Curtiss Jenny on display at the Airman Heritage Museum
Airman in training at Kelly Field
In his search for a new Army aviation training site, Major Benjamin Foulois located 700 acres of flat farmland here, 7 miles south of San Antonio. The new aviation base - Kelly Field - opened on April 5, 1917, the day before the US declared war on Germany. Later that year, the site was enlarged and divided into “Kelly No. 1” and “Kelly No. 2”.
The growing air bases became tightly woven into the social fabric of San Antonio life. One soldier described the dances hosted at Kelly Field:
Directly in front of the porch was the dance floor, right out under the open sky...This was the finest dance floor I ever danced on - and right out under the stars and moon. Oh, those moonlight dances were just out of this world.
Texas had become the center of American military aviation during the Great War. And Kelly Field had become the center of aviation in Texas.
Lackland Air Force Base is an active military base and access is limited. Please call the USAF Airman Heritage Museum for detailed visitation instructions. Visitors need to call at least a week in advance.
USAF Airman Heritage Museum
- Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Admission: None
- 5206 George Ave., Lackland AFB, TX
- 210-671-0809
- Visit Website
