April 5

April 5, 1917: Kelly Field gets its wings

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/daybyday/04-05-001.html

On this day in 1917, the first planes landed at Kelly Field, San
Antonio.

The site was selected in 1916 to expand the facilities of the fledgling
Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps. It was initially called
Aviation Camp, then Kelly Field, and finally Kelly Air Force Base.

During World War I almost all American combat aviators earned their
wings at Kelly, which expanded dramatically. In 1928 the movie Wings
was filmed at the base. World War II brought further changes, and the
base became a major logistical center for the separate United States
Air Force in the postwar period.

In 1993 came news that the base was to be closed. At the time, Kelly
was the oldest continuously operating flying base in the United States,
and was the largest employer in San Antonio. Subsequently, the massive
Kelly Air Force Base Redevelopment project converted the base to a
business and industrial park, a process to be completed in 2001.

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Also the birthday of Steve Wittman - and me!

Richard