Outlying Field Choctaw

Outlying Field Choctaw is the United States Navy's designation for an auxiliary airfield that was originally constructed during World War II as Eglin Field (now Eglin AFB) Auxiliary Field # 10.

History

Constructed in Santa Rosa County, the western-most of Eglin's ten satellite fields, Auxiliary Field 10 was originally named Dillon Field for Capt Barclay H. Dillon, USAAF, a test pilot of the Fighter Section of the 1st Proving Ground Group, Eglin Field, killed 2 October 1943 when his P-38J-5-LO Lightning, 42-67103, crashed 8 miles W of Milton, Florida. ^[1] Field 10 was later named Eglin Dillon Airdrome.^[2] Now used primarily for U.S. Navy basic flight training, the Navy refers to it as Outlying Field Choctaw (OLF), a satellite field for Training Air Wing SIX at Naval Air Station Pensacola and Training Air Wing FIVE at Naval Air Station Whiting Field. ^[3]

It is also used for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle [UAV] training by the U.S. Marine Corps. ^[4]

It is expected that Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps F-35 Lightning IIs assigned to the 33d Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base will utilize OLF Choctaw for training. ^[5]

References

1. ^ "USAAF/USAF Accidents for Florida". Accident-Report.com. http://www.accident-report.com/world/namerica/slist/eglin.html. Retrieved 2010-09-16. 
2. ^ Angell, Joseph W., "History of the Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command – Part One – Historical Outline 1933–1944", The Historical Branch, Army Air Forces Proving Ground Command, Eglin AFB, Florida, reprint by Office of History, Munitions Systems Division, Eglin AFB, Florida, circa 1990, page 105.
3. ^ "Factsheets : Eglin Air Force Base History". Eglin.af.mil. http://www.eglin.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=6061. Retrieved 2010-09-16. 
4. ^ http://webgis.co.okaloosa.fl.us/jlus/docs/jlus_docs/Individual_Sections/Report/-Sec%2016%20-%20Eglin.pdf
5. ^ This story was written by Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff (2010-07-29). "Eglin chosen as preferred alternative F-35 base". Eglin.af.mil. http://www.eglin.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123215465. Retrieved 2010-09-16.