Otis Air National Guard Base

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Otis Air National Guard Base
Key data
ICAO code	KFMH
IATA code	FMH
Coordinates	41° 39′ 31″ N, 70° 31′ 17″ W41.658611111111-70.52138888888940Coordinates 41° 39′ 31″ N, 70° 31′ 17″ W
Altitude above MSL	40 m (131 ft)
Transport connection
Distance from the city center	3 km east of Mashpee
Street	US 6
Runways
05/23	2438 m × 46 m asphalt concrete
14/32	2896 m × 46 m asphalt concrete

Grumman HU-16 of the USCG on KFMH

Otis Air National Guard Base is a military airfield on the Cape Cod Peninsula in the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

History

The airfield opened in 1938 and was named in honor of pilot Frank Otis, who died in 1937 when his plane crashed.

The airfield was one of the Air Force’s most important bases during the Cold War for air defense against Soviet bombers from the Atlantic. After the Cold War, the base was to be closed in 2005 and the remaining units relocated to Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport; instead, the base was placed under the Air National Guard and thus serves as a reserve; in addition, some U.S. Coast Guard units continue to be stationed here. During the time the Space Shuttle was in use, Otis was a possible landing site in the event of an aborted launch.

In the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, two F-15s took off from Otis, but flew over the Atlantic and thus did not find the hijacked planes.

Web links

Commons: Otis Air National Guard Base– Collection of pictures, videos and audio files