Otis Air National Guard Base (ANGB) (ICAO is KFMH) is an Air National Guard station located within the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR), a military training facility, located on the upper western portion of Cape Cod. Shield of the United States Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG) is part of the United States National Guard and a reserve component of the United States Air Force (USAF). ... Cape Cod and Cape Cod Bay from space. ...

The host unit on Otis ANGB is the 102nd Fighter Wing (Air Combat Command). Also on Otis is the 253rd Combat Communications Group, the 267th Combat Communications Squadron and the 202nd Weather Flight. The 102nd Fighter Wing is a fighter plane unit of the United States Air Force. ... ACC bases and deploments The Air Combat Command (ACC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force whose mission is to provide air combat forces (mostly aircraft), to other commands, including both commands within the Air Force as well as the United States Unified Combatant Commands that...

History

From 1955 through 1972 the U.S. Air Force operated Otis Air Force Base on MMR. Seal of the Air Force. ...

In 1973 the Massachusetts Governor appointed the Otis Task Force to oversee a phase-down of military activities at MMR. The major concern of Cape residents was the fate of base property and impacts on the local economy as military activities decreased.

According to the 102nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs office Otis Air National Guard Base is named for pilot, flight surgeon, and eminent Boston City Hospital surgeon, Lt. Frank "Jesse" Otis, a member of the 101st Observation Squadron who was killed on Jan. 11, 1937 when his Douglas O-46A crashed while on a cross-country training mission.

In 1938, the landing field area at Camp Edwards was named Otis Field in memory of the Boston flying physician. Ten years later the base was renamed Otis Air Force Base in his honor. Until 1973, it was the largest Aerospace Defense Command base in the world and is the only base named for a doctor Shield of the Air (later Aerospace) Defense Command. ...

In 1977, Otis AFB was officially redistributed with the establishment of boundary lines which divided the complex into several installations, all within the confines of the original base. Established was Otis Air National Guard Base, Camp Edwards, and the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. Together they form the Massachusetts Military Reservation.

In 1978, the Air Force returned with the construction of the Precision Acquisition Vehicle Entry Phased Array Warning System (PAVE PAWS) near the Cape Cod Canal. PAVE PAWS is designed to detect airborne ballistic missiles and monitor orbiting satellites. Cape Cod Canal The Cape Cod Canal is a man-made waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that anchors Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts. ...

On September 11, 2001 FAA Boston center contacted the base at 8:34 notifying them of the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11. Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Duffy and Major Daniel Nash flew F-15 fighters out of the base heading toward New York City to intercept the plane. Conflicting reports say they departed somewhere between 8:46 and 8:52. They flew at supersonic speed. FAA may refer to: Federal Aviation Administration in the United States Fleet Air Arm in the UK Royal Navy Fuerza Aérea Argentina in Argentina This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... AA 11 flight path from Boston to New York City Betty Ong was a Flight Attendant on Flight 11 who, during a 23 minute phone conversation with American Airlines flight operations, gave details of the seats the hijackers had occupied and the ongoing situation in the airplane before it crashed. ... The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to permit the U.S. Air Force to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. ... It has been suggested that hypersonic be merged into this article or section. ...

Environmental issues

Military operations in the early years at Otis included the use of petroleum products and other hazardous materials such as fuels, motor oils, and cleaning solvents and the generation of associated wastes. Consistent with practices of other industries at the time, it was common practice for many years to dispose of such wastes in landfills, drywells, sumps, and the sewage treatment plant. Spills and leaks also occurred. These activities have resulted in serious impacts to the Upper Cape’s groundwater resources.

External links

http://www.maotis.ang.af.mil/home.htm