Whiteman Air Force Base

Infobox Airport
name = Whiteman Air Force Base
nativename = Part of Air Combat Command (ACC)


image-width = 250
caption = USGS aerial photo as of 9 March 1996


image2-width = 200
caption2 = Location of Whiteman AFB
IATA = SZL
ICAO = KSZL
FAA = SZL
type = Military: Air Force Base
owner = United States Air Force
operator =
location = Knob Noster, Missouri
built = 1942
used =
commander = Brig. Gen. Garrett Harencak
occupants = 509th Bomb Wing
elevation-f = 870
elevation-m = 265
coordinates = coord|38|43|49|N|093|32|53|W|region:US_type:airport
website = [http://www.whiteman.af.mil/ www.whiteman.af.mil]
r1-number = 1/19
r1-length-f = 12,400
r1-length-m = 3,780
r1-surface = Concrete
footnotes = Sources: official site [http://www.whiteman.af.mil/ Whiteman Air Force Base] , official site] and FAAFAA-airport|ID=SZL|use=PR|own=MA|site=11844.*A, effective 2008-06-05]

Whiteman Air Force Base (Whiteman AFB) airport codes|SZL|KSZL|SZL is a base of the United States Air Force in Johnson County, Missouri, United States. Is is located two nautical miles (4 km) south of the central business district of the city of Knob Noster.

Part of the base is a census-designated place (CDP); it had a population of 3,814 at the 2000 census. The base is the home of the 509th Bomb Wing (509 BW) of the Air Combat Command (ACC), which operates the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

Geography

Whiteman AFB is located at coord|38|43|58|N|93|33|17|W|city (38.732758, -93.554851).GR|1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 13.4 km² (5.2 mi²), all land.

Nearby towns include Knob Noster and Warrensburg.

History

The base was activated in 1942 during World War II as Sedalia Glider Base. In 1951 it passed to Strategic Air Command and was modified for use by medium and heavy bombers, with the first B-47 Stratojet aircraft deployed there in 1954. In 1955, Sedalia Air Force Base was renamed to Whiteman AFB in honor of 2nd Lt George A. Whiteman, a native of Sedalia and one of the first American airmen killed in World War II during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

In 1961, the US Government decided to use Whiteman AFB as a support base for a wing of Minuteman ICBMs. During the next few years, huge construction works were carried out in the vicinity of the base, with 150 missile silos and 15 launch control centers being built, together with the necessary support infrastructure. The first Minuteman missile arrived at Whiteman on January 14, 1964. The 351st Strategic Missile Wing continued to serve until the end of the Cold War and was later deactivated in the 1990s in accordance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties (START I/II) between the US and Russia.

In the late 1980s, a new chapter in the history of the base opened with the decision to base the new B-2 Spirit stealth bombers there, initially commanded by Col Larry Fisher. Again, a massive construction project was carried out to build the facilities necessary to handle the unique aircraft. The first B-2 landed at the base on December 17, 1993. All operational B-2s are stationed at Whiteman under the command of the 509th Bomb Wing and its two bomb squadrons, the 13th and 393d.

The 509 BW is the host unit at Whiteman Air Force Base. Other major units located at Whiteman as tenant commands include the Air Force Reserve Command's 442d Fighter Wing (442 FW) flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the Missouri Army National Guard's 1/135th Aviation Battalion flying the AH-64 Apache, and the Navy Reserve's Mobile Inshore Undersea Warfare Unit 114.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,814 people, 931 households, and 901 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 284.8/km² (737.7/mi²). There were 982 housing units at an average density of 73.3/km² (189.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.78% White, 9.73% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 2.20% from other races, and 3.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.74% of the population.

There were 931 households out of which 79.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 90.1% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 3.2% were non-families. 2.7% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.53 and the average family size was 3.56.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 37.6% under the age of 18, 25.7% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 1.2% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 125.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,664, and the median income for a family was $32,586. Males had a median income of $22,095 versus $16,466 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $11,538. About 5.6% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

ee also

* Missouri World War II Army Airfields

References

External links

* [http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Whiteman_AFB.htm Whiteman AFB history] from Strategic-Air-Command.com
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/whiteman.htm Whiteman AFB] at GlobalSecurity.org
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