Travis Air Force Base is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

base under the operational control of the

Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...

(AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " city ...

of the city of Fairfield, in

Solano County Solano County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 453,491. The county seat is Fairfield. Solano County comprises the Vallejo–Fairfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

, California,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

., effective 2007-12-20 Situated at the southwestern edge of the

Sacramento Valley , photo =Sacramento Riverfront.jpg , photo_caption= Sacramento , map_image=Map california central valley.jpg , map_caption= The Central Valley of California , location = California, United States , coordinates = , boundaries = Sierra Nevada (ea ...

and known as the "Gateway to the Pacific," Travis Air Force Base handles more cargo and passenger traffic through its airport than any other military air terminal in the United States. The base has a long history of supporting humanitarian airlift operations at home and around the world. Today, Travis AFB includes approximately 7,260 active USAF military personnel, 4,250

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commi ...

personnel and 3,770 civilians. Travis AFB has a major impact on the community as a number of military families and retirees have chosen to make Fairfield their permanent home. It is the largest employer in the city and

as well, and the massive Travis workforce has a local economic impact of more than $1 billion annually. The base also contributes many highly skilled people to the local labor pool. The base's host unit, the

60th Air Mobility Wing The 60th Air Mobility Wing (60 AMW) is the largest air mobility organization in the United States Air Force and is responsible for strategic airlift and air refueling missions around the world. It is the host unit at Travis Air Force Base in ...

, is the largest wing in the Air Force's

, with a versatile fleet of 26 C-5 Galaxies, 27

KC-10 Extender The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo A ...

s, and 13

C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...

aircraft. The base's former

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile c ...

Alert Facility is now a

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

complex that typically supports two transient Navy

E-6B Mercury The Boeing E-6 Mercury (formerly Hermes) is an airborne command post and communications relay based on the Boeing 707. The original E-6A manufactured by Boeing's defense division entered service with the United States Navy in July 1989, repla ...

TACAMO TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out) is a United States military system of survivable communications links designed to be used in nuclear warfare to maintain communications between the decision-makers (the National Command Authority) and the tr ...

aircraft assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron THREE (VQ-3) Detachment and normally home-based at

Tinker AFB Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, original ...

, Oklahoma. The base is also host to the

David Grant USAF Medical Center The David Grant USAF Medical Center (DGMC) at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California, is the United States Air Force's largest medical center in the continental United States and serves military beneficiaries throughout eight western sta ...

, a 265-bed, $200 million Air Force teaching hospital, which serves both in-service and retired military personnel.

History

Originally named Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base, construction began on Travis in 1942. Originally, medium attack bombers were supposed to be stationed at the base. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

had aircraft at the base for training, but this proved temporary. In October 1942, the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence {{u ...

assigned the base to the

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

. The base's primary mission during World War II was ferrying aircraft and supplies to the Pacific Theater. Following the end of World War II and the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service in 1947, the installation was renamed Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base. On 1 May 1949, the

(SAC) became the parent major command for Travis AFB, turning it into a major long-range reconnaissance and intercontinental bombing installation for the 9th Bomb Group/ 9th Bomb Wing. For the next nine years, airlift operations became secondary while Travis served as home for SAC bombers such as the

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

B-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced Reciprocating engine, piston-engined aircraft ever built. It ...

, and eventually, the

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...

. During this period, new hangars appeared, runways were added and widened, and permanent barracks and family living quarters were built. Brigadier General Robert F

The base was renamed Travis Air Force Base in 1951 for

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

Robert F. Travis Brigadier General Robert Falligant Travis (26 December 1904 – 5 August 1950) was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II. A 1928 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, Travis saw action ...

, who was killed when a

crashed shortly after takeoff on 5 August 1950. The ensuing fire caused the 10,000 pounds of

high explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

in the plane's cargo — a

Mark 4 Mark 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It tells the parable of the Sower, with its explanation, and the parable of the Mustard Seed. Both of these parables are paralleled in Matthew and ...

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

— to detonate, killing General Travis and 18 others. (The bomb's

plutonium Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits ...

pit was being transported in a different plane.) The

Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force' ...

(MATS) resumed command of Travis AFB on 1 July 1958, after SAC's new dispersal policy led to the transfer of the 14th Air Division to

Beale AFB Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host ...

, California and the 1501st Air Transport Wing (Heavy) became the host unit. On 1 January 1966, MATS was redesignated as the

Military Airlift Command The Military Airlift Command (MAC) is an inactive United States Air Force major command (MAJCOM) that was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Established on 1 January 1966, MAC was the primary strategic airlift organization of ...

(MAC) and on 6 January 1966, the 60th Military Airlift Wing (60 MAW) replaced the 1501st ATW as the host unit. As Travis was an important SAC base, it received anti-aircraft defenses in the 1950s. The 436th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion was active by 1955. The 436th AAAB was redesignated as an antiaircraft artillery missile battalion on 5 January 1957 and subsequently occupied four Nike Ajax sites, which went to 1st Missile Battalion, 61st Artillery on 1 September 1958. Controlling the SAMs was the 29th Artillery Group (Air Defense). Travis Air Force Base - Welcome To

Over the next three decades, Travis would become known as the "Gateway to the Pacific" in its role as the principal military airlift hub in the western United States. Initially equipped with legacy C-124 Globemaster and C-133 Cargomaster aircraft from the 1501st, the year 1966 would also see the 60 MAW introduce the Air Force's new all-jet heavy airlifter, the

C-141 Starlifter The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a retired military strategic airlifter that served with the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), its successor organization the Military Airlift Command (MAC), and finally the Air Mobility Command (AMC) of the ...

. In 1969, the 349th Military Airlift Wing (349 MAW) of the

(AFRES) was also established as an "Associate" wing to the 60 MAW, with both units sharing the same aircraft and eventually seamlessly mixing flight crews, maintenance crews and other support personnel. In 1970, the 60 MAW and 349 MAW (Assoc) would begin concurrently operating the Air Force's largest airlift aircraft, the

C-5 Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-rang ...

. In 1991, the 60 MAW was redesignated as the 60th Airlift Wing (60 AW) and the 349 MAW was redesignated as the 349th Airlift Wing (349 AW) the following year. In 1992, with the reorganization of the Air Force following the end of the Cold War,

(MAC) was inactivated and Travis came under the control of the newly established

(AMC). With the concurrent inactivation of

(SAC) and the transfer of most of SAC's air refueling aircraft to AMC, the 60 AW gained

aircraft that had been previously assigned to

March AFB March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's F ...

, California. With the inclusion of an aerial refueling mission into its long-time strategic airlift mission, the 60 AW and the 349 AW were redesignated as the

(60 AMW) and the

349th Air Mobility Wing The '349th Air Mobility Wing'' is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California. The 349th AMW is an USAF Associate Uni ...

(349 AMW), the designations they continue to hold today. In 1997, the 349 AMW (Assoc) also became part of the newly established

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

(AFRC) while remaining operationally "gained" by AMC. 60th Air Mobility Wing - Boeing C-17A Globemaster III 06-6164-2

In 1997, the 60 AMW also shed its C-141 aircraft, which were transferred to other Air Force, AFRC and

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

(ANG) wings, while retaining its C-5 and

KC-10 The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo A ...

aircraft. In 2006, the 60 AMW and 349 AMW (Assoc) again acquired a third aircraft type in their inventory with the arrival of the

. In January 2017, the Air Force announced that Travis Air Force Base had been selected as a future

Boeing KC-46 Pegasus The Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is an American military aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft developed by Boeing from its 767 jet airliner. In February 2011, the tanker was selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the ...

base and will receive a complement of 24 of the new aerial refueling aircraft. In March 2018, a vehicle filled with propane tanks rammed through the base's main gate and drove into a ditch. Then, the driver ignited a fire inside, causing the vehicle to explode and kill himself. This resulted in the main gate being closed for twelve hours. The driver was later identified as Hafiz Kazi, a 51-year-old Indian-born

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gover ...

resident who had been a legal permanent resident of the U.S. since 1993. The

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

's Sacramento Field Office and the

United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency that reports directly to the Secretary of the Air Force. OSI is also a U.S. Air Force field operating agency under the administrativ ...

investigated the incident as an act of terrorism, but they said they did not find any evidence of religious affiliations. In August 2020, the base was evacuated due to the Hennessey Fire, which resulted in the burning of over in five counties including in Solano County.

Role and operations

Boeing E-6B Mercury 5D4 1163 (42887264715)

The base's host unit, the

, is the largest wing in the Air Force's

, with a versatile fleet of 26 C-5 Galaxies, 27

s, and 13

aircraft. In addition, the base's former

Alert Facility is now a

complex that typically supports two transient Navy

aircraft assigned to Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron THREE (VQ-3) Detachment and normally home-based at

, Oklahoma. The base is also host to

, a 265-bed, $200 million Air Force teaching hospital, which serves both in-service and retired military personnel.

Maintenance squadrons

60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

The 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides combat-ready maintenance personnel and organizational support to inspect, service, and repair 26 assigned C-5 aircraft, and maintenance support for Transient Alert. It generates 24-hour-a-day strategic airlift to support four flying squadrons and ensures readiness of personnel and equipment for deployment. It maintains mission ready aircraft capable of worldwide strategic airlift supporting AMC's global mission.

660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

The 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides combat-ready maintenance personnel and organizational support to inspect, service, and repair all transient and 27 assigned KC-10A aircraft, 46% of DOD's inventory. It generates aerial refueling and strategic airlift to support flying activities of four aerial refueling squadrons. It ensures readiness of personnel and equipment for deployment. It maintains mission capable aircraft supporting AMC's global mission.

60th Maintenance Squadron

The 60th Maintenance Squadron provides organizational and field-level repair, maintenance, inspection and refurbishment of 26 C-5, 27 KC-10 and 13 C-17 aircraft. It inspects, services, and overhauls 674 units of aerospace ground equipment worth over $12 million. It manages a 55-acre munitions storage area. It provides mission capable aircraft in direct support of AMC's global mission. It inspects, services, and overhauls aircraft fuel systems. It maintains avionic, hydraulic, electrical and environmental system components for C-5 and C-17 aircraft. It calibrates and repairs over 8,800 items in a regional test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment laboratory. It directly supports AMC's global reach mission for AMC's largest wing.

60th Maintenance Operations Squadron

The 60th Maintenance Operations Squadron provides critical support for the maintenance, modification and scheduling of 26 C-5 and 27 KC-10 aircraft valued at $9 billion. It controls maintenance actions and manages all aircraft and mission statistics. It manages $340 million in real property and provides group-level mobility support for AMC's largest wing. It develops and executes aircraft/ancillary training and provides aircraft maintenance training support for the Pacific Rim.

860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

The 860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron provides combat-ready maintenance personnel and organizational support to inspect, service, and repair 13 assigned C-17A aircraft, and maintenance support for Transient Alert. It generates 24-hour-a-day strategic airlift to support two flying squadrons and ensures readiness of personnel and equipment for deployment. It maintains mission ready aircraft capable of worldwide strategic airlift supporting AMC's global mission.

Based units

Flying and notable non-flying units are based at Travis Air Force Base. Units marked GSU are

Geographically Separate Unit In the United States military a Geographically Separate Unit (GSU) is a base that is physically separate from, yet not autonomous of its "parent" base. GSUs are "owned" by their parent organization and are typically quite small. Assignment to a ...

s, which although based at Travis are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force

(AMC) *

Eighteenth Air Force Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 Janu ...

(host wing) *** Headquarters 60th Air Mobility Wing *** 60th Comptroller Squadron ***

60th Operations Group The 60th Operations Group (60 OG) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing. It is stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California. Established prior to World War II, its predecessor unit, the 60th Transport (late ...

****

6th Air Refueling Squadron The 6th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California. It operates the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender aircraft conducting mobility, and air refueling missions. The 6th Air Refueling Squadr ...

– KC-10A Extender ****

9th Air Refueling Squadron The 9th Air Refueling Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California, where it operates the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender as part of the 60th Operations Group. The squadron was first ...

– KC-10A Extender ****

21st Airlift Squadron The 21st Airlift Squadron is part of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft carrying out United States Air Force global transport missions, duties which involve airlift and ai ...

–

C-17A Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...

**** 22nd Airlift Squadron – C-5M Galaxy **** 60th Operations Support Squadron *** 60th Maintenance Group **** 60th Aerial Port Squadron **** 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron **** 60th Maintenance Squadron **** 60th Maintenance Operation Squadron **** 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron **** 860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron *** 60th Medical Group **** 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron **** 60th Dental Squadron **** 60th Diagnostics & Therapeutics Squadron **** 60th Inpatient Squadron **** 60th Medical Operations Squadron **** 60th Medical Support Squadron **** 60th Surgical Operations Squadron ****

*** 60th Mission Support Group **** 60th Civil Engineer Squadron **** 60th Communications Squadron **** 60th Contracting Squadron **** 60th Force Support Squadron **** 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron **** 60th Security Forces Squadron ** US Air Force Expeditionary Center ***

621st Contingency Response Wing The 621st Contingency Response Wing (621 CRW) is a United States Air Force rapid response expeditionary wing, based out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey and Travis Air Force Base, California highly-specialized in training and rapid ...

**** 621st Air Mobility Advisory Group (GSU) ***** 321st Air Mobility Operations Squadron ***** 571st Mobility Support Advisory Squadron **** 821st Contingency Response Group (GSU) ***** 821st Contingency Response Squadron ***** 821st Contingency Response Support Squadron

(AFRC) *

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reserv ...

*** Headquarters 349th Air Mobility Wing *** 349th Operations Group ****

70th Air Refueling Squadron The 70th Air Refueling Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Command unit, assigned to the 349th Operations Group at Travis Air Force Base, California. It is an associate of the active duty 9th Air Refueling Squadron, United States Air Force, and o ...

– KC-10A Extender **** 79th Air Refueling Squadron – KC-10A Extender ****

301st Airlift Squadron The 301st Airlift Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 349th Operations Group, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California. It is an associate unit of the active duty 21st Airlift Squadron of the 60th Air ...

– C-17A Globemaster III **** 312th Airlift Squadron – C-5M Galaxy **** 349th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron **** 349th Operations Support Squadron **** 349th Air Mobility Operations Squadron *** 349th Maintenance Group **** 349th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron **** 349th Maintenance Operations Flight **** 349th Maintenance Squadron **** 749th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron **** 945th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron *** 349th Medical Group **** 349th Aerospace Medicine Squadron **** 349th Aeromedical Staging Squadron **** 349th Medical Squadron *** 349th Mission Support Group **** 45th Aerial Port Squadron **** 55th Aerial Port Squadron **** 82nd Aerial Port Squadron **** 349th Civil Engineer Squadron **** 349th Logistics Readiness Squadron **** 349th Force Support Squadron **** 349th Security Forces Squadron

United States Navy

Commander, Naval Air Forces Commander, Naval Air Forces ( COMNAVAIRFOR, and CNAF; and dual-hatted as Commander, Naval Air Force, Pacific, and COMNAVAIRPAC) is the aviation Type Commander (TYCOM) for all United States Navy naval aviation units. Type Commanders are in Admini ...

(COMNAVAIRFOR) *

Strategic Communications Wing ONE Strategic Communications Wing 1 (STRATCOMWING ONE) is a nuclear command and control wing of the United States Navy. Its TACAMO ("Take Charge and Move Out") mission provides airborne communications links to nuclear missile units of United States S ...

** Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron THREE (VQ-3) *** Detachment (GSU) –

US Fleet Forces Command (USFF) * US Naval Information Forces ** Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific *** Naval Computer and Telecommunication Station San Diego **** Naval Computer and Telecommunications Strategic Communications Unit ***** NCTSCU Detachment Fairfield (GSU)

Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)

* DTRA Travis

Museum

Travis AFB is host to the

Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center The Travis Air Force Base Aviation Museum (former names include Travis Air Museum, Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum, and Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center) is an aviation museum located at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. The ...

, one of the largest collections of military aircraft on the west coast. The Museum of Military Aviation History has a representative collection of American military aircraft from various periods: fighters, bombers, trainers, cargo and liaison aircraft. Its exhibits showcase

Jimmy Doolittle James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...

and the

Tokyo Raiders ''Tokyo Raiders'' is a 2000 Hong Kong action film set in Hong Kong and Tokyo, directed by Jingle Ma and starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Ekin Cheng and Kelly Chen. The success of the film led to the making of its sequel, '' Seoul Raiders'', in 20 ...

, the 15th AF in

WW II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the ...

, the Consairways story, the

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...

, and the history of Travis AFB with special emphasis on the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{{ ...

, the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...

, and other significant military missions. Other exhibits include a space capsule for children, air force uniforms, the nose of a WWII glider, WWII aircraft recognition models, a

Link Trainer The term Link Trainer, also known as the "Blue box" and "Pilot Trainer" is commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early 1930s and early 1950s by Link Aviation Devices, founded and headed by Ed Link, based on ...

, aircraft engines, and the cockpits of a

T-28 The T-28 was a Soviet multi-turreted medium tank. The prototype was completed in 1931, and production began in late 1932. It was an infantry support tank intended to break through fortified defences. The T-28 was designed to complement the hea ...

, a T-37, and an

F-100 F-100 or F100 may refer to: Aerospace and defense * North American F-100 Super Sabre, a fighter aircraft formerly in the service of the United States Air Force * Fokker 100, a regional jet * Pratt & Whitney F100, afterburning turbofan engine * Á ...

Airlines

Cargo

In popular culture

* John D. MacDonald, author of the best-selling

Travis McGee John Dann MacDonald (July 24, 1916December 28, 1986) was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers. MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many set in his adopted home of Florida. On ...

suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s, has written that he specifically named his protagonist after the Air Force base.Cassuto, Leonard. ''Hard-boiled sentimentality: the secret history of American crime stories'' (Columbia University Press, 2009), p.170; MacDonald, John D. "How to Live With a Hero", ''The Writer'' (Combat Publishing, Waukesha, WI), 7/2008, pp.22-23. *

Larry Bond Lawrence L. Bond (born June 11, 1951) is an American author and wargame designer. He is the designer of the ''Harpoon'' and ''Command at Sea'' gaming systems, and several supplements for the games. Examples of his numerous novels include ''Dange ...

mentions Travis AFB in his 1989 techno-thriller Red Phoenix, as the Army's elite 7th Infantry Division's deployment point, from their base at

Fort Ord Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, m ...

, to reinforce the Eighth Army in the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

after the North Korean invasion.

References

External links

*
Travis Air Museum
(JDASM Foundation)
Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum
(JDASM Foundation) *
{{Authority control Installations of the United States Air Force in California Airports in Solano County, California Military airbases established in 1951 Buildings and structures in Solano County, California Installations of Strategic Air Command