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Landing at a US Military Base

newtech

newtech

Well Known Member
Patron
Does anyone know if it is still possible for a former military member (Air Force) to get advance permission to land at a U.S. Air Force Base? It used to be possible to do this but I don't know if it still is. A number of our local EAA Chapter members are former military and would like to fly to Wright Patterson AFB on Veterans Day and spend the day at the USAF museum.
 
Nope, not when I called them (USAF Museum) a couple years back. I'm also prior AF. Haven't heard of any access except at joint use fields like Scott AFB/Mid-America airport near St. Louis (civilian side one of the most obscene Congressional pork boondoggles that has remained practically without customers for years :mad:).
 
You need to do some paperwork

Sorry I don't know where to direct you but while still on active duty I was able to send off paperwork that gave me landing rights at the base I was stationed. There was an aero club on the field so I don't know if that helped. I have a friend who has landed with his plane at March AFB, CA many times but he works there also.

I would call a military aero club and they might direct you to who to right and what forms to fill out. As I recall it took several weeks for the form to come back. You might not want to go through this for a one time thing. I did it so I could commute to work by air on nice days, I kept a bicycle at the aero club so I could ride from there to the building I worked in. The commute took 10-15 minutes longer than by car if you counted the preflight, but it was sure nice to see traffic from above rather than be stuck in it.

Cheers
 
other ways

I'm sure if you are current military you can fill in some forms and get permission to land a civilian aircraft at a military base. so...

What if you are a member of a military aero club, civil air patrol, or some other membership that still ties you to the military other than retirement?

worth a look, I'd think?


*edit Jeez, I was off by 1 minute!
 
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Sometimes at least

I landed at the very active Dyess AFB this year for the Big Country Air Fest. By the way I would like to land at Scott AFB where I went to Radio Maintenance school in the 3rd area for 37 weeks in 1954. Oh... I'm no longer active military.

Bob Axsom
 
I landed my -4 at Wright-Patterson...

About 6 years ago, I had business at the museum and was able to easily get permission to land my -4 on the base. I had to share the pattern with a C-5, but it was easy to keep an eye on the traffic. The museum provided me with the appropriate contacts to secure permission. I am not ex-military.
 
Landing at a military base

Any fly-in/airshow excluded, you may need to contact your insurance company about the necessary forms.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is planning another fly-to-work day this September at the Fort Worth facility. There are 3 or 4 forms that we have been advised to get and submit to the Joint Reserve Base operated by the Navy in order to get approval to land on their runway, even though our planes will be parked on Lockheed's transient ramp.
The insurance requirement is spelled out pretty clearly and may vary from base to base, or branch of service.
Plan ahead!
 
Not always

Last summer I applied for permission to land at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. I received a phone call from the Department of Defense explaining that individuals are not given permission to land at a government facility. I interpreted this to mean that organizations may get permission. They were very polite. But the answer was "no".
 
Yes You Can

I?m a retired USAF Lt Col and have filled out the paperwork and have permission to land at AF fields provided I get approval from the base with a PPR 24 hours in advance. I believe the current rules are you have to be RETIRED or ACTIVE to use this benefit. I?m currently flying a Cherokee under this permission. The process and paperwork leads me to believe that I will able to do so when my 7A is finished.

You have to provide a form 2400 from your insurance folks (Jenny at NationAir knows what it is) directly to a gentleman, Gabby Garbonia, in the Pentagon. Here is his CONTACT info;

GABBY GABONIA, Civ, DAF
Civil Aviation Analyst
Civil-Military Aviation Division
Directorate of Air Operations
Headquarters United States Air Force
Voice: (703) 697-5967, Dsn: 227-5967
Fax: (703) 695-7004, Dsn: 225-7004

If you are retired you need to also send Gabby a copy of your retirement orders and a filled out form 2401. The form 2401 as an address on it that you are suppose to mail it to but I believe that address has changed so I would give Gabby a call to verify the address. This is the last address I had for mailing all the paperwork is;

HQ USAF/A3O-AC
1480 AIR FORCE PENTAGON ROOM 5D260
WASHINGTON DC 20330-1480

You have to recertify every year so stay on top of it. The process took about 1 month so plan ahead. Here is a link to the form 2401.

www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/infomgt/forms/eforms/dd2401.pdf
 
I Forgot One Thing

The Navy told me they do not allow this benefit so that may keep you out of Navy and Marine bases.
 
I know you can land at Naval bases with a PPR filed 24 hours in advance because I've arranged it at NAS Norfolk, as well as NAS Oceana, but their insurance requirements are absurd, so unless you're flying a military aero club aircraft you can pretty much forget it.

I believe most Marine bases are going to tell you no. Most of the ones I've been stationed on have either forced the base aero club out in town or shut it down altogether.

PJ Seipel
RV-10 #40032
 
PJSeipel said:
I know you can land at Naval bases with a PPR filed 24 hours in advance because I've arranged it at NAS Norfolk, as well as NAS Oceana, but their insurance requirements are absurd, so unless you're flying a military aero club aircraft you can pretty much forget it.

I believe most Marine bases are going to tell you no. Most of the ones I've been stationed on have either forced the base aero club out in town or shut it down altogether.

PJ Seipel
RV-10 #40032
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The JRB at Fort Worth is run by the Navy and the additional insurance coverages that they require amount to a $32 premium for my 6A. I'm gladly paying that to get to fly to work and show off my plane to all the guys. :D
 
I landed at an Air Force base once without prior permission. Well, the tower knew we were landing. We had an engine out and had no where else to go. Get permission if at all possible. Otherwise the paperwork you have to fill out is horrendous. But you do get to take a ride in an MP car.

It's amazing the amount of excitement this generates on the base.

Knowing what I know now and it being post 9/11 and all, if I'm ever faced with that situation again I'm going to try harder to find a bean field. Much less paperwork.
 
Air Force Reg is the key

Sorry for the long reply, but the real answers are found in the post above with the site for the AF Instruction. I can't speak for Marine bases. The AFI looks like someone made a career writing it, but it contains all the procedures. Dept of Defense forms 2400 (a/c cert), 2401 (proof of insurance) and 2402 (Hold Harmless Agreement) are the basics. There is an office in the Pentagon responsible for approving this paperwork. Some bases and Commanders may still deny access, but with the paperwork done its fairly easy to use many of the bases, particularly those with aero clubs. Post 9-11, they are picky about knowing your info and insurance confirmation. They want NO liability if you scratch their runway or injure yourself or passenger and the insurance dollar minumums are clearly stated (normally less that you're already carrying). Some bases require a PPR number to land and its always good advice to CALL AHEAD to base operations to get that number and any restrictions. It is quite common to see RV's, P-51's and others, stopping at Langley for example, to refuel at the club. Others fly in for meetings. Active duty and retired use it more because they are familiar with the reg's and process. Hope it helps!
 
Sorry for dredging up an old thread, but I wanted to see if anything has changed.

I am waiting on a call back from NAS Key West, but wanted to see if any retirees have had any luck recently on getting access to land at an military field. Staying at the Navy Lodge and easier to walk over from NAS Key West as opposed to landing at KEYW. Ok, it is way cheaper as well

Used to do it all the time before hanging up the green suit. First time since.
 
Use of Military Airfields

The Air Force still allows active duty and retires to land at USAF airfields as long as you get the right insurance and fill out all the military paper work. I maintain my AF permit #'s for my RV8 and Cherokee. You normally have to get prior permission (usually through base Ops) before each flight and have a reason to be there. But Navy approval while using almost the same type paperwork has always been harder to get. Years a ago there was a accident at a Navy base where (if I remember correctly) a civilian aircraft landed on top of a F14 and that pretty ruined use of Navy airfields by civilian aircraft again flown by active or retired military. I've had Navy permission before but only while I was on active duty going to a JCS school on a Navy base.
 
Contact the public affairs office at Wright-Patterson, explain the situation, it’s a good story/ community outreach for them, especially for Veterans Day. You could also contact the museum. Next you’ll need to contact base operations to get a PPR. You’ll probably be required to show proof of insurance, file some waiver paperwork, have a PPR issued, file a flight plan and land in a 15 minute window. Good luck!
 
The Army and Air Force allow retired personnel to land at their airfields with proper approval. For approval, fill out the DD2400, 2401 and 2402 and send them to the appropriate service. You must be landing there for an approved activity. The Army & AF accepts visiting the DEERS office, base hospital, BX or Commissary as approved activities. The Navy does not even accept the application paperwork with these activities. Good luck with Key West. I have tried but have never been able.

FWIW I have landed at Lawson AAF (Ft. Benning) , Pope AAF (Ft. Brag), MacDill AFB, Keesler AFB, Redstone Arsenal AAF, Nellis AFB and Hunter AAF. You can check out some of the military airfields I have landed in the adventures section of our webpage www.puertoricoflyer.com

:cool:
 
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Since I'm an Air Force airfield manager and this is part of my job, I'll give you the correct answer instead of pure speculation. Keep in mind this is for the AF, but all DoD installations will be similar. All the information for applying is in AFI 10-1001, but as mentioned above you'll need to submit DD Forms 2400, 2401, and 2402. It also says you should submit it at least 30 days prior and I'd say most places wouldn't approve it on a shorter time frame unless there were extenuating circumstances. This is due to the Major Command being the approval authority unless it's been designated down to the installation commander. Also, remember that military installations are official business only, so it's unlikely that they'll approve a CALP unless it's for an air show/static display, or another very good reason (such as you're a current service member and use your plane to commute to work). According to the reg, staying in government lodging could technically qualify, but that doesn't mean they have to approve it.

Your first step will need to be calling the airfield ops number listed in the chart supplement and ask if they currently accept civil aircraft landing requests (the installation commander may have a policy with blanket no's). If your request is approved then the permit is good at that installation until your insurance expires, or 2 years, whichever comes first (unless it's a single use permit) and you'd just need to request a PPR for each visit. You'll also be required to file a flight plan and give a copy of it to the airfield ops section before you depart the installation. Good luck and feel free to PM with any more specific questions.
 
No Go for NAS Key West

Just heard back. Sounds like there are a bunch of leisure requests to the CINC for NAS Key West and the default answer is "No" unless you are using a MWR flying club aircraft.

Official business requests are much easier to come by. Sounds like I am going to be heading the KEYW instead.
 
The only pilot I ever heard of doing so was General Yeager. He flew our Husky down to Beale AFB years ago. There is a video on You Tube of him doing so. I know it was not an easy task but I think it just took a call to the base commander. I did not go with him but Bart Riebe did
 
I got a CALP a couple years ago so I could land my Mooney at a base I was commuting to do work this. It was super convenient because my customer was in a building right at the end of the runway and I just taxied over and parked right in front of the back door to the building. Flying in the pattern with F-35s was a fun experience but I will never sign a DD2402 ever again.

One of the times I was there one of their maintenance people mistook my plane for a government plane and filled it full of JET-A. Luckily they realized their mistake and found me before I took off. While they did replace my fuel, I was on the hook for a mechanic to come out and help me drain out 100 GAL of contaminated fuel on a 100F ramp in the middle of the summer. That was not a fun experience at all.

I recommend that anyone wishing to land at a military airfield read form DD2402 very carefully and ask themselves what the worst thing that could possibly happen by signing a form that says if the government does anything wrong then its not their fault.
 
Uninvited

A couple of my buddies, both flight instructors, several years ago, landed at Peter O'Knight airport (KTPF) --- only it was NOT! A jeep full of armed airmen met them at McDill AFB. It took them a couple of hours to get released.

Of course, everyone remembers a couple of years ago when an AF C-17 did land at KTPF, by mistake (3600 ft runway vs. 11,000) -- tough on brakes!

Ron
 
Yes and no.

So the answer is yes you can but……….

Before we owned the RV-10 I flew a Cherokee 140 from Orlando and landed at Whiteman AFB (home of the B2). For the PPR (prior permission required) all you need is a valid reason, sign 3 papers, and approval.

https://n7zk.com/whiteman-afb-b-2-tour/

Fast forward to last year and I had the great idea to land at Wright Patterson to see the Air Force Museum on our way back from Oshkosh. I never got an email or call returned from the base.

So procedurally it is very possible as long as the right people up the food chain have interest in your trip.
 
Cth6 said:
Just heard back. Sounds like there are a bunch of leisure requests to the CINC for NAS Key West and the default answer is "No" unless you are using a MWR flying club aircraft.

Official business requests are much easier to come by. Sounds like I am going to be heading the KEYW instead.
Click to expand...

Consider using Marathon instead and renting a car. It’s a nice drive to Key West from there.
 
sailvi767 said:
Consider using Marathon instead and renting a car. It’s a nice drive to Key West from there.
Click to expand...

Since Covid, Marathon has gotten in to the same game as Key West. 27.50 per night. 25 tie down and 2.50 handling. Key West is 34 per night with fees.

Rental cars in FL tourist areas are higher than ever. Nothing like a ford festiva for 102 a day in marathon. But I will give it to you it is a great drive down there.

At the end, the Navy Lodge is actually closer to KEYW as opposed to NAS Key West. I was surprised how stringent the Navy has become on airfields. Key West was a routine long weekend hang out with the Cessna 172. Getting into Army fields was a breeze after hanging up the green suit.
 
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