After 90 years of service to the local region, Houston’s oldest airport is gearing up for a substantial resurgence in military activity. In roughly eight months, the first group of 2,500-plus Army, Marine and Navy reservists will arrive at the joint-use civil/military airport to occupy the new state-of-the-art, 43-acre, United States Army Reserve facility that is currently under construction at Ellington Field (EFD). March of 2008 is the official date for which the airport is expected to triple its military personnel from the current 1,300 members of the Texas Air National Guard, already stationed at EFD, to more than 3,800 members of the US Armed Forces including reservists from the Army, the Marines and the Navy. This will be the first time in decades that the airport has hosted the latter three branches of the US military. When the airport was first opened in 1917 it was the nation’s premiere aviation training facility for armed forces personnel. In fact, by the time World War I came to an end, approximately 5,000 men and 250 aircraft occupied the base. For many, this was the Golden Era of the airport. Ellington Field was buzzing with military life back then, including numerous housing facilities and even three on-airport religious chapels. Eventually war ended and so did the need for such a heavily-occupied military base. EFD slowly fell into decline. With this began what can only be described as a cycle of highs and lows for the airport. There was the year the airport was razed by fire in 1927; the repopulation of the airport during World War II, to roughly 5,000 military personnel once again; the dwindle thereafter; the resurrection of the airport during the Korean War; the phase-down transition of the airport in 1976 by the Texas Air National Guard; and then the purchase of the airport by the City of Houston in 1984, which resulted in the incorporation of government agencies such as NASA and general aviation tenants to the airport. The purchase of the airport did not result in the removal of all military presence, however. The Texas Air National Guard, the Texas Army National Guard and the US Coast Guard have long called the airport home, for at least part of their operations.

©Courtesy of the 75th Division Army Reserve Training evolutions like these will soon be more common at Ellington Field, when the 75th Battle Command Training Division moves their reservsts into the airport in March of 2008.

Still this new influx of armed services personnel is poised to once again redefine the chameleon-like personality of the airport. Brian Rinehart, the newly-appointed manager of Ellington Field, says the Army Reserve’s construction project goes hand in hand with the Houston Airport System’s (HAS) own development strategies.

“For several years, we have been laying the foundation for the massive developments that are now underway at Ellington Field,” explains Rinehart. “The aviation industry in Houston is so robust, at every level – military, commercial, corporate and general aviation – that it just made sense to move the airport forward.”

Looking at the growth in aircraft operations at EFD, Rinehart’s assessment seems quite accurate. Between 2006 and 2007, the number of aircraft flights into and out of the civil/military airport increased by more than 19 percent, through the first five months of this year – the latest month for which year-over-year statistics were available.

Preparing for future growth, in March of this year, HAS inaugurated a new $3 million taxiway at the airport. Other development and building initiatives inspired by the taxiway project include the construction of additional hangars by tenant Southwest Airport Services; new constructions by new tenants RocketMan, B.K. Airport Properties and the Bomasada Group; the building of additional T-hangars for lease by the airport system; and possibly even a new flight charter school.

“It is really an exciting time for the airport,” Rinehart laughs. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen an airport with so many different projects all being developed at the same time.”

In fact, a quick drive into Ellington Field tells the story of an airport on the rise. Orange cones, massive safety gates, heavy-duty vehicles and an army of construction workers can be found pretty much around the clock working at any given corner of the airport property.

None of the development projects, however, is as impressive as the one being orchestrated by the 75th Battle Command Training Division of the United States Army Reserve. That’s because when the last nail is hammered on this immense construction project, the 2,500 US armed services personnel that will use it will have a brand new state-of-the-art facility in which to train.

“When you have new state-of-the-art facilities, you can bring new, better training to the soldiers here,” says Lt. Col. Jon W. Elliott, division engineer for the 75th Battle Command. “If they’re called up to go overseas to do their mission, they should be able to better perform because we have the facilities to train them properly at.”

Elliott has overseen the construction project at Ellington Field roughly since its inception. Currently, the 75th Division is housed within three different buildings, one for each branch of the US military, along Old Spanish Trail Dr., near the Texas Medical Center, where they have been for the last 30 years.

A year ago, members of all three branches got together to determine where their new location would be located. Elliott says EFD was the clear choice because of the airport’s expansive property, the fact that the Air National Guard and the Coast Guard were already stationed there, and because it offered a base exchange for military personnel.

According to Elliott, a base exchange is like the Wal-Mart of armed services personnel. At these facilities, both active and retired military staff can purchase tax-free items ranging from electronics to uniforms.

Ultimately the new 43-acre, $54 million facility will provide a single building where reservists for all three branches of the armed forces will be trained. The Old Spanish Trail buildings will then be unoccupied completely.

“Hopefully we’re going to be there to stay for quite some time,” Elliott offers. “It’s something that we’re looking forward to – to move out there.”

While the first phase of construction is expected to be completed by March of 2008, there is still no official date for the second phase of the development project. This phase will include the construction of additional support facilities such as a Marine Corps maintenance facility, a battle command training center, a welcome home center, a unit storage area and a unit entry control point, and is expected to take an additional 18 to 24 months to be completed, once it is initiated.

That won’t hinder the move of Army, Marines and Navy reservists to Ellington Field in March of next year by any means, Elliott asserts.

“There won’t be anyone living there, but we will have full time personnel that will be there during the week,” he says. “It’s time to go to a new facility and train on the things we need to train on.”

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