Naval Air Station Fallon

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Naval Air Station Fallon Van Voorhis Field
Aerial view of NAS Fallon, 1988
IATA: NFL – ICAO: KNFL – FAA: NFL
Summary
Airport type		Military: Naval Air Station
Owner		United States Navy
Location		Fallon, Nevada
Built		June 10, 1944
In use		Active
Commander		Captain Michael H. Glaser
Elevation AMSL		3,934 ft / 1,199 m
Coordinates		39°25′30″N 118°42′10″W / 39.425°N 118.70278°W / 39.425; -118.70278Coordinates: 39°25′30″N 118°42′10″W / 39.425°N 118.70278°W / 39.425; -118.70278
Website		www.cnic.navy.mil/fallon/
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
7/25	7,004	2,135	PEM
13L/31R	11,077	3,376	Concrete
13R/31L	14,003	4,268	PEM
Source: FAA[1] and official website[2]

Naval Air Station Fallon or NAS Fallon (IATA: NFL, ICAO: KNFL, FAA LID: NFL) is the United States Navy's premier air-to-air and air-to-ground training facility. It is located in the city of Fallon in western Nevada in the United States. Since 1996, it has been home to the Naval Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN), and the surrounding area contains 84,000 acres (340 km²) of bombing and electronic warfare ranges. It is also home to the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center (NSAWC), which includes TOPGUN, the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School (TOPDOME) and the Navy Rotary Wing Weapons School. Navy SEAL Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) training also takes place here.

[edit] History

The airfield at NAS Fallon was originally built in 1942 as part of a defensive network to repel a hypothetical Japanese invasion of the west coast. It was soon taken over by the Navy for training use and has been used as such ever since with the exception of the period of 1946 to 1951, during which it was used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. On January 1, 1972, the Navy recognized NAS Fallon's importance to naval aviation by upgrading the base to a major command. While NAS Fallon provides training for visiting Carrier air wings, the Strike Fighter Squadron 127 (VFA-127), the "Desert Bogeys", was the air station's only permanently based squadron from October 1987 until it was disestablished on March 23, 1996.

The Navy relocated its Navy Fighter Weapons School, or TOPGUN, from NAS Miramar to NAS Fallon in 1996, following the transfer of NAS Miramar to the Marine Corps and its redesignation as MCAS Miramar. This move resulted in the construction of a new ramp, hangars and academic buildings. The new command, the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC), was established on July 11, 1996 and was a unification of TOPGUN, Strike University (Strike U), the Naval Strike Warfare Center, and TOPDOME, the Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School. In addition to transferring the NSAWC squadron, a Navy Reserve adversary squadron, Fighter Squadron Composite THIRTEEN (VFC-13), the "Saints," was also permanently relocated from its former base at NAS Miramar to NAS Fallon. As a result, VFC-13 replaced the disestablished VFA-127 in the fighter adversary role.

Associated bombing ranges checker the surrounding Lahontan Valley and Dixie Valley, which is the next valley to the east. Dixie Valley also contains a simulated air defense network, including approximately 20 operational radar installations. Many demilitarized armored vehicles, including some exotics, have been scattered throughout the area, presumably for ambiance. Most of this area is publicly accessible, with the exception of areas immediately surrounding the radar installations.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Naval Air Station Fallon at GlobalSecurity.org
• FAA Airport Diagram(PDF), effective 19 Nov 2009
• FAA Terminal Procedures for NFL, effective 19 Nov 2009
• Resources for this U.S. military airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KNFL
  • ASN accident history for NFL
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KNFL