Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue Marine Corps Auxiliary Landing Field Bogue , also known as Bogue Field , is an landing field located on Bogue Sound ( North Carolina ) that serves as the Marine Corps ’ only East Coast site for Field Carrier Landing Practice ( FCLP ) . By performing many of these landings at night , pilots simulate landing on an aircraft carrier or an amphibious assault ship , which provides the force with the means to forward deploy its aviation assets in order to have a more readily accessible aviation punch for the Marine Air Ground Task Force ( MAGTF ) commander on the battlefield . Marines who are assigned to the remote airfield have been nicknamed " Bogue Rats " . This nickname is reflected in their unofficial logo . History . When the United States Navy purchased of land in 1942 for an auxiliary airfield , three runways were built for the use of Marine Corps Air Station ( MCAS ) Cherry Point , North Carolina . Facilities were also constructed to support two squadrons with a combined total of 45 aircraft and accommodations for 1 , 050 personnel . World War II . During World War II , Bogue was used almost exclusively by the United States Marine Corps for VMSB dive - bomber squadron training . Equipped with the SBD Dauntless , the first squadron , VMSB - 331 , moved to Bogue from MCAS New River in 1943 followed by Marine Aircraft Group 33 ( MAG - 33 ) later that year . Specialized training facilities were established in the surrounding area to support the training of the resident dive - bombing squadrons . Dive - bombing circle targets were constructed on nearby islands , and vertical targets were built for low - level bombing practice . A maneuvering target boat was also used on the Neuse River to practice attacks on shipping . MAG - 33 transferred to MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake , Texas in 1944 , and MAG - 93 was commissioned at Oak Grove in the same year . By that point , Marine Corps dive - bombing squadrons were transitioning to the SB2C Helldiver . A J2F Duck amphibian was assigned to Bogue for the rescue of downed flyers , but proved unsuitable for open - sea landings . Post - war operation . Bogue was decommissioned at the end of World War II and became an Outlying Field of Cherry Point . The Marines ' first Short Airfield for Tactical Support ( SATS ) system was installed at Bogue in 1958 . It was a deployable catapult & arresting system , intended to permit jet aircraft to operate from short expeditionary airfields . Vietnam Era . The Marine Corps reopened Bogue ( sometime between 1965 and 1976 ) as a satellite airfield for aircraft & helicopter s from MCAS New River & MCAS Cherry Point due to the Vietnam War . Modern Operations . As of 2003 , Bogue is still actively used as a satellite airfield with one runway is still being maintained , along with the painted outline of the deck of an LHA amphibious assault ship , used for carrier landing practice . MCALF Bogue Field is the primary location for AV - 8B Harrier practice operations . It is also used by other locally based USMC aircraft . It supports about 3500 FCLPs ( Field Carrier Landing Practice ) per training year . Training squadron aircraft take priority over normal traffic while exercises take priority over all other users , including training . Bogue Field consists of a runway constructed of aluminum panels which can be disassembled and reconstructed anywhere in the world in a matter of days by a specialty construction battalion . The remains of two other runways still exist . The Airport Facility Directory includes the remark , " Runway 18 utilized for catapults only . " Although Bogue Field has no aircraft permanently assigned , it serves as a training facility primarily for AV - 8 Harriers from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point . However , it is also used for practice approaches by KC - 130 Hercules transports from MCAS Cherry Point , F / A - 18 Hornet fighters from MCAS Beaufort , South Carolina and helicopters from MCAS New River , North Carolina . Bogue Field Committee . MCAS Cherry Point has enjoyed a comfortable relationship with the nearby communities of Emerald Isle and Bogue , although area residents have formed a committee to evaluate the impact that MCALF Bogue has on their community . The obvious noise impact on the community is considered by some to be offensive to the citizens living too close to normal flight patterns . In January , 2001 , a group of residents from Emerald Isle , Swansboro , Cape Carteret , Bogue and Morehead City that have concerns about safety issues of the Harrier noise , quality of life , and accident potential zones , have formed the Bogue Field Committee in an effort to have the federal government properly fund the AV - 8 Harrier program so that safety is no longer an issue for the pilots . Since most committee members feel that this is not likely , their goals are now to have the USMC to stop flying the plane over highly populated areas .