Columbus AFB Mississippi
Columbus AFB is located almost 15 km from the city with the same name, close to the western borders of the state. Its general objective over the years hasn’t changed much. It deals with training sessions for pilots even since World War II. Although the aircrafts changed every once in a while, the mission has always remained the same. These days, the military base is known for being the busiest air traffic base in the world. Believe it or not, more than half of the current pilots serving the Air Force have been through the training sessions at this place.
History
The base history dates back to the summer of 1941, when a group of natives decided the place requires some military reinforcement and started the procedures to convince the US government about their matter. Their actions were actually worth and the US government authorized the construction about half a year before the Japanese attacks over the Hawaiian islands. In the same summer, the Columbus authorities provided the US government with a wide area rented for 1$ a year. In 1942, the first 100 troops were deployed at the new base, representing the first unit ever inhabiting it. No one bothered to suggest a name, until the authorities named the site in the memory of Sam Kaye, one of the World War I heroes. However, the name created confusion among people due to a close base called Key Field, so it had to be changed to what it is today. The first aircraft used by the new school was a Beech AT 10. The first 25 cadets showed up in the same year. Over the war, almost 8000 pilots graduated from Columbus AFB. The schools were intensively working to release almost 200 pilots on a monthly basis. As the war ended and the activity ceased, the base was inactivated in 1946. The Korean War saw an activation of the base, after the communist forces invaded South Korea. The new on site school worked through a contract with the Air Force. As this war ended too, the base reached a standby position again.
Over the upcoming wars and years, the military base didn’t play any major roles. It worked on a continuous basis, but never among the most intensive military bases. These days, things haven’t changed too much.
Units
The main unit hosted at Columbus AFB is the 14-th Flying Training Wing, which consists of the mission support group, the operations group, the medical group and the FTW staff agencies. The operations group includes the 37-th Flying Training Squadron, the 43-rd Flying Training Squadron and the 50-th Flying Training Squadron, among many other subdivisions. At the same time, a few tenant units are also hosted on site.
Housing
When about to be deployed at Columbus AFB, you need to contact the housing office to set up an application. The home you might get depends on your rank and budget. The students willing to become pilots will be hosted on site in the available camps. The superiors can also opt for the off site system.
Location: 33.64, -88.4472
Phone: (662) 434-7068
DSN: 742-7068December 11, 2011
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