In 1942 the Army Air Forces came to the plateau above Big Spring. Big Spring Army Air Field opened on April 28, 1942, and from that June its job was teaching aviation cadets high-altitude precision bombing. It was one of the four schools of the West Texas Bombardier Quadrangle, with Midland, San Angelo and Childress, where cadets learned the Norden bombsight over the empty ranch country.
After the war the field closed, and in 1951 it reopened as Big Spring Air Force Base, soon renamed Webb Air Force Base. Webb was a major pilot training base for Air Training Command, and by 1969 almost 9,000 pilots had earned their wings there. It closed in 1977, and the city turned the field into an airport and industrial park.
Hangars 25 and 44 served both the bombardier school and Webb. The museum fills Hangar 25, a brick and metal hangar of the war years restored for the purpose, with aircraft of the kinds flown in training, exhibits on how bombardiers and pilots were trained, and the memorabilia of the people who served here. It honors a local veteran each month and runs a free Young Eagles flight program for ages 8 to 17.
The closest stops worth working into your route
Roadside plaques and monuments within a short detour