Redmond Taylor Army Heliport -- Grand Prairie TX Armed Forces Reserve Complex
N 32° 43.526 W 096° 58.740
14S E 689392 N 3622654
The Redmond Taylor Army Heliport on board the Grand Prairie Air National Guard Base (part of the larger GP Armed Forces Reserve Complex) supports the helicopter operations of several ANG reserve units and commands.
Waymark Code: WMGAVD
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/07/2013
Views: 4
This waymark can only be reached from the south side of the base -- there is no access at all from Jefferson Blvd. From Jefferson, go south on SE 14th Street to Garrett Blvd. Turn left on Garrett, then make an immediate left onto Lakecrest Dr. Head north to the base guard house at N 32 43.770 W 096 58.920.
Wait for the guard. Tell him you are there to visit the cemetery and, after showing ID and signing in, he will wave you on board.
You will pass the heliport on your way to the cemetery.
The heliport has 12 landing bays for helicopters, and a maintenance shop across the street. We were able to take photos of the maintenance shop and the helicopter on static display, but were asked not to take photos of the active equipment or facilities. We were allowed to take a photo of the heliport sign.
The Taylor Redmond Heliport supports the activities of the following reserve units and commands:
Royal Singapore Air Force Peace Prairie Detatchment
2-149th General Support Aviation Battalion
US Army Flight Training Detachment
Texas Medical Command
Field Maintenance Shop #16
Dallas Army Aviation Support Facility
C Company, 949th Brigade Support Battalion
B Company, Detachment 449th Support Battalion
From Wikipedia:
"The Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex (formerly Naval Air Station Dallas or Hensley Field) is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station located on Mountain Creek Lake in southwest Dallas.
The installation was originally established as an Army Aviation center, and eventually became home to aviation assets from all the military services. The facility was decommissioned in December 1998.
he base was later recommissioned as it is today as the Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex, with the half that housed the aircraft-related facilities (such as the runway, hangars, etc.) going to the Texas Air National Guard, and the half with the bulk of non-aircraft related facilities going to the Army Reserves and small area to Marine Forces Reserve.
Vought Aircraft Industries operates a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) plant adjacent to NAS Dallas.
The City of Dallas established Hensley Field in August 1929 as a training field for reserve pilots. The facility was named for Major William N. Hensley, a flying instructor located near Dallas in the 1920s and one of the few on board the first trans-Atlantic dirigible crossing in 1919.
The city leased the site to the United States Army for a dollar a year. The field became the Air Corps Reserve Base in the Eighth Corps Area. At the beginning of World War II, the Army extended their lease to 40 years. In March 1941, the Navy began maintaining operations at the base and shortly afterward established a naval reserve training base on 160 acres (0.7 km2) adjacent to Hensley Field.
In December 1941 Hensley Field became headquarters of the Midwest Area of the Air Corps Ferrying Command, after Maj. Thomas D. Ferguson, commander of the field, was made control officer for the Middle West Area of the United States.
The installation was closed in 1998 as part of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure conducted by the Department of Defense, but partially reopened in the early 21st-century to accommodate military training requirements." [end]
Era: WW I
General Comments:
The heliport is a small separate part of this larger, but decaying complex. It is publicly accessible by anyone who asks to visit Fuget Cemetery, where we have created several waymarks.
Related web site: [Web Link]
|