Blast From The Past – Summer 1972 – Firefighters practice putting out a fire at a fire training academy at Hurlburt Field, Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. Hurlburt Field, also called Eglin Air Force Base, Aux Field #9, was my first duty station out of basic training where I was assigned to the 25th Special Operations Squadron. I enjoyed my tour here and won Airman of the Year for my volunteer work with the local Boys Club and photography I did for the base paper.
I’ve not found many pictures I shot there, but one of the memorable assignments I had there was to photograph inside the climatic laboratory on the main base at Eglin. It was a huge hanger where they could bring in just about anything from large aircraft, to small parts and create a cold climate for testing purposes. I can recall a time when it snowed in the hanger in the middle of summer in Florida!
According to Wikipedia: The McKinley Climatic Laboratory is both an active laboratory and a historic site located in Building 440 on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The laboratory is part of the 96th Test Wing. In addition to Air Force testing, it can be used by other US government agencies and private industry.
On October 6, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The laboratory was named a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1987.
In 1940, the US Army Air Force designated Ladd Field in Fairbanks, Alaska as a cold-weather testing facility. Because sufficiently cold weather was not predictable and often of short duration, Ashley McKinley suggested a refrigerated airplane hangar be built. The facilities were constructed at Eglin Field.
The first tests started in May 1947. Airplanes that were tested included the B-29 Superfortress, C-82 Packet, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-51 Mustang, P-80 Shooting Star, and the Sikorsky H-5D helicopter. More recently, it has tested the C-5 Galaxy, the F-117, the F-22] the Boeing 787, and the Airbus A350 XWB
On 12 June 1971, the hangar was dedicated as the McKinley Climatic Hangar in honor of Col. Ashley McKinley, who suggested the facility and served at Eglin during its construction.
