Presque Isle Air Museum

Welcome to the
Northern Maine Regional Airport Terminal Building 650 Airport Drive Presque Isle, Maine 04769
		The Beginning 1930 - 1940 In early 1930, a subcommittee for the Presque Isle Merchants Association was formed to explore the possibility of establishing air service. Land was purchased on the Mapleton Road, a hangar built and a runway constructed. In 1937, the town purchased the airport and commercial air service and airmail was started. War clouds in Europe were to have a dramatic impact on Aroostook County and the Presque Isle Airport.

World War II 1941 - 1946 Because Northern Maine is the closest U.S. land mass to Europe, Presque Isle was selected as the departure point for planes and equipment going overseas. In 1941, Presque Isle Army Air Field was established. More combat planes left PIAAF for Europe than any other U.S. base. This continued until the end of the war in 1945. Not long after, the winds of war began stirring in Korea.

		Korean Conflict 1947 -1959 Peace did not last long following WWII. The United States recognized the threat of Communism and in November, 1950, the local base was reactivated as Presque Isle Air Force Base. The mission of the base was air defense of the northeastern United States and Loring AFB. Various fighter-interceptor squadrons were assigned to PIAFB. The air defense mission was ended June 30, 1959. Next came the missile age!

Snark Missile Era 1959 -1961 On July 1, 1959, the 702d Strategic Missile Wing was activated and Presque Isle Air Force Base became the nation's first Intercontinental Missile Base equipped with the SNARK Missile. The Snark was a high altitude (50,000 ft), swept wing missile with a self-contained non-jammable guidance system capable of delivering a nuclear bomb 5,000 miles at Mach 0.9 speeds. On June 25, 1961 the missile wing was deactivated and all military activity ceased.

		Skyway Industrial Park founded 1962 Military modernizations lead to the closure of the Presque Isle Air Force Base. The community then faced a serious economic problem. The Presque Isle Industrial Council was formed to develop an industrial park. The former air base now consists of an airport, technical college, housing area and 440 acres of industrial park. The base conversion to community use was used as a model for other communities to follow.

Commercial Aviation Presque Isle's commercial aviation began in 1933 with Boston & Maine Airways. In 1940, BMA changed their name to Northeast Airlines and in 1972 merged with Delta Airlines. After Delta Airlines left Presque Isle, many carrier such as USAirways and Business Express served the area. All these events have transpired since the city purchased land on the Mapleton Road in the 1930's.

The museum at the Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle, Maine, is dedicated to the men and women of the armed forces that served at the air base.
	This project is a culmination of efforts by individuals who believe the Presque Isle airport has an important and interesting history that should be shared.
	This is a work in progress and future improvements are planned. In that respect, we would encourage anyone with pictures or artifacts from previous years donate them to the museum. Or, if you would rather not donate the original pictures, the images could be copied and returned to you.
	The museum committee would like to thank all of the people that have helped with this project. Your time, effort and donations are greatly appreciated!
Thank you for visiting our museum web site. Please visit again and encourage others to visit to view this piece of history. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us. Sincerely, Presque Isle Air Museum Committee

Now you can own your own copy of the video "70 Years of Air History - Presque Isle, Maine" For $20.00 including shipping & handling	Send your check or money order along with your name, mailing address and telephone number to the address below.