History on the fly

WRITTEN BY ANNE GABBIANELLI

“If these walls could talk” is an old saying, and at the south end of the Presque Isle International Airport the walls are talking — sharing history that was once hidden.

“One of the things about the Air Museum is it conveys a story that surprises people,” said Scott Wardwell, airport director.

The Presque Isle Air Museum may have been dedicated in 1999, but it takes visitors back almost 100 years, documenting how Presque Isle was the forerunner to Loring Air Force Base. 

In 1930, construction began on 320 acres of land not far from Presque Isle’s downtown business district. It consisted of two grass strips and a 100-by-80-foot hangar. The airfield first hosted the  “Barnstormer,” a scenic plane ride business in 1934. 

With WWII looming, the federal government allocated funding to establish the Presque Isle Army Airfield, later renamed Presque Isle Air Force Base (PIAFB). The base went on to play a crucial role during the war. The Army Air Corp, which later evolved into the Air Force, called Presque Isle home because of its location. 

“We are actually closer to Europe, which was especially important during WWII,” Wardwell said.

In 1942, Boeing’s B17E Flying Fortress bombers were a common sight in Presque Isle because the base was Air Transport Command’s Division headquarters. The Flying Tigers’ American Volunteer Group (AVG), with its own story, offered a great deal to the area’s aviation history.

Now comes what Wardwell calls  “a fabulous story.”   

The SNARK missile program was the United States’ first intercontinental cruise missile, developed by Northrop. It was designed to deliver thermonuclear warheads over long distances and was in service from January 1959 to June 1961.  According to historical accounts in the museum, the Strategic Air Command activated the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing in 1959 at PIAFB as the nation’s first and only operational SNARK base with 30 missiles.  

 The SNARK had a range of 5,500 nautical miles and could reach an altitude of 50,000 feet.  It was jet-engine propelled with a sustained speed of 650 MPH. The trajectory of the missiles was from Presque Isle to targets in the Soviet Union. 

In 1960, four of the missiles were placed on 24-hour alert, yet no missile was ever fired in an act of aggression. Just a year later, the Kennedy Administration determined the SNARK program was obsolete, replacing missiles with rockets.

The base went on to host C47s, DC3s, Northrup’s F-20 Tigershark, North American’s F86 Sabre, Republic P47D, Boeing B17G, and more. It’s all captured in the history lining the walls of the Presque Isle Air Museum.

In 1961, the Air Force relocated from Presque Isle to Loring Air Force Base in nearby Limestone. 

“A line of B52s came on and required more real estate and nuclear warehousing,” Wardwell said.

Like with the SNARK missiles, Loring’s nuclear program was never put into military action, yet both locations were chosen because of their geographic position, closest to Europe. 

As you peruse throughout the museum, there are QR codes offering a gateway to yet more of Presque Isle’s aviation history. The museum is located in the Presque Isle International Airport at 650 Airport Drive and is open seven days a week.