Congressional authorization and $50 million in funding were forthcoming that year for improving the canal defenses. It was 1939, however, before these plans began to be realized. Plans to significantly expand Air Corps strength had been around since 1934, essentially proposing a system of outlying bases supported by pursuit and bombardment aircraft. In addition, the runways were unsuitable for all-weather flying and had to be improved.īy the mid-1930s, advances in naval aviation (primarily aircraft carriers) and increasingly long-range bombers had again made plain the inadequacies of air defense of the canal. As money could be secured throughout the 1930s, seven buildings were added to the base. The original construction program at Albrook left out several buildings necessary for efficient flight operations, including a headquarters building. Albrook Army Airfield was commissioned in April 1932 as an active air field. Actual construction began in 1930 and most works were completed in 1932.

Construction for an air base at Albrook Field was authorized by Congress in 1928, and $1.9 million was appropriated. The one existing airfield ( France Field) was too small, had a poor landing surface, offered no room for expansion, and provided little defense for the Pacific entrance to the canal. ( May 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Īfter World War I, it became apparent to military planners that air power, especially naval air power, constituted a serious threat to the safety of the Panama Canal.

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