Perrin Field's Off-Base Sites
© 2000 Scott D. Murdock
An aircraft carrier is like an air base at sea; it is the focal point of
aerial operations, but it does not operate alone. It has a complement of ships traveling
with it, providing supplies, security, and other support functions. A large air base like
Perrin Field (later Perrin AFB) has a similar situation. Smaller properties near a base
are pressed into service to support the main base. This article will look at the specific
off-base sites controlled by Perrin Field over the course of its career. I’ll group
the sites into three categories, auxiliary fields, navigation aid sites, and
miscellaneous.
Auxiliary Fields
An auxiliary field is a flying field near the main base, used for practice in takeoffs
and landings. Bases with a flying training mission, such as Perrin, use these to relieve
crowding at the main airfield. In W.W.II, these auxiliaries were frequently sod, or turf,
fields. Most had very minimal improvements or facilities.
Gibbons Auxiliary Field #1 (later called Gibbons Air Force Auxiliary Field) –
6 miles south-southwest of Perrin. Used during W.W.II then declared surplus; but then
reactivated for Perrin AFB from 1948 to 1952. This 265-acre auxiliary had a turf landing
area, the longest landing distance being 3,500 feet. It is currently used as farmland.
Gaskin Auxiliary Field #2 (later called Gaskin Air Force Auxiliary Field) – 16
miles south-southwest of Perrin. Used during W.W.II then kept on inactive status
afterwards; reactivated for Perrin’s use from 1948 to approximately 1952. This
594-acre airfield had a hard-surfaced 4,000-foot runway, and a turf landing area 4,996
feet by 5,737 feet. It is now farmland.
Bilbo Auxiliary Field #3 – 16 miles northeast of Perrin, near Colbert,
Oklahoma. Used during W.W.II then declared surplus and transferred to the Army Corps of
Engineers for disposal in 1946. The surface was sod, and the longest useable landing
distance was 3,900 feet. It is now used as farmland.
Burton Auxiliary Field #4 (later called Burton Air Force Auxiliary Field) – 16
miles east of Perrin, this field was acquired in 1942, and it was used during W.W.II. It
was declared surplus in 1946, but in 1948 it was reacquired and used until 1952. In 1955,
the Air Force transferred the property to the Federal Communications Commission, who
desired it for a monitoring station. This field covered 300 acres, and had two graded
runways. The longest was 3,000 feet. It is currently used as a sand plant, where sand is
mined from the ground.
Eaker Municipal Airport – 3 miles south-southwest of Durant, Oklahoma. This
was a Naval aviation base during W.W.II. It served Perrin as an auxiliary from 1951 to
1953 on a joint-use basis. Randolph AFB later used it as an auxiliary field, from 1967 to
1970. During the period of Perrin’s use, this 850-acre airport had three paved
runways, the longest being 5,000 feet. It is still used as the Durant airport, called
Eaker Field.
Navigation Aid (NAVAID) Sites
Various electronic means of guiding aircraft to an airport have been used over the
years. These NAVAID systems all use antennas to transmit signals to the aircraft. The
antennas may need to be some distance from the base itself, requiring additional off-base
property.
Perrin Instrument Landing System (ILS) Middle Marker Annex – 7/10 of a mile
north of Perrin. This 9.52-acre parcel of land held one small building 3,875 feet from the
northern end of the main runway. This property was active by 1952 and stayed on
Perrin’s real property books until closure. This facility is now abandoned and
located on private property just north of the old landing lights. The Permanent
Installation Number (PIN) was 1272.
Perrin ILS Outer Marker Annex – 6.8 miles north of Perrin. This piece of land
housed another small building with an antenna, 36,360 feet from the northern end of the
main runway. Like the middle marker, it was in use from at least 1952 to Perrin’s
closure. It is now used by the Federal Aviation Administration as a non-directional radio
beacon. The PIN was 1265.
Perrin Low Frequency Homer – 15 miles north of Perrin, in Oklahoma. This small
site (.92 acre) was indicated on a 1952 layout map of Perrin AFB, and was deleted from the
map of off-base sites on 19 Feb 1960. It was also referred to as North Homing Beacon, or
by its call sign "Platter."
Perrin Radio Range Station, OK – 2.5 miles north of Colbert, Oklahoma. This
9.41-acre radio range station was disposed of in September 1944.
Perrin Radio Range Annex, TX – 4 miles southeast of Perrin Field. This 11.46
acre site was in use by 1952, and was disposed of on 9 Jan 1962. The PIN was 1267.
Miscellaneous
Other needs led to additional real property requirements away from the main base. These
properties served a wide variety of purposes!
Railroad Right-of-Way to Pottsboro – Runs from Perrin Field to Pottsboro. Back
in Perrin Field’s youth, railroads were much more important in the logistics system
than they are today. Any large base needed rail access. For Perrin Field, that meant a
railroad spur running from the base to Pottsboro, where it connected to existing tracks.
This property was placed on inactive status in 1946. Although disused, the track remains
in place today.
Lake Texoma Recreation Annex – On Lake Texoma’s shore. The Air Force
acquired beachfront property on Lake Texoma, for the off-duty recreational enjoyment of
Perrin’s G.I.s and their families. Documents from approximately 1960 indicate a
concession house, ice storage, boat shed, and boat yard. This property was leased by use
permit from the Department of the Army on 30 Nov 1948, and transferred from Air Training
Command to Air Defense Command in 1962. Final date of use is not known; a real estate map
is annotated "permit for survival school" on 1 Aug 1966. Veterans confirms this
was also the location of water survival training. The PIN was 1271.
Crash Boat Station – On Lake Texoma’s shore. During W.W.II, Perrin Field
had crash, or rescue, boats stationed on Lake Texoma, to help fliers who bailed out over
the water. This facility was inactivated in 1946. More information is needed to pinpoint
the location.
Perrin Radar Annex – Not far from main base, located east of FM 1417. This
facility was part of a large system of radar stations guarding our skies against attack
during the Cold War. Acquired in 1954, this facility was also known as a Ground Controlled
Intercept (GCI) site. It remained active until Perrin’s closure, and is currently
owned by a boat repair and salvage company. The PIN was 1273.
Closure Bases - When bases are selected to close, they are generally placed under
the control of an active base. The active base supports the inactivation and disposal
process. At the end of W.W.II, Perrin Field had responsibility for Carlsbad AAFld, New
Mexico; Gainesville AAFld, Texas; and Big Spring AAFld, Texas. (Some of you will recall
that Big Spring AAFld was reactivated as Big Spring AFB and later became Webb AFB.)
Summary
Perrin Field had several off-base installations that supported the main base in some
way. This article is a starting point in the process of cataloging those locations. If you
can fill in some of the information gaps, please contact Scott Murdock, P.O. Box 180875,
Arlington, TX 76096 or e-mail scott-murdock@consultant.com. If you’re feeling
nostalgic and want to visit any of these former Air Force properties, please respect the
current owners’ property rights. Better to look from a distance than be arrested (or
worse) for trespass!
| INSTALLATION NAME |
LAT/LON COORDINATES |
| Gibbons Auxiliary Field #1, TX |
33-38-55N, 96-43-10W |
| Gaskin Auxiliary Field #2, TX |
33-30-30N, 96-45-45W |
| Bilbo Auxiliary Field #3, OK |
33-54-00N, 96-30-00W |
| Burton Auxiliary Field #4, TX |
33-42-10N, 96-23-30W |
| Eaker Municipal Airport, OK |
33-56-30N, 96-23-45W |
| Perrin ILS Middle Marker Annex, TX |
33-44-17N, 96-40-20W |
| Perrin ILS Outer Maker Annex, TX |
33-49-26N, 96-40-11W |
| Perrin Low Frequency Homer, OK |
33-55-37N, 96-40-29W |
| Perrin Radio Range Station, OK |
33-53-05N, 96-29-35W |
| Perrin Radio Range Annex, TX |
33-39-58N, 96-37-57W |
| R/R R/W to Pottsboro, TX |
33-44-40N, 96-39-53W |
| Lake Texoma Recreation Annex, TX |
33-49-18N, 96-47-38W |
| Crash Boat Station, TX |
Unknown, need more information |
| Perrin Radar Annex, TX |
33-42-15N, 96-38-55W |
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