Last week we took a look at the first part of our series on Florida airfields built in the United States during World War 2. Today on Aces High we will finish that report.
As you know if you read last week’s installment, Florida was quite busy at the early stage of the war. Blessed with great weather and offering an opportunity to fly over water as well as other terrain, Florida was a popular place for the Air Force and Army to build airfields for training facilities.
Immediately after Pearl Harbor there was a flurry of activity all over the United States as training facilities were built in a rush. Dozens of flight centers showed up in Florida as pilots and flight crews needed a place to practice before heading off to Europe and the Pacific Theater.
Here is the second half of our list of Florida airfields:
- Avon Park AAF; now Avon Park Air Force Range
- Bartow AAF; now Bartow Municipal Airport
- Dale Mabry Field; now Campus of Tallahassee Community College
- Drew Field; now Tampa International Airport
- Brooksville AAF; now Florida Army National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility
- Drane Field/Lakeland AAF; now Lakeland Linder Regional Airport
- Winter Haven AAF; now Winter Haven’s Gilbert Airport
- Hillsborough AAF; now urbanized, part of which is Busch Gardens, Tampa
- Marianna AAF; now Marianna Municipal Airport
- MacDill Field; now MacDill Air Force Base
- Page Field/Fort Myers AAF; now Page Field
- Perry AAF; now Perry-Foley Airport
- Pinellas AAF; now Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater
Interestingly all of the airfields built during WWIi are still in operation except for the Hillsborough and Dale Mabry fields. With the possible exception of Alaska, almost all of the airfields built are still being used for commercial or military purposes, making them investments not only in the war effort but in the future as well.
Alaska was the obvious exception to this rule simply because of two reasons: today the world does not face war possibilities in cold weather, thus training in Alaska for combat simulation is not needed; secondly, the frigid temperatures of Alaska makes it not very cost-effective in maintaining airfields there.
Other than Alaska, though, the rest of the nation can see the effects of World War 2 in most of their cities.
Aces High is the flight simulation game that keeps improving and keeps looking for ways to challenge our flight sim players. Strap on your helmet and fly the skies with Aces High.
Off we go into the wild blue yonder….or in this case, strap on your helmet and fly the skies with Aces High, the wildly popular online combat flight simulation. There is always something happening on Aces High and this week in Special Events is no exception.
Today, the 10th, we have an Aces High XTreme Racing League event and on the 11th we have the second frame of our Snapshot scenario.
Both events will offer challenges for the beginner and expert player alike, so sign up and get ready for some serious flight sim action.
Here is another installment in our series about states in the nation and the war effort they undertook. Aces High is an online flight simulator game that has been wildly successful since 2000. One of the reasons for our popularity is the fact that our creators and volunteers are so knowledgeable about World War 2.
Today we take a look at the great state of Florida and the airfields that they constructed at the outset of World War Two. With these airfields pilots and crews could be trained properly before being sent to Europe and the Pacific Theater for combat. We hope you continue to enjoy this series.
- Alachua AAF; now Gainesville Regional Airport
- Cross City AAF; now Cross City Airport
- Dunnellon AAF; now Dunnellon/Marion County Airport
- Keystone AAF; now Keystone Heights Airport
- Leesburg AAF; now Leesburg International Airport
- Montbrook AAF; now Williston Municipal Airport
- Zephyrhills AAF; now Zephyrhills Municipal Airport
- Kissimmee AAF; now Kissimmee Gateway Airport
- Orlando AAB; now 26th Army Air Force Base Unit
- Bushnell AAF; now undeveloped grassland
- Pinecastle AAF; now Orlando International Airport
- Buckingham AAF; now Buckingham Field Airport
- Naples AAF; now Naples Municipal Airport
- Hendricks Field; now Sebring Regional Airport
- Conners AAF; now Okeechobee Country Airport
- Immokalee AAF; now Immokalee Airport
- Tyndall Field; now Tyndall Air force Base
- Apalachicola AAF; now Apalachicola Municipal Airport
- Chapman Field; now Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute
- Boca Raton AAF; now Boca Raton Airport
That is a partial list of the airfields hastily constructed during 1941 and 1942. The rest of the list will follow next week.
Make no mistake about it, the war effort in the United States was massive and all-encompassing. After Pearl Harbor massive amounts of Federal money was poured into the war effort; seemingly everywhere you looked there were airfields being built, Quonset huts being erected and the sights and sounds of military activity could be seen and heard in every state. The United States may have been caught with their pants down in December of 1941, but once awakened this industrial giant was a force to be reckoned with.
We hope you are enjoying this series. We at Aces High love this history and it is our intent to make our combat flight simulator the most realistic flight sim game on the market.
Strap on a helmet and fly the skies with Aces High; you won’t be disappointed
If you have never signed up for a special event then what in the world are you doing? We know, you enjoy the daily online activity when playing Aces High, but seriously, nothing beats taking on the best in the world in a special event simulation or competition.
Give it a try on the 6th when we have our new FSO (Friday Squad Operation); this one is “The Pacific 1943” and promises some really cool tactical challenges.
Strap on your helmet and fly the skies with Aces High; special events are happening all month long. It’s just another reason we have the best World War 2 Flight Simulator on the market.
What do you do while playing Aces High if you have a question? Easy answer: you go to a forum at http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php?board=9.0 and you find the answer.
Forums are set up so the new, or experienced, flight sim player will always be able to find answers. You can learn from those who have come before you, and that way your playing experience will be enriched.
Aces High, the best World War 2 Flight Simulator on the market. No other online flight sim game has the support capabilities that Aces High has.