its airport.^[4] But it was deemed at the time to be too far away from most residents and the offer was declined. Only the western half of Miramar’s facilities were put to use, and the old station literally began to deteriorate, with many buildings sold as scrap. Miramar found new life as a Navy Master Jet Station in the 1950s, but really came into its own during the Vietnam War. The Navy needed a school to train pilots in dog-fighting and in fleet air defense. In 1969 the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School was established. In October 1972, Miramar welcomed the famed F-14 Tomcat. VF-124’s mission was to train Tomcat crews for aircraft carrier operations. The first two operational Tomcat squadrons, VF-1 and VF-2, trained here before deploying aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1974. These squadrons flew “top cover” during the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

Marines return

In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and Marine Corps Air Station Tustin be closed down. Both stations were closed and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing returned to Miramar in October, 1997 when it officially became Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.^[5] On October 1, 1997, Colonel Thomas A. Caughlan became the first Marine commanding officer of MCAS Miramar since World War II; Caughlan was also the last commanding officer of MCAS Tustin..^[6] The BRAC Commission also recommended moving some instructor pilots and support personnel from Miramar to Eglin AFB in Florida, sufficient to stand up the Marine Corps' portion of the JSF Training Site.^[7] In 2006, the San Diego County Proposition A proposed obtaining 3000 acres (12 km²) at MCAS Miramar to develop a commercial airport.^[8] The proposition was defeated 62 percent opposed to 38 percent in favor. Public sentiment was that they did not want to ask the military to leave and that the joint use arrangement increased noise levels to an intolerable level and interfered with the needs of the military.^[9]

Attractions

• MCAS Miramar is home to the Flying Leathernecks Aviation Museum, which is open to the public.
• The Miramar Airshow is a major airshow held at MCAS Miramar each October.

Aviation Museum

Aviation Museum

Aviation Museum

See also

United States Marine Corps Portal

• Pogogyne abramsii - an endangered plant found on the grounds of MCAS Miramar.
• List of United States Marine Corps installations
• List of airports in California
• United States Marine Corps Aviation

References

Notes

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the United States Marine Corps.

Books

Web

External links

• Miramar Air Show
• Flying Leathernecks Museum web site
• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar at WikiMapia
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF)
• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KNKX
  • ASN accident history for NKX
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KNKX