The Story of Grissom Aeroplex
Grissom Aeroplex sits in Miami and Cass counties, near Peru, Indiana, and it's the civilian half of a piece of ground that has served the country continuously since 1942.
From Navy Base to Cold War Bomber Alert Pad
The site began life as Naval Air Station Bunker Hill, established July 1, 1942. The Navy handed it off to the Air Force in 1954, and it operated as Bunker Hill Air Force Base until 1968. That year, the base was renamed to honor Lieutenant Colonel Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, the Indiana native and Apollo 1 astronaut, becoming Grissom Air Force Base.
From 1957 to 1970, the base served under the Strategic Air Command, home first to the Boeing B-47 and later the Convair B-58 supersonic bomber. The area where civilian activities take place today was once the alert pad site where those Cold War bombers stood ready. In 1969 and 1970, the B-58s were phased out, and the base's mission shifted from bombing to aerial refueling, with the 305th Bombardment Wing deactivating in favor of a new refueling wing.
Downsized, Not Closed
Following the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission process, the installation was downsized and renamed Grissom Air Reserve Base. That change split the property into two functions: roughly 1,700 acres plus the runway and taxiways remained a military installation, while the surrounding land became Grissom Aeroplex, handling civilian general aviation and charter operations.
Today, Grissom Air Reserve Base is one of only four Air Reserve Command bases in the entire country, hosting the 434th Air Refueling Wing along with Army Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve units.
A New Civilian Chapter
Grissom Aeroplex opened as a public general aviation airport on March 1, 2008, with more than 850 acres and existing buildings placed under the control of the Miami County Economic Development Authority. Miami County Aviation now serves as the airport's fixed-base operator, running day-to-day civilian flight operations on the same runway that once scrambled Cold War bombers.
The old alert pad grounds have even found a second life beyond aviation — the site now hosts autocross competitions, giving racers a chance to run their cars across pavement that once held some of the most heavily guarded aircraft in the country.
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