Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

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Image:National Museum of the United States Air Force.jpg Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties, adjacent to Fairborn and Dayton, Ohio. It is named after the Wright brothers, who used "Wright field" as their testing ground, and Frank Stuart Patterson, son of NCR Corp. founder Frank Jefferson Patterson, who was killed on June 19, 1918, when his DeHavilland DH-4 crashed at Wright Field.

Wright-Patterson AFB is the headquarters of the Air Force Materiel Command, one of the major commands of the Air Force. "Wright-Patt" is also the location of a major USAF Medical Center (hospital) and the National Museum of the United States Air Force, formerly known as the U.S. Air Force Museum.

As of the 2000 census, the base had a population of 6,656.

Contents

Geography

Image:OHMap-doton-Wright-Patterson AFB.png

Wright-Patterson AFB is at 39°47'55" North, 84°5'2" West (39.798708, -84.083988)1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the U.S. Air Force base has a total area of 30.5 km² (11.8 mi²). 30.3 km² (11.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.76% water.

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 6,656 people, 1,754 households, and 1,704 families residing in the U.S. Air Force base. The population density is 219.8/km² (569.2/mi²). There are 2,096 housing units at an average density of 69.2/km² (179.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the U.S. Air Force base is 76.11% White, 15.25% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 2.30% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 2.09% from other races, and 3.68% from two or more races. 4.45% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 1,754 households out of which 78.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 89.0% are married couples living together, 6.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 2.8% are non-families. 2.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 0.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.60 and the average family size is 3.64.

In the U.S. Air Force base the population is spread out with 42.5% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 41.5% from 25 to 44, 4.2% from 45 to 64, and 0.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 23 years. For every 100 females there are 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 104.1 males.

The median income for a household in the U.S. Air Force base is $43,342, and the median income for a family is $43,092. Males have a median income of $30,888 versus $21,044 for females. The per capita income for the U.S. Air Force base is $15,341. 1.8% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.4% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.


History

In 1917 Wilbur Wright Field was opened to train pilots and gunners during World War I. Wilbur Wright Field became Patterson Field on July 6, 1931, in honor of Lt. Frank Patterson, who was killed in 1918 while flight testing the synchronization of machine gun and propeller. In 1948, the field was renamed Wright-Patterson AFB.

Today, as in the early 1900s, Wright-Patterson is where weapon systems are tested and modified. Missions range from logistics management, research and development, education, flight operations, and many other defense related activities. Wright-Patterson AFB is the home to the Air Force Institute of Technology, the aeronautical research and development center of the U.S. Air Force.

Roswell Incident

Wright-Patterson features prominently in the accounts of the so-called Roswell UFO Incident. Supposedly, wrekage on an unidentified flying object which crashed near Roswell, New Mexico was transported to Wright-Patterson for study.

Perhaps the most credible report regarding the Roswell Incident comes from retired Air Force General Arthur Exon, as related to ufologists Kevin Randle and Donald Schmitt. In 1947, Exon was stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Shortly after the reports of the saucer crash, Exon said strange material was shipped to Wright Patterson. Though very thin and lightweight, Exon said the metal could not be bent, dented or scorched.

By 1961, Exon had been promoted to a General, and was Wright Patterson’s base chief. Still, Exon reported that he was denied access to portions of the base where UFO-related studies were ongoing, and was never briefed regarding their findings. Exon reported that personnel arrived and departed regularly, who he presumed were involved in UFO studies.

There is a series of buildings , named after their number that exist at the AFB. Most of them played a significant role in world war two.

Sources

  • Jerome Clark, ‘’Unexplained! 347 Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena’’, Visible Ink Press, 1993.
  • Kevin D. Randle and Donald R. Schmidtt, ‘’UFO Crash at Roswell’’, Avon Books, 1991

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Wright-Patterson_Air_Force_Base.html"


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