Kingsley Field
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Kingsley Field (1942-Active) - A World War II military Airfield established in 1942 as Naval Air Station Klamath Falls (NAS Klamath Falls) near Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Oregon. NAS Klamath Falls was established on the site of the then-existing Klamath Falls Municipal Airfield. At the end of the war in late 1945 the field was transferred from the U.S. Navy back to civilian use. In 1954, the United States Air Force selected the airfield for return to military control for air defense purposes. The former naval air station then came under the jurisdiction of the Air Defense Command (ADC). The 408th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was activated on 8 Apr 1956, assigned to the 28th Air Division. In 1957, the airfield was dedicated as Kingsley Field in honor of 2nd Lieutenant David R. Kingsley, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on 9 Apr 1945 during World War II.
The 827th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron (AC&W) was also activated at Kingsley Field in 1957. This unit was a long-range radar squadron with a split-level site, the administrative and support sections were located on the airfield and the operational elements and radars were located atop nearby Hamaker Mountain at Keno Air Force Station. Squadron Personnel were transported from the airfield to the top of Hamaker Mountain daily by bus. The 827th transitioned from manual operations to SAGE Operations and finally to BUIC Operations over the years. ADC reassigned Kingsley Field to the 25th Air Division on 1 March 1959; transferred to Portland Air Defense Sector on 15 April 1960; transferred to 26th Air Division on 1 April 1966; reassigned to 25th Air Division on 15 September 1969. The 408th Fighter Group was inactivated on 1 October 1970. With the deactivation of the USAF radar site on 30 Sept 1979, the abandoned Air Force buildings were removed in the early 1990s and a much smaller compound was established for the FAA search radar and other facilities. The site became the Klamath Falls FAA Radar Site still using the FPS-67B search radar. With the departure of active duty units and the transfer of ADC responsibilities to TAC and the 1983 shutdown of the SAGE System, the mission of Kingsley Field was transferred to elements of the Oregon Air National Guard's 173rd Fighter Wing and the mission of the 827th AC&W Squadron was transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who now operates the radar on top of Hamaker Mountain. Current StatusThe military side of the airfield is now known as Kinsley Oregon Air National Guard Base and the civilian side is known as Crater Lake Klamath Regional Airport. The military side supports some 72 aircraft. The 173rd Fighter Wing is beginning the process of converting from F-15 fighter aircraft to F-35 fighter aircraft. The military portion of the field operates under a long-term lease. (2023)
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Visited: 16 May 2023
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