Marines


Welcome

Welcome to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. The mission of MCAS Yuma is to provide aviation ranges, support facilities and services that enable our tenants, other Marine Corps commands, visiting military and interagency forces to enhance their mission capabilities and combat readiness.

You will soon become an integral part of the Marine Corps' premier aviation training base, serving along with approximately 4,000 fellow active-duty Marines and Sailors. With access to more than one million acres of bombing and aviation-training ranges and superb flying weather, MCAS Yuma supports 80 percent of the Corps' air-to-ground aviation training. The air station hosts approximately 70 aviation units, bringing an average of 600 aircraft and 14,000 personnel for ongoing training that takes place throughout the year.

The ideal weather and location along the Colorado River make Yuma and the surrounding area an oasis in the southwestern Sonoran Desert. The area offers a variety of recreational opportunities and water sports, as well as seasonal hunting and fishing. Whether you're assigned to the air station or one of the tenant commands, your stay here is sure to be an enjoyable one.

Covering five square miles of southeastern Yuma, the air station is home to a number of tenant units, including Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 (MAWTS-1), Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1), Marine Aircraft Group 13 (MAG-13), Marine Air Control Squadron 1 (MACS-1), Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 (VMFT-401), and Combat Logistics Company 16 (CLC-16).

MCAS – Past and Present

It was 1928 when Col. Benjamin F. Fly fulfilled his namesake and persuaded the federal government to lease 640 acres of cactus, brush and desert wildlife from Yuma County. For the low price of $1 per year, the government leased Fly Field for 20 years with an option for an additional 20 years.

Aviation was in its infancy and Fly Field became the center of attention in Yuma. During the summer of 1928, it was a stopover point for 25 planes in a New York to Los Angeles air race, a popular spectacle of the rapidly advancing world of aviation. It was used sporadically by private aircraft until 1941, when the U.S. government, through the Civil Aeronautics Administration, authorized an expenditure for permanent runways.

When the United States entered World War II, engineers erected an air base with the astounding speed that characterized the war effort. By early 1943, Yuma Army Air Base began graduating classes of pilots. The base became one of the busiest flying schools in the nation, training pilots of AT-6 single-engine trainers, T-17 multiengine trainers and B-17 Flying Fortresses.

At the end of the war, all flight activity here ceased and the area was partially reclaimed by the desert. During the period of inactivity, it was controlled successively by the War Assets Administration and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Reclamation, which used it as a headquarters for its irrigation projects.

On July 7, 1951, the Air Force reactivated the base and the 4750th Air Base Squadron resumed training as part of the Western Air Defense Forces. The airfield was renamed Vincent Air Force Base in 1956 in memory of Brig. Gen. Clinton D. Vincent, a pioneer of bombing techniques who died in 1955.

From Air Force Base to Marine Corps Air Station

The Department of the Navy signed for control of the base on January 1, 1959, and nine days later, Col. L.K. Davis became the first commanding officer of the newly designated Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Station. On July 20, 1962, the designation was changed to Marine Corps Air Station.

From 1969 until 1987, the air station served primarily as a training base for pilots assigned to Marine Corps Crew Readiness Training Group 10, flying the F-4 Phantom, A-4 Skyhawk and AV-8A Harrier. In 1978, Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 was commissioned to assist in increasing combat readiness of fleet aviation units, making Yuma an academic center of excellence for military aviation.

In 1987, Marine Aircraft Group 13, with Marine Attack Squadrons 211, 214, 311 and 513, replaced MCCRTG-10 as the major tenant command on the station. The move also brought Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 to Yuma, joining Marine Air Control Squadron 7 and 2nd Light Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion.

Throughout the fall of 1990, virtually every Marine Corps fixed-wing squadron that participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm underwent pre-deployment training on Yuma’s ranges.

In November 2012, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) became the world's first operational F-35 squadron at MCAS Yuma. The arrival of the F-35B marked the beginning of a new chapter in Marine Corps aviation history, bringing the latest and greatest aircraft in the world to the tip of America's expeditionary spear.

The summer of 2015 saw the arrival of Marine Operational and Evaluation Squadron 22 (VMX-22) to MCAS Yuma for the purpose of providing integrated operational testing. As an operation test and evaluation squadron, VMX-22 is primarily responsible for conducting operational tests in support of newly developed aircraft and programs.

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1) found a new home at MCAS Yuma in January 2016 and Marine Attack Squadron 211 (VMA-211) has begun their transition from the AV-8B Harrier to the F-35, continuing Yuma’s tradition of leading the way in making aviation technology history every day.

Historical Links:

Aviation Pioneers --- World War I Aces --- Hall of Fame of the Air --- WW2 European Theater (ETO)



WW2 Pacific Theater (PTO) --- WW2 US Marine Corps --- WW2 US Navy Aces --- WW2 Mediterranean (MTO)



WW2 German Aces --- Korean War Aces --- Russian Aces --- Vietnam Era Aces



Airplanes --- World War I Planes --- 1930s Aircraft photos --- WW2 Fighters



WW2 Bombers --- WW2 German Planes --- WW2 Airplane Pictures --- History of Airplanes blog



Nose Art --- Postwar Jets --- WW2 Facts and Firsts --- WW2 Medals



WW2 Museums --- WW2 Pictures --- WW2 Ships --- WW2 Weapons

Upon arrival at MCAS Yuma between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, personnel (to include those being assigned to the Light Armored Vehicle Test Directorate based at Yuma Proving Ground) will check in at Station Headquarters in Building 980 or phone 928-269-2864.

Following check-in, Personnel ordered to:

Marine Aircraft Group 13 will report between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday - Friday and check in at the Building 505, or phone 928-269-3262.

Marine Aircraft Control Squadron 1 will report between 8 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday and check in at the Building 3290, or phone 928-269-3900.

Marine Aircraft Logistics Squadron 13 will report between 9 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and check in at the Building 507, or phone 928-269-7181.

Marine Wing Support Squadron 371 will report between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday - Friday and check in at Building 3219B, or phone 928-269-6298.

Marine Attack Squadron 214 will report between 7:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Monday - Friday and check in at the Building 78, or phone 928-269-2827.

Marine Attack Squadron 311 will report between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday - Friday and check in at Building 101, or phone 928-269-6649.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 will report between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday and check in at Building 75, or phone 928-269-2297.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 will report between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday - Friday and check in at Building 80, or phone 928-269-8727.

Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 will report between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday - Friday and check in at Building 95, or phone 928-269-6308.

Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 Marines will report between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and check in at Building 406 or phone 928-269-2058.

Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 Marines will report between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and check in at Building 157 or phone 928-269-6795.

Those personnel reporting in to Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 will report between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and check in at Building 146 or phone 928-269-3628.

Navy personnel first check in at Building 980, then go to Navy PSD located in Building 1175 (Branch Medical Clinic).

Upon checking in with the appropriate headquarters, all personnel assigned to MAWTS-1, VMX-1, Headquarters Squadron or 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing units will proceed to the Installation Personnel Administration Center (IPAC), Building 328, during normal working hours.

The Installation Personnel Administration Center is located in Building 328 directly off Spears St and Peters Ave outside the North Gate.

Reporting After Hours

All personnel checking in after 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and on Saturday, Sunday and holidays should report to the MCAS officer of the day at Building 980 or phone 928-269-2252.

Area code and prefix for all numbers is 928-269-XXXX unless otherwise specified.
Station Officer of the Day 2252
Emergency Dispatch 2285
Provost Marshal's Office 2205
Facilities Maintenance 2222
ID Card Center 3588
Pass & Registration 2888/3634
Transient Billeting 3578
Transient Enlisted 2591
Bachelor Enlisted Quarters 2591
Range Notification
Range Control
2214/2215/2690/5575
7080
Barry M. Goldwater Range Permits 7150
Dental Clinic 442-288-9361
Health Clinic 2700
Noise Complaints 2325
Armed Forces Bank 288-6550
Navy Federal Credit Union 888-842-6328
Post Office 344-0437
Marine Corps Community Services 2422
Main Exchange (MCX) 2256
Commissary 2245
Lodging (Dos Rios Inn) 2262/2267
Semper Fit Gym 2727
Communication, Strategy, and Operation
Public Affairs Officer
Webmaster
Email
5505
         5728
2483
MCASYuma_Media@usmc.mil
 

Valid Date/Time: 28 August 2023 / 10:30

WBGTI: 91°

Duty Forecaster: 928-269-2265

 

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma