The Cradle of Aviation:
On Friday, October 6, 2017 a new Ohio Historical Marker was unveiled to celebrate the centennial of historic McCook Field. The airfield, was established by the U.S. Army Signal Corps Airplane Engineering Department in 1917. The research and innovation that took place at McCook was the beginning of the research, development and acquisition missions now at Wright-Patterson AFB. McCook engineers made significant accomplishments and contributions to the war effort in the field’s early years, and in the years after WWI. Many achievements in aeronautical testing and development took place there. Materials, fuels and lubricants, high altitude flight, aerial photography, propulsion, navigation, armament, lighter than air flight, parachute development, and aerodynamics were among the many areas advanced by McCook engineers and test pilots. It quickly outgrew the capacity of the field, which acknowledged its limited size with a large sign on a hangar that proclaimed, “This Field is Small—Use it All”.
The field closed in 1927 and its missions were moved to the new Wright Field, now a part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The site is now mainly occupied by Kettering Field baseball diamonds.
Location of former McCook Field:
444 North Bend Blvd. between Helena St. and Deeds Park Drive, Dayton, Ohio 45404
(area now occupied by Kettering Field baseball diamonds)
Coordinates: 39°46′33″N 84°11′27″W
Links for McCook Field History & Photos:
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