Reno Stead Airport

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Reno Army Air Base was originally assigned to the Second Air Force in October 1942. Although the base was originally intended for use as a training center, the operation of its facilities required the additional construction to accommodate the number of troops brought there for training. The Ferrying Division of the Air Transport Command assumed command of the base in 1943 until its deactivation in 1945.

In April 1948, the 192nd Fighter Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard, took over the then vacant base for training activities. In December 1949, 1st Lt Croston Stead, a Reno native, lost his life when his P-51 Mustang crashed at the base during a flying training mission. In January 1951, the base was named Stead AFB in his honor.

In 1952 it was determined that the Sierra Nevada mountains and forests would be suitable for survival training and the USAF Survival School moved to Stead AFB from Fort Carson, Colorado. In September 1954, Stead AFB became part of the Air Training Command (ATC) and the 3635th Combat Crew Training Wing (Survival) was activated.

In January 1958, a small group of instructor pilots from Randolph AFB, Texas was sent to Stead AFB to determine the feasibility of advanced helicopter training in the area's mountains. On July 15, 1958, the 3635th Crew Training Wing was redesignated as the 3635th Flying Training Wing (Advanced), concurrent with the relocation of the USAF Helicopter Pilot School to Stead. During the summer and fall of 1958, the USAF Helicopter School was moved from Randolph AFB to Stead AFB and designated the 3638th Flying Training Squadron (Helicopter). The base provided ample facilities and an unencumbered airspace in which to operate the flying training mission. The base had also recently undergone a large building project of all new Capehart family housing which lent well to the accompanying military families. Pilots would undergo training in the H-19 Chickasaw and Piasecki H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee helicopters. The syllabus would contain basic transition training and instruments as well as advanced operational techniques in high altitude confined area and mountain operations. Training in the HH-43 Huskie was also introduced as that airframe entered the USAF inventory.

Pilots from all fixed-wing and rotary-wing backgrounds would also attend the USAF Survival School at Stead in preparation for operational assignments.

Flying training was conducted at Stead as well as an auxiliary airfield, Sky Ranch, located about 10 miles east of the base. A number of unprepared ridgetop and pinnacle landing spots at altitudes up to 8,100 feet MSL were located on Peavine Mountain directly south of the base. A similar number of tree-lined spots were located in Dog Valley, southwest of Peavine, to conduct confined area landing and takeoff procedures. The area north of Stead to Pyramid Lake was used for instrument training.

The first students to go through helicopter pilot training were rated fixed-wing USAF pilots. In fact, all pilots undergoing helicopter pilot training since 1944 had been rated pilots. In 1965, students were entered into helicopter pilot training having received approximately 120 hours in the T-28 Trojan, but not yet having received their wings. They would receive their wings upon graduation from helicopter training.

The 3638th Flying Training Squadron (Helicopter) trained not only USAF pilots but also many from foreign countries. At least a dozen countries, including Japan, Argentina, Pakistan, India, France, Bolivia and China (Taiwan), sent pilots to basic helicopter pilot training as well as instructor pilot upgrading. There was an Exchange Program with England's Royal Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force for a 2-year tour by the Exchange pilots. U.S. Marine Corps pilots flying the Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw were given a short course in high altitude mountain flying techniques. Four RAAF helicopter pilots also received several hours of mountain indoctrination on their way from UH-1 Huey training at Fort Rucker and returning to Australia to fly their own "Hueys". From 1958 through 1965, the Helicopter School trained over 1252 USAF and 384 foreign helicopter pilots.

Part of the School included the Instructor Training (IT) Section of the Squadron. Experienced line pilots assigned to the Squadron to be instructors had to be indoctrinated into the standardized techniques and grading procedures used in the School. This sometimes required some rethinking on the part of the new instructors that had been used to doing it "their way" when in the field. They were reminded about how they handled the controls when they had only 5 hours of helicopter time and relate it to their students. Standardized procedures were necessary for scoring of the student's progress and if a change of instructors might be required.

The Helicopter School was tasked with other missions. From February through July 1962, eleven pilots and six H-21B helicopters where airlifted by C-124 Globemaster aircraft to Christmas Island, South Pacific in support of Operation Dominic atomic tests. They would provide personnel airlift and search and rescue. They also conducted recovery of rocket nose cones shot through the clouds of an atomic device detonation by Research agencies. This required entering ground zero within 20 minutes of detonation and flying 15-25 miles over the shark infested Pacific Ocean without any flotation device on the helicopter. All nose cones were successfully recovered.

In 1960 and again in 1964, helicopters were provided to NASA's Astronaut Desert Survival Training Site near Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.

In 1964, the Secretary of Defense made the announcement that Stead AFB was to be closed and the Helicopter School and Survival School would be relocated. The USAF Helicopter School moved to Sheppard AFB, Texas in late 1965. to Hill AFB, Utah in 1971 and to Kirtland AFB, New Mexico in 1976 where USAF Advanced Helicopter Training is still being conducted. The Survival School was reloacted to Fairchild AFB, Washington, where it also continues to operate. (see," History of the USAF Helicopter School"). [http://usafhpa.org/3638stead/3638th%20.htm]

In 1966, Stead AFB was closed, the airfield transferred to the City of Reno and the housing facilities sold to private individuals.

Facilities and aircraft

Reno/Stead Airport covers an area of 5,000 acres (2,023 ha) which contains two asphalt paved runways: 14/32 measuring 9,000 x 150 ft. (2,743 x 46 m) and 8/26 measuring 7,608 x 150 ft. (2,319 x 46 m).

For the 12-month period ending November 1, 2007, the airport had 64,000 aircraft operations, an average of 175 per day: 84% general aviation and 16% military. At that time there were 258 aircraft based at this airport: 76% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 8% jet, 1% helicopter, 1% glider, 1% ultralight and 5% military.

ee also

* Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO)
* Nevada World War II Army Airfields

References

External links

* [http://www.renoairport.com/transportation/reno_stead_airport.php Reno/Stead Airport] page at Reno/Tahoe International Airport web site
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