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Historic Hempstead Plains - Nassau County, Long Island

Mitchel Field - partial 1955 time line.

Date Activity Purpose / Status

Units 2500th Air Base Wing, organized 6/1/1952. The composition of the 2500th.

(TBD)

HQ 1st Air Force

HQ Continental Air Command Defense of U.S. main land

1/1955 Mechanization (automation) - preliminary investigation begun. Civilian payroll automation with IBM equipment. Mitchel was the first Air Base to investigate automation.

7/20/1955 459th Troop Carrier group arrives at Mitchel Field.

New well and pipeline in the Meadow Brook area to be operational. Maintenance to building T293 altitude test chamber and T163 Old Cantonment Hospital were done.

7/1955 Automated payroll test program in operation.

10/11/1955 Crown Prince Emanual of Liechtenstein visits the field.

10/1955 Automation pilot successful manual operation ceases.

10/1955 Automation rolls out to the commissary (100%) and base supply (20%)

New drainage system, designed in the late 40's. Finally implemented.

Bldg. 101 to become a barracks for the
2200 test squadron.

10/1955 DEWS - Distant Early Warning System project. To optimize unloading for the DEW system. Experimentation to keep unload times to under an hour on frozen lake beds. Crates were the largest to date. Cargo of 15 crates required two c124 Globemasters.

Arrival of two c124 Globemasters each one carrying a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis for Long Island shots of the famous journey.

Distribution of aircraft parking space between the groups at Mitchel Field -2500th had hangar 7,8, 9 and the west side of hangar 5.

- East side of Hangar 5 and hangar 6 were for the 2nd TOW target sqdrn.

-2/3 of Hangar 1 were for the 1851st AACS.

- 1/3 of hangar 1 26th Air Division?

- Hangar 4 and 5, 2500th Air BASE Wing.

10/1955 New runway at Mitchel. Demolition of stables, warehouses, golf buildings and eventually the clubhouse would take place.

Source Base Historical reports - Long Island Studies Institute - Nassau County Museum at Hofstra university.

Base Commander - James J. Roberts JR. Col. USAF

Historical Officer - John F. Couglin Mjr USAF

Elizabeth A. Brown - Historian

Email:webmaster@hempsteadplains.com

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Date	Activity	Purpose / Status
Units	2500th Air Base Wing, organized 6/1/1952.	The composition of the 2500th. (TBD)
	HQ 1st Air Force
	HQ Continental Air Command	Defense of U.S. main land
1/1955	Mechanization (automation) - preliminary investigation begun.	Civilian payroll automation with IBM equipment. Mitchel was the first Air Base to investigate automation.
7/20/1955	459th Troop Carrier group arrives at Mitchel Field.
	New well and pipeline in the Meadow Brook area to be operational. Maintenance to building T293 altitude test chamber and T163 Old Cantonment Hospital were done.
7/1955	Automated payroll test program in operation.
10/11/1955	Crown Prince Emanual of Liechtenstein visits the field.
10/1955	Automation pilot successful manual operation ceases.
10/1955	Automation rolls out to the commissary (100%) and base supply (20%)
	New drainage system, designed in the late 40's. Finally implemented.
	Bldg. 101 to become a barracks for the 2200 test squadron.
10/1955	DEWS - Distant Early Warning System project.	To optimize unloading for the DEW system. Experimentation to keep unload times to under an hour on frozen lake beds. Crates were the largest to date. Cargo of 15 crates required two c124 Globemasters.
	Arrival of two c124 Globemasters each one carrying a replica of the Spirit of St. Louis for Long Island shots of the famous journey.
	Distribution of aircraft parking space between the groups at Mitchel Field	-2500th had hangar 7,8, 9 and the west side of hangar 5. - East side of Hangar 5 and hangar 6 were for the 2nd TOW target sqdrn. -2/3 of Hangar 1 were for the 1851st AACS. - 1/3 of hangar 1 26th Air Division? - Hangar 4 and 5, 2500th Air BASE Wing.
10/1955	New runway at Mitchel.	Demolition of stables, warehouses, golf buildings and eventually the clubhouse would take place.
Source	Base Historical reports - Long Island Studies Institute - Nassau County Museum at Hofstra university. Base Commander - James J. Roberts JR. Col. USAF Historical Officer - John F. Couglin Mjr USAF Elizabeth A. Brown - Historian