Mather Field

Mather Field
Name	Mather Field
Location	Sacramento County, California
Type	Air Reserve Base / Former Air Force Base
Used	1918–present
Controlledby	United States Air Force / Sacramento County, California
Occupants	California Air National Guard, 151st Air Refueling Wing (historical), Transport Workers Union of America (civilian roles)

Mather Field Mather Field is a historic aviation installation in Sacramento County, California, established during World War I and later serving major interwar, World War II, Cold War, and post‑Cold War roles. Over its lifespan the site has been associated with United States Army Air Service, United States Army Air Corps, United States Army Air Forces, and United States Air Force organizations, as well as civilian aviation, aerospace logistics, and community redevelopment projects. The installation’s evolution intersected with national programs such as the Air Mail Act, the National Defense Act, and base realignment policies including the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (1991).

History

Originally commissioned in 1918 as a training base for the United States Army Air Service, the field supported pilot instruction and cross‑country operations connected to facilities like Kelly Field and Chanute Field. In the interwar years it hosted units from the Air Corps Tactical School and functioned alongside Hamilton Field and Rockwell Field in Pacific Coast air defense planning. During World War II the installation expanded rapidly, operating as a training and logistics hub that coordinated with the Army Air Forces Training Command and facilitated aircraft ferrying linked to the Air Transport Command.

In the Cold War era Mather Field became integral to aerial reconnaissance, navigator training, and strategic airlift support, interacting with organizations such as the Strategic Air Command and the Military Air Transport Service. The post‑Vietnam period saw shifts toward reserve and Air National Guard missions similar to changes at installations like Mather Air Force Base (closure) undertaken elsewhere under the Defense Base Realignment and Closure processes. The early 1990s closure recommendation by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (1993) led to conversion planning akin to transformations at Lowry Air Force Base and March Air Reserve Base. Redevelopment created a civilian airport and business park, while some hangars and runways remained under federal oversight for Reserve and training use.

Facilities and infrastructure

The airfield complex historically featured multiple runways, control tower facilities, aircraft maintenance hangars, and training ranges comparable to those at Randolph Field and Scott Air Force Base. Surviving infrastructure includes hardened hangars influenced by designs used at Moffett Field and fuel storage systems engineered to Air Force specifications used at Eglin Air Force Base. Ground support includes aviation fuel distribution nodes modeled after systems at Tinker Air Force Base and instrument landing systems similar to installations at Naval Air Station Lemoore.

Onsite accommodations, administrative buildings, and technical schools paralleled facilities at Keesler Air Force Base and Sheppard Air Force Base. The transition to civilian use retained taxiways and apron space adapted for cargo operations like those at Sacramento International Airport, and business park developments echo redevelopment projects at Presidio of San Francisco and Pearl Harbor conversion efforts. Historic hangars have been repurposed for aerospace contractors connected to companies resembling Lockheed Martin and Boeing subcontractors, while portions of the property host training centers and commuter services comparable to those at Van Nuys Airport.

Units and operations

Throughout its active military tenure the installation hosted a succession of training squadrons, transport groups, and support wings paralleling unit rotations seen at Travis Air Force Base and McClellan Air Force Base. Navigator and bombardier training programs aligned with curricula from the Air Training Command and later Air Education and Training Command. Reserve and Air National Guard elements provided aerial refueling, airlift, and aeromedical evacuation missions that coordinated with units at Terre Haute Air National Guard Base and March Air Reserve Base.

Civilian operations after closure supported cargo carriers, corporate aviation, and aviation maintenance organizations analogous to businesses at John Wayne Airport and Oakland International Airport. Joint operations with Sacramento County Sheriff aviation assets and state agencies mirrored interagency arrangements common at regional airports such as Burbank Airport and Long Beach Airport.

Accidents and incidents

The airfield’s century of aviation activity produced several notable accidents and incidents similar in profile to mishaps recorded at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport. Training accidents during the World War II era involved aircraft types akin to the North American T‑6 Texan and AT‑6 trainers, while Cold War mishaps included transport and tanker aircraft with parallels to incidents involving the Boeing KC‑135 Stratotanker and Douglas C‑47 Skytrain elsewhere. Investigations into such events referenced safety practices and protocols consistent with standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration and incident reporting systems used across installations like Point Mugu.

Environmental, ground‑support, and ordnance‑related incidents prompted remediation actions comparable to cleanup efforts at Naval Air Station Alameda and McClellan Air Force Base, often involving coordination with federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and state regulatory bodies.

Environmental and community impact

Redevelopment of former military lands followed patterns seen at sites including Fort Ord and Presidio of San Francisco, balancing hazardous‑waste remediation, wetlands preservation, and economic transition to civilian uses. Contaminants from historical fuel storage and firefighting foams required remediation consistent with settlement frameworks and remediation technologies applied at locations like Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base and Hill Air Force Base.

Community engagement addressed housing, commercial development, and transportation planning issues similar to those tackled in redevelopment projects at Naval Station Great Lakes and Fort Baker. Partnerships with local institutions such as Sacramento County, California, regional transit agencies, and educational providers mirrored collaborative approaches used at redeveloped bases like Lowry Air Force Base, fostering aerospace industry clusters and job training programs linked to contractors and universities in the University of California system.

Category:Airports in Sacramento County, California Category:Former United States Air Force installations