Thunderbird Field No. 1 | |
|---|---|
| Part of Arizona World War II Army Airfields | |
| Glendale, Arizona | |
 Thunderbird 1 Army Air Field emblem | |
  Thunderbird Field No. 1 | |
| Coordinates | 33°37′22″N 112°11′7″W / 33.62278°N 112.18528°W |
| Type | USAAF contract flight training school |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | Army Air Forces Training Command |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1939 |
| Built by | Del E. Webb Construction Company |
| In use | 1941–1944 |
Thunderbird Field was a military airfield in Glendale, Arizona, used for contract primary flight training of Allied pilots during World War II. Created in part by actor James Stewart,[1] the field became part of the United States Army Air Forces training establishment just prior to American entry into the war and was re-designated Thunderbird Field #1 after establishment of Thunderbird Field#2 at nearby Scottsdale, on 22 June 1942. Thunderbird # 1 is located southeast of the intersection of West Greenway Road & North 59th Avenue in Glendale, Arizona.
After the conclusion of World War II, the property was sold as surplus for educational purposes, eventually becoming Thunderbird School of Global Management, a post-graduate business school. In November 2018 the property was transferred to Arizona Christian University. ACU now operates its undergraduate liberal arts university on the site.
Television producer Gerry Anderson named Thunderbird Field as the inspiration for the naming of the television show Thunderbirds as his brother, Lionel, was once stationed there.[2]
- ^ From The Soldier's Book of Inspirational Stories, by R.Dale Jeffery, 1997.
- ^ Gerry Anderson – The Authorised Biography, by Simon Archer & Stan Nicholls, 1996, pp. 85–86, ISBN 0-09-978141-7.