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From time to time I enjoy looking back. By this I mean old pictures,
old stories, etc.. Today I am going to give you a look at how things
were at Brooks Air Force Base over 70 years ago, I hope you are as interested
as I am. After the United States entered World War I, in 1917, the U.S.
Army recognized the need for trained flying instructors. San Antonio
was chosen for a year-round training site due to its favorable climate,
good water supply and convenient transportation facilities. The Source
for this article and the pictures, is the U.S. Air Force. Brooks became
the first city air force base in the nation.
C-2 Airship, Brooks Field, 1922
The Army developed a Balloon and Airship School at Brooks Field
in May 1919, supported by three companies and 285 men. Its mission
was to train pilots for lighter-than-air, hydrogen-filled airships.
A huge balloon hangar of over 91,000 square feet was constructed
to house the airship "Roma," an Italian airship which
had been purchased by the U.S. government. The massive hangar
towered over Brooks Fields' semicircle of smaller hangars. Unfortunately,
"Roma" never saw it's new home. During an operational
flight out of Langley Field, N. Y. Feb. 21, 1922, the airship
hit a high tension wire and exploded, killing most of its crew.
Later the same year, the C-2, a transient airship landed at Brooks
and exploded when it was caught in a crosswind while being removed
from the hangar. In June 1922, the lighter-than-air units were
transferred to Scott Field, Ill.
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BT-2C Trainer
Brooks Field 1929
Brooks Field, 1923
Curtiss JN-4's evidently used for gunnery training at Brooks
Field about 1923. This photograph of the perimeter trace with
its famous wooden hangars was taken from the control tower on
top of one of the hangars. In these early days there were no runways
so it was always possible to take off and land directly into the
wind.
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Flight line activities
Brooks Field, 1918.
Parade float
Brooks Field Balloon School. (236K)
Formation
Flight of 5 JN-4 Jennies in V-formation from Brooks field, 1918.
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny in Flight
| 90 hp 8 cyl, wingspan 43'7", length 27'4", height
9'11" weight 1,525 lbs, speed 73 mph, ceiling 6,500, range
250 miles. Used to train 95% of US WW I pilots. |
Consolidated PT-1 Trainer
189 hp, 8 cyl, liquid cooled engine; wingspan 34'10", length
27'8", height 9'6"; weight 1806; speed 99 mph, ceiling
13,450; range 260 miles. Last primary trainer with liquid cooled
engine, became standard in 1927 after "Jenny" was scrapped.
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Early Brooks Fire Department Photo
Gosport System of Flight Instruction
Brooks Field's first mission was to train Army flying officers
as instructors in the Gosport System of flight instruction.
The system devised by the English Royal Air Force was as simple
as it was unique. It provided for a speaking-tube between the
student-pilot and instructor to teach and correct the student
while in flight.
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In 1928 Brooks became the site of early experiments in paratroop
jumps, perhaps even the first paratroop jump, although there is
some ambiguity concerning this record. Following a number of trial
runs, an official demonstration was held for a large audience
on September 28, 1929. This demonstration confirmed the practicality
of tactical paratrooper warfare which would be used on many occasions
during World War II.
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