Pinal Airpark#Current usage

Built in 1942 by the Sundt and Del Webb Construction Companies and opened in March 1943, the facility was known as Marana Army Air Field. During World War II, the airfield was under the command of the 389th Army Air Force Base Unit, AAF West Coast Training Center and used as a training base, as part of the 50,000 Pilot Training Program.

Marana conducted basic flight training and the training of transport pilots in instrument flying and navigation, being the home of the 3024th (Pilot School, Basic). Chinese pilots were also trained there. Five satellite airfields were established for Marana during World War II:

• Picacho Field Aux #1 (currently Picacho Stagefield ARNG Heliport {{Airport codes||KPCA}})
• Rillito Field Aux #2 (currently reused as Marana Regional Airport {{Airport codes|AVW|KAVQ}})
• Coronado Field Aux #3{{cite web |last1=Freeman |first1=Paul |title=Arizona: Northern Tucson area |url=https://www.airfieldsfreeman.com/AZ/Airfields_AZ_Tucson_N.htm |website=Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields |access-date=26 September 2021 |date=5 May 2021}}
• Avra Field Aux #4
• Sahuaro Field Aux #5 (currently El Tiro Gliderport {{Airport codes|||AZ67}})

The infrastructure installed at Marana during World War II was extensive. This included water, sewer, and gas systems that were still used until some problems developed in the 1990s. There was a massive storm drain system. The airfield had a railroad spur line and railroad station.

Marana closed after World War II. In 1948, after the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as an independent service, Pinal County accepted a deed to the property, subsequent to the Air Force's disposal of most of the buildings, waterlines, gas lines, and electrical lines. From 1948 to 1951, Pinal County leased the property to multiple tenants, and from 1951 to 1956, Marana was reused as a contractor-operated USAF basic flying school, operated by Darr Aeronautical Technical Company.

Marana became the headquarters of all Central Intelligence Agency air operations during the Vietnam War years, when it was the primary facility of Intermountain Airlines, a wholly owned CIA "front" company which was used to supply covert operations in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Intermountain was infamous for its thinly veiled CIA special ops which included development and use of the Fulton Skyhook, but its cover was its non-scheduled freight and maintenance operations. Marana was the principal continental United States maintenance base for Southeast Asia CIA operations including Air America and Continental Air Services. The Marana facility was subsequently acquired by the closely Agency-linked Evergreen International Airlines, which performed aircraft modification and maintenance at the airfield."The Evergreen Story", Part 1, James Long and Lauren Cowen, The Oregonian, August 14, 1988

The airport is home to many private companies including: Ascent Aviation Services and Jet Yard Solutions,{{Cite web|last=Pallini|first=Thomas|date=July 5, 2021|title=Amazon and cargo airlines are scouring the Arizona desert for old and cheap passenger jets to fly packages|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-cargo-airlines-scouring-the-desert-for-cheap-passenger-jets-2021-7|access-date=2021-07-11|website=Business Insider|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Services|first=Ascent Aviation|title=Narrow & Wide Body Aircraft MRO, Storage & Reclamation Services {{!}} Ascent Aviation Services|url=https://ascentmro.com/|access-date=2021-03-05|website=ascentmro.com|language=en}} Aircraft Demolition, and Jet Yard.{{Cite web|title=Home – JetYard|url=http://jetyard.com/|access-date=2021-03-05|website=JetYard, LLC}}

Since the early 2010s, airport economic development director Jim Petty has opened the facility to the public, giving free tours of the airport and the airplanes stored there.{{cite web|url=https://azcentral.com/story/travel/road-trips/2015/03/27/pinal-airpark-secretive-aircraft-boneyard-slowly-opens-gates/70499204/ |title=Pinal Airpark: Once-secretive aircraft boneyard slowly opens its gates |website=Azcentral.com |date=2015-03-27 |access-date=2016-02-14}}

Pinal Airpark is co-located with Silverbell Army Heliport (SAHP). The 98th Aviation Troop Command, the Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (WAATS) and other numerous Army National Guard units are located inside SAHP.{{Cite web|title=Silverbell Army Heliport: Military Asset List 2015|url=https://www.luke.af.mil/Portals/58/Documents/Silverbell_Heliport_MAL.pdf?ver=2016-03-02-150740-640|website=Luke AFB govt site}}{{Cite web|title=98th Aviation Troop Command|url=https://dema.az.gov/army-national-guard/98th-aviation-troop-command|access-date=2021-03-05|website=dema.az.gov}} WAATS discontinued training of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter at the site in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.az.ngb.army.mil/waats/09092003_1.asp?waats_id=8 |title=History of the Western AATS |website=Western ARNG Aviation Training Site |access-date=June 13, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070623025128/http://www.az.ngb.army.mil/waats/09092003_1.asp?waats_id=8 |archive-date=June 23, 2007 }} Currently WAATS provides training for the UH-72A Lakota.{{Cite web|title=WAATS – Western ARNG Aviation Training Site|url=https://az.ng.mil/WAATS/Documents/WAATS_WEB/index.html|access-date=2021-03-05|website=az.ng.mil|archive-date=2022-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329155513/https://az.ng.mil/WAATS/Documents/WAATS_WEB/index.html|url-status=dead}}

Pinal Airpark and SAHP also hosts the US Special Operations Command's Parachute Training and Testing Facility.Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), September 7, 2008, p. 1. On 28 March 2013, Navy SEAL Brett Shadle was killed during parachute training here and another SEAL was injured.{{cite news |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/brett-shadle-dead-dies_n_2984788.html |title=Brett Shadle Dead: Navy SEAL Killed In Arizona Parachuting Accident |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |date=30 March 2013 |access-date=2014-01-12 |archive-date=2013-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111034707/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/30/brett-shadle-dead-dies_n_2984788.html |url-status=dead }}

Pinal Airpark covers an area of {{convert|1,508|acre|ha|lk=on}} at an elevation of {{convert|1,893|ft|m}} above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 12/30 with an asphalt surface measuring {{convert|6,849|by|150|ft|m}}. Silverbell Army Heliport has four helipads, three measuring {{convert|100|by|100|ft|m}}, and the fourth measuring {{convert|165|by|165|ft|m}}. For the 12-month period ending 1 April 2020, the airport had 58,200 aircraft operations, an average of 159 per day: 86% military and 14% general aviation.

One of the notable aircraft assigned to Marana during its CIA years was a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, AAF Serial 44–85531. As of September 1957, the aircraft was registered to Western Enterprises Inc., a paramilitary front company founded by the CIA in 1951 for operations in Taiwan. In late 1957, missions were staged from Kurmitola Air Field in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to parachute agents into Tibet. The aircraft was disassembled for parts at Clark Air Base, Philippines between March and October 1958, and it is believed that this plane was eventually scrapped. The serial number 44-85531 appeared again as registered on another B-17G, 1 September 1960 registered to Atlantic General Enterprise, Washington DC (another CIA front) as N809Z. These registration numbers were then changed to the true numbers of 44–83785. Based again at Marana, this aircraft later flew black operations over Vietnam and was used to retrieve two American agents from an abandoned Soviet scientific base in the Arctic using the Fulton Skyhook in Operation Coldfeet.{{Cite web|title=Pinal Airpark in Arizona|url=https://www.airplaneboneyards.com/pinal-airpark-airliner-storage-boneyard.htm|access-date=2021-03-05|website=www.airplaneboneyards.com}}

File:Marana Army Air Field 1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart.jpg|1945 Phoenix Sectional Chart showing Marana Army Air Field and Marana Auxiliary Army Airfield No. 2, No. 4, No. 5

File:Vultee BT-13 Valiant 42-42228 in hangar at Marana AAF AZ.jpg|Vultee BT-13 Valiant in hangar at Marana AAF

File:PinalAirPark.jpg|Boeing 777-200 salvage, Pinal Air Park, 2018

File:Pinal_Air_Park_1.jpg|A Boeing 767-300 formerly operated by Delta Air Lines being disassembled for parts at Pinal Airpark

File:Pinal_Air_Park_2.jpg|A Boeing 757-200 being disassembled for parts at Pinal Airpark

File:Pinal Airpark 2006 Topo.jpg|2006 USGS aerial image

{{Portal|Arizona|Aviation}}

• Arizona World War II Army Airfields
• 37th Flying Training Wing (World War II)
• Pacific Corporation
• List of airports in Arizona

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
• Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas {{OCLC|71006954|29991467}}
• Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC {{OCLC|57007862|1050653629}}

{{Refend}}

{{Commons category multi|Pinal Airpark|Marana Army Airfield}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121013071111/http://www.azdot.gov/mpd/airport_development/airports/airports_list.asp?FAA=MZJ Pinal Airpark (MZJ)] at Arizona DOT airport directory
• [http://www.johnweeks.com/boneyard/index.html#SITEE Field Guide To Aircraft Boneyards: Pinal Airpark]
• [http://www.explorer.altopix.com/map/vg2ct5/Pinal_Airpark_-_aircraft_boneyard.htm Map Explorer article] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060219171505/http://explorer.altopix.com/map/vg2ct5/Pinal_Airpark_-_aircraft_boneyard.htm |date=2006-02-19 }})
• [http://www.p-38.com/Site/Marana_Army_Air_Field.html Marana Army Airfield in World War II] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106100148/http://www.p-38.com/Site/Marana_Army_Air_Field.html |date=2013-01-06 }})
• {{US-airport-minor|MZJ|MZJ}}

{{Arizona during World War II}}

{{USAAF Training Bases World War II}}

{{Airports with boneyards}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1942 establishments in Arizona

Category:Aircraft boneyards

Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Arizona

Category:Airports established in 1942

Category:Airports in Pinal County, Arizona

Category:American Theater of World War II

Category:Aviation in Arizona

Category:USAAF Western Flying Training Command

Category:World War II airfields in the United States