Contact Information
Simmons Army Airfield is an Army-occupied airport in Cumberland County, North Carolina. The airport is located in the southeast portion of Fort Bragg and supports the aviation requirements of the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 82nd Airborne Division, Special Operations, the U.S. Army Reserve, and U.S. National Sentinel aviation units. The airfield was renamed after Warrant Officer Herbert W. Simmons in 1955; he was a pilot killed in 1953 on November 3rd. Their mission is to support combat training and aviation unit field training, aviation multi-service joint training operations, and the deployments of Fort Bragg’s airborne and special operations environment.
History
The airfield was originally known as Smith Lake airfield in 1952. In 1953, engineers at Fort Bragg completed plans to expand the field, and it was finally completed in August of 1954 with improved aprons, a repaved runway, and a floor laid for the field’s first hangar. In 1956 and 1957, major construction led to an enduring airfield, sanctioning the transfer of air activities from the overcrowded Pope Air Force Base to Simmons AAF. The 82nd Aviation Company was collected at Simmons in 1957. The Training of the 116th Assault Helicopter for Vietnam took place at Simmons in 1965. Later in the year, they left for Vietnam and joined the 11th Combat Aviation Battalion. Simmons operated 176 aircraft and 375 daily flights in 1976, with numbers only growing over the next 7 years. Simmons is still active today as an airport for the US Army, with 23 permanent buildings built in 1965 that are still in use.
Units
1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade with the Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.
