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90-412: Davis–Monthan Air Force Base ( DM AFB ) ( IATA : DMA , ICAO : KDMA , FAA LID : DMA ) is a United States Air Force base 5 miles (4 nmi; 8 km) southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona . It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field . The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing (355 WG) assigned to Twelfth Air Force (12AF), part of Air Combat Command (ACC). The base

180-499: A GSU under AFRC's 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Space Force Base is equipped with HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and Guardian Angel personnel. The 943 RQG is tasked to provide combat search and rescue (CSAR) and personnel recovery (PR) support worldwide. The 924th Fighter Group , originally a classic associate unt to the 355 FW, now 355 WG, flies the A-10 Thunderbolt II and is now equipped with its own aircraft. Perhaps

270-554: A halt on 14 August 1945, when the Japanese surrendered. Davis–Monthan played a post-war role by housing German POWs from June 1945 to March 1946. It also served as a separation center, which brought the base populace to a high of 11,614 in September 1945. With the end of the war, operations at the base came to a virtual standstill. It was then that the base was selected as a storage site for hundreds of decommissioned aircraft, with

360-457: A military aircraft accident completing a training mission on December 28, 1921, while a passenger in a Curtiss JN-6HG at Carlstrom Field , near Arcadia, Florida . One other person, William C. Sinclair, was also killed. They were hunting ducks at the time; Sinclair was piloting and Davis was shooting. After a funeral at the home of his parents, Davis was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson. He

450-548: A move in 1927 to the site which is now Davis–Monthan Air Force Base. The City of Tucson acquired land southeast of town for a runway and dedicated the field in 1925. Charles Lindbergh , fresh from his nonstop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, flew his Spirit of St. Louis to Tucson in 1927 to dedicate the airport at Davis–Monthan Field, then the largest municipal airport in the United States. Military presence at

540-567: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This

630-907: A twin vertical tail. Its two Liberty 12-A engines sat in nacelles on the lower wing, flanking the fuselage. Ordered under the company designation MB-2 in June 1920, the NBS-1 was an improved larger version of the Martin MB-1 bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1918, also known as the GMB or Glenn Martin Bomber. The first flight of the MB-2 took place 3 September 1920. In addition to more powerful engines, larger wings and fuselage, and simplified landing gear,

720-509: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow

810-554: Is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as the list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and

900-519: Is best known as the location of the Air Force Materiel Command 's 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG), the aircraft boneyard for all excess military and U.S. government aircraft and aerospace vehicles. Davis–Monthan Air Force Base is a key ACC installation. The 355th Wing (355 WG) provides A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support and OA-10 forward air controllers to ground forces worldwide. The 355 WG

990-523: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at

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1080-412: Is headquarters of Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force and the 612th Air and Space Operations Center which operates AFSOUTH 's Combined Air and Space Operations Center ( CAOC ). Other Direct Report Units include the 612th Air Communications Squadron. 55th Electronic Combat Group IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it is administered by

1170-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU

1260-543: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier

1350-691: Is now part of the Total Force Enterprise, and is the only unit-equipped both active and classic associate fighter group in Air Force Reserve Command's inventory. With oversight of the 47th Fighter Squadron, 924th MS, and 924th OSF, the group is charged with working with the Regular Air Force's 355th Fighter Wing to functionally integrate with the 355th Operations Group and 355th Maintenance Group to conduct A-10 pilot training at Davis–Monthan AFB. Davis–Monthan

1440-639: Is the host unit, providing medical, logistical, mission and operational support to assigned units. The 355 WG is the sole formal training unit for the A-10 aircraft, providing initial and recurrent training to all U.S. Air Force A-10 and OA-10 pilots, to include those in the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and the Air National Guard (ANG). The 355th is ACC's executive agent for INF and START treaty compliance. In October 2018,

1530-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained

1620-549: The 390th Strategic Missile Wing on 30 June 1984. One site under the 390 SMW, known both as Titan II Site 571-7 and as Air Force Facility Missile Site 8, was initially decommissioned in 1982. Located approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of Tucson in Sahuarita, Arizona , it was saved from demolition and turned over to the Arizona Aerospace Foundation, a nonprofit organization which also administers

1710-564: The 563rd Rescue Group , previously a geographically separated unit of the 23rd Wing at Moody AFB , Georgia, was transferred to the 355th Wing, along with its HC-130J COMBAT KING II and HH-60G Pave Hawk aircraft. One of the wing's tenant units, the 55th Electronic Combat Group (55 ECG), is a geographically separated unit (GSU) of the 55th Wing (55 WG) at Offutt AFB , Nebraska. Tasked to provide offensive counter-information and electronic attack capabilities in support of U.S. and Coalition tactical air, surface, and special operations forces,

1800-451: The 868th Tactical Missile Training Group (866 TMTG). The 868th was the only U.S.-based Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM) unit and the source of the crews that staffed the forward deployed GLCM wings in NATO in 1982. On 1 September 1982, the headquarters of the 602d Tactical Air Control Wing (TAIRCW) and its subordinate 23rd Tactical Air Support Squadron (TASS), a unit responsible for

1890-509: The A-7 Corsair II aircraft, was activated at the base and the previously assigned F-4s were moved to Luke AFB , near Phoenix, Arizona . On 1 October 1976, the base was transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) after 30 years under SAC, with SAC's 390th Strategic Missile Wing becoming a tenant command of the base. It was also that year the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing accepted the first A-10 Thunderbolt II . Since 1979, D–M has been

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1980-571: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with

2070-679: The Lucky Lady II ' s crew received the Mackay Trophy , given annually by the National Aeronautic Association for the outstanding flight of the year, and the Air Age Trophy, an Air Force Association award, given each year in recognition of significant contributions to the public understanding of the air age. In 1953, the jet age came to Davis–Monthan when SAC units on the base converted to

2160-412: The Lucky Lady II , a B-50A of the 43d Bombardment Wing, completed the first nonstop round-the-world flight, having covered 23,452 miles (37,742 km) in 94 hours and 1 minute (249.45 mph). Lucky Lady II was refueled four times in the air by KB-29 tankers of the 43d Air Refueling Squadron, which had made only one operational air refueling contact before the mission. For this outstanding flight,

2250-691: The Pima Air and Space Museum immediately south of Davis–Monthan AFB. With a variety of items on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force , including an inert Titan II missile, Site 571-7 is now known as the Titan Missile Museum and is one of two remaining examples of a Titan II missile site in existence (the other being located at Vandenberg Space Force Base , California; site 395-C). In 1994,

2340-640: The United States Air Force as independent service four months earlier, the facility was renamed Davis–Monthan Air Force Base . On 30 June 1948, the Air Force activated the 43rd Air Refueling Squadron, whose KB-29Ms were newly equipped with aerial refueling equipment purchased from the British firm FRL. The 43rd ARS, along with the 509th ARS at Walker AFB , New Mexico , was the first dedicated air refueling unit in history. On 2 March 1949,

2430-700: The United States Army Air Service and its successor, the Army Air Corps . An improved version of the Martin MB-1 , a scout-bomber built during the final months of World War I , the NBS-1 was ordered under the designation MB-2 and is often referred to as such. The designation NBS-1, standing for "Night Bomber-Short Range", was adopted by the Air Service after the first five of the Martin bombers were delivered. The NBS-1 became

2520-674: The University of Arizona in Tucson . After enlisting in the military in 1917, he was briefly assigned to Fort Hauchuca in Arizona before being transferred to College Station, Texas , to complete his academic studies. He returned to the military after graduation in 1918, assembling airplanes at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas . He trained pilots during the first World War , including some pilots who took down German planes. He reached

2610-423: The 355 FW, the 924 FG currently flies the same Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support aircraft. The 924 FG consists of the 47th Fighter Squadron (A-10C), 924th Maintenance Squadron, 924th Operational Support Flight. Between October 2013 and March 2014, the 924 FG transitioned from being a "classic" associate unit when it gained 28 A-10 aircraft of its own from Barksdale AFB , Louisiana. The 924th

2700-428: The 355 WG, equipped with HC-130 aircraft and HH-60 helicopters. At the same time, the 41st and 43d Electronic Combat Squadrons were realigned under the control of the 55th Electronic Combat Group (55 ECG). While personnel and aircraft remained on Davis–Monthan AFB, operational control of the 55 ECG was assumed by the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB , Nebraska . Another major wing realignment occurred on 1 October 2003, with

2790-977: The 355th Wing again realigned and now falls under the 15th Air Force Headquarters at Shaw AFB, SC . On 1 October 2021, the 418th Test and Evaluation Squadron was activated at David-Monthan to provide test and evaluation of new tactics, techniques and procedures for the EC-130H Compass Call and HC-130J Combat King II . The host wing at Davis–Monthan is the 355th Wing , which includes: The 355 OG consists of six squadrons and over 450 personnel employing A-10 aircraft and an AN/TPS-75 radar system. It provides war-fighters with forces for close air support (CAS), air interdiction (AI), forward air control (FAC), combat search and rescue (CSAR), ground-based tactical air control, and airbase operations. It also conducts all formal course directed aircraft initial qualification/ re-qualification training. All active duty aircraft assigned to Davis–Monthan Air Force Base carry

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2880-402: The 55 ECG unit employs its Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call aircraft worldwide in tactical air operations in war and other contingencies. It also provides initial and recurrent training to all EC-130H Compass Call pilots, navigators, electronic warfare officers, and aircrew. Two other major tenant units are assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). The 943rd Rescue Group (structured as

2970-704: The Afghan population as it struggled with its emergent democracy , and provided key support during national elections. While the 2003 deployment saw limited action, the Bulldogs employed over 22,000 rounds of 30 mm during 130 troops-in-contact situations during the 2005 deployment. Returning to Afghanistan in April 2007 for another six-month deployment, the 345th again provided 24-hour presence and Close Air Support expertise to coalition forces in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this period, insurgent activity level

3060-478: The Air Force's tactical air control system west of the Mississippi River transferred from Bergstrom Air Force Base , Texas, and stood up at D–M, bringing 16 OA-37B aircraft and numerous new personnel to the base. The 23rd TASS became the Air Force's first O/A-10 squadron in 1988, providing heavily armed airborne forward air control (FAC) capability for the first time. Unlike all other D–M aircraft at

3150-461: The Davis–Monthan until 1976, when the 100 SRW was inactivated, its DC-130s transferred to Tactical Air Command 's 432d Tactical Drone Group, and its U-2s transferred to SAC's 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (9 SRW) at Beale Air Force Base , California , where U-2 Dragon Lady operations were consolidated with SR-71 Blackbird operations. On 15 June 1964, Davis–Monthan's 303d Bombardment Wing

3240-608: The IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in the IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn ,

3330-488: The Martin Company, which recommended a further 50 be produced to help its struggling financial condition. However the design was owned by the U.S. Army and subsequent contracts for 110 bombers were awarded by low bid to three other companies: Curtiss Aircraft (50 ordered); L-W-F Engineering Company of College Point, New York (35); and Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company of Keyport, New Jersey (25). The engines of

3420-666: The NBS-1 also had a unique folding wing system, hinged outside the engine nacelles to fold backward for storage in small hangars. Unlike the MB-1, whose engines were mounted between the wings in a fashion similar to the German Staaken R.VI Riesenflugzeug , the engines of the NBS-1 were fixed to the lower wing over the landing gear. The MB-2 was designed as a night bomber and except for a greater load capacity, had reduced performance characteristics compared to its MB-1 predecessor. The first 20 (five MB-2s and 15 NBS-1s) were ordered from

3510-546: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . Martin NBS-1 The Martin NBS-1 was a military aircraft of

3600-417: The United States, England, and Korea . During this period, the 602nd Tactical Air Control Wing deployed Airborne Forward Air Controllers in their OA-10 aircraft to Operation Desert Storm , providing nearly 100 percent of this capability to the war. On 1 October 1991, the 355 TTW was redesignated as the 355th Fighter Wing (355 FW) in tune with the Air Force's Objective Wing philosophy. The 355th Fighter Wing

3690-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append

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3780-421: The activation of the 4105th Army Air Force Unit . The 4105th oversaw the storage of excess B-29s and C-47 "Gooney Birds." Tucson's low humidity and alkali soil made it an ideal location for aircraft storage and preservation, awaiting cannibalization or possible reuse—a mission that has continued to this day. The Cold War era was ushered in at Davis–Monthan on 21 March 1946, with the installation placed under

3870-533: The activation of the 563rd Rescue Group (563 RQG) on Davis–Monthan AFB. Control of the 48th, 55th, and 79th Rescue Squadrons (RQS) was passed to the new group with the 23rd Wing (23 WG) at Moody Air Force Base , Georgia assuming operational command of the unit. In 2003 and 2005, the 354th Fighter Squadron (354 FS) "Bulldogs" deployed on five-month deployments to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. During these deployments, they provided 24-hour presence to reassure

3960-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,

4050-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after

4140-462: The base and assumed responsibility for all U-2 operations, emphasizing long-range strategic reconnaissance and intelligence collection. As a Strategic Air Command (SAC) unit, the 4080th was later redesignated the 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and also acquired Lockheed DC-130 Hercules aircraft for launch and control of Firebee reconnaissance drones that were the precursors of contemporary unmanned aerial systems. The DC-130s and U-2s remained at

4230-411: The base became known as Davis–Monthan Army Air Field on 3 December 1941. U.S. Army Air Forces leaders then utilized the airfield for heavy bomber operation, sending Douglas B-18 Bolo , Consolidated B-24 Liberator , and Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, for training and observation missions. Among the bombardment groups trained at the base during the war: Training at the airfield came to

4320-607: The base. The base was named in honor of World War I pilots Lieutenants Samuel H. Davis (1896–1921) and Chief Engineer Oscar Monthan (1885–1924), both Tucson natives. Monthan enlisted in the Army as a private in 1917, was commissioned as a ground officer in 1918, and later became a pilot; he was killed in the crash of a Martin B2 bomber in Hawaii on March 27, 1924. First Lieutenant Samuel Howard Davis (November 20, 1896 – December 28, 1921)

4410-454: The claimancy of the recently established Strategic Air Command (SAC). SAC's presence at the base began in the form of the 40th and 444th Bombardment Groups, both equipped with B-29s. As part of the postwar austerity, these groups were later inactivated, with the personnel and equipment being consolidated into the 43d Bombardment Group in October. On 11 January 1948, with the establishment of

4500-502: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share

4590-444: The early 1940s, when military requirements began to require the relocation of civil aviation activities. Davis–Monthan Airport became Tucson Army Air Field in 1940, as the United States prepared for World War II . The first assigned U.S. Army Air Corps units were the 1st Bomb Wing, 41st Bomb Group and 31st Air Base Group, activating on 30 April 1941 with Lieutenant Colonel Ames S. Albro Sr. as commanding officer. In its military role,

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4680-934: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through

4770-552: The field began when Sergeant Simpson relocated his fuel and service operation to the site on 6 October 1927. He kept a log containing names of the field's customers, including Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart , Benjamin Foulois , and Jimmy Doolittle . Doolittle, awarded the Medal of Honor for his 1942 Tokyo raid , was the first military customer at the field on 9 October 1927. The combination of civil and military operations worked well until

4860-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from

4950-478: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When

5040-597: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after

5130-426: The forward battle area and behind enemy lines. This capability added yet more strength to the wing's combat capability. The 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron "Bats" are part of the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB , Nebraska , but operate out of Davis–Monthan. In addition, the 42d Airborne Command and Control Squadron arrived from Keesler AFB , Mississippi on 19 July 1994. On 1 May 1992, senior Air Force leaders implemented

5220-403: The fuselage. They also sank USS  Virginia  (BB-13) and USS  New Jersey  (BB-16) in 1923. An example of the plane was featured in director William Wellman 's 1927 Paramount silent film Wings , disguised as a German Gotha bomber . Footage was shot overhead of the MB-2 as it exited its tent hangar and from the MB-2 during flight. These aerial shots were revolutionary at

5310-439: The initiation of three ongoing missions: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation Noble Eagle (ONE). After Operation Enduring Freedom, eight A-10s from the 355 WG were called to Bagram Airfield , Afghanistan , to fly close air support missions supporting multinational ground forces. In September 2002, the 48th , 55th , and the 79th Rescue Squadron 's (RQS) transferred under control of

5400-487: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in

5490-518: The last 20 bombers of the Curtiss order came equipped with turbosuperchargers manufactured by General Electric , the first such modification made in production quantity. Although enabling the NBS-1 to reach an altitude of over 25,000 ft (7,650 m), the turbosuperchargers were mechanically unreliable and not used operationally. The bomber was equipped defensively with five .30 in (7.62 mm) Lewis guns , mounted in pairs in positions in

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5580-482: The most prominent tenant is the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG) of the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC). As the main location for the 309 AMARG, Davis–Monthan AFB is the sole aircraft boneyard for excess military and U.S. government aircraft and other aerospace vehicles such as ballistic missiles. Tucson's dry climate and alkali soil make it an ideal location to store and preserve aircraft; more than 4,000 military aircraft are parked on

5670-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from

5760-486: The new Boeing B-47 Stratojet . The 303d Bombardment Wing , Medium, was initially established on 27 August 1951, and activated at Davis–Monthan AFB on 4 September 1951. The wing operated B-29s until January 1952, when it was equipped with KB-29s. On 20 January 1953, the 303d transitioned to the Boeing B-47 Stratojet for its three bomb squadrons, while an additional air refueling squadron equipped with KC-97s

5850-568: The newly established Air Combat Command (ACC) on the same date. Following Operation Desert Storm, the 355 WG supported Operation Southern Watch during deployments to Al Jaber, Kuwait, in 1997 by deploying 24 A-10s, in 1998 by deploying 16 A-10s, and in 1999 by deploying 14 A-10s—all to ensure compliance of the 33rd parallel southern no-fly zone. The flight and mysterious crash of Captain Craig D. Button took off from Davis–Monthan Air Force Base on 12 April 1997. The attacks on 11 September 2001, led to

5940-553: The nose and upper rear fuselage, and singly in a bottom mount, firing behind and beneath the rear fuselage. The first two Martin MB-2s, Air Service serials 64195 and 64196 , were retained at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio, for research and development flight testing, marked with project numbers 'P162' and 'P227' respectively, as was the second NBS-1, 64201 , marked as 'P222'. Four Curtiss NBS-1s were also assigned to McCook. The NBS-1

6030-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which

6120-414: The policy of one base, one wing, one boss. The 836 AD and 602 TAIRCW inactivated (the later on 15 June 1992) while the 41 ECS and 43 ECS came under control of the 355 FW. With the mission diversified, the 355th Fighter Wing was re-designated as the 355th Wing (355 WG). On 1 June 1992, Tactical Air Command was inactivated and all aircraft, personnel and installations previously under TAC were transferred to

6210-626: The rank of Second Lieutenant . Davis was honorably discharged from the military about 1919 with the rank of First Lieutenant in the reserve corps . For a time he worked commercial aviation as a manager with the Arizona Aviation Company, where he piloted Orioles and standard manufacture airplanes. Davis married Marjorie Cameron of San Antonio in 1920. Davis returned to the Army Air Service in August 1921. He died in

6300-506: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than

6390-549: The site was declared a National Historic Landmark . In 1987, the 71st Special Operations Squadron , an Air Force Reserve unit flying HH-3 Jolly Green Giants, was activated at the base. While it served after the invasion of Kuwait in Desert Shield/Storm, it did not survive the end of the Cold War drawdown, and disbanded in 1992. In the 1990s, the 355 TTW continued to train A-10 crews for assignments to units in

6480-527: The standard frontline bomber of the Air Service in 1920 and remained so until its replacement in 1928–1929 by the Keystone Aircraft series of bombers. The basic MB-2 design was also the standard against which prospective U.S. Army bombers were judged until the production of the Martin B-10 in 1933. The NBS-1 was a wood-and-fabric biplane without staggered wings , employing twin rudders on

6570-500: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in

6660-485: The strategic modernization program, Titan II systems were to be retired by 1 October 1987. Deactivation began at Davis–Monthan on 1 October 1982. During the operation, titled "Rivet Cap", the missiles were removed and shipped to Norton AFB , California for refurbishment and storage. Explosive demolition began at the headworks of missile complex 570–7 on 30 November 1983. In May 1984, the 390 SMW's last Titan II at Davis–Monthan came off alert status. SAC subsequently inactivated

6750-456: The tail code "DM". The 563rd Rescue Group is part of the 355th Wing. It includes the following squadrons: The 924 FG of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) was reactivated in 2011 and initially assigned to Davis–Monthan AFB as an "associate" unit to the 355 FW flying the A-10 aircraft. As part of the Air Force Reserve Command, it is also a geographically separated unit (GSU) of AFRC's 944th Fighter Wing (944 FW) at Luke AFB , Arizona. Like

6840-566: The time, the 23rd TASS fleet's tail flash read "NF", for "Nail FAC"; the squadron's radio call sign was "Nail". In 1984, as a result of the first series of Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties START I between the United States and the Soviet Union, SAC began to decommission its Titan II missile system. In 1982, the 390 SMW began removing its 18 missiles and inactivating the associated sites in preparation for eventual demolition. In October 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced that, as part of

6930-430: The training location for pilots in the A-10; the base was redesignated the 355th Tactical Training Wing on 1 September 1979. The organization was later redesignated the 355th Fighter Wing since it includes operational, deployable A-10 squadrons in addition to its CONUS training mission The 1980s brought several diverse missions to D–M. The headquarters charged with overseeing them was now the 836th Air Division , which

7020-515: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given

7110-518: The unit transitioned into F-86Ds followed by a transition to F-86Ls in the fall of 1957. In the spring of 1959 the unit received Northrop F-89J interceptors which it flew for only a year when it transitioned into McDonnell F-101Bs . On 24 December 1964, the 15th FIS was inactivated. In 1962, the Strategic Air Command 's 390th Strategic Missile Wing (390 SMW) and its 18 Titan II ICBM sites around Tucson were activated. The 390 SMW

7200-529: The use of two letters allowed only a few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice

7290-474: Was a pilot and United States Army Air Service officer. Born to Sam and Effie Davis in 1896 in Dyer County, Tennessee , Davis was known by his middle name, Howard. He attended public schools in Tucson. As a young man, his hobbies included horseback riding and shooting; he was a good marksman. Davis enrolled at Texas A&M College in 1915 as a student of mechanical engineering, having previously attended

7380-435: Was activated 1 January 1981. The AD advised Air Force component commanders and land forces on A-10 aircraft tactics, training, employment and readiness, and subordinate units participated in exercises such as Red Flag and Celtic Echo. The 41st Electronic Combat Squadron equipped with the EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, arrived on 1 July 1980, and reported to the 552d Airborne Warning and Control Wing . In 1981 D–M welcomed

7470-443: Was activated. As of October 2020, the 355 FW is composed of four groups: the 355th Operations Group (355 OG), the 355th Maintenance Group (355 MG), the 355th Mission Support Group (355 MSG), and the 355th Medical Group (355 MDG). Along with their tenant organizations, they make up the 6,100 airmen and 1,700 civilian personnel at Davis–Monthan AFB. The 355th Fighter Wing was re-designated 355th Wing on January 2, 2019. On 20 August 2020,

7560-547: Was assigned to the wing between 18 February 1953, and 1 February 1956. A standard SAC Alert Area ramp was constructed in the southeast corner of the base adjacent to the runway and the 303d assumed nuclear alert responsibilities when final conversion and checkout in the B-47 was complete. In April 1953, the Air Defense Command 's (ADC) 15th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was activated with F-86A Sabres . A year later,

7650-428: Was composed of the 355th Operations Group (355 OG), the 355th Maintenance Group (355 MG), the 355th Medical Group (355 MDG), and the 355th Mission Support Group (355 MSG). In May 1992, the 41st and 43d Electronic Combat Squadrons , flying EC-130H Hercules Compass Call arrived. The aircraft carried an airborne battlefield command and control center capsule that provides continuous control of tactical air operations in

7740-693: Was inactivated as part of the retirement of the B-47 Stratojet from active service. The year 1964 brought back the combat crew training mission of the World War II years with the 4453d Combat Crew Training Wing of the Tactical Air Command equipped with the Air Force's newest and most sophisticated fighter, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II . In July 1971, the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing , flying

7830-647: Was one of only three Titan II missile wings in SAC and represented the heaviest land-based missile and the largest single warhead ever fielded by U.S. strategic deterrent forces. In July 1963, the 4028th Strategic Reconnaissance Weather Wing , equipped with U-2 strategic reconnaissance aircraft, began flying global missions from Davis–Monthan. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963, the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Laughlin AFB , Texas, relocated to

7920-545: Was survived by his widow, his parents, and a brother, Wilton. Davis's father was in attendance at the 1925 dedication of the base, as was Governor G.W.P. Hunt , who spoke at the dedication. In 1919, the Tucson Chamber of Commerce aviation committee established the nation's first municipally owned airfield at the current site of the Tucson Rodeo Grounds. The rapid increase in aviation activities meant

8010-481: Was the highest recorded to date in OEF. The Bulldogs employed an unprecedented number of munitions during this deployment—over 150,000 rounds of 30 mm in support of over 400 troops-in-contact situations. On 26 April 2007, the 355th Wing was re-designated as the 355th Fighter Wing (355 FW) with only A-10 fighter aircraft assigned. Also in 2007, the 214th Reconnaissance Group (214 RG), an Arizona Air National Guard unit,

8100-549: Was the primary bomber used by Brigadier General Billy Mitchell during Project B , the demonstration bombing of naval ships in July 1921. Six NBS-1 bombers, led by Captain Walter Lawson of the 96th Squadron operating out of Langley Field , bombed and sank the captured German battleship SMS  Ostfriesland on 21 July 1921, using specially developed 2,000 lb (907 kg) demolition bombs, externally mounted beneath

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