Avenger Field

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Avenger Field, IATA SWW, ICAO KSWW, FAA LID SWW, is a public airport three miles west of Sweetwater in Nolan County, Texas. It is owned by the City of Sweetwater, sits at 2,380 feet above sea level, and covers 896 acres. The airport has two asphalt runways: 17/35 is 5,840 by 100 feet and 4/22 is 5,658 by 75 feet. In the year ending March 20, 2024, Avenger Field had about 3,900 general aviation operations and 16 based aircraft (13 single-engine, 1 multi-engine, 2 helicopters).

History: The site began in the 1920s as Sweetwater Municipal Airport. In 1941–42 it became a U.S. Army Air Forces training base and was renamed Avenger Field in June 1942. It became the largest all-female air base in American history as the home of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). From 1943 to 1944, 1,074 women pilots earned their wings here after training with the Army Air Forces. The WASP program ended in December 1944, and the women returned to civilian life; Congress later granted benefits to many WASPs (in 1977). After World War II the field returned to civilian use, with airline service beginning in 1947 (Pioneer, later Continental) until the late 1950s.

In 1955 the U.S. Air Force established nearby Sweetwater Air Force Station for air-defense duties, using Avenger Field for some activities. The station operated radar and related facilities until its closure in 1969. Today most of the Cold War facilities are gone, with only a few buildings remaining. Coordinates: 32°28′02″N 100°27′59″W.