Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Oregon
Longitude: -121.733056
Kingsley Field is currently home to the Oregon Air National Guard's 173d Fighter Wing (173 FW), which operates the F-15 Eagle. The 173 FW functions as an advanced air-to-air combat training center for F-15 pilots from both the Regular Air Force and Air National Guard. The base also hosts joint and combined air combat exercises for US military services and Canada, and is home to a USAF flight surgeon training school.
The airport covers 1,251 acres at an elevation of 1,248 meters. It features two runways: 14/32, measuring 3,140 meters with an asphalt/concrete surface, and 7/25, measuring 1,603 meters with an asphalt surface. In 2021, the airport recorded 35,123 aircraft operations, with 37% attributed to military activity. The airport also houses the Klamath Falls Interagency Fire Center and the Klamath Falls Airtanker Base.
The 173rd Fighter Wing (FW) of the Oregon Air National Guard occupies 61 acres of leased land on the Klamath Falls International Airport, located approximately 4 miles southeast of Klamath Falls, Oregon. The mission of the 173rd FW is to train the best air-to-air combat pilots, train flight doctors and serve Oregon and the Nation in times of peace and war. The unit currently flies the F-15. The 173rd FW occupies 5 administrative, 1 dorm, 1 services and 66 industrial buildings totaling approximately 484,981 square feet with 485 full-time personnel. A unit training drill is conducted once a month and results in a surge of up to a total of 750 personnel.
The Klamath Falls Airport is located in southern Oregon halfway between Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California on the east side of the Cascade Mountains 60 miles south of picturesque Crater Lake National Park. The Klamath Falls Airport offers commercial air service as well as full general aviation services and is home to the Oregon Air National Guard 173rd Fighter Wing.
In 1928 the citizens of Klamath Falls approved the sale of $50,000 worth of bonds to construct an airport. The airport was known as the Klamath Falls Municipal Airport and consisted of gravel runways and one Fixed Base Operator. In 1942 the airport was selected as a site for a Naval Air Station, and in 1945 the airport transferred back to civilian use. In 1954 the airport was selected as a site for U.S. Air Force Base for the establishment of an all-weather-fighter-interceptor-squadron and an aircraft control and warning squadron. The squadrons filled the gap in the air defense system between Portland and San Francisco. In 1957 the airport was dedicated as Kingsley Field in honor of Lieutenant David Kingsley. David R. Kingsley, an Oregon World War II hero, was killed in action on June 23, 1944 after a bombing mission over the oil fields of Ploesti, Rumania. The U.S. Air Force operated the base from 1956 to 1970. Then in 1971 the unit relocated and only a small alert detachment remained until 1979. In 1978 the Department of Defense chose to close Kingsley Field Air Force Base.
The 104th Tactical Control Squadron was the first Oregon Air National Guard unit to be stationed at Kingsley Field. They provided ground radar control for fighter aircraft from 1971 to 1981. In 1982, the U.S. Air Force announced a proposal to establish an air defense schoolhouse for F-4 Phantoms under the Air National Guard. Major "Wild Bill" Morris became the squadron commander for the newly formed 8123rd Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron. Captain Bill Cox came down from Portland. Oregon as a full-time instructor pilot to help "Wild Bill" build up the new F-4 schoolhouse. The 8123rd Fighter Interceptor Training Squadron was activated on January 1, 1983, and the first F-4 pilot training class began on February 1, 1983. The school's initial course offered Operational Training Course and Air Defense to four students, taught by three instructors using two F-4C aircraft.
In September 1995, the Air National Guard assumed the airport tower control from the Federal Aviation Agency as part of the ongoing establishment of the 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron. The activation ceremony on March 7, 1998 celebrated federal recognition of the new 49 member 270th Air Traffic Control Squadron.
Kingsley Field is now home to the 173rd Fighter Wing, activated on June 27, 1996. The 173rd Fighter Wing's F-15 training mission is aligned under the Air Education and Training Command.
