This past weekend, Offutt AFB held its annual and ever popular air show.

Jet Linx is an ardent supporter of aviation-related activities in the community. Jet Linx has a large fleet of jets for any type of business or leisure trip, and we assist clients with turnkey jet management. We adhere to the same high safety standards that all jets in operation must meet, and at Jet Linx, we surpass those safety standards.

Many Jet Linx team members attended Offutt AFB’s annual air show this year, and they took pictures with their children next to F-22s, P-38s, P-51 Gunfighters, and many other static displays, introducing the next generation of aviation enthusiasts and professionals. The highlight for many was the opportunity to see the Navy’s Blue Angels perform.

Thousands enjoy the air show every year, but many are unaware of Offutt’s past.

Offutt AFB began as a fort, built between 1894 and 1896. It was originally known as Fort Crook, which is currently a major street in the city of Bellevue, Nebraska.

The 61st Balloon Company became the first air unit to command the post on September 10th, 1918. In the spring of 1921, 260 acres of land at Fort Crook created an airfield suitable for frequent takeoffs and landings. A permanent steel hangar was built to provide a landing and refueling point for military and government planes on cross-country flights.

The flying field was designated Offutt Field, in honor of 1st Lt. Jarvis Offutt on May 6th, 1924. Offutt was killed while flying with the Royal Air Force in France, he was Omaha’s first World War I air casualty.

In late 1940, a construction plant was built where Offutt AFB would eventually materialize. It included two mile-long concrete runways, six large hangars and an enormous 1.2 million square-foot assembly building.

A total of 531 B-29 Superfortresses and 1,585 B-26 Marauders were built there before the end of World War II. These plants produced the iconic “Enola Gay” and “Bock’s Car,” plus the B-29s that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Production ended Sept. 8th, 1945, when the last B-29 rolled out of the assembly building.

On Jan. 13th, 1948, Offutt Field transferred to the new Department of the Air Force and became Offutt AFB at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 9th, 1948. Offutt gained national prominence when it became the host base for Strategic Air Command headquarters.

The old frontier fort underwent startling changes in the Cold War years following World War II. Offutt’s strategic importance was solidified through the later part of the 20th century, with the establishment of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff in 1960, the “Looking Glass” airborne command post in 1961, the activation of Air Force Global Weather Center in 1969 and the arrival of the National Emergency Airborne Command Post mission in 1977.

Today, Offutt is home to the 55th Wing and more than 50 partner units including the U.S. Strategic Command and the Air Force Weather Agency, and each branch of the military is represented among the approximately 10,000 military and federal employees assigned at Offutt.

Photos and information courtesy of Offutt AFB Air Show and Offutt AFB.