A (shortened) history of the Olathe Naval Air Station [ONAS]
The Prairie Navy landed in Johnson County eight decades ago with the construction and opening of the Olathe Naval Air Station. The site is now the New Century AirCenter.
The bygone military base was dedicated on Oct. 1,1942 in response to the increased need for air stations and naval reserve aviation bases as the United States entered World War II.
Over the course of its 27 years in operation, ONASls role was constantly in flux: It first served as a flight training facility for naval cadets, then as a training center and support facility for the Naval Air Transport Service in the latter years of WWII, and finally as a training center for Navy and Marine reservists in the Korean War and in the early years of the Cold War.
The naval air base also was the temporary home for the Air Force Reserve's 442d Troop Carrier Wing from 1950 to 1955 prior to its relocation to Grandview Airport, Missouri, later renamed Richards-Gebaur AFB. ONAS also became one of 28 radar stations established throughout the nation in 1952 by the Air Forcels Air Defense Command. The Olathe Air Force Station provided air defense radar coverage of the Kansas City area.
Units of the Navy, Marines and Air Force are gone. An Army Reserve detachment remains.
Despite the ONAS not having a household name, like some other bases, there is no doubt that the individuals based at the "Great Prairie Navy" made a significant contribution to preserving freedom and liberty both at home and abroad.
Over the past 55 years, under the direction of the Johnson County Airport Commission, the site of the former naval air base has become a growing economic hub for Johnson County with two busy airports and increased, ongoing commercial and industrial development at the New Century AirCenter.
A flashback is in order. From Johnson County farmland, the Olathe Naval Air Station eventually spanned about 2,000 acres with three runways, 14 secondary fields and eventually 44 buildings to train and accommodate mostly Navy and Marine personnel for almost three decades.
It was a massive complex with three large hangars, including one with a control tower; storage and training facilities; clubs for enlisted personnel and officers; and barracks for Prairie sailors.
ONAS had all the comforts and amenities of a large military base with mess halls, a laundry, a bowling alley, a chapel, a hospital, a cold storage building with free ice, post office and small Post Exchange. The front gate had a small brig and a pass building for visitors to enter the base. Kinnick Hall featured an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
The Prairie Navy also included a few notable Americans.
The late John Glenn, future astronaut and U.S. senator, was in the first class to be trained at the base, making his first solo flight in a military training plane. Stearman yellow two-seater biplanes, nicknamed "yellow perils", were used to train pilots.
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Another notable pilot who trained at ONAS was former TV game show host Bob Barker. He enlisted in the Navy Reserve in 1943 to train as a fighter pilot but did not serve on active duty. His military service ended with the war in 1945.
Source:
https://www.jocogov.org/newsroom/magazines/best-times/september-october-2022/cover-story-history-olathe-naval-air-station
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