Homestead Air Base Through the Years Part 3

An F-100 fighter at Homestead Air Base. George Cooper Sr., sits in the back seat ready to receive a familiarization flight. The 31st Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Homestead from California in March of 1962.

By June 1960, the 379th Bomb Wing was transferred to Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan and the B47 bombers were reassigned to other bases to make way for the B52 Stratofortresses. During a brief shutdown of the base, the runway was extended to approximately 12,000 feet and reinforced to accommodate the heavier bomber.  The 'BUFF' would be a familiar sight over South Florida for the next eight years.

Hurricanes continued to impact operations at HAFB.  The base was hit by Hurricane Donna in September of 1960. The remaining B47's began flying out at 0800, September 8 at five-minute intervals.  By 0430 on September 9 operations became very inactive.  'Donna' arrived at 1300 with winds at 40 mph winds increased to hurricane force (73 mph) at 1400 and persisted until 0700, September 10.  A total of 10.69 inches of rain fell during 'Donna.'  The base suffered one-half million dollars of damage.

In early 1962, the first B52H arrived at Homestead AFB from the Boeing Aircraft Company with the Governor of Florida aboard.  Soon thereafter the Mayor of Homestead rode in on the first KC135 Stratotanker to be assigned as replacement for the KC97's.

The mission of Homestead AFB changed.  The 19th Bomb Wing B 52H's were assigned the duty to fly the 'Dew Line' which consisted of Northern Canada and Alaska, to react to any threat by Russia.  This necessitated the construction of the Alert Crew Ready Building next to Base Operations.  These crews were assigned alert status of seven days, and the bombers were to be airborne within fifteen minutes.  There were two combat-ready B52H bomber aircraft launched every day at 1500 hours to fly a 24-hour mission without landing, supported by air refueling aircraft.  They landed at 1530 hours each day after their replacement departed.

In March of 1962, the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing moved with its F-100 Supersabres from George AFB, California, to Homestead in response to the growing communist threat from Cuba.  Also in March the Air Defense Command sent in F102 Delta Daggers which stayed through the Cuban Crisis of the fall of 1962 until March 1963 when they were replaced by F104 Starfighters.  In April of 1962, Hound Dog, the first guided aircraft missile arrived.  In October of that year, the Cuban Missile Crisis took place.  Near its conclusion, the base had swelled to tens of thousands of military personnel.  Tents were set up, and the Army and Air Force were prepared for war.  During this period, there were 400 more units added to base housing and another nine-hole golf course.

The 31st TFW made Air Force history in February of 1964 by flying F100's nonstop from Homestead to Turkey for the longest mass flight of jet aircraft across the Atlantic.  The 6,600-mile flight took 11 1/2 hours and eight in-flight refuelings from SAC KC135 tankers.  In late 1966 the 31st transferred to Tuy Hoa Air Base - 235 miles northeast of Saigon on the South China Sea where it served with distinction.  The wing returned to Homestead in late 1970 and shifted to F4E's.

In 1968, Strategic Air Command was reorganized, and the aircraft were dispersed to scattered locations including many Air Force Bases and some civilian airports.  This was required to protect the grouping of these aircraft.

On July 1, 1968, Tactical Air Command assumed control of the base, and the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing became the host unit.  From that time until 1981, the base continued to grow and expand its role as a tactical fighter wing.  The AF Reserve units, Air National Guard, U.S. Naval Security Group Activity and the AF Command Conference Center were established on base.  In March of 1981 the role was changed to one of a training wing, utilizing the F-4D Phantom II jet fighter.  In October of 1985, the 31st regained its role as a 'fighter' wing with the F-16 mission.  With two combat-ready fighter squadrons, Homestead AFB stood ready to project tactical air power whenever and wherever it was called upon to do so.

The 79th Military Airlift Squadron, Homestead AFB was redesignated the 79th Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron (AEW&CS) on July 30, 1971 and had its C124 cargo planes replaced with EC121Ds.  The EC121D, with radomes on top and below the aircraft fuselage and six tons of electronic surveillance equipment, was a modified Air Force C121 passenger aircraft, the military version of Lockheed’s Constellation commercial plane.  The 79th’ mission was to provide “airborne radar surveillance and tactical control of air defense weapons for air defense and contingency operations.”  Initially, the squadron aircrews flew missions in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.  In 1974, the 79th converted to EC121Ts and sent its “D” models to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center, Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona.

In 1976, the Reserve early warning program underwent significant changes.  At the time, the Air Force wished to terminate for economic purposes its EC121 Iceland mission.  The Office of the Secretary of Defense, however, requested that the Air Force continue the mission pending other arrangements due to State Department concerns that without the EC121 presence, Iceland would not have any warning of airspace intrusions.  Accordingly, the Air Force assigned the 79th responsibility for flying missions out of Keflavik, Iceland on a rotational basis.

The Aerospace Defense Command activated Detachment 1 of the 20th Air Defense Squadron on March 1, 1976 to support the Reserve effort.  This augmentation by active-duty aircrews and support personnel in effect became an active associate program, the reverse of the Reserve associate program begun in 1968.  Associate units did not own their own aircraft; instead unit personnel flew and maintained those belonging to collocated units.  On December 1, 1976, the Reserve activated the 915th Airborne Group (AEW&CG) at Homestead AFB to provide control and command supervision over the 79th AEW&CS.

In 1978 the Air Force ended the EC121 Iceland and Florida missions once E-3A AWACS aircraft entered the aircraft inventory.  On October 1, 1978, except for maintaining one EC121 on station in Iceland for another six weeks to accommodate E-3A delivery delays, the Air Force Reserve began converting its EC121 units to fighter operations.  Effective that date, Headquarters Air Force Reserve redesignated the 915th AEW&CG as a tactical fighter group and inactivated the 79th AEW&CS, replacing it at Homestead AFB with the 93rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, the Reserve’s first F-4C equipped unit.

On March 31 of 1981 the role was changed to one of a training wing, utilizing the F-4D Phantom II jet fighter.  Twelve MIG-killer F4D Phantoms were assigned to Homestead Air Force Base. (The Florida Pioneer Museum has the recorded kills of these aircraft).

In October of 1985, the 31st regained its role as a 'fighter' wing with the arrival of the first F-16s. With two combat-ready fighter squadrons, Homestead AFB stood ready to project tactical air power whenever and wherever it was called upon to do so.

After Hurricane Andrew destroyed the base in August of 1992 the base faced its next serious threat from the Base Realignment and Closure Committee, which sought to close the ravaged base.  The civilian community mustered its support of the base, and launched a fight for the base’s very survival and the return of the fighter operations to south Florida.  The BRACC withdrew Homestead AFB from the closure list.

The Air Force Ball held on March, 5, 1994, was a bittersweet event.  The event was a “Hail and Farewell” to “hail” the return of the 482nd FW from its post-Andrew exile to MacDill AFB, FL, to its new role as the predominant unit at the “new” Homestead Air Reserve Base, and to bid “farewell” to the 31st TFW.  The 31st TFW was deactivated at Homestead AFB and reactivated at Aviano AB, Italy.

Homestead AFB was redesignated as Homestead ARB on March 31, 1994.  The base serves many critical Homeland Security purposes and is home to several units with like missions including two active duty units.  The 482nd Fighter Wing has served with distinction in both Iraqi Wars and the War in Afghanistan as have other supported units.

Bob Jensen is Vice President for Community Liaison at 1st National Bank of South Florida, president of the Florida Pioneer Museum and a retired Navy Commander.