Hutchinson Air National Guard Base

Hutchinson Air National Guard Base is a closed United States Navy naval air station and a closed Air National Guard base. It is located 2mi west-southwest of Yoder, Kansas. It was closed for all military use in 1968.The airfield was reopened in 1971 as Sunflower Aerodrome Gliderport. It is also used by the Federal Aviation Administration as a long-range radar site data-tied into the Joint Surveillance System (JSS).HistoryUnited States Navy useIn 1942, the United States Navy selected more than 2,500 acres of land near Yoder, Kansas for a naval airfield for training of Student Naval Aviators. Construction of Naval Air Station (NAS) Hutchinson began in October 1942. In addition to the main facility, an additional 3,900 acres were leased for up to 20 additional auxiliary landing fields. While construction was ongoing, the Navy used the Yoder Municipal Airport as a temporary training site.Aircraft initially assigned to NAS Hutchinson were Stearman N2S-3s and N2S-4s, later upgraded to N2S-5s trainers. In 1944, training of pilots and flight crews for Consolidated PB4Y-1 Liberators, a navalized version of the U.S. Army Air Forces' B-24 Liberator modified for maritime patrol and reconnaissance duties, was also conducted at NAS Hutchinson. At its wartime peak, over 5,000 personnel were assigned. With the end of World War II, NAS Hutchinson was closed and disposed of through the War Assets Administration in 1946.