Travis AFB falls under the auspices of Air Mobility Command (AMC) and is currently home to the 60th Air Mobility Wing, operating a mix of C-5 Galaxy, KC-10 Extender and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. Known as the “Gateway to the Pacific”, Travis AFB handles more cargo and passenger traffic than any other military air terminal in the US.
Located on the airfield is a museum, known as the Jimmy Doolittle Air and Space Museum. The museum contains a collection of aircraft, many of which are relevant to the history of the airfield. Access to the museum is tricky – as it is located within the perimeter of Travis AFB, visitors are required to get a pass from the main gate before driving to the museum site, however prior permission is not required and full details are contained on the museum website.
The airfield was formerly known as Fairfield-Suisan Army base and opened in 1942. During WWII, the primary mission of the airfield was air transport and by the end of WWII it was the busiest air terminal on the west coast of the US. Post-war it remained a transport base until 1949 when Strategic Air Command took it over and introduced B-29 Superfortress bombers. It was such a B-29 that crashed in 1950, killing 19 crew including pilot Brig Gen Robert F. Travis – the airfield was renamed Travis AFB in his honour in 1951.
SAC was the main tenant of the airfield throughout the 1950s, with long range bombers such as the B-29, B-36 Peacemaker and B-52 Statofortress being based there, until the airfield was transferred again to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) in 1958.
Since this transfer, Travis AFB has been home to transport units, operated by MATS and its successor commands Military Airlift Command (MAC) and Air Mobility Command (AMC). Initially the airfield was equipped with older transport such as the C-124 Globemaster II and the C-133 Cargomaster, however in 1966 the first C-141 Starlifter jet transports arrived, to usher in a new era of fast, long range transport aircraft.
The Starlifters were supplemented by the arrival of the C-5 Galaxy in 1970, then the largest transport aircraft in service. With the reorganisation of the USAF in 1992, MAC became AMC and SAC was inactivated. AMC gained most of the tankers operated by SAC, these including the KC-10 Extender. Travis AFB was to gain a unit of KC-10s that were previously based at March AFB, close to Los Angeles and the tenant unit became known as the 60th Air Mobility Wing. The 60th AMW gave up its last remaining Starlifter in 1997, with the C-17 arriving in 2006 to supplement the remaining C-5 Galaxy transports.
The Jimmy Doolittle Air and Space Museum has been located on Travis AFB for many years, and is one of the largest museum collections on the west coast and well worth a visit. Given the history of the airfield, it is no surprise that transport types predominate, several of which were formerly operated from Travis. These include the massive C-124 Globemaster II, an aircraft which dominates the museum’s air park area. This aircraft languished in poor condition for many years at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, until located and acquired by the museum. With the cost of transporting the aircraft by road to California being prohibitive, the decision was made to restore the aircraft to flight in Maryland and then ferry it to Travis AFB! This restoration was carried out over the course of two years, and eventually the aircraft arrived at Travis in 1984.
Further transport types in the collection include a selection of Douglas transports - the C-47 Dakota, painted in a representative D-Day colour scheme, and the C-118 Liftmaster, the military version of the DC-6. Also displayed on base is a C-54 Skymaster, although this is difficult to access as it is located on a traffic island outside the base exchange.
Also located on the base itself, but closer to the museum, is a C-141B Starlifter, a type operated for many years at Travis AFB. The C-141 has been fully restored into its 1970s gloss grey/white colour scheme and looks spectacular.
Further, smaller transports include a C-123 Provider, C-131 Samaritan and C-119 Flying Boxcar. Of particular interest is a relatively rare Lockheed VC-140 Jetstar, currently being restored into a tactical camouflage scheme.
The SAC era is represented by a pair of heavy bombers – a B-29 Superfortress and a B-52D Statofortress, both representing aircraft formerly based at Travis AFB. The B-29 was built in Dec 1944, and flew with several SAC units after WWII, before being transferred to the Navy in 1956 and used as a target on the China Lake weapons range. It was acquired by the museum in 1985 and delivered to Travis AFB on board a C-5 Galaxy.
Fighters on display include a decent selection of “century series” jets, with the only missing aircraft from the sequence being the F-106. Particularly smart is the F-105 Thunderchief, displayed in the scheme it was retired from Hill AFB, Utah - most F-105s in US museums are displayed in Vietnam era schemes, so this made a pleasant change.
The museum currently only has two helicopters on display, but both are unusual and interesting. Rarest is a very smart Piasecki HH-21 Workhorse, an early twin rotor design operated by the USAF. The other is a former US Army CH-34 Choctaw, displayed in an attractive presidential colour scheme.
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