Tinker Air Force Base
Summary
Airport typeMilitary
OperatorUnited States Air Force
LocationOklaholma City, Oklahoma
Elevation AMSL1,291 ft / 393.5 m
Coordinates35°24′52.8″N 97°23′12.0″W / 35.414667°N 97.386667°W / 35.414667; -97.386667
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17/35 11,100 3,383 PEM
12/30 10,000 3,048 PEM

Tinker Air Force Base (IATA: TIK, ICAO: KTIK) is a major U.S. Air Force base located in Oklahoma City, near the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma. The base has more than 26,000 military and civilian employees and is the largest single-site employer in Oklahoma. The installation covers 5033 acres (20.368 km²) (7.864 m²) and has 760 buildings with a building floor space of over 15.2 million square feet.

The host unit at Tinker is the 72d Air Base Wing (72 ABW) which provides services and support for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and its tenant organizations. The Wing and Installation Commander of Tinker Air Force Base is Colonel Mark Correll.

Tinker is the home of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALG) (FHZ) which is the worldwide manager for a wide range of aircraft, engines, missiles, software and avionics and accessories components. The commander of OC-ALG is Major General Loren M. Reno.

Units currently stationed at Tinker

Major Units

Tinker AFB is home to major Department of Defense, Air Force and Navy activities with critical national defense missions.

Tennant Units

History

Tinker Air Force Base is named in honor of Major General Clarence Leonard Tinker (1887-1942).

From from Pawhuska, Oklahoma and part Osage Indian, General Tinker received his wings in 1921. General Tinker was a graduate of Wentworth Military Academy who went on to become the first Major General of American Indian descent in U.S. Army history.

In 1926 he was awarded the Soldiers Medal for returning to his blazing aircraft to rescue a fellow officer. On 7 June 1942 he led a flight of B-24 Liberators on a long-range strike against Japanese forces on Wake Island during World War II. General Tinker was killed when his aircraft presumably crashed into the sea. At the time of his death, General Tinker was commander of the Hawaii-based Seventh Air Force.

The base was renamed in his honor on 13 January 1948.

Major Commands

Base Operating Units

Major Units Assigned

Operational History

In 1940, the War Department was considering the central United States as a location for a supply and maintenance depot. Oklahoma City leaders offered a 480 acre (1.94 km²) site and acquired an option for 960 additional acres (3.89 km²) of land. On April 8, 1941, the order was officially signed awarding the depot to Oklahoma City.

Tinker Field was the site of a Douglas Aircraft factory producing approximately half of the C-47 Skytrains used in World War II. The site also produced a number of A-20 Havocs. Production ceased in 1945.

The first successful tornado forecast in history was issued on March 25, 1948 from Tinker, about three hours before the tornado hit the southeast corner of the base. A granite marker in the Heritage Airpark on the base commemorates the event.

On September 29, 1957, Buddy Holly and The Crickets recorded "An Empty Cup", "Rock Me My Baby", "You've Got Love", and "Maybe Baby" in the Tinker Air Force Base Officer's Club.[1]

On November 14, 1984, a massive fire that burned for two days destroyed or damaged over 700,000 square feet in Building 3001. The resulting repairs cost $63.5 million.

During much of the 1990s, Tinker was home to the Automated Weather Network switching facility, which consolidated all U.S. military weather data worldwide. Originally based at Carswell Air Force Base, this unit was later moved to an Air Force Weather Agency facility at Offutt Air Force Base.

On May 3, 1999, a deadly tornado caused extensive damage to the northwest corner of the base and surrounding communities.¹ For many days afterwards, Tinker personnel helped by providing shelters, search and rescue, and clean-up efforts.

In July 2005, Tinker hosted the US Air Force Thunderbirds as part of their Star Spangled Salute, the base's annual Independence Day celebration. This was the first time the Thunderbirds had performed in Oklahoma in almost 20 years.

Tinker celebrated the 30-year anniversary of the E-3 Sentry from June 29 to July 1 2007. Past and present airmen were invited to swap stories and learn about the latest upgrades.[1]

Transformation Efforts at Tinker AFB

Several Transformational efforts are under work at Tinker AFB, including 5S, 6 Sigma, Lean, and Balanced Score Card.

See Also

References

Much of this text in an early version of this article was taken from pages on the Tinker Air Force Base Website, which as a work of the U.S. Government is presumed to be a public domain resource. That information was supplemented by:

Air bases
Centers
Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center
Air Force Research Laboratory
Air Force Sustainment Center
Air Force Test Center
Other
  1. ^ Airmen Honor 30 years of AWACS
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