![]() The station and its buildings, together with complete water, sewer, electric and gas utilities, was designed to be nearly self-sufficient, with not only hangars, but barracks, warehouses, hospitals, dental clinics, dining halls, and maintenance shops were needed. To conserve critical materials, most facilities were constructed of wood, concrete, brick, gypsum board and concrete asbestos. The station facility consisted of a large number of buildings based on standardized military plans and architectural drawings of the period, with the buildings designed to be the "cheapest, temporary character with structural stability only sufficient to meet the needs of the service which the structure is intended to fulfill during the period of its contemplated war use" was underway. In addition to the airfield, the building of a large support base with several hundred buildings, numerous streets, and a utility network was carried out with barracks, various administrative buildings, maintenance shops and hangars. ![]() Auxiliary airfields to support the training activities at the base were: The runways were laid out on an "A" layout, with one extended length main runway, and two short secondary runways connected to the apron. Construction was rapid given the emergency wartime conditions and within three months the post was to be in full operation. Army took over Hawkins Field, a massive military construction program was initiated to expand the civil airport. It activated on and was used by the United States Army Air Forces' Flying Training Command as a basic flying training airfield (Army Air Forces Pilot School, Miscellaneous Fields for Basic and Advanced Single and Twin-Engine training). In June 1941 Hawkins Field was redesignated Jackson Army Airfield. Army Air Forces units in the southeast United States however, operation of the school and flight training were done by civilians. The school operated Lend-Lease aircraft with civilian pilots from the Mississippi Institute of Aeronautics. In May 1941 the Dutch government-in-exile, following the occupation of the Netherlands, established the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School at Hawkins Field. Hawkins, a city commissioner with an interest in aviation. ![]() In 1941 the airfield was named Hawkins Field after A.F. In 1936 the Works Progress Administration's (WPA), Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) invested $62,150 to improve the airport with a terminal building and paving of an apron. Delta Air Lines made its first flight that year beginning in Dallas landing in Jackson and other cities en route to Atlanta. Davis Field, Jackson's first airport was dedicated November 9, 1928. Aviation in Jackson began in 1928 with the purchase of 151 acres of pasture land in the City of Jackson known then as Davis Stock Farm, for $53,500.
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