Fairchild Air Force Base (SKA/KSKA)
USA /
Washington /
Medical Lake /
World
/ USA
/ Washington
/ Medical Lake
World / United States / Washington
military airbase, military, environmental protection agency, United States Air Force
public.fairchild.amc.af.mil/
www.airnav.com/airport/KSKA
92 Air Refueling Wing, Air Mobility Command
Founded as the Spokane Army Air Depot in 1942, the base was transferred to the Strategic Air Command in 1947 and housed the Fifteenth Air Force as well as the 92d and 98th Bomb Groups. The name was changed to Spokane Air Force Base in 1948, and changed again to Fairchild Air Force Base in 1951, named for General Muir S. Fairchild, a native of Bellingham, Washington.
Over the years, Fairchild has been home to the B-29, B-36, B-52 Stratofortress, KC-135 Stratotanker, and the Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic missile. For decades, at least six B-52H bombers — loaded with 20 ALCM nuclear cruise missiles, B61 nuclear gravity bombs and SRAM short-range nuclear missiles — were on 24 hour alert as part of the nations nuclear deterrent under the strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). On Jan. 23, 1987, following the inactivation of the 47th Air Division at Fairchild, the 92nd Bombardment Wing was reassigned to the 57th Air Division at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
December 7, 1993 marked the beginning of a significant change in the mission of Fairchild when the wings B-52H's were transferred. The first step in Fairchild’s transition to an air refueling wing. The departure of B-52s continued throughout the spring of 1994, with the last bomber leaving May 25, 1994. With that flight, the bomber mission of the 92d ended after 52 years of faithful duty.
Today, Fairchild’s aircraft and personnel make up the backbone of the Air Force’s tanker fleet on the west coast. The primary USAF SERE training location is located here at Fairchild AFB.
EPA Superfund site:
yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/sites/Fairchild
www.airnav.com/airport/KSKA
92 Air Refueling Wing, Air Mobility Command
Founded as the Spokane Army Air Depot in 1942, the base was transferred to the Strategic Air Command in 1947 and housed the Fifteenth Air Force as well as the 92d and 98th Bomb Groups. The name was changed to Spokane Air Force Base in 1948, and changed again to Fairchild Air Force Base in 1951, named for General Muir S. Fairchild, a native of Bellingham, Washington.
Over the years, Fairchild has been home to the B-29, B-36, B-52 Stratofortress, KC-135 Stratotanker, and the Atlas Intercontinental Ballistic missile. For decades, at least six B-52H bombers — loaded with 20 ALCM nuclear cruise missiles, B61 nuclear gravity bombs and SRAM short-range nuclear missiles — were on 24 hour alert as part of the nations nuclear deterrent under the strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). On Jan. 23, 1987, following the inactivation of the 47th Air Division at Fairchild, the 92nd Bombardment Wing was reassigned to the 57th Air Division at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
December 7, 1993 marked the beginning of a significant change in the mission of Fairchild when the wings B-52H's were transferred. The first step in Fairchild’s transition to an air refueling wing. The departure of B-52s continued throughout the spring of 1994, with the last bomber leaving May 25, 1994. With that flight, the bomber mission of the 92d ended after 52 years of faithful duty.
Today, Fairchild’s aircraft and personnel make up the backbone of the Air Force’s tanker fleet on the west coast. The primary USAF SERE training location is located here at Fairchild AFB.
EPA Superfund site:
yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/sites/Fairchild
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Air_Force_Base
Nearby cities:
Coordinates: 47°36'56"N 117°39'19"W
- Weapons Storage Area (WSA) 0.5 km
- (former) KC-135 Alert Aircraft Parking Area 1.6 km
- Former Nike Ajax surface-to-air missile launch site F-45 3.3 km
- Former Nike Ajax radar control site F-37. 10 km
- Former Nike Ajax radar control site F-07 11 km
- USAF Recreation Area 11 km
- Former Nike Ajax radar control site F-87. 12 km
- Deactivated Atlas E ICBM Launcher (567-1) 44 km
- Fort Colville 108 km
- Yaak Air Force Station 199 km
- Spokane Rock Airway Heights Pit 4.6 km
- Veterans Cemetery 5.2 km
- Medical Lake 5.6 km
- Eastern State Hospital 5.9 km
- West Medical Lake 6.1 km
- Silver Lake 6.3 km
- Willow Lake 7 km
- Lakeland Village Custodial School 7.3 km
- Granite Lake 7.6 km
- Clear Lake 10 km
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