Military pilots rely on Stennis International Airport for specialized training

March 1, 2015

Military pilots rely on Stennis International Airport for specialized training exercises day and night

The U.S. Air Force and other branches of the military heavily rely on Stennis International Airport facilities for their specialized training exercises. The airport, including its 8,500-foot runway, surrounding buffer zone and central location, make Stennis International a natural site to conduct mission-ready training. "A couple of weeks ago we had 266 military aircraft came through in one day," said Bill Cotter, airport manager.

The military training began years ago when Hancock County and the State of Mississippi partnered to assist with the construction of the Lockheed Martin facility at Stennis Space Center. The site for the new building had been used by Keesler Air Force Base as a drop zone for years.

"The Air Force came to us and said they needed to continue the activity," said Cotter. "The Port and Harbor Commission supports local jobs, so we started hosting the training missions on our air field."

The demand for use of Stennis International by the Department of Defense required a Joint Use Agreement between the Port and Harbor Commission and the Air Force. The second five-year agreement renewal is being finalized now, Cotter said. Keesler has the most frequent regular presence in and around the airport but other branches of the service train there as well, Cotter said. 

Keesler C-130J aircraft fly over the buffer zone and crews drop pallets filled with four 55-gallon drums of water to simulate real airdrops. For nighttime training missions, the airport goes dark especially for Keesler pilots. "Two evenings a week we turn off all the airfield lights to allow their night vision goggle operations," he said. 

The U.S. Coast Guard practices dropping supplies at Stennis to keep their skills sharp for real missions to help recreational and commercial boaters. "It might be a canister with a radio or medical supplies or a bilge pump," Cotter said.

The U.S. Marine Corps from New Orleans flies helicopters in and out of Stennis. Aircraft also come from Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi and Navy and Marine Corps fields in Pensacola.

Cotter said the Joint Use Agreement helps fund the Aircraft Rescue firefighters at Stennis. "We have firemen based on the airfield with three 1,500-gallon trucks who can take care of any issues on the field," he said.