History

Craig Air Force Base near Selma, Alabama, was a U.S. Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) base that closed in 1977. As an active air force base, Craig had two 8,000-foot (2,400 m) parallel runways, a large aircraft parking ramp and several large maintenance hangars.

Today the facility is a civilian airport known as Craig Field Airport and Industrial Complex (ICAO: KSEM; FAA: SEM).

The history of the Craig Complex is almost as rich as the history of the area in which it sits. Following the outbreak of World War II, the United States Army Air Corps quickly came to the realization that it would need a place to train the thousands of new pilots.

Named after Army Air Corps pilot Lt. Bruce Kilpatrick Craig, a Dallas County native who in 1941 died in the crash of his B-24, Craig Field was a center in the southeast for the Army Air Corps and later Air Force undergraduate flight training during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. At one point in its history, Craig was the busiest airport in the world with over 93,000 flight hours and 455,000 aircraft movements.

In 1977, military operations ended at Craig and the site was sold to the Craig Field Airport and Industrial Authority (CFAIA), which continues oversee operations and development of the site.

 


Training Class Reunions:
Planning a reunion? We want to help. If you are planning for a Training Class Reunion we can assist by providing a site for you and your colleagues to reminisce about your time at Craig. While our largest facility can only accommodate groups smaller than 100 people, we can point you in the right direction by providing local companies that would be happy to help you for your occasion. For more information or inquiries, please call 334-874-7419 or email Executive Director Menzo Driskell at craigairport@bellsouth.net.