Bethel Air Base

Bethel Air Base is a former United States Army airfield located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Bethel, a city in the Bethel Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.[1]

Bethel Air Base
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	United States Army
Location	Bethel, Alaska
Elevation AMSL	129 ft / 39 m
Coordinates	60°46′43″N 161°50′14″W
Map
Bethel AB Location of airport in Alaska
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 1L/19R 6,400 1,951 Asphalt 1R/19L 4,000 1,219 Asphalt 12/30 1,858 566 Asphalt/Gravel
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

History

Construction began September 21, 1941, and the airfield was activated July 4, 1942. It was used by Air Transport Command as auxiliary airfield for Lend-Lease aircraft being flown to Siberia. The facility was transferred to Eleventh Air Force, then to Alaskan Air Command in 1945; it became the joint-use Bethel Airport. It was used for construction of AC&W Bethel Air Force Station in the mid-1950s. Full jurisdiction was turned over to Alaska Government in 1958.[2]

See also

• Alaska World War II Army Airfields
• Air Transport Command
• Northwest Staging Route

References

1. FAA Airport Master Record for BET (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective May 31, 2012.
2.  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.