Military use Opened in August 1941, Tucumcari Municipal Airport was built by the
United States Army Air Forces and at the time it was known as
Fort Sumner Army Auxiliary Airfield #7, being subordinate to
Fort Sumner Army Air Field. The airfield provided primary glider pilot training. The glider school was operated under contract by the Cutter-Carr Flying Service, under the general supervision of the 9th Glider Training Detachment,
36th Flying Training Wing,
Western Flying Training Command. Training was conducted using
Aeronca TG-5 combat training gliders, towed by
C-47 Skytrain aircraft. The flight cadets consisted of both experienced sailplane pilots and others who had washed out of conventional pilot training and were given a second chance to fly. The possibility of officer's pay and the chance to fly attracted a particular breed of risk-tolerant trainees. Trainees were given instruction on how to follow a tow plane and fly the unpowered aircraft to the designated landing zone. Unlike powered pilots, combat training was also provided, as once a pilot committed to a landing and discovered, as he got closer, frequently the landing zone was under fire, mined, or otherwise obstructed, and he would have little room to maneuver to make a safe landing. Once the landing was made, the glider pilot then became another infantryman. Once the glider pilot cadet successfully completed primary training, he moved on to advanced training, taught by USAAF instructors at several military glider schools. ==See also==