View/Print New Brochure

Fairmont Army Airfield (FZM), 3 miles South of Fairmont, NE on Hwy 81, then 1 mile East. It was in September of 1942, when a 1,980 acre tract of land south of Fairmont would be changed forever and would hold a place in World War ll history. Construction on the base began on Sept. 16, 1942, and was completed in November of that year as crews worked around the clock. As with most military installations, labors came from many different places, but local people also helped with the construction. In the beginning, the base was called the Fairmont Satellite Air Field. The hub base was the Topeka Army Air Base in Topeka, Kansas. In 1943 an announcement of a major expansion at the base to support the field's new mission as a final phase training facility for heavy bomber groups (B-29s) was made. This announcement called for the lengthening of runways, construction of additional buildings and the construction of four celestial navigation training buildings. The first significant training at the base began in August of 1943, when a B-24 Standardization School was established. In September, the school was relocated to another base to make room at Fairmont for the 451st Heavy Bombardment group. It was followed by the 485th, 504th, and 16th.

The base was deactivated and declared a surplus in 1946. Buildings were dismantled, surplus materials were given to local schools and communities, auctions were held, and the land slowly converted back to re-war status. Only four hangers, the water tower, runways taxiways, cement foundations, and a few brick and cement structures remain. Artifacts from the Fairmont Army Airfield and its soldiers are displayed at the Fillmore County Museum at 610 6th Avenue in Fairmont. (National Register of Historic Places 2003)

It is currently owned and operated by Nebraska Aeronautics. The Fairmont State Airfield, 4,300 lighted and hard-surfaced runway and a 3,600 hard-surfaced runway.