Located
near the site of Chief Moses' camp, buffalo hide and
horse trading center in early territory history, Larson
Air Force Base has come a long way to its current
status.
Larson
AFB, only five miles from the city of Moses Lake,
Washington, originally was named Moses Lake Army Air
Base. It was first activated on 24 November 1942 as a
temporary World War II training center. Its first
assigned mission was to train pilots for P-38's and
later to train combat crews for B-17 Flying
Fortresses.
In 1945
the base activity was curtailed to standby status and
during the next three years the base was used as a
testing site for two famous aircraft: the B-47
Stratojet and the B-50. Even though Larson was on
standby status as far as the military was concerned,
it was still playing a vital role in the development
of the United States Air Force. The extensive Boeing
Aircraft Company facilities at Larson were being put
to the test developing the B-47 and the B-50.
In
February 1949, a lone B-47 lifted off the ground at
Larson, was pointed east, and began a race against
time. The object was to smash the cross country speed
record with its destination, Andrews AFB, Maryland.
The B-47 set a new speed record, completing the
flight in just three hours and forty -five minutes at
an average speed of 607.2 miles per hour.
Larson
was reopened as a permanent installation in November
1948 under the Air Defense Command. The mission of
the Larson based F-82, F-94 and finally F-86 aircraft
was to protect the vital Hanford Atomic Works, Grand
Coulee Dam and the coastal area.
On 1
April 1952, Larson AFB was placed under the Tactical
Air Command and the 62d Troop Carrier Wing moved from
McChord AFB, Washington to assume command. During the
next eight years, the 62d was prominent in national
news events with missions in DEW Line and
communications network construction, mercy flights
and flights to Formosa and Africa.
The Air
Materiel Command Flight Test Center at Larson tested
B-52's at the field from Ferbruary 1955 to 1959, when
the program was discontinued.
Larson
became a Military Air Transport Service base on 1
July 1957 and in June 1958 Larson was put under the
newly created Western Transport Air Force of MATS.
The
Strategic Air Command assumed command of Larson AFB
on 1 January 1960 and established the 462d Strategic
Aerospace Wing as a part of its Fifteenth Air Force.
