In 1926, when many people were afraid of airplanes and most considered flying a daredevil sport, aviation pioneer Harold Pitcairn bought a large section of farmland north of Philadelphia on the west side of Doylestown Pike, now Route 611.
As soon as the arrangements of sale were signed and the checks handed over, Pitcairn began working to turn the farmland into a flying field. A hangar was soon built near the highway and the grass mowed for a landing strip. From these beginnings sprang what is now the largest Naval Air Reserve air station in the United States, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Willow Grove. From 1926 to 1942, Pitcairn developed, tested, built and flew many different aircraft, most notably the Mailwing and Autogiro. During his lifetime, Harold Pitcairn and his associates pursued a dream of developing "The Safe Aircraft." Their vision and innovation have had a profound and lasting impact on American aviation. Harold Pitcairn was the 14th recipient of the highest award in American aviation, the Collier Trophy, which was awarded by President Herbert Hoover. Three Pitcairn aircraft are on display in the Smithsonian Institution''s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. His achievements were recently recognized by his induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
In 1927, after Pitcairn won the U.S. Postal Service contract to carry the overnight mail between New York and Atlanta, he designed the Mailwing. Faster, safer and more efficient than any other aircraft on the market, the Mailwing was immediately bought as standard equipment by many other airlines. Pilots loved the aircraft because of its reliability and ease of handling. When crashes did occur, pilots were often able to walk away with minor injuries due to the Mailwing's rugged construction.
A series of tragic accidents, coupled with changes in government regulations, induced Pitcairn to sell his fledgling air mail business to Eastern Air Transport -- which would eventually become Eastern Airlines. Although the durable Mailwings would continue to carry the mail for several more years, the era of the single-engine, open-cockpit, mail-only plane would soon end.
In December of 1928, Pitcairn first brought the Autogiro to America. This aviation phenomenon, with its uncanny ability to make steep take-offs without danger of stalling and to land nearly vertically with no-roll landings, had been developed by the Spanish aeronautical engineer Juan de la Cieva. Recognizing the potential of this aircraft, Pitcairn bought the American rights to Cieva's patents, and soon Autogiros as well as Mailwings were being turned out by Pitcairn's aircraft factory. Although the Autogiro did not become the commercial success that many hoped it would, The Pitcairn patents were purchased by Igor Sikorski and were used in developing the helicopter.
In 1942, to help the nation rise to its defense, Pitcairn sold his flying field to the United States Navy. The Naval aviation unit to first occupy what eventually became NAS JRB Willow Grove originated in 1929 at the Rockaway, N.Y., Training School with 16 officers, 53 enlisted men, four seaplanes and seven land based aircraft. They were soon transferred to Mustin Field at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. As World War II approached, it became obvious that the small Mustin Field was inadequate for mobilization purposes. So in early 1942, the Navy paid $480,000 for the Pitcairn Field and its hangars. Some 250 Naval personnel took possession of the field that year, bringing along with them 30 N3N biplane trainers, known as the "Yellow Peril."
In January 1943, the field was officially commissioned the United States Naval Air Station Willow Grove. By October, a highly classified project under the direction of the Naval Research Laboratory was underway. The project's mission was to establish an effective USNR Radio/Radar Unit, which modified over 2,000 PV-1 antisubmarine aircraft. These modified aircraft were delivered to squadrons operating in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. The PV-1 is the ancestor of our present day P-3C aircraft operating in the patrol squadrons here on station and around the country. At its wartime peak, NAS Willow Grove housed tens of thousands of servicemen and women.
Following the end of the war, Willow Grove was designated a reserve training station under the Chief of Naval Air Reserve Training. Activities increased during the Korean War and, in 1957, the Navy purchased additional land bordering the air station to bring the area to its present total of 1,100 acres. Later, the Vietnam conflict and Gulf War would also significantly increase air station operations. All three conflicts saw many Willow Grove Reservists recalled to support both flight and ground missions.
In 1994, the air station's name was again changed to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) Willow Grove, to more accurately depict the joint composition and mission of the Reservists serving here. Today, NAS JRB Willow Grove's runway is shared by Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army Reservists, as well as the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. Because our Naval Reservists now train with the latest warfare technologies, they are tasked with missions and operate in direct support of their active duty fleet counterparts to meet any national contingency.
NAS JRB Willow Grove is committed to maintaining a positive presence to fulfill mission requirements, while maintaining a positive presence in our local community
The tradition of a reserve militia to serve the nation goes back to colonial days. In 1887, the Navy Department prepared a plan of organization for a naval militia force and, by 1894, the movement had reached the point where the Secretary of the Navy was given authority to lend each state having a naval militia one of the Navy's older ships, as well as equipment, to "promote drills and instruction."
By 1897, sixteen states had a naval militia in one form or another. By the time Theodore Roosemelt took over as assistant Secretary of the Navy, the United States Naval Militia had more than 4,000 officers and enlisted men.
On 29 August 1916, Congress passed the Naval Reserve Appropriations Act, which established the Naval Reserve Flying Corps. Approximately seven months later, on 24 March 1917, twelve students from Yale University, led by F. Trubee Davison, volunteered en masse to become what is recognized as the first Naval Air Reserve flying squadron. From that beginning, Naval Air Reservists have served in every crisis that has confronted our nation, including World Wars I and II, the Berlin Airlift, Korea, Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Deny Flight in the Adriatic theater, among others.
Today's Naval Air Reserve Force had its modern genesis in 1946, with the establishment of the Naval Air Reserve Training Command, headquartered at Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois. In 1973, the air and surface Reserve commands were combined in New Orleans, Lousiana, under the Chief of Naval Reserve, who reported directly to the Chief of Naval Operations. In 1983, both the Naval Air Reserve Force and the Naval Surface Reserve Force were established as separate commands under Commander, Naval Reserve Force, with headquarters in New Orleans.
Today, more than 26,000 Selected Reserve, TAR and Regular Navy Sailors proudly serve in the Naval Air Reserve Force. It is an air force ranked among the most capable in the world. Its five air wings and 34 squadrons are equipped with the most modern aircraft and technology, including the F/A-18 Hornet, F-14 Tomcat, HH-60 Seahawk, P-3C (UpdateIII) Orion, C-130T Hercules, C-20G Gulfsteam IV and the EA-6B Prowler. Further, in September 1995 the Naval Air Reserve Force was bolstered by the assignment of the aircraft carrier USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV-67) as the Reserve carrier, and Carrier Air Wing Reserve 20 as its assigned air wing.
The Naval Air Reserve Force has never been more ready, more capable or as well equipped to effectively augment the fleet in peacetime or war. Its officers, enlisted men and women, and civilian workers are the very best the Navy has to offer in defense of our great nation.
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14 - 15 September 2002The Sounds of Freedom Air Show
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The DVHAA is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and display of the aviation history of the Delaware Valley. Members work year-round collecting and restoring vintage aircraft, artifacts, and memorabilia. We have a top notch research facility, including thousands of books, magazines, still and motion pictures, etc. Our public relations team is actively engaged in guiding tours, public speaking, and contributing material to a variety of printed as well as electronic media outlets. We also field a very impressive display at each annual NAS-JRB Willow Grove airshow.
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