Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is the home base of the Texas Air National Guard 147th Reconnaissance Wing . Opened in 1917 , Ellington Field was one of thirty - two Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I . Overview . The United States Air Force 147th Reconnaissance Wing provides two 24 / 7 MQ - 1B Predator Unmanned Aerial Systems combat support sorties which provide theater and national - level leadership with critical real - time Intelligence , Surveillance , and Reconnaissance ( ISR ) and Air - to - Ground Munitions and strike capability . Also , the Air Support Operations Squadron ( ASOS ) provides terminal control for weapons employment in a Close Air Support scenario integrating combat air and ground operations . New construction designated under the " Grow the Army " project was completed in 2010 . The project consisted of ten buildings for the Army National Guard and reserve units , including a battle command training center complete with state - of - the - art computerized equipment . “ This will be a tremendous cost benefit to the Army Reserve as travel and logistical costs will be streamlined , ” noted Major General Eldon Regua , 75th division commander . The $ 80 million construction project includes a Battle Command Training Center , which simulates war conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan . , a second Armed Forces Reserve Center with an assembly hall and offices , a Welcome Center , which will handle retention , recruitment and military identification services . The military ID center is expected to bring thousands of retired and active military annually to Greater Houston to renew or pick up IDs , Navy , Marine Corps and Army Reserve maintenance and storage facilities , a security checkpoint and the relocation of Coast Guard Sector Houston / Galveston from Galena Park to a new $ 20 millon facility scheduled to be completed in 2013 . Ellington now has the rare distinction of having all five military branches of the U . S . Department of Defense – Army , Navy and Marine Reserve units , Army and Air National Guard – in addition to the Coast Guard under the Department of Homeland Security , and NASA operations – on one base . History . World War I . In 1917 , the U . S . government purchased 1 , 280 acres ( 5 . 2 km² ) of land from Dr . R . W . Knox and the Wright Land Company to establish an airbase in Houston . The location , near Genoa Township in southeast Houston , was selected because the weather conditions were ideal for flight training . Soldiers from nearby Camp Logan briefly assisted with the construction of the airfield when civilian workers went on strike . Soon after construction began on the airfield , the base was named after Lt . Eric Lamar Ellington , an Army pilot killed four years earlier in a plane crash in San Diego . The base , which consisted of a few hangars and some wooden headquarters buildings , was completed in a matter of months . By the end of 1917 , the field was ready to receive its first squadron – the 120th Aero Squadron , which was transferred from Kelly Field in San Antonio , Texas , along with its Curtiss JN4 Jenny biplanes , which were shipped in wooden crates via railroad . In December , the first planes from Ellington Field flew over Houston for a benefit for the American Red Cross . A flight of ten JN - 4s took off from grass runways and followed the interurban tracks stretching north from Genoa to Houston . Throngs of men , women , and children watched in amazement as the JN - 4s flew overhead . The roar of the aircraft was almost drowned out by the wail of sirens and factory whistles as the planes passed over . As the planes circled the city , they dropped paper flyers for the American Red Cross . Next , the formation flew to Camp Logan and then turned south toward Galveston Island . The entire flight took about an hour . During World War I , Ellington served as an advanced flight training base . As of 1918 , Ellington had its own gunnery and bombing range on a small peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico near San Leon , Texas . Training units assigned to Ellington Field were : For the first months of operation , Ellington Field had no pilot fatalities . Within the year , however , this record changed for the worse . By August 1918 , Ellington Field recorded the most pilot fatalities of the 18 U . S . Army Air Service training bases in the United States . Ellington became well known in military circles , and had a series of " firsts " , including the first camp newspaper , the first American aerial gunnery and bombing range , the first " canteen girls " , and the first aerial ambulance in American military history . Before the end of the war , approximately 5 , 000 men and 250 aircraft were assigned to the base . Ellington was considered surplus to requirements after World War I and the base was inactivated as an active duty airfield in January 1920 . A small caretaker unit was kept at the airfield for administrative reasons , but generally , the only flight activity during this time was from Army pilots stationed at Kelly Field who flew down to practice landings on Ellington ' s runways . Inter - war years . In May 1923 , the War Department had ordered the small caretaker force at Ellington Field to dismantle all remaining structures and to sell them as surplus . Orders to abandon Ellington Field were abruptly halted , however , when the War Department authorized the Texas National Guard to establish an aviation squadron . General John A . Hulen , commander of the U . S . 36th Division , announced the formation of the 111th Observation Squadron . General Hulen assured the citizens of Houston that the new air squadron was not a daredevil outfit . Hulen believed that the reactivation of Ellington Field as a reserve base would provide Houston an airfield and rekindle public interest in military aviation . With the news of the formation of the Air Squadron , one Houston Chronicle reporter christened the 111th Observation Squadron " Houston ’ s Own , " thus beginning a long relationship between Houston and the National Guard . The squadron , which flew Curtiss JN - 6Hs and Dayton - Wright DH - 4 s , provided mapping , photography , and reconnaissance support for the 36th Infantry Division . Though the 111th Observation Squadron had the excess World War I storage and maintenance facilities at Ellington Field , the squadron did not have a true headquarters building . Major Law requested funds from Texas and the U . S . National Guard , but unfortunately monies were not available for new buildings . Law , however , was able convince several local Houston businessmen to donate space in a downtown office building . In 1924 , the 111th Observation Squadron headquarters was relocated to the Gas Company Building in downtown Houston . The use of downtown civilian facilities , however , highlighted the two major inadequacies of Ellington Field : deteriorating facilities and the great distance of the field from Houston . In 1925 General William Mitchell conducted a " flying tour " of all National Guard Observation Squadrons throughout the United States . On a return trip from the West Coast , General Mitchell came to south Texas for an inspection of Ellington Field . Once on the ground , Mitchell commented that the 111th Observation Squadron was one of the best units in the nation . Mitchell spoke to enthusiastic crowds at Ellington Field confirming his belief that a strong Air Force was vital to national defense . Also the possibility of a new municipal airfield endangered the existence of Ellington Field , rumors circulated throughout the Texas National Guard that the War Department wanted to transfer the aviation schools at Kelly and Brooks Fields to Houston . In 1926 , Houston was in the process of planning a modern municipal airfield so that Houston would remain a center of commerce and trade in south Texas . Several years later in 1927 , Ellington ' s status was again threatened as local city leaders began to discuss the construction of a municipal airport . That airport , the present day William P . Hobby Airport , confirmed the squadron ' s fears that Ellington ' s aging facilities were obsolete ; as a result the Texas National Guard decided to move the 111th to new facilities at the municipal airport instead . The Texas National Guard and 36th Infantry Division bought most of the airfield ' s buildings , but the field remained unused ; by 1928 Ellington was again overtaken by tall prairie grass . That same year , a fire engulfed what was left of the airfield , consuming its remaining structures , except for the concrete foundations and a metal water tower . For the next 12 years , the U . S . military leased the land to local ranchers for use as pasture . World War II . World War II , with its increasing need for trained pilots , helped to reestablish Ellington Field as an active facility . Rep . Albert Thomas , one of Houston ' s representatives in the United States House of Representatives , pushed for rebuilding Ellington as a pilot training center . Beyond the area ' s excellent weather for flying , Thomas argued that the Houston area ' s petroleum refineries , upon which the war effort depended , would need military protection in the region . In 1940 , construction began on a much - expanded Ellington Field , which eventually included five control towers , two hangars , the most modern medical complex in south Texas and 74 barracks . Ellington Field was the site for advanced flight training for bomber pilots . Initial plans called for the training of 2 , 800 bomber pilots per year at Ellington Field or about ten percent of the total number of pilots trained throughout the United States . Beginning at five - week intervals , classes of 274 cadets entered the 10 - week course . Cadets moved from the AT - 6 to the more complex twin - engine AT - 10 or AT - 11 . At that level , cadets were taught how to fly the larger multi - engine aircraft . After successful completion of the advanced training course , graduates were transferred to different airfields for more training in actual bombers . Eventually the USAAC Advanced Flying School was transferred to Blackland Army Airfield in Waco . Ellington Field was also a site for the USAAC Bombardier School , also known as " the Bombardment Academy of the Air . " At Ellington Field , officials planned to train 4 , 480 bombardier cadets per year . Bombardier cadets spent most of their time during the 10 - week course in the classroom learning the skills necessary to accurately drop bombs on enemy targets . Hands - on training for the bombardier cadets took place over the Gulf of Mexico . In AT - 10s or AT - 11s , bombardier students practiced bombing several small islands in Matagorda Bay or small target boats anchored in the bay . The Bombardier School remained at Ellington Field until 1942 . In 1943 Ellington Field became the site for advanced navigator training . Army Air Forces Training Command transferred the Navigator School from Mather Field in California to Houston . The USAAF Navigator School consisted of a rigorous 18 - week course consisting of instruction in celestial navigation and dead reckoning . To complete the course , cadets were required to have 100 hours in navigating both local and long - range flights . By 1944 the Navigator School used instructors with combat experience to teach classes . Veteran navigators from every theater of operations lectured cadets at Ellington Field . These lectures were invaluable to cadets because the veteran navigators gave their students insights into navigating under combat conditions and life overseas . From 1941 to 1945 the Navigator School graduated 4 , 000 USAAF navigators that were assigned to every theater of operations during the Second World War . By the end of 1943 , more than 65 women who served in the Women ' s Army Corps were also stationed at Ellington . The WACs worked in noncombat Army jobs in order to free men for combat duty . " By taking over an Army job behind the lines , she frees a fighting man to join his fellow soldiers on the road to Victory , " stated WAC director Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby . Ellington served primarily as a reserve airbase from the end of the war in 1945 until 1948 . Cold War . Air Training Command . In 1948 , Ellington Airport was one of many airfields selected to be reactivated in an effort to maintain a large military force in the United States after World War II . The airfield was reopened for active duty on 31 March 1949 and renamed Ellington Air Force Base . The Air Force activated the 3605th Navigation School and opened a USAF navigator school . The first class entered training on 8 August 1949 . Navigator cadets trained in TB - 25 " Mitchell " and T - 29 " Flying Classroom " aircraft . The program was part of a two - base effort , in which Ellington would provide basic navigation training and its graduates would then be reassigned to Mather AFB , California for advanced training . Navigation training was enhanced at Ellington when the Air Force installed a microwave navigation system . To help navigators learn celestial positioning , a Houston resident paid for the construction of a planetarium at Ellington . The planetarium , which stood high and was topped by an aluminum dome , could hold 40 students . In 1952 , Air Training Command ( ATC ) expanded the training program at Ellington with the establishment of a multi - engine flying training program as part of Flying Training Air Force . As a cost - cutting measure , Headquarters USAF directed ATC in November 1953 to reorganize its Air Force Observer training program and decrease training time . ATC managed the restructure by converting primary observer training into a primary basic course and by providing advanced instruction in the basic course . Ellington was designated to provide primary observer training , with the establishment of the 3605th Observer Training Wing . In 1956 , navigator and observer training were consolidated , which consisted of 42 weeks , including 180 hours of in - flight training . During 1958 – 59 , USAF navigator training training operations were consolidated at Mather AFB and James Connally AFB , followed by a second consolidation to Mather AFB as the sole training location in the early 1960s . Air Defense Command . Ellington AFB was selected as one of the first of twenty - four Air Defense Command stations of the permanent United States surveillance radar network . On 2 December 1948 , the Air Force directed the Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with construction of this and the other twenty - three sites . Radar facilities were activated on 1 February 1953 with the 747th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron operating a pair of AN / FPS - 10 radars The station was designated P - 79 . In 1955 the Air Force placed an AN / FPS - 8 at Ellington that subsequently became an AN / GPS - 3 . This set operated until 1960 . In 1957 an AN / FPS - 6 set replaced the AN / FPS - 10 height - finder radar . In addition to the main facility , Ellington operated two AN / FPS - 14 Gap Filler sites : By 1960 Ellington performed air traffic control duties for the FAA with an ARSR - 1 radar , being designated FAA site J - 15 . On 31 July 1963 , the site was redesignated as NORAD ID Z - 79 . The 747th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron was inactivated on 31 December 1969 and the FAA operated the ARSR - 1 afterwards . Assignments : In late 1972 the radar facilities at Ellington were reactivated by Aerospace Defense Command , and given the new NORAD designation Z - 240 . Ellington became Operating Location " C " or the 630th Radar Squadron arrived which operated an AN / FPS - 90 height - finder radar , which was modified to an AN / FPS - 116 circa 1977 . The AN / FPS - 116 was retired circa 1988 . Air Force use of Ellington ceased on 30 September 1998 when an FAA ARSR - 4 radar was activated nearby at Morales , TX ( J - 15A ) as part of the Joint Surveillance System ( JSS ) . Air Force Reserve . The United States Navy opened a short - lived Naval Air Reserve Center at Ellington in 1957 . Navy pilots and aircrews flew amphibious UF - 1 Albatross and land - based P2V Neptune aircraft on antisubmarine and maritime patrol training missions over the Gulf of Mexico , but budget problems forced its closure just a year later . The Air Force transferred Ellington AFB to Continental Air Command effective 1 April 1958 . Navigator training was reassigned to Mather AFB and to James Connally AFB , Texas . As a result , in 1959 , Ellington was downgraded to a reserve Air Force Base , and has served the military in that capacity since ; the Civil Air Patrol moved its national headquarters from Bolling Air Force Base to Ellington the same year . In addition , Ellington also routinely hosted several college level Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps summer courses / Field Training encampments , hosting officer candidates from 22 states until that summer program was consolidated at the Air Force ' s Officer Training School facility at Maxwell AFB , Alabama . The Civil Air Patrol has also since relocated their national headquarters to Maxwell AFB , but a local CAP unit still remains at Ellington . After Ellington ’ s transfer to CONAC , Air Force Reserve activities played a larger role . In 1959 , the 446 th Troop Carrier Wing hosted an " air rodeo . " This event was held to determine which USAF Reserve cargo squadron was the most accurate in the nation . Competition took place in the skies above Ellington and on the blacktop tarmac below . Forty aircrews from 14 air cargo wings represented 12 states in the unusual contest . During the event , aircrews dropped 260 - pound bundles from C - 119s flying high above the base and attempted to hit designated targets on the ground . Ellington ' s own 446th Troop Carrier Wing won the first annual competition . NASA use . From the 1950s through the 1970s , Ellington Field was utilized for pilot and navigator training for active air force , air force reservists , air national guardsmen , and Navy , Marine , and foreign students . NASA established Ellington as its base for astronaut flight training in the early 1960s because of its proximity to the newly constructed Lyndon B . Johnson Space Center . The T - 38 Talon ( T - 38N ) is the primary jet aircraft used for astronaut training at Ellington . The field was the site of the Apollo lunar landing training program . Most of NASA ’ s aircraft based at the Johnson Space Center are kept and maintained at the base . Current status . Ellington Field was officially inactivated by the Air Force in 1976 and all Air Force Reserve squadrons were transferred to other military facilities ; however , the Texas Air National Guard , the Texas Army National Guard , the U . S . Army Reserve , U . S . Navy Reserve , U . S . Marine Corps Reserve and the U . S . Coast Guard ( Coast Guard Air Station Houston ) still maintain a military presence at the base . In 1984 , the city of Houston purchased Ellington to use as a third civil airport , and it was renamed Ellington Airport on 14 January 2009 , while the military cantonment area is known as Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base and Coast Guard Air Station Houston .