Historical Marker
Hobbs Army Air Field
Hobbs, Lea County · New Mexico
It opened to train bombardiers. Eighty cadets and twenty instructors arrived on September 7, 1942, and while they were still learning their trade the base was turned over to four-engine pilot training, one of only three B-17 transition schools in the country; the first class of forty-six pilots began that December. A detachment of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps arrived the next June. After the war the field stored aircraft until it closed on May 5, 1948. The airpark name dates from 1974, and the gliders from 1987, when the Soaring Society of America moved in.
What the plaque says
Official Scenic Historic Marker Hobbs Army Air Field Built in 1942, the Hobbs Army Airfield was primarily used to train pilots to operate B-17 Bomber planes. It was built for the U.S. Army Air Forces 50,000 Pilot Training Program and closed in 1948. In 2003 it became Hobbs Industrial Airpark and was used for glider operations. The Harry McAdams Park, Ocotillo Golf Course and New Mexico Junior College now cover much of the base.
Where it stands
32.77628, -103.19901 · Directions
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