NAS-JRB History
In 1926, when many people were afraid of airplanes and most considered flying a daredevil sport, aviation pioneer Harold Pitcairn bought a large section of farmland on the west side of Doylestown Pike, now Route 611.No sooner were the arrangements of sale signed and the checks handed over when Pitcairn began work that turned the farmland into a flying field. A hangar was soon built near the highway and the grass was mowed for a landing strip. From these beginnings sprang what is now the largest Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base on the East Coast. From 1926 to 1942, Pitcairn developed, tested, built and flew many different aircraft, most notable being the Mailwing and the Autogyro.
In 1927,when Pitcairn won the Postal Service contract to carry the overnight mail between New York and Atlanta, he designed the Mailwing. Faster, safer and more efficient than any other aircraft on the market, the Mailwing was immediately bought as standard equipment by many other airlines. Pilots loved the aircraft because of its reliability and ease of handling. When crashes did occur, pilots were often able to walk away with minor injuries due to the Mailwing's rugged construction.
In December of 1928, Pitcairn first brought the Autogyro to America. This aviation phenomenon, with its uncanny ability to make steep takeoffs without danger of stalling and to land nearly vertically with no-roll landings, had been developed by the Spanish aeronautical engineer Juan de la Cierva.Recognizing the potential of this aircraft, Pitcairn bought the American rights to Cierva's patents and soon Autogyros, as well as Mailwings were being turned out of the Pitcairn aircraft factory. Although the Autogyro did not become the commercial success that many hoped it would, the Pitcairn patents were purchased by Sikorski and utilized in developing the helicopter. Pitcairn Aviation, from its early mail route start, went on to later become Eastern Airlines. On April 8, 1931, Amelia Earhart set a world's altitude record for autogyros at Pitcairn Field, climbing to 18,415 feet (5,615 meters).
In 1942, to help the nation rise to its defense, Pitcairn sold his flying field to the United States Navy. The naval aviation unit that first occupied what was to become NAS JRB Willow Grove originated in 1929 at the Rockaway, N.Y. training school with 16 officers, 53 enlisted men, four seaplanes and seven land based aircraft. They were soon transferred to Mustin Field at the Philadelphia Navy Yard as World War II approached; it became obvious that small Mustin Field was inadequate for mobilization purposes. So in early 1942, the Navy paid $480,000 for the Pitcairn field and hangars. Some 250 Naval personnel took possession of the field that year bringing along with them 30 N3N biplane trainers known as the "Yellow Peril."
In January 1943, the field was officially commissioned the United States Naval Air Station Willow Grove. By October, a highly classified project under the direction of the Naval Research Laboratory got underway to establish an effective deterrent to the German submarine threat. A new unit called, USNR Radio/Radar Unit, modified over 2,000 PV-1 antisubmarine aircraft here, for delivery to squadrons operating in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres. The PV-1 is the ancestor of our present day P-3C aircraft that operates in the Patrol Squadrons here on station and around the country. At its wartime peak, NAS Willow Grove housed tens of thousands of servicemen and women.
Following the end of the war, Willow Grove was designated a reserve training station under the Chief of Naval Air Reserve Training. Activities increased during the Korean War and, in 1957, the Navy purchased additional land bordering the air station to bring the area to its present total of 1,100 acres. Later, the Vietnam conflict and Gulf War would also significantly increase air station operations. All three conflicts saw many Willow Grove Reservists recalled to support both flight and ground missions.
Today, Naval Air Station Willow Grove's runway is shared by Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army Reservists, as well as the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. Because our Naval Reservists now train with the latest warfare technologies, they are tasked with missions and operate in direct support of their active duty fleet counterparts to meet any national contingency.
Naval Air Station Willow Grove is committed to maintaining a positive presence to fulfill mission requirements, while maintaining a positive presence in our local community
Integration of resources and personnel is the theme throughout today’s Navy. Today’s Navy Selected Reservist is a member of the Navy’s Reserve, supporting the Fleet wherever the need exists. On October 1, 2004, the Naval Air Reserve Command onboard NAS JRB Willow Grove became the home to the more than 2,500 Navy Selected Reservists that drill here. Additionally, last year marked the station’s 60th Anniversary. The station has grown in scope tremendously over the years and currently employs 1,289 active duty and 726 civilians to provide services and facilities to over 5,000 joint reserve personnel from 22 tenant and 32 reserve units associated with the station. The station is truly a Joint Reserve Base. The Willow Grove "team" supports Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force Reserve, and Pennsylvania Air National Guard and Army Guard units. From A-10 and C-130 aircraft, H-53 helicopters, soldiers on the ground to sailors on ships these units deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and around the globe. Approximately 1,500 mobilizations occurred in 2003. These are the people winning the global war on terrorism. Through outstanding support to Reservists, NAS JRB Willow Grove fulfills the mission of the Naval Reserve - "support to the Fleet…ready and fully integrated."
On May 28, 2006, the Base Realignment and Closure commission recommended that this base be closed as part of the 2005 BRAC round, that the tenant Air Force Reserve Command airlift wing be deactivated and that Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve flying units relocate to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey as tenant units. This may be subject to change by the President of the United States and the United States Congress.
On September 30, 2007, pursuant to direction of BRAC 2005, the Air Force Reserve Command disestablished the 913th Airlift Wing at Willow Grove ARS, redistributing its C-130 Hercules aircraft to other active duty Air Force and Air Force Reserve units.
On November 13, 2009, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania dropped the plan for the joint interagency installation based on the gradual removal of the 111th Fighter Wing. Future plans for the base include using a portion for the National Guard and reserve troops.