The base was named Rich Field in honor of 2nd Lt. C. Perry Rich of the Philippine Scouts. He was born in Indiana, and had been instructed to fly by Lt. Frank P. Lahm in May 1913, and then crashed his Wright Model C into Manila Bay on November 14, the tenth U.S. pilot to die in a flying accident. Rich's body was recovered and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, near other early aviators.
World War I
A contract was signed on August 24, 1917 giving the War Department title to the property, which was in private hands. The land was formerly cotton fields, so a significant number of farm buildings on the property had to be torn down. A labor force of about 3,400, including 1,000 Mexican workers, erected buildings, poured concrete, and laid down pipes and an electrical system. On September 17, 1917, the first officer reported for duty, and various pieces of equipment and a group of personnel were assigned to set up the base as a primary flight training field. The first shipment of 25 aircraft arrived on November 14 and were uncrated and assembled by the 150th Aero Squadron, moved from Kelly Field. Twenty-five flight cadets reported for training on Thanksgiving Day 1917, and flight instruction began on December 1. Eventually a total of 243 Standard J-1 trainers were assigned to Rich Field. In June 1918, the J-1s were replaced by the Curtiss JN-4 which was standardized by the War Department as the standard training plane for the Air Service. in Waco, 1918. It shows a formation of aircraft over the Brazos River and is one of the first aerial photos of Waco. Training units assigned to Rich Field were as follows:
Post Headquarters, Rich Field, September 1917-December 1919
Flying School Detachment, Formed November 1918 from personnel and assets of Squadrons A, B. C. inactivated in December 1919
As the flight cadets graduated from the six-week course at Rich Field, they were sent to advance schools in the United States, England, or France for advanced training in either pursuit, observation or bomber aircraft. Eventually some 400 pilots received their wings at Rich Field. Training units organized and equipped at Rich Field as core training squadrons for other Air Service training bases in the United States were:
The following units were organized and given basic military indoctrination at Rich Field before being deployed to the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe:
171st Aero Squadron, Formed December 1917, to AEF, January 1918
280th Aero Squadron, Formed February 1918, to AEF August 1918
355th Aero Squadron, Formed May 1918, to AEF August 1918
After the November 1918 Armistice with Germany, those pilots who were in training were allowed to complete their studies, but no new cadets began training. The airfield was ordered closed in May 1919, and in December the flag was lowered for the last time.
Inter-war years
Although it was closed as a military airfield after World War I, aviation activity continued at Rich Field as a civil airport. Flying lessons were available and during the 1920s and 1930s traveling airshows occasionally visited Rich Field. Ford Trimotor offered the public a 10-minute flight to downtown Waco and back for one dollar. On one visit the Trimotor was put into a spin for show. For many years Braniff International Airways provided passenger service to Waco at Rich Field. The airport was closed near the beginning of World War II.
World War II
Rich Field was reopened as an auxiliary training field to Waco Army Airfield in 1942. Two hard-surface gravel runways were laid down in an "X" pattern, the northwest/southeast being 3,700 feet by 100 feet and the north-northwest/south-southeast runway being 3,500 feet by 100 feet. It may also have been used as a storage depot and limited civil flight operations during the war.
Closure and civil redevelopment
Flying ended from Rich Field after the end of World War II, and the site was subsequently used for two major civic facilities and numerous businesses. The Heart O' Texas Fairgrounds and coliseum were built in the 1950s; it is now known as Extraco Events Center. A high school was constructed on part of the site in the early 1960s and was called Richfield High School in honor of the former airfield. It was later renamed Waco High School.
