Naval Air Station Glenview
Glenview,Illinois in the United States
The formerair traffic control tower at NAS Glenview during 2010, now listed in theNational Register of Historic Places
Site information
Type	Naval Air Station
Owner	Department of Defense
Operator	US Navy
Condition	Closed
Location
Glenview Location in the United States
Coordinates	42°05′26″N87°49′21″W / 42.09056°N 87.82250°W /42.09056; -87.82250
Site history
Built	1923 (1923); Dedicated 1929 (as Curtiss Field)
Built by	Curtiss Flying Service
In use	1937–1995 (1995)
Fate	Redeveloped as amixed-use development known as 'The Glen'
Events	Chicago Air & Water Show
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: NBU,ICAO: KNBU,WMO: 725306
Elevation	199 metres (653 ft)AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 17/35 2,438 metres (7,999 ft) Paved
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Official name	Hangar 1, Naval Air Station--Glenview
Designated	12 November 1998
Reference no.	98001357
Area of significance	Military

Naval Air Station Glenview orNAS Glenview was an operational U.S.Naval Air Station from 1937 to 1995. Located inGlenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, the air base primarily operated training aircraft as well as seaplanes on nearbyLake Michigan during World War II. Reconfigured as a Naval Air Reserve base following World War II, NAS Glenview supportedNaval Air Reserve,Marine Air Reserve/4th Marine Aircraft Wing, andU.S. Army Reserve244th Aviation Group as well as an active dutyCoast Guard Air Station.

The base was originally built by theCurtiss Flying Service and intended to be the hub of Chicago's air service. When the field was dedicated as Curtiss Field on 20 October 1929, it was home to the largest hangar built to that time, Hangar One. Hangar One, one of the most advanced hangars at the time, included many innovations which were considered state-of-the-art in its time. A onegigacandela electric light was erected which allowed for airfield activity in the dark. A system of carefully designed sliding doors created dividers for storage and zone heating. Glassed-in galleries allowed passengers the opportunity to watch the mechanics at work on the ground floor. A passenger-friendly restaurant and lounge were opened in the upper levels. Aloudspeaker system informed the passengers of the flight arrivals and departures. The final cost for the airfield and Hangar One was $3 million in 1930. By adjusting the price for inflation, the relative cost in 2017 would equate to about $44.8 million. It was widely believed to be one of the Midwest's finest airports.

In 1930, theNational Air Races took place at Curtiss-Reynolds Airport/Curtiss Field and in 1933 the International Air Races took place there in conjunction with theCentury of Progress. Such aviation luminaries asCharles Lindbergh,Wiley Post,Jimmy Doolittle andArt Chester attended.^[1] In 1934, Post tried to set an aviation altitude record from Curtiss. By 1938, civilian and military operations both operated from the field, but in 1940 it was sold to theUnited States Navy.

Reduced military budgets betweenWorld War I andWorld War II forced theWar Department and theNavy Department to place increased emphasis on Reserve and National Guard manpower, with many of the facilities for the personnel of these organizations located in major metropolitan areas, given their status as centers of civilian employment. One course pursued by theU.S. Navy was to establish a series of Naval Reserve Air Bases (NRABs), the third one of which was established near Chicago adjacent to the then-Naval Training Station Great Lakes. Reservists initially flew and maintained seaplanes from shore facilities on Lake Michigan and a small field at Naval Training Station Great Lakes. These facilities eventually became inadequate for newer and larger aircraft entering the Fleet in the 1930s, and it was recommended that the NRAB be relocated to Curtiss-Reynolds Airport/Curtiss Field. This recommendation was approved and military construction at Curtiss Field began on 4 January 1937, followed by an official dedication asNRAB Chicago on 28 August1937.^[2][3]

For the next three years, the air station's primary role was elimination training for students seeking appointments as Naval Aviation Cadets (NAVCADs). Those students meeting the required standards were later transferred toNAS Pensacola, Florida for further flight training. By 1941, with the United States' entry intoWorld War II appearing imminent, it was apparent to the naval leadership in Washington DC that the primary flight training facilities concentrated at and around NAS Pensacola would not be able to accommodate the needed expansion inNaval Aviation. As a result, naval planners opted to transfer primary flight training to multiple Naval Reserve Air Bases around the country and use NAS Pensacola for advanced training. NRAB Chicago was selected to be the first base in this program as a proof of concept. A subsequent construction program of 121 work days resulted in 1,300,000 square feet (120,000 m²) of new concrete being poured for runways, taxiways and ramps, while new hangars and other administrative and support buildings were also constructed and completed by late November 1942. On 1 January 1943, NRAB Chicago was redesignated asNAS Chicago. By 1944, "Chicago" was deleted from the air station's title and the installation renamedNAS Glenview.^[4]

Nearly 9,000 aviation cadets for theU.S. Navy,U.S. Marine Corps andU.S. Coast Guard received their primary flight training at NAS Glenview during World War II, which represented over 800,000 flight hours and over 2 million takeoffs and landings. Later during the war, NAS Glenview also hosted advanced training in Fleet combat aircraft, primarily for carrier qualification in Lake Michigan aboard the Chicago-homeported training aircraft carriersUSS Sable (IX-81) andUSS Wolverine (IX-64) of the 9th Naval District Carrier Qualification Training Unit (CQTU).^{[citation needed]}

Following the end of World War II, NAS Glenview discontinued its role as a primary training base and became headquarters for the newly formedNaval Air Reserve Training Command (NAVAIRESTRACOM) in 1946. NAVAIRESTRACOM's primary responsibility was the oversight of numerous reserve naval air stations throughout the US where experiencedNaval Aviators, enlisted Naval Aircrewmen, and maintenance personnel from World War II could affiliate as Naval Reservists and maintain their aviation proficiency should their skills be needed for future conflicts. These skills were readily proven when squadrons and personnel were mobilized and recalled back to active duty during theKorean War and theBerlin Crisis.^[5] Each base also had an assignedNaval Air Reserve Training Unit (NARTU), which until a reorganization of the Naval Air Reserve in 1970, actually "owned" all assigned aircraft. One of the better units based at NAS Glenview in the post-World War II period was Attack Squadron 725 (VA-725), part of NARTU Glenview until 1970, when it was redesignated as Attack Squadron 209 (VA-209) and became part ofCarrier Air Wing Reserve TWENTY (CVWR-20) from 1970 to 1972. Initially flying theA-4B Skyhawk, the squadron later transitioned to theA-4L Skyhawk. From 1967 to 1972, part of VA-725-cum-VA-209 also operated as theAir Barons, a Naval Air Reserve precision flight demonstration team that augmented the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, theBlue Angels, and the U.S. Air Force's demonstration squadron, theThunderbirds, at air show locations other than those where theBlue Angels orThunderbirds were performing on a given weekend during the air show season. Both VA-209 and theAir Barons were disestablished in 1972.^[6]

During the latter half of theCold War from 1970 until 1990, and continuing on from the post-Cold War period until 1995, NAS Glenview was primarily the home of twoNaval Air Reserve patrol squadrons, Patrol Squadron SIXTY (VP-60) and Patrol Squadron NINETY (VP-90). Initially equipped with theP-2 Neptune, both later transitioned to theP-3A Orion, followed by another transition theP-3B Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. These aircraft were home based at NAS Glenview and manned by a combination of full-time active duty Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) personnel and part-time Selected Naval Reservists (SELRES). Training activities were conducted from NAS Glenview and the patrol squadrons routinely deployed overseas foranti-submarine warfare operations against Soviet submarines and surface ships in the Atlantic and Mediterranean or for other operations in the Caribbean.

Another Naval Air Reserve squadron at NAS Glenview was Fleet Logistics Support Squadron FIFTY-ONE (VR-51), operating the C-118 aircraft and laterC-9B Skytrain II aircraft, providing operational support airlift and transport of military personnel and cargo worldwide. VR-51's noteworthy service included support of US military operations in Lebanon and Grenada during the 1980s and between the US and multiple bases in Southwest Asia duringOperations DESERT SHIELD / DESERT STORM in the 1990s.^[7]

Through the mid-1990s, NAS Glenview was also home to twenty-seven Naval Air Reserve reinforcing/sustaining augmentation units, to include two patrol squadron augmentation units containing additional P-3 flight crews in an active flying status that also routinely flew VP-60 and VP-90 aircraft, as well as oversight of Naval Air Reserve training programs and associated reinforcing/sustaining units at Naval Air Reserve Center (formerly Naval Air Station) Twin Cities, Minnesota, the latter facility now part ofMinneapolis-Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station.^[8]

Before its closure due to a1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decision, the base was also used as a staging area and departure point for aircraft participating in the annualChicago Air & Water Show. Following the 1993 BRAC decision, VP-60 and VP-90 were also slated for disestablishment and their respective P-3B aircraft either distributed to other Reserve patrol squadrons, identified for transfer to NATO and Allied military forces under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, or retired and mothballed. VR-51 was also disestablished concurrent with VP-60 and VP-90, with its C-9B aircraft similarly distributed to other VR squadrons or mothballed. In November 1997 a new squadron using the designation VR-51 was established as a Naval Air Reserve squadron atMCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where it currently operatesC-20G Gulfstream IV aircraft. The majority of NAS Glenview's Naval Reserve reinforcing/sustaining units were also disestablished, with their reserve personnel either retiring from the Navy or transferring to other Regular Navy or Naval Reserve commands/units at other bases.

The air station was also home toMarine Corps aircraft. In 1959, theMarine Corps Reserve established theMarine Helicopter Transportation Squadron 776 (HMR-776) at NAS Glenview withHUP-2 helicopters. The squadron was redesignated as Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 776 (HMM-776) in 1962 and changed aircraft to theCH-34D. In 1972, the squadron was redesignated for the last time to Marine Light Helicopter Squadron 776 (HML-776) and changed aircraft to theUH-1E which was eventually upgraded to theUH-1N. This unit was deployed in 1991 in support ofOperation Desert Storm and returned to NAS Glenview 10 months later. HML-776 was deactivated in 1994. NAS Glenview was also home to the4th Marine Aircraft Wing's Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 (VMGR-234 and itsKC-130F andKC-130T Hercules aircraft until 1994, when the squadron was permanently relocated toNAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas as part of theBRAC-mandated closure of NAS Glenview.

The Fort Sheridan, IL Flight Detachment (FSFD) relocated its C-12, U-21 and UH-1 aircraft from Fort Sheridan's Haley Army Airfield near Highwood, IL to NAS Glenview in 1978. Operating from NAS Glenview's Hangar 1, the active duty Army Flight Detachment provided U.S wide executive transport flight operations to U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Military Enlistment Processing Command, Fourth U.S. Army, USARMR V and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Chicago District which were all headquartered at Fort Sheridan.

The Fort Sheridan Flight Detachment operated until the closure of Fort Sheridan, IL in 1991.

Coast Guard Air Station Chicago was commissioned as a tenant activity on the northwest corner of NAS Glenview in March 1969 and equipped withHH-52 Seaguard helicopters. Primarily a search and rescue (SAR) activity for the Great Lakes, Air Station Chicago was the primaryU.S. Coast Guard aerial SAR unit for southern Lake Michigan, responsible for the waters from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Muskegon, Michigan and south to Gary, Indiana.

In April 1995,Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City gained operational responsibility for what was CGAS Chicago. RenamedCoast Guard Air Facility Glenview, the station remained on the base during NAS Glenview'sBRAC closure process and consisted of a multipurpose hangar, office facility and public works building. Air Facility Glenview staged one of Air Station Traverse City'sHH-65A Dolphin helicopters with two full crews during the busy search and rescue season from April through mid-November. However, CGAF Glenview subsequently ceased operations on 15 November 1996 and its operations eventually relocated to the current Coast Guard Air Facility Waukegan, Illinois.

Towards the end and following the end of theCold War,BRAC Commissions were established to shed what theDepartment of Defense and theU.S. Congress considered to be excess military units and infrastructure. The 1993 BRAC identified NAS Glenview for closure no later than 30 September 1995, along with corresponding inactivation or transfer of its assigned squadrons and other units.

On 29 June 1998, the Navy transferred the last segment of the closed Naval Air Station Glenview (BRAC 1993) from Navy ownership to private ownership, with the Village of Glenview, Illinois and the Local Reuse Authority (LRA) taking possession of over 90% of the closed and transferring portion of the base. The first transfer occurred in September 1997, with the remaining 10% transferred in October 1999. This last 10% contained the remaining sites that required some form of remedial environmental action. The 90% milestone was because the operational closure of the base occurred in September 1995, just two years after the base was selected for closure during BRAC 1993 (aka "BRAC III"). Since then, much of the base property had been idle. The new use plan for the base was different from the previous airfield use, with much of the land and facilities seeing extensive demolition and redevelopment. The importance of the redevelopment effort was significant. NAS Glenview was located in the geographic center of the Village of Glenview and contained 15% of the landmass. Once redevelopment planners decided not to use the existing infrastructure as an airfield, alternate plans were developed. The resulting plan called for a "mixed use" scenario providing open space and public land, senior and residential housing, recreational and sports areas, mixed retail areas, a business park with an area used as a "prairie reserve", and a new railroad station. Since the existing air base infrastructure had to be demolished to make room for a new supporting infrastructure, it was important for the LRA to develop the base in systematic stages.

Removed were 1 million cubic yards of concrete, 1.5 miles of runways and 108 formerDepartment of Defense buildings. In their place isThe Glen, a 1,121 acre mixed-use district, with new homes, offices, and retail space, although the control tower and Hangar 1 have been preserved as a historic building. Hangar 1, including the control tower, was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1998 as building #98001357.^[9] However, according to the Glenview Hangar One Foundation, 85% of Hangar One was dismantled even following efforts by the foundation and the U.S. Navy to preserve historical buildings.^[10]

• AstronautNeil Armstrong served as aNaval Aviator and Naval Reservist at NAS Glenview.
• Former PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush received carrier pilot training as a StudentNaval Aviator at NAS Glenview duringWorld War II, in August 1943.^[11]
• Former PresidentGerald Ford served at NAS Glenview from the end of April 1945 to January 1946, duringWorld War II, as the Staff Physical and Military Training Officer.^[12]
• Jesse L. Brown reported to Glenview Naval Air Station on 15 March 1947, for Naval Aviator training. He was the first African-American aviator to complete the United States Navy's basic flight training program, for pilots. A recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross; and the first African-American naval officer killed in the Korean War.
• Rear Admiral Daniel Gallery, aNaval Aviator, commanded the Naval Air Reserve Training Command at NAS Glenview from 1952 to 1954. As a Navy Captain duringWorld War II, Gallery led the task group which captured theGerman submarine U-505, which is now on display at Chicago'sMuseum of Science & Industry.
• Lieutenant CommanderEdward H. "Butch" O'Hare, aNaval Aviator and Chicago native, duringWorld War II became theU.S. Navy's first everflying ace and is the first ever U.S. Navy Aviator to be awarded theMedal of Honor.^[13]
• Meinhardt Raabe, who portrayed the coroner inThe Wizard of Oz, served with theCivil Air Patrol at NAS Chicago / NAS Glenview during World War II.^[14]

• On 2 December 1943, four fliers of the Glenview NAS were killed when two Navy Stearman N2S-4 aircraft collided shortly after take off from the NAS. Killed were Ens. Edward Stanley Gardner, Lt. (jg) Edmund J. Wegner, Cadet John A. Waterman, and Cadet Kazimierz Puchalski. Ensign Gardner, 30, was a native of Poughkeepsie, NY. His widow was from Candor, NY and they were married in May 1943. Ensign Gardner is buried in Poughkeepsie, NY.
• On 30 May 1943, two Marine Corps aviators were killed when their planes collided above Pfingsten and Willow Road in Glenview. The Marines were flying in formation, returning to the base on maneuvers from theUSSWolverine onLake Michigan.^[15]
• On 26 May 1944, during a training flight,Milton C. Pickens lost altitude aboveDeerfield and circled the village's downtown while trying to regain altitude. He crashed into the garden of Stanley Antes, who was working in the garden at the time. The plane buried itself six feet into the ground and Pickens was killed. The site, at 914 Waukegan Road, is now the location of the Deerfield Public Library. A plaque commemorates Pickens's death.
• On 11 June 1947, an aircraft departing NAS Glenview to participate in an air show over downtown Chicago was forced to crash land in a field near Willow and Waukegan Roads in Glenview. The aircraft's landing gear broke off, but the two flyers were uninjured and no one on the ground was injured.^[16]
• On 15 January 1951, a USAFDouglas B-26C, AF Ser. No.44-35736, (built as an A-26C-45-DT),^[17] of the168th Bomb Squadron,Illinois Air National Guard, flying from theAir National Guard base atO'Hare International Airport to NAS Glenview, crashed into a farmer's field inNorthbrook along Willow Road after it developed a problem with ice forming on the wings. All four crewmen and a passenger were killed, but there were no casualties on the ground.^[18]
• On 19 April 1956, LCDRGordon Arthur Stanley, USNR, was lost in aGrumman F9F-6 Cougar jet fighter when he lost control at 19,000 feet overLake Michigan at 1330 hrs local time. Although he ejected, his chute apparently failed to deploy and he was killed.^[19] The fighter impacted in the lake one half mile off ofFort Sheridan.^[20] Stanley was anace, having scored eight aerial victories with VF-27 during World War II.^[21]
• On 31 May 1959, aU.S. Marine CorpsAD Skyraider flying into NAS Glenview fromMCAS Cherry Point crashed in an adjacent cemetery killing the pilot, 1stLt William Byrne, USMC. Byrne's widow,Jane, would eventually becomeMayor of Chicago.^[22]
• On 5 September 1963, aNorth American AF-1E Fury, BuNo143560, of VF-725, Naval Reserve, based atNAS Glenview, Illinois, suffered engine failure. The pilot, LT Don J. "Skip" Mellem, USNR, ejected through the canopy and survived. The fighter struck the front of a home inNorthbrook, just off the base; a woman escaped out the backdoor and survived.^[23][24]
• On 8 July 1968, anA-4B Skyhawk piloted by LT William T. Reinders, USNR, crashed after takeoff into aGlenview home, killing a 13-year-old girl. The pilot said he could have missed the house if he had dropped external fuel tanks from the plane. He ejected at the last moment and was injured.
• On 20 January 1977, aU.S. Coast GuardSikorsky HH-52A Seaguard – CG tail number 1448, struck three electrical transmission wires and crashed into the ice-filledIllinois River. The crew had been performing an aerial ice patrol along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The names of the personnel killed in the incident were: LTJG Frederick William Caesar III, USN; LTJG John Francis Taylor, USCG; AT2 John B. Johnson, USCG, and Mr. Jim Simpson (Civilian). The aircraft and crew were assigned to AIRSTA Chicago.
• On 12 August 1978, a BritishRoyal Air ForceAvro Vulcan B2 bomber, serial numberXL390 ofNo. 617 Squadron,Royal Air Force, crashed while leaving after an air display. The crash occurred after a possible stall at around 400 ft (120 m), during a wing-over. The plane crashed into alandfill just north of Willow Road to avoid surrounding residential areas. All four crew members aboard perished.^[25]
• On 16 August 1986, aU.S. Air ForceF-16 Fighting Falcon piloted by Capt Vince Aamato, USAF, lost power at 15,000 feet and was guided to a safe landing at NAS Glenview by Jeff McCoy, an air traffic controller atO'Hare.^[26]
• On 3 March 1991, a U.S. NavyCT-39G Sabreliner crashed into a residential area at Dewes Street during a visual approach to NAS Glenview. All three crew members aboard perished. As the jet approached the street, the pilot turned the plane such that the wings were perpendicular to the street in "knife-blade" fashion. The jet crashed into the center of the street, and the only damage on the ground was fire damage to the front of 2 houses and a few trees were burned.^[27][28] The village established a scholarship fund for the survivors of the crew.^[29][30]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toNaval Air Station Glenview.

• Airliners.net Aviation Photos: NAS Glenview (NBU / KNBU)
• Naval Air Station Glenview Fire Division

• United States Naval Air Stations
• Defunct airports in Illinois
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• Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Cook County, Illinois
• Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois
• Glenview, Illinois
• Aircraft hangars on the National Register of Historic Places
• 1923 establishments in Illinois
• 1995 disestablishments in Illinois
• Closed installations of the United States Navy
• Military airbases established in 1937

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