Page 172 - lake-city-florida-a-sesquicentennial-tribute-(h-morris-williams-kevin-mccarthy)-2009

Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy

Local airport

The local airport has served the community well.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy used the local airport
for pilot training. Commissioned in 1942 as Naval Air Station Lake
City (NAS Lake City), it was located on the site of the Lake City
Flying Club air field east of town. Used as one of the support facilities
to NAS Jacksonville, the Lake City facility trained pilots from the

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to fly land-based PV – 1 Venturas and
PV – 2 Harpoons. At one point the air station had 1,150 enlisted
personnel and 290 officers, as well as 200 WAVES (Women Accepted
for Volunteer Emergency Services).
Regular military operations ceased in
March 1946, and NAS Lake City was
decommissioned as an active naval air
station. The General Services
Administration considered the NAS
Lake City property as surplus and
conveyed it to officials of Lake City.

The official patch for NAS Lake City

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