Lakehurst Maxfield Field

Lakehurst Maxfield Field
Part of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst
Lakehurst, Ocean County, New Jersey
Front gate at Lakehurst
Coordinates40°02′00″N 74°21′13″W / 40.03333°N 74.35361°W / 40.03333; -74.35361 (JB MDL Lakehurst)
TypeMilitary airfield
Site information
OwnerUnited States Air Force
Operator87th Air Base Wing
Controlled by United States Air Force
Site history
Built1916
In use1917 – present
Garrison information
Current
commander
  • Base Commander:
    COL Frederick D. Thaden, USAF
  • Base Dep. Cmdr/CO, NSA Lakehurst:
    CAPT William "Bill" Sherrod, USN
Garrison87th Air Base Wing with support from Naval Support Activity Lakehurst
Occupants
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: NEL, ICAO: KNEL, FAA LID: NEL
Elevation100.6 ft (30.7 m) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
6/24 5,002 ft (1,525 m) asphalt
15/33 5,002 ft (1,525 m) asphalt
63/243 3,500 ft (1,100 m) concrete
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Lakehurst Maxfield Field, formerly known as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), is the naval component of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL), a United States Air Force-managed joint base. The airfield is approximately 25 mi (40 km) east-southeast of Trenton in Manchester Township and Jackson Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. It is primarily the home to Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, although the airfield supports several other flying and non-flying units as well. Its name is an amalgamation of its location and the last name of Commander Louis H. Maxfield, who lost his life when the R-38/USN ZR-2 airship crashed during flight on 24 August 1921 near Hull, England.[2]

When it was consolidated with McGuire Air Force Base and Fort Dix in October 2009, it became the naval component of JB MDL — a United States Air Forcecontrolled installation — and was placed under the 87th Air Base Wing. However, as with all joint bases, the installation receives support services from the previous installation authorities. Thus, Lakehurst Field is also provided certain services from Naval Support Activity Lakehurst (NSA Lakehurst), whose commander also serves as one of two Base Deputy Commanders. Lakehurst field was the site of the Hindenburg disaster in 1937.

  1. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for NEL PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 22 August 2013.
  2. ^ [email protected]. "U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Historic Air Fields Post WW I". bluejacket.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.