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Moody Air Force Base

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Moody Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: VAD, ICAO: KVAD, FAA LID: VAD) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia.

Moody Air Force Base
Near Valdosta, Georgia in the United States of America
A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 74th Fighter Squadron taxi at Moody Air Force Base during 2017.
A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 74th Fighter Squadron taxi at Moody Air Force Base during 2017.
Moody AFB is located in North America
Moody AFB
Moody AFB
Moody AFB is located in the United States
Moody AFB
Moody AFB
Moody AFB is located in Georgia
Moody AFB
Moody AFB
Coordinates30°58′07″N 83°11′35″W / 30.96861°N 83.19306°W / 30.96861; -83.19306
TypeUS Air Force base
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defense
OperatorUS Air Force
Controlled byAir Combat Command
ConditionOperational
Websitewww.moody.af.mil/
Site history
Built1941 (1941) (as Moody Field)
In use1941 – present
Garrison information
Garrison
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: VAD, ICAO: KVAD, FAA LID: VAD, WMO: 747810
Elevation71 metres (233 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
18L/36R 2,835 metres (9,301 ft) Concrete
18R/36L 2,439 metres (8,002 ft) PEM
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Geography

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The base is mostly in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia,[2] with a portion in Lanier County.[3] Georgia State Route 125 runs through the western side of the base, leading southwest 11 miles (18 km) to the center of Valdosta and northeast 6 miles (10 km) to Ray City.

A portion of the Air Force base in Lowndes County is counted as a census-designated place for statistical purposes.[4] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has an area of 4.1 square miles (10.5 km2),[5] with a residential population at the 2020 census of 1,307.[6]

History

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The 29th Training Wing was established at Moody Field in 1941 for primary flight training.[7] Initially called Valdosta Airfield in June 1941, it was renamed Moody Army Air Field on 6 December 1941.[8] The installation's namesake, Major George Moody (1908–1941), was a U.S. Army Air Corps test pilot who died on 5 May 1941 in a crash of the prototype Beech Model 25 twin-engine trainer aircraft on its first test flight in Wichita, Kansas.[8] The Model 25 eventually became the AT-10 "Wichita", flown extensively at Moody Field during WWII.

On 1 May 1945 Moody was transferred to the First Air Force.[7]: 351  On 1 November 1945 Moody was transferred to Army Air Forces Training Command.[7]: 351  On 1 September 1947 Moody was transferred to Tactical Air Command.[7]: 351  On 13 January 1948 the base was redesignated Moody Air Force Base.[7]: 351  On 1 December 1948 the base was transferred to Continental Air Command.[7]: 351  On 1 April 1951 Moody AFB was transferred to Strategic Air Command (SAC).[7]: 351 

Air Training Command (1951–75)

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On 1 September 1951 Moody AFB was transferred from SAC to Air Training Command and the 3550th Training Wing (Interceptor Aircrew) was established there.[7]: 73  In 1952 Moody was assigned to undertake combat crew training.[7]: 68  In July 1957, following the cessation of interceptor training at Tyndall Air Force Base, advanced interceptor training and Tyndall's F-86D Sabres were transferred to Moody, while Moody's F-89Ds were transferred to James Connally Air Force Base.[7]: 111  On 3 November 1960 Moody stopped interceptor training and became a consolidated pilot training school.[7]: 132 

In 1961 following the closure of Graham Air Base, Moody became responsible for foreign pilot training. From 1962 onwards, increasing numbers of Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots were trained on Moody's 30 T-28 Trojans.[7]: 144–145  In 1963 foreign pilot training was moved to Randolph Air Force Base.[7]: 151 

On 1 December 1973 the 3550th Training Wing was inactivated and replaced by the new 38th Flying Training Wing.[7]: 194 

On 1 December 1975 Moody AFB was transferred from Air Training Command to Tactical Air Command and the 38th Flying Training Wing was inactivated.[7]: 202 

Tactical Air Command (1975–1992)

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On 30 September 1975 the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Moody AFB from Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base.[9]

On 1 October 1991 the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing was redesignated the 347th Fighter Wing.[10]

Air Combat Command (1992–2003)

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On 1 July 1994 was redesignated the 347th Wing, a composite wing with fighter, close air support and airlift elements.[10]

On 1 April 1997 the 41st Rescue Squadron and the 71st Rescue Squadron moved to Moody from Patrick Air Force Base and the 23d Wing was assigned to the 347th Wing.[11][12]

On 30 June 2000 the 70th Fighter Squadron was inactivated at Moody.[13] On 2 February 2001 the 69th Fighter Squadron was inactivated at Moody.[14] On 30 April 2001 the 68th Fighter Squadron was inactivated at Moody.[15]

On 1 May 2001 the 38th Rescue Squadron was activated at Moody and the 347th Wing was redesignated the 347th Rescue Wing.[10]

Air Education and Training Command (2000–07)

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On 31 July 2000 the 479th Flying Training Group was reactivated at Moody to conduct primary Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals training.[7]: 318  On 2 April 2001 the 39th Flying Training Squadron was activated at Moody and it was joined by the 3d Flying Training Squadron.[7]: 324–325  On 1 October 2001 the 435th Flying Training Squadron also moved to Moody.[7]: 325 

On 21 July 2007 the 479th Flying Training Group was inactivated and its aircraft and equipment were redistributed to other AETC units.

Air Force Special Operations Command (2003–06)

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On 1 October 2003 the 347th Rescue Wing was assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command.[10]

Air Combat Command (2006–present)

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On 1 October 2006 the 23rd Fighter Group was redesignated as the 23d Wing and activated at Moody AFB.[16] On the same date the 347th Rescue Wing was inactivated and the 347th Operations Group was redesignated the 347th Rescue Group which became a subordinate element of the 23d Wing.

The 23rd Wing inactivated the 23rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in January 2022 while at the same time activating the 74th and 75th Fighter Generation Squadrons. The move was part of Air Combat Command's plans to improve the alignment of fighter operations and maintenance.[17]

In June 2023, the USAF announced that two squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lighting II will be based at Moody AFB from 2029 to replace the 23rd Fighter Group's A-10C Thunderbolt IIs.[18]

Based units

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Flying and notable non-flying units based at Moody Air Force Base.[19][17]

Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Moody, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force

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Demographics

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Moody Air Force Base
Census-designated place
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyLowndes
Elevation
[20]
1,483 ft (452 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,307
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID2403305[20]

Moody Air Force Base is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) and is the official name for an area covering the residential population of the Moody Air Force Base, in Lowndes County, Georgia, United States.

Moody Air Force Base was first listed as an unincorporated place in the 1970 census[21] and designated a CDP in the 1980 census.[21] The population at the 2020 census was 1,307.[22]

Residents are in the Lowndes County School District.[23][24] Lowndes High School is the comprehensive high school of that district.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19701,424—
19801,297−8.9%
19901,288−0.7%
2000993−22.9%
2010886−10.8%
20201,30747.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[25]
1960[26]
1970[27] 1980[21] 1990[28]
2000[29] 2010[30] 2020[31]

2020 census

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Moody AFB CDP, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[32] Pop 2010[30] Pop 2020[31] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 643 582 691 64.75% 65.69% 52.87%
Black or African American alone (NH) 230 133 262 23.16% 15.01% 20.05%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1 3 11 0.10% 0.34% 0.84%
Asian alone (NH) 23 14 54 2.32% 1.58% 4.13%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 4 0 19 0.40% 0.00% 1.45%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 4 8 6 0.40% 0.90% 0.46%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 13 45 70 1.31% 5.08% 5.36%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 75 101 194 7.55% 11.40% 14.84%
Total 993 886 1,307 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

References

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  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ "Airport Diagram – Moody AFB (KVAD)" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  2. ^ "General Highway Map Lowndes County" (PDF). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  3. ^ "General Highway Map Lanier County" (PDF). Georgia Department of Transportation. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  4. ^ "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Moody AFB CDP, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
    "CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Lowndes County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. pp. 4, 7 (PDF pp. 5, 8/24). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
    "CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Lanier County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 6 (PDF p. 7/10). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  5. ^ "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Moody AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Manning, Thomas A. (2005). History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Randolph AFB, Texas: Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC. p. 17. OCLC 71006954.OCLC 29991467
  8. ^ a b "Moody – Still Unexplained". Air Force Magazine. Vol. 103, no. 3. March 2020. p. 63.
  9. ^ Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Office of Air Force History. pp. 182–184. ISBN 0912799129.
  10. ^ a b c d "347 Rescue Wing (AFSOC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 27 December 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  11. ^ Dollman, TSG David (11 October 2016). "Factsheet 41 Rescue Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  12. ^ Bailey, Carl E. (27 March 2015). "Factsheet 71 Rescue Squadron". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  13. ^ "68 Fighter Squadron". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  14. ^ "69 Fighter Squadron". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 9 March 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  15. ^ "68 Fighter Squadron". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  16. ^ Robertson, Patsy (6 February 2015). "Factsheet 23 Fighter Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  17. ^ a b Hadley, Greg (18 January 2022). "Air Force Activates Two New Fighter Generation Squadrons at Moody". Air Force Magazine. Air Force Association. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Moody AFB selected to host next F-35A mission". af.mil/News. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Units". Moody AFB. US Air Force. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  20. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Moody Air Force Base Census Designated Place
  21. ^ a b c "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  22. ^ "Moody AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  23. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Lowndes County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 26 September 2024. - Text list
  24. ^ "Moody AFB Education Overview". Militaryonesource.mil. Retrieved 26 September 2024. Lowndes County School District (the school district that supports the on-base families). - This is a .mil site.
  25. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
  26. ^ "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1960.
  27. ^ "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1970.
  28. ^ "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1990.
  29. ^ "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  30. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Moody AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  31. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Moody AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  32. ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Moody AFB CDP, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
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