Scott Air Force Base Scott Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force in St . Clair County , Illinois , near Belleville . Scott Field was one of thirty - two Air Service training camps established after the United States entered World War I in April 1917 . Overview . The base is operated by the 375th Air Mobility Wing ( 375 AMW ) and is also home to the Air Force Reserve Command ' s 932d Airlift Wing ( 932 AW ) and the Illinois Air National Guard ' s 126th Air Refueling Wing ( 126 ARW ) , the latter two units being operationally gained by the US Air Force ' s Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) . Its airfield is also used by civilian aircraft , with civilian operations at the base referring to the facility as MidAmerica St . Louis Airport . MidAmerica has operated as a Joint Use Airport since beginning operations in November 1997 and has not been served by any commercial airlines since Allegiant Air pulled out of the airport on January 3 , 2009 . Units . Scott Air Force Base is home to the headquarters of many major military organizations , including : The 375th Air Mobility Wing is the host to more than 30 tenant units , including the Air Force Office of Special Investigations 3rd Field Investigations Region , the 932d Airlift Wing ( Air Force Reserve Command ) , the 126th Air Refueling Wing ( Illinois Air National Guard ) , and the 3rd Manpower Requirements Squadron ( Air Force Manpower Agency ) . Frank Scott . Scott Air Force Base is named after Corporal Frank S . Scott , the first enlisted person to be killed in an aviation crash . Frank Scott enlisted in the Field Artillery at the age of 24 . An illness in July 1911 led to his reassignment to the Signal Corps Aviation School at College Park , Md . , where he served as a mechanic for one of the Wright Type - B biplanes . Interested in flying , Corporal Scott asked Lieutenant Lewis Rockwell to take him along on a flight . Lieutenant Rockwell first made a solo run over College Park . Confident everything was in good order ; he landed and brought Corporal Scott on board . After reaching 150 feet , the pilot leveled off . As he brought the plane in for landing , the craft developed engine trouble and crashed . Corporal Scott was killed instantly , Lieutenant Rockwell died later that evening . The decision to name the aviation site at Belleville after Corporal Scott is a lasting tribute to those who lost their lives during the early years of military aviation . History . World War I . During World War I , Secretary of War Newton Baker advocated an expanded role for aviation . Business and political leaders on both sides of the Mississippi River wanted the Midwest to be chosen as a site for one of the new " flying fields . " Aerial expert Albert Bond Lambert joined the St . Louis Chamber of Commerce and directors of the Greater Belleville Board of Trade to negotiate a lease agreement for nearly 624 acres of land . After inspecting several sites , the U . S . War Department agreed to the lease June 14 , 1917 . Congress appropriated $ 10 million for its construction , and 2 , 000 laborers and carpenters were immediately put to work . The layout of Scott Field was typical of aviation fields built during World War I . Construction began in June 1917 . The government gave the Unit Construction Company 60 days to erect approximately 60 buildings , lay a mile - long railroad spur , and to level off an airfield with a 1 , 600 foot landing circle . Construction was underway when the government announced it would name the new field after Corporal Frank Scott , the first enlisted service member killed in an aviation crash . Scott Field began as an aviation - training field for World War I pilots in August 1917 when the 11th and 21st Aero Squadron s from Kelly Field , Texas , arrived . Construction was completed in August , and the first flight from Scott Field occurred 2 September 1917 . Flying instruction began 11 September 1917 . Later the 85th and 86th Aero Squadron s arrived , and more than 300 pilots and many ground units were trained for service by the war ' s end in 1918 . By 2 September , William Couch , a civilian flying instructor , and Scott Field Commander , Major George E . A . Reinburg , made the first flight from Scott Field in a Standard J - 1 two - seater biplane . At least seven J - 1s were already on Scott ; by the time the first Curtiss JN - 4 D “ Jenny ” arrived . Operable from the front or rear seat , the 8 - cylinder , 90 - horsepower , Jenny would become the primary trainer used on Scott Field . Everything moved fast in a wartime environment , including the dangerous act of learning to fly airplanes . A judgment error or weather shift could produce severe accidents in the fragile aircraft of the day , so it soon became apparent that Scott Field needed a medical air evacuation capability . Determined to improve the recovery of Scott ’ s downed pilots , Captains Charles Bayless ( post surgeon ) , Early Hoag ( officer - in - charge of flying ) and A . J . Etheridge ( post engineer ) , along with Second Lieutenant Seth Thomas , designed two air ambulances , or hospital planes — using a configuration likely modeled after one in use at Gerstner Field , Louisiana . By the summer of 1918 , Scott Field ’ s engineering department had completed the rear cockpit modifications needed to convert two Jennies . Not long thereafter , on 24 August 1918 , as aviator with a broken leg became Scott ’ s first air evacuated patient . Also reassuring , was the support Scott Field enjoyed from the local community . Plenty of curious sightseers came just to watch the construction or catch a glimpse of airplane activity , but many from the local community also gave morale support to their “ Sammies ” ( Uncle Sam ’ s boys ) . They hosted dances and receptions , established a library branch on the field , and invited soldiers into their homes for Thanksgiving dinners . Likewise , Scott Field hosted sporting events with their community neighbors and , on 17 August 1918 , they invited the public to attend a Field Meet and Flight Exhibition — Scott ’ s first Air Show . Flying was discontinued at Scott Field after the war and the base population dropped . The War Department purchased Scott Field in 1919 for $ 119 , 285 . 84 Inter - War period . Scott Field ’ s future became uncertain after the 11 November 1918 armistice with Germany and the end of World War I . Large scale demobilization closed many U . S . airfields . Scott ’ s remaining units were organized into a Flying School Detachment , and the field itself was designated as a storage site for demobilized equipment . Welcome news came early in 1919 , with the War Department ’ s announcement of its decision to purchase Scott Field , a decision influenced by Scott ’ s central location and exceptional purchase price of $ 119 , 285 . 84 . This gave Scott a promise of a future ; however , it still lacked a mission . Scott was transformed into a lighter - than - air ( LTA ) station in 1921 , with the transfer of the Army Balloon and Airship School from Brooks Field , Texas . Lighter - than - air ships were used at Scott Field to research the capabilities of aerial photography , meteorology and conduct altitude experiments . The most notable addition was the new airship hangar . Constructed between September 1921 and January 1923 , it was three blocks long , nearly one block wide and 15 stories high . One report commented that 100 , 000 men — nearly the entire U . S . Army in 1923 — could have stood in formation inside it . Scott ’ s hangar was second in size only to the naval station hangar in Lakehurst , New Jersey , the largest one in the world at the time . A couple of highlights of Scott ’ s LTA era ( 1921 - 1937 ) include the 74 - mph speed record for dirigibles , set by Scott Field ’ s TC - 1 in 1923 , and the American free balloon altitude record of 28 , 510 feet , set in 1927 , by Captain Hawthorne C . Gray . Captain Gray would have set a 42 , 470 - feet world record later that same year had he survived that flight . In the late 1920s , emphasis shifted from airships to balloons . In 1929 , the 12th Airship Company was inactivated and replaced the next day by the 1st Balloon Company . Airplanes began to dominate activities at Scott Field by the mid - 1930s , and a series of airship mishaps led the Chief of the Army Air Corps to recommend an end to LTA activities in May 1937 , and the following month Scott ' s LTA - era came to an abrupt end . Scott Field ' s central location was advantageous when it was considered for the relocation site of the General Headquarters Air Force ( GHQAF ) , which managed the combat arm of the U . S . Army . Scott Field grew from 628 acres in 1938 to 1 , 882 acres in 1939 . Most of the frame World War I and lighter - than - air constructions were torn down — only a few , such as the 9th Airstrip Squadron headquarters / barracks building , a brick theater and nine sets of brick non - commissioned officers ' quarters at the south end of the field were saved . New housing , industrial and administrative buildings were completed by May 1939 . The expansion program continued into 1940 with the construction of 21 more buildings , including a 200 - man barracks , a 300 , 000 - gallon elevated water tank , a 43 - bed hospital , Hangar No . 1 and a General Headquarters Air Force office . World War II . With the outbreak of World War II , the GHQAF move to Scott was cancelled . Instead , Scott Field reverted to its former role as a training installation . On 1 June 1939 , one of Scott ’ s Balloon Groups was redesignated as a headquarters unit of the Scott Field Branch of the Army Air Corps Technical Schools . Subsequently , various technical schools moved to Scott . Its communications training era began in September 1940 with the opening of the Radio School . After September 1940 , the primary wartime mission of Scott was to train skilled radio operator / maintainers ; to produce , as the Radio School ’ s slogan proclaimed , " the best damned radio operators in the world ! " Scott ’ s graduates flew in aircraft and operated command and control communications in every Theater of the War , and were often referred to as the “ Eyes and Ears of the Army Air Forces . ” By the end of World War II , Scott ’ s Radio School — becoming something of a “ Communications University of the Army Air Forces ” , where it expanded during the war to fill about 46 large school buildings on base . It was from this course that many specialized radio and communications courses evolved , and had graduated 77 , 370 radio operator / mechanics . While all had been important to the nation ’ s victory , two of the schools more well known graduates were Medal of Honor recipient Technical Sergeant Forrest Lee Vosler , and the future first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force , Paul Airey . Though the Radio School was the primary World War II - era mission , it was not intended to be Scott ’ s only mission . The Air Corps had also planned for Scott to become a major air terminal due to its centralized location in the United States . In 1940 , a $ 1 million project began to construct four mile - long concrete runways . Though not fully completed until November 1942 , the portions that were complete provided a capability to give advanced flying school graduates instruction in instrument and night flying , navigation , photography , and administrative flights . By late 1943 , the Radio School students were in the air as well , practicing code transmission under actual flight conditions . Unfortunately , airfield operations had to be sharply curtailed in May 1944 , after an accidental tool - spark set fire to Hangar 1 — Scott ’ s only hangar . Repairs were not completed until May 1945 . United States Air Force . The U . S . Air Force became a separate service on 17 September 1947 , and on 13 January 1948 , Scott Field was re - designated as Scott Air Force Base and the 3310th Technical Training Wing assumed host responsibility from the 3505th Army Air Forces Base Unit . In 1948 , Scott ' s Radio School was re - organized , with the radio operator and control tower courses relocated to Keesler AFB , Mississippi . In addition , the fixed wire courses at Scott went to Francis E . Warren AFB , Wyoming , so that Scott had room to expand its radio mechanic school . In early 1949 , Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson initiated a series of economic measures throughout the armed forces . His purpose was to effect greater utilization of the assets assigned to all services . As a result of these actions , a number of bases transferred between major commands , schools moved , and other bases closed . Because of these DOD - directed initiatives , Headquarters USAF decided to move Air Training Command ( ATC ) headquarters from Barksdale AFB , Louisiana to Scott AFB , effective 17 October 1949 . The new ATC headquarters established in Building P - 3 , which was originally designed to be Headquarters , General Headquarters Air Force ( GHQ Air Force ) . Air Training Command moved its headquarters into the building on 17 October 1949 . At Scott , ATC absorbed the functions of its previous three subordinate headquarters — Flying , Technical , and Indoctrination Divisions . Throughout the USAF transition , Scott ' s primary mission remained technical training ; however Scott ' s aeromedical evacuation mission continued to grow . By the end of 1950 , Douglas C - 54 Skymaster s were bringing 200 patients a week to Scott . In 1957 , Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) moved to Scott AFB to help facilitate management of its east and west coast units , and between July and October 1957 , ATC transferred its headquarters to Randolph AFB , Texas . During the changeover some technical training continued , however , by February 1959 , the few remaining technical courses left Scott for other bases . As part of the air mobility transition , ATC ' s 3310th Technical Training Wing was re - designated on 1 October 1957 , as the 1405th Air Base Wing , a MATS organization . With the transition complete , Scott ’ s new primary mission became air mobility . With the re - alignment to MATS , Aeromedical evacuation continued to grow and in 1964 , Scott ' s host wing was re - designated as the 1405th Aeromedical Transport Wing . Increasing importance placed on airlift and the decision by the Navy to set up its own transport command led to the Military Air Transport Service being re - designated as Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) in 1966 . Associated with this reorganization , the 1405th was discontinued and its mission and resources were absorbed by the newly activated AFCON 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing . The addition of a fleet of C - 9A Nightingale s in 1968 further expanded the 375th ' s aeromedical mission . In 1973 , Scott ' s Patient Airlift Center coordinated 61 aeromedical missions to bring 357 former Vietnam War Prisoners of War back to the United States . In June 1973 , the 1400th Air Base Wing inactivated , the 375th Air Base Group ( today the 375th Mission Support Group ) reactivated , and host wing responsibilities reverted to the 375th Aeromedical Airlift Wing . By 1975 , the 375th gained responsibility for the worldwide aeromedical evacuation system . The 375th gained another mission in 1978 ; Operational Support Airlift . Scott received its first T - 39A Sabreliner in 1962 . After 1978 , the 375th was managing a dispersed continental fleet of 104 Sabreliners flying a combined 92 , 000 hours a year . The CT - 39As were phased out in 1984 , the same year the first Gates C - 21A Learjet s arrived at Scott . As the 375th reorganized , it transitioned to a Military Airlift Wing in 1990 and an Airlift Wing in 1991 . In 1992 , Military Airlift Command inactivated and its personnel and assets were combined with others to form Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) . Later in the 1990s , two new partners joined Scott ' s team , MidAmerica Airport and the Illinois Air National Guard 126th Air Refueling Wing . A 1987 Federal Aviation Administration authorization , followed by a 1991 joint use agreement resulted in the 1998 opening of the new MidAmerica Airport . Similarly , the 1992 realignment of refueling units to AMC , plus the planned MidAmerica construction , led to a 1995 Base Realignment and Closure committee recommendation to relocate the 126th Air Refueling Wing to Scott AFB . AMC ' s 15th and 21st Air Force s became Expeditionary Mobility Task Forces in 2003 . They , along with all AMC wings and independent groups realigned to a newly activated 18th Air Force . The new ready mobility operations capability would speed AMC ' s support for contingencies and humanitarian missions . In 2003 , age , noise , maintenance and lack of demand led to the retirement of the C - 9A Nightingale . In the years that followed , the C - 21A fleet was reorganized and reduced . These events caused a flying mission restructuring that today has Scott using a diverse mix of assigned and non - assigned aircraft to support aeromedical airlift , operational support airlift and air refueling missions . The 375th Airlift Wing officially became the 375th Air Mobility Wing on 30 September 2009 . The Total Force Integration effort called for the creation of an associate unit consisting of active duty KC - 135 pilots , boom operators , and maintainers who worked side by side with their counterparts in the 126th Air Refueling Wing . The 375th Operation Group staff had administrative responsibilities for 135 aircrew members and maintainers under the 906th Air Refueling Squadron , a unit that moved from Grand Forks AFB , North Dakota . The 126th Air Refueling Wing maintained the operational direction and control of the mission execution responsibility of these Airmen . Scott AFB served as one of six locations in Air Mobility Command and one of 10 throughout the Air Force where TFI efforts unfolded . Geography . The residential part of the base is a census - designated place ; the population was 3 , 612 at the 2010 census . According to the United States Census Bureau , the base has a total area of , all land . Demographics . As of the census of 2000 , there were 2 , 707 people , 682 households , and 662 families residing on the base . The population density was . There were 715 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the base was 78 . 9 % White , 13 . 5 % Black or African American , 0 . 3 % Native American , 3 . 0 % Asian , 0 . 1 % Pacific Islander , 1 . 8 % from other races , and 2 . 4 % from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4 . 1 % of the population . There were 682 households out of which 78 . 0 % had children under the age of 18 living with them , 90 . 5 % were married couples living together , 4 . 3 % had a female householder with no husband present , and 2 . 9 % were non - families . Of all households , 2 . 8 % were made up of individuals , and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3 . 83 , and the average family size was 3 . 90 . On the base the population was spread out with 44 . 7 % under the age of 18 , 7 . 8 % ages 18 to 24 , 40 . 6 % ages 25 to 44 , 6 . 6 % ages 45 to 64 , and 0 . 3 % were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 22 years . For every 100 females there were 100 . 2 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 99 . 2 males . The median income for a household on the base was $ 51 , 290 , and the median income for a family was $ 52 , 258 . Males had a median income of $ 39 , 289 versus $ 24 , 674 for females . The per capita income for the base was $ 15 , 421 . About 0 . 9 % of families and 1 . 5 % of the population were below the poverty line , including 1 . 9 % of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over . Public transportation . Light rail . Shiloh – Scott ( St . Louis MetroLink ) rail station links Scott Air Force Base with direct trains to downtown St . Louis on MetroLink ' s Red Line . One - ride and all - day tickets can be purchased from vending machines on the platforms . MetroLink lines provide direct or indirect service to St . Louis , the Clayton area , and Illinois suburbs in St . Clair County . MetroBus . Five MetroBus lines serve Scott Air Force Base via Shiloh – Scott ( St . Louis MetroLink ) station .