Marianna Army Air Base
Marianna Municipal Airport
3689 Industrial Drive
Marianna, Florida 32447
Jackson County
850-482-2281
This site is located in the Northwest region of the state. The latitude and longitude of the site is 30-50-16.100N / 085-10-54.800W.
DIRECTIONS
From US 90 east of Marianna, turn north on SR 71 and proceed to Industrial Drive. Turn left (west) to Marianna Municipal Airport.
Beginning with the unpaved runways of the Marianna City Airport, the Pilot Training Command at Maxwell Army Airfield converted the field to pilot instruction purposes. Using the North American-built AT-6, advanced single-engine training began at Marianna in mid-year 1942. Several classes of one hundred students might be training at any one time. Airfields identified as Ellis #1, Malone #2, Bascom #3 and Alliance #4 all served as training and auxiliary fields. A detachment of WAC’s served as instructors in the Link Trainer Department beginning in 1943.
The community established USO facilities for both white and African American servicemen while Blue Springs was a favorite place to swim and fish and Caverns Golf Course saw off duty use by airmen.
The Marianna Municipal Airport, Industrial Park, and the Florida Department of Children and Families Sunland Center occupy the site northeast of the city. Several buildings on the Sunland Center property, notably the base chapel and administration building, remain in use.
Located adjacent to the Marianna Municipal Airport office is a monument dedicated to the personnel of this facility during the 1942-1946 period.
LINK:
Marianna Army Air Field
http://www.kilroywashere.org/004-Pages/Marianna/04-Marianna.html
