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32-826: It was the site of the Naval Air Station Quonset Point from 1941 until the early 1970s, when the military presence in Rhode Island was drastically scaled down. Despite the Navy's departure, the airport remains the home of Quonset Point Air National Guard Station and the 143d Airlift Wing (143 AW) of the Rhode Island Air National Guard , flying the C-130J Hercules . The Rhode Island Army National Guard also maintains an Army Aviation Support Facility adjacent to

64-534: A Rhode Island Air National Guard unit operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC) of the U.S. Air Force . The mission of the 143 AW is to provide air logistics support pursuant to both its state and federal missions. Originally located at Theodore Francis Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island , the 143 AW relocated to the former Naval Air Station Quonset Point in the mid-1980s, with

96-522: Is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island . Its name is widely known from the Quonset hut , which was first manufactured there. Quonset is an Algonquian word meaning "small, long place". Quonset Point was the location of Naval Air Station Quonset Point , a large United States Navy base. The peninsula is now used for industrial purposes and

128-550: Is approximately 360 personnel during non-drill duty days and increases to approximately 599 personnel on a drill duty weekend, otherwise known as a Unit Training Assembly (UTA), that occurs once per month. In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, the DoD would realign Martin State Air National Guard Base (aka Warfield Air National Guard Base ), Maryland. The DoD recommended to distribute the eight C-130J aircraft of

160-760: Is held annually by the Rhode Island National Guard and is perhaps the most well-known event to take place on Quonset Point. The event began in 1991 as a relatively minor aviation exhibition but grew in attendance each year, with the USAF Thunderbirds performing every even year and the USN Blue Angels performing every odd year. The Rhode Island National Guard also displayed their locally based C-130J Hercules aircraft and UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters in combined forces demos. Military aircraft demonstrations that have been featured in

192-543: Is no scheduled airline service. The airport lies within Class D airspace and has an operating non-federal air traffic control tower (closed on Mondays) with two active runways, Runway 5/23 and Runway 16/34. Quonset State Airport is one of six active airports operated by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation . Quonset Point Air National Guard Station is the home of the 143rd Airlift Wing (143 AW),

224-568: Is partially abandoned. A major industry located there is a hull-fabrication and outfitting facility for Electric Boat Corporation . It was also home to Camp Endicott , home to the Atlantic fleet Seabees . Quonset Point is currently home to Quonset State Airport which is a joint civil-military public airport home to the Quonset Point Air National Guard Station and the 143d Airlift Wing (143 AW) of

256-596: The C-130J and C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft. The Rhode Island Army National Guard also maintains an adjoining Army Aviation Support Facility for the 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, operating the UH-60 Black Hawk . Now known as Quonset State Airport (IATA: OQU, ICAO: KOQU), the former NAS Quonset Point is a public general aviation airport with tenant Air National Guard and Army National Guard flying activities, as well as an adjacent industrial park. There

288-581: The Coast Guard Academy in New London and returned later in the day to depart on Air Force One. Quonset State Airport covers an area of 754 acres (305  ha ) which contains two asphalt paved runways : 16/34 measuring 7,504 x 150 ft (2,287 x 46 m) and 5/23 measuring 4,000 x 75 ft (1,219 x 23 m). The airport lies within Class D airspace and has an operating non-federal air traffic control tower (closed on Mondays). For

320-571: The 12-month period ending April 30, 2022, the airport had 19,400 aircraft operations, an average of 53 per day: 50% general aviation , 44% military and 6% air taxi . At that time there were 21 aircraft based at this airport: 8 single- engine , 1 jet, and 12 military . Naval Air Station Quonset Point Quonset Point Air National Guard Station is the home base of the Rhode Island Air National Guard 143rd Airlift Wing . Naval Air Station ( NAS ) Quonset Point

352-403: The 175th Wing (ANG) to the 146th Airlift Wing (ANG), Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, California (four aircraft), and the 143d Airlift Wing (ANG), Quonset State Airport Air National Guard Station, Rhode Island (four aircraft). This recommendation would move C-130Js to Channel Islands ANGS (96), and Quonset State ANGS (125), both of which ranked higher in military value and already operate

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384-696: The 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, operating the LC-47 Skytrain , LP-2J Neptune , C-54 Skymaster , C-121 Constellation , and eventually the LC-130F and LC-130R Hercules , as well as a variety of helicopters. In 1950, Coast Guard Air Detachment Quonset Point was established as a sub unit of CGAS Salem , Massachusetts. In addition to flying squadrons, the air station was also home to a major aircraft overhaul and repair (O & R) facility, later renamed Naval Air Rework Facility ( NARF ) Quonset Point . O & R Facilities, and their later incarnation as NARFs, are

416-968: The Air National Guard Station for the 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, flying the UH-60 Blackhawk . Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA , Quonset State Airport is assigned OQU by the FAA but is designated NCO by the IATA. Quonset State Airport is one of six active airports operated by the Rhode Island Airports Corporation . The other five airports include T.F. Green State Airport , North Central State Airport , Westerly State Airport , Newport State Airport , and Block Island State Airport . In

448-529: The Blue Angels had already changed their schedule in order to appear at Quonset. Former United States President Richard Nixon served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946, rising from Lieutenant Junior Grade to Lieutenant Commander. He underwent basic training at Quonset Point in 1942 where he met William P. Rogers , later his first Secretary of State. During the 1950s, Quonset Point

480-766: The Cold War. Prior to its closure, it had been home to numerous aviation squadrons, primarily those land-based patrol squadrons operating the P-2 Neptune and carrier-based antisubmarine and airborne early warning squadrons operating the S-2 Tracker , the E-1 Tracer , SH3D Sea King helicopters and various modified versions of the A-1 Skyraider . NAS Quonset Point was also the off-season home of Antarctic Development Squadron Six ( VX-6 , later VXE-6 ) during

512-469: The J-model C-130, avoiding conversion training costs. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Camp Dyer 41°35′42″N 71°24′54″W  /  41.595°N 71.415°W  / 41.595; -71.415 Quonset Point ( / ˈ k w ɒ n s ɪ t / ), also known simply as Quonset ,

544-540: The Port would be home to Okeanos Explorer , a one-of-a-kind research vessel devoted entirely to exploring unknown parts of the world's oceans. It is a former United States Navy surveillance ship acquired by the NOAA and converted into a deep-sea research vessel. Quonset Point can be reached by air and sea, as well as by road. Ferry service to and from Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard is provided by Rhode Island Fast Ferry, and

576-558: The Rhode Island Air National Guard , flying the C-130J Hercules . Rhode Island Route 403 is a freeway branching from Rhode Island Route 4 that serves the area. Quonset is also served by a railroad spur from Amtrak 's Northeast Corridor . The Providence and Worcester Railroad provides freight service along this stretch of the Corridor. In 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided that

608-630: The Thunderbirds released their 2014 schedule which also did not include Quonset however show organizers are still planning to hold a conference regarding the event later in December. Without involvement by the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds it is still unlikely that a show will take place at Quonset. To the shock of air show fans, on January 4, 2014, the Rhode Island Air National Guard Open House and Air Show

640-405: The base initially consisting of 79 acres of leased land. By July 2001 the base had an additional lease for approximately 15 acres used for the development of their master plan and will allow for construction of facilities to support new C-130J transport aircraft. There are a total of 12 facilities on base: 4 industrial, 6 administrative and 2 services with no family housing. Current base population

672-489: The early 1980s Providence Airline Corp had daily flights leaving Quonset to Boston, Massachusetts; Hartford County, Connecticut; Syracuse, New York; Buffalo, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and Romulus, Michigan. On May 19, 2021, Air Force One carrying President Joe Biden landed at Quonset State Airport where he was greeted by Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee as well as Col. Adam Wiggins, the 143rd Airlift Wing Commander and other officials. He then continued on Marine One to

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704-638: The event as an all-civilian air show featuring aerobatic acts with the GEICO Skytypers being the headlining act however the National Guard stated that a show that exclusively featured civilian performers could not take place at a military installation, no such event took place in 2013. In October 2013, internet rumors have surfaced about a possible 2014 show and how the Air National Guard was rounding up sponsors and performers for

736-506: The event to return in 2014 with at least one major returning jet team to be featured, the USN Blue Angels which were supposed to headline in 2013 had already released their 2014 schedule which did not include Quonset while the USAF Thunderbirds which had headlined at the last show in 2012 had not yet released their schedule and a spokesperson for the team said that plans for the 2014 season were still underway. In early December 2013,

768-805: The ferry departs; and after the ferry arrives, a bus travels to the Providence Airport ( T. F. Green State Airport ) and the Kingston Amtrak train station. Seabee Museum and Memorial Park in North Kingstown, Rhode Island is a museum dedicated to the men and women who served in the Battalion. It aims to highlight the deeds of the United States Naval Construction Battalions during both times of war and peace. The Rhode Island Air Show

800-563: The past have included the F-22 Raptor (2007, 2009 and 2014), F-16 Fighting Falcon (2003, 2009, 2011), A-10 Thunderbolt II (2006, 2010), F-15E Strike Eagle (2007, 2008), EA-6B Prowler (2012), F/A-18C Hornet (2006, 2008, 2010), F/A-18F Super Hornet (2007) and AV-8B Harrier (2008) while civilian performers have included Sean D. Tucker , John Klatt, and Michael Goulian as well as the GEICO Skytypers . Attendance in 2011

832-490: The port of Davisville offers berths for commercial shipping. The Quonset Airport is a general aviation facility with a 7,500 ft (2,300 m) runway and a staffed control tower. Interstate 95 is nearby, and Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) buses also serve Quonset Point. The ferry dock at Quonset Point is the main terminal for Rhode Island Fast Ferry's high-speed ferry Julia Leigh to Oak Bluffs , Massachusetts. A shuttle bus leaves every hour before

864-629: The predecessor of the present day Fleet Readiness Centers (FRCs), previously known as Naval Aviation Depots (NADEPs). Boasting a deepwater port, NAS Quonset Point was also homeport to several Essex class aircraft carriers , including the USS Essex (CV-9) , USS Intrepid (CV-11) , USS Wasp (CV-18) , USS Leyte (CV-32) , USS Antietam (CV-36) , USS Lake Champlain (CV-39) , and USS Tarawa (CV-40) , as well as their respective carrier air groups (CAGs or CVSGs). In September 1945, Air Wing Eighteen became Air Wing Seven here. NAS Quonset Point

896-848: Was a United States Naval Base in Quonset Point , Rhode Island that was deactivated in 1974. Next to NAS Quonset Point was Camp Endicott at Davisville, home of the Naval Construction Battalions known as the Seabees . Quonset Point also gave its name to the Quonset hut , a standardized temporary structure used by the U.S. military starting in World War II . Former US President Richard M. Nixon went through basic naval officer training at Quonset Point in 1942. Commissioned on 12 July 1941, and encompassing what

928-605: Was announced to take place on that year after a two-year hiatus in between. The show was scheduled for May 17–18, 2014, the Blue Angels headlining for the first time since 2011, The team made slight modifications to its schedule in late December following the abrupt cancellation of the MCAS Cherry Point Air Show, which was to take place the same weekend. Although the Cherry Point Air Show has since terminated its cancellation and will take place,

960-544: Was decommissioned on 28 June 1974 as part of a series of defense cutbacks which resulted in a nationwide reduction in bases following the end of the US engagement in Vietnam. Since the Navy's departure, a small military presence has remained in the form of Quonset Point Air National Guard Station, home to the 143d Airlift Wing (143 AW), an Air Mobility Command (AMC)-gained unit of the Rhode Island Air National Guard , operating

992-557: Was once Camp Dyer , NAS Quonset Point was a major naval facility throughout World War II. Beginning in 1943, pilots of the Royal Navy 's Fleet Air Arm were trained at Quonset Point to fly the Vought F4U Corsair , which was then brought into service on British aircraft carriers. Squadrons such as VS-33 flew anti-submarine patrols from NAS Quonset Point. NAS Quonset Point continued as a major naval facility well into

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1024-432: Was so high that the show was sold out after parking locations filled up. The 2012 show yielded a similar audience, and each previous year had a normal attendance of over 200,000. However, in 2013 the show was officially canceled due to federal budget cuts, this caused all USAF units to cut aviation support to public events and the grounding of both the USN Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds, show organizers considered continuing

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