Laughlin Air Force Base

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Laughlin Air Force Base


Part of Air Education and Training Command (AETC)


Laughlin AFB, 8 February 2002


Location of Laughlin Air Force Base
IATA: DLF – ICAO: KDLF – FAA: DLF
Summary
Airport type US Air Force
Elevation AMSL 1,082 ft / 329.8 m
Coordinates 29°21′34″N 100°46′41″W / 29.35944, -100.77806
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
13C/31C 8,857 2,700 Asphalt
13L/31R 8,311 2,533 PEM
13R/31L 6,246 1,904 Asphalt

Laughlin Air Force Base (IATA: DLF, ICAO: KDLF, FAA LID: DLF) is a facility of the United States Air Force located five miles (8 km) east of the central business district (CBD) of Del Rio, Texas, close to the border of the United States with Mexico. Laughlin AFB, the largest pilot training base in the USAF, is home to the 47th Flying Training Wing of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). On weekdays, the airfield sees more takeoffs and landings than any other airport in the country. The residential area of the base is a census-designated place (CDP), with a population of 2,225 at the 2000 census.

The base is commonly nicknamed "Laugh-in AFB" by those stationed there.

Contents

[edit] History

Laughlin AFB was originally named Laughlin Army Air Field on March 3, 1943, after Jack T. Laughlin, a B-17 Flying Fortress navigator who became Del Rio's first WWII casualty when his plane was shot down over Java in January 1942. The field became simply Laughlin Field on November 11, 1943 and later an Air Force Auxiliary Field. It was closed in October 1945 and reopened with its present name on May 1, 1952.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Laughlin was home to several U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. As part of the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (4080 SRW) of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), Laughlin U-2s were among the first to provide photographic evidence of Soviet missile installations in Cuba in 1962 when Laughlin-based U-2 pilot Major Steve Heyser flew his U-2C over Cuba after taking off from Edwards AFB, CA. Heyser landed at McCoy AFB, Florida following the mission, with McCoy becoming the U-2 forward staging base for the duration of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The film from Major Heyser's mission was developed and analyzed and these same photos were shown to the United Nations Security Council on October 22, 1962, proving to the world that offensive missiles were being erected on the island of Cuba. Another U-2 pilot from Laughlin who was forward deployed to [[McCoy AFB}}, Major Rudolph Anderson, Jr., perished when his U-2 was hit by shrapnel from a Soviet-made SA-2 on October 22, 1962 while overflying Cuba. It was not a direct hit, but fragments from the proximity explosion penetrated his pressure suit and it is believed he died in the cockpit. His body was returned to the U.S. following the missile crisis still in his pressure suit. Major Anderson subsequently became the first recipient of the Air Force Cross, the Air Force's second highest decoration for valor, which was awarded posthumously. Laughlin's primary operations training complex, Anderson Hall, is named in his honor.

Home base operations for the U-2 were subsequently relocated to Davis-Monthan AFB later in the 1960s and Laughlin returned to concentrating on its principal mission of Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT), a mission it continues to execute today.

Today, aircraft flown at Laughlin include the T-6A Texan II, the T-38C Talon and T-1A Jayhawk. Laughlin previously operated the T-37B until its replacement by the T-6A. Fifteen classes of approximately 20-25 pilots each are graduated every year.

[edit] Local entertainment

Aside from the reservoir outside of Del Rio for fishing and some lake diving, most forms of recreation are either in the town of Del Rio or across the border in Acuña.

[edit] Geography

Laughlin Air Force Base is located at 29°20′52″N, °100′47″18[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the base has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 2,225 people, 651 households, and 570 families residing on the base. The population density was 377.6 people per square mile (145.9/km²). There were 664 housing units at an average density of 112.7/sq mi (43.5/km²). The racial makeup of the base was 78.38% White, 10.65% African American, 0.27% Native American, 2.74% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 4.49% from other races, and 3.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.31% of the population.

There were 651 households out of which 56.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 82.8% were married couples living together, 3.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 12.3% were non-families. 6.6% 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 3.00 and the average family size was 3.18.

On the base the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 23.6% from 18 to 24, 42.7% from 25 to 44, 2.5% from 45 to 64, and 0.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 130.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 136.4 males.

The median income for a household on the base was $38,625, and the median income for a family was $38,625. Males had a median income of $26,938 versus $19,643 for females. The per capita income for the base was $15,121. About 3.1% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Laughlin AFB is served by the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links


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