Sebring Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Sebring Regional Airport is a general aviation
airport
located 9 mi (14.5 km) southeast of Sebring
, in Highlands County
, Florida
. A portion of the old runway system is now Sebring International Raceway, home to the 12 Hours of Sebring
, an American Le Mans series race, which has been held annually since 1952. The airport is also home to a business park and is a Department of Commerce-certified Foreign Trade Zone
—FTZ No. 215.
In 1940, Sebring Officials and citizens contacted their Florida congressional delegation to see about getting an Army base in the area. In the summer of 1940, and in early 1941, a group of Army Air Corps officers surveyed the area. On June 12, 1941, Congressman J. Hardin Peterson advised that an area of 9200 acres (3,723.1 ha) of woodland had been approved for a basic flying school. The City of Sebring purchased the land and leased it to the government at $1 per year for 99 years.
On July 20, 1941 construction began with Cleary Brothers of West Palm Beach as the General Contractor and Colonel A.H. Bond of the US Army Corps of Engineers in charge. Major Leonard H. Rodieck, who had designed the base, provided oversight for the Army Air Corps. A railroad spur was extended to the installation, followed by construction of the air base facilities and infrastructure. In time, the base became a self-supporting city with paved streets, water and sewage systems, frame buildings, 2-story barracks, and 4 concrete runways, each 300 feet (91.4 m) wide by 5000 feet (1,524 m) long. The first soldiers arrived on September 5, 1941 and initially occupied tents on the shore of Lake Jackson on the edge of Sebring until they moved onto the base in December when the first barracks were completed.
While under construction, the base was known, unofficially, as Kehoe Field, either by joke or by error. The base achieved its initial operating capability and was placed under command of Major Roderick on June 26, 1941. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the base's status was upgraded to full operational capability and placed under the command of Colonel Carl B. McDaniel.
On January 14, 1942, the base was named Hendricks Field in honor of 1st Lieutenant Laird Woodruff Hendricks, Jr. A native Floridian, Hendricks was born in Ocala, Florida, grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1939. Commissioned into the Army Air Corps, Hendricks completed flight training and received his aeronautical rating as an Army pilot. Lieutenant Hendricks was killed in a B-17 crash in England on July 28, 1941, just three days after he arrived there to train Royal Air Force
pilots.
On January 29, 1942, the first B-17 was flown into Hendricks Field and pilot and crew training began in earnest in March 1942. By January 1943, Hendricks Field had become a fully functional B-17 training school, and in peak operation about 120 B-17’s were assigned and over 10,000 pilots and other crewmembers were trained. Commanding Officers:
Hendricks Field had one of the best safety records in the Army Air Forces. However, there were several crashes, several belly landings, and nine fatal crashes with 45 fatalities. After war’s end in mid-August 1945, the facility was no longer needed to train flight crews. The training program began to wind down during September and October, and by mid-November the order came to inactivate the base by December 31, 1945.
The field was deactivated on schedule on December 31 with Colonel Charles D. Farr in command. Following Hendricks Field's official deactivation, Colonel Farr remained at the base to convey the installation to the local community. The field was conditionally turned over to the City of Sebring 25 days later. On February 21, 1946, the city received a permit to operate a civilian airfield on the site and on May 1, 1946, the abandoned airfield was turned over to the City of Sebring to become Sebring Air Terminal, now Sebring Regional Airport & Commerce Park.
In December 1950, the first sports car endurance race was held, and since then the world famous 12 Hours of Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance has been held in March each year, with the race track taking the East-West ramp and the closed Runway 9/27, along with some streets of the former air base-turned commerce park.
Only the main hangar, restored in 2000, is now in use. New water and sewage systems were completed, and the military's former high water tower, a very noticeable landmark, was brought down in December, 1997. The original military control tower was brought down in December 1999 and has been restored and re-erected as a historical icon, although the airport continues to operate as an uncontrolled airfield.
The airport is also home to the annual Sport Aviation Expo.
formerly flew into Sebring Regional Airport through an on-demand system, providing direct flights to approximately one dozen cities. DayJet suspended operations in 19 September 2008; there is no regularly scheduled passenger service into the airport.
, aeronautical engineer Alec Ullman, seeking sites to restore military aircraft for civilian use, saw potential in Hendricks Field's runways to stage an sports car endurance race, similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sebring's first race was held on New Year's Eve of 1950 and the first 12 Hours of Sebring was held on March 15, 1952. The latter would grow to be a major international race. In 1959, the racetrack hosted the first Formula One United States Grand Prix.
For much of Sebring's history, the track followed a 5.38 mile (8.66 km) layout. In 1983, the track was changed to allow simultaneous use of the track and one of the runways. In 1987, more changes allowed use of another runway. Further changes in 1991 accommodated expansion of the airport's facilities, and brought the track close to its current configuration. The entire track could now be used without interfering with normal airport operations.
Sebring Raceway is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States, its first race being run in 1950. Many consider Sebring to be one of the classic race tracks in North American sports car racing, and the 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Daytona, and 24 Hours of Le Mans to be the trifecta of sports car racing.
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located 9 mi (14.5 km) southeast of Sebring
Sebring, Florida
Sebring is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States, nicknamed "The City on the Circle", in reference to Circle Drive, the center of the Sebring Downtown Historic District...
, in Highlands County
Highlands County, Florida
Highlands County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the population was 97,346. Its county seat is Sebring, Florida. The county comprises the Sebring, Florida, Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. A portion of the old runway system is now Sebring International Raceway, home to the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
, an American Le Mans series race, which has been held annually since 1952. The airport is also home to a business park and is a Department of Commerce-certified Foreign Trade Zone
Foreign trade zone
A foreign-trade zone in the United States is a geographical area, in United States Ports of Entry Ports of Entry, where commercial merchandise, both domestic and foreign receives the same Customs treatment it would if it were outside the commerce of the United States...
—FTZ No. 215.
History
Sebring Regional Airport was originally constructed in 1940 as Hendricks Field, a B-17 Flying Fortress crew training base of the US Army Air Corps, later the US Army Air Forces.In 1940, Sebring Officials and citizens contacted their Florida congressional delegation to see about getting an Army base in the area. In the summer of 1940, and in early 1941, a group of Army Air Corps officers surveyed the area. On June 12, 1941, Congressman J. Hardin Peterson advised that an area of 9200 acres (3,723.1 ha) of woodland had been approved for a basic flying school. The City of Sebring purchased the land and leased it to the government at $1 per year for 99 years.
On July 20, 1941 construction began with Cleary Brothers of West Palm Beach as the General Contractor and Colonel A.H. Bond of the US Army Corps of Engineers in charge. Major Leonard H. Rodieck, who had designed the base, provided oversight for the Army Air Corps. A railroad spur was extended to the installation, followed by construction of the air base facilities and infrastructure. In time, the base became a self-supporting city with paved streets, water and sewage systems, frame buildings, 2-story barracks, and 4 concrete runways, each 300 feet (91.4 m) wide by 5000 feet (1,524 m) long. The first soldiers arrived on September 5, 1941 and initially occupied tents on the shore of Lake Jackson on the edge of Sebring until they moved onto the base in December when the first barracks were completed.
While under construction, the base was known, unofficially, as Kehoe Field, either by joke or by error. The base achieved its initial operating capability and was placed under command of Major Roderick on June 26, 1941. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the base's status was upgraded to full operational capability and placed under the command of Colonel Carl B. McDaniel.
On January 14, 1942, the base was named Hendricks Field in honor of 1st Lieutenant Laird Woodruff Hendricks, Jr. A native Floridian, Hendricks was born in Ocala, Florida, grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1939. Commissioned into the Army Air Corps, Hendricks completed flight training and received his aeronautical rating as an Army pilot. Lieutenant Hendricks was killed in a B-17 crash in England on July 28, 1941, just three days after he arrived there to train Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilots.
On January 29, 1942, the first B-17 was flown into Hendricks Field and pilot and crew training began in earnest in March 1942. By January 1943, Hendricks Field had become a fully functional B-17 training school, and in peak operation about 120 B-17’s were assigned and over 10,000 pilots and other crewmembers were trained. Commanding Officers:
Hendricks Field had one of the best safety records in the Army Air Forces. However, there were several crashes, several belly landings, and nine fatal crashes with 45 fatalities. After war’s end in mid-August 1945, the facility was no longer needed to train flight crews. The training program began to wind down during September and October, and by mid-November the order came to inactivate the base by December 31, 1945.
The field was deactivated on schedule on December 31 with Colonel Charles D. Farr in command. Following Hendricks Field's official deactivation, Colonel Farr remained at the base to convey the installation to the local community. The field was conditionally turned over to the City of Sebring 25 days later. On February 21, 1946, the city received a permit to operate a civilian airfield on the site and on May 1, 1946, the abandoned airfield was turned over to the City of Sebring to become Sebring Air Terminal, now Sebring Regional Airport & Commerce Park.
In December 1950, the first sports car endurance race was held, and since then the world famous 12 Hours of Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance has been held in March each year, with the race track taking the East-West ramp and the closed Runway 9/27, along with some streets of the former air base-turned commerce park.
Only the main hangar, restored in 2000, is now in use. New water and sewage systems were completed, and the military's former high water tower, a very noticeable landmark, was brought down in December, 1997. The original military control tower was brought down in December 1999 and has been restored and re-erected as a historical icon, although the airport continues to operate as an uncontrolled airfield.
The airport is also home to the annual Sport Aviation Expo.
Passenger Service
DayJetDayJet
DayJet was an American commercial aviation operation that provided on-demand jet travel using Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets. The company began operations in Florida in October 2007 and suspended operations on September 19, 2008....
formerly flew into Sebring Regional Airport through an on-demand system, providing direct flights to approximately one dozen cities. DayJet suspended operations in 19 September 2008; there is no regularly scheduled passenger service into the airport.
Accidents and incidents
- On 5 December 1978, Douglas C-53 N25656 of Caribe Air Sales crashed shortly after take-off and was destroyed by fire. The gust locks had not been removed before flight and the aircraft was overloaded. All three people on board were killed.
Sports Car Racing
Following the end of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, aeronautical engineer Alec Ullman, seeking sites to restore military aircraft for civilian use, saw potential in Hendricks Field's runways to stage an sports car endurance race, similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sebring's first race was held on New Year's Eve of 1950 and the first 12 Hours of Sebring was held on March 15, 1952. The latter would grow to be a major international race. In 1959, the racetrack hosted the first Formula One United States Grand Prix.
For much of Sebring's history, the track followed a 5.38 mile (8.66 km) layout. In 1983, the track was changed to allow simultaneous use of the track and one of the runways. In 1987, more changes allowed use of another runway. Further changes in 1991 accommodated expansion of the airport's facilities, and brought the track close to its current configuration. The entire track could now be used without interfering with normal airport operations.
Sebring Raceway is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States, its first race being run in 1950. Many consider Sebring to be one of the classic race tracks in North American sports car racing, and the 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Daytona, and 24 Hours of Le Mans to be the trifecta of sports car racing.
External links
- Sebring Regional Airport — Official Site