Loring Air Force Base Heritage Museum

April 5, 1947 First directive authorizing Limestone Army Airfield issued by Department of the Army

January 13, 1948 Base first became known as Limestone Air Force Base

June 16, 1948 First concrete pouring of Arch Hangar roof (takes 27 hours, 36 minutes)

September 1948 First aircraft lands on newly completed runway (a contractor's twin engine Cessna)

August 13, 1950 First permanently assigned aircraft arrives (a C-47 Transport)

April 1, 1953 First Bomber aircraft assigned to the base arrives (a B-36 assigned to the 69th Bomb Squadron)

August 2, 1953 First base open house (75,000 people attend)

September 28, 1953 First day of school at Damon Elementary

December 25, 1953 First television broadcast by experimental Armed Forces TV occurs at Loring (forerunner of today's Armed Forces Radio and Television Service)

March 16, 1954 First classes offered on base by the University of Maine (Freshman English and U.S. History, cost $30 each)

October 1954 First class of Loring's NCO Preparatory Academy begins

February 15, 1955 First tanker arrives at Loring (KC-97G)

June 16, 1956 First B-52 assigned to Loring arrives

October 16, 1957 First KC-135 arrives (christened "Aroostook Queen")

December 9, 1957 First visit by President of the United States (Dwight D. Eisenhower, en route to Nato meeting in Paris

May 21, 1959 First B-52 "G" Model arrives (aircraft # 56, 500)

October 29, 1959 First fighter aircraft arrive (Four F-106 Delta Darts of the 27th Fighter Interceptor Squadron)

December 14, 1968 First day of operation for Loring Ski Chalet

June 23, 1969 First two female air traffic controllers in the history of the Strategic Air Command conducted at Loring

October 8, 1970 First union on base (Local 2943 of AFL-CIO)

January 1, 1975 First testing of a la carte dining hall concept in the Strategic Air Command conducted at Loring

September 15, 1983 Fisrt HARPOON modified B-52 arrives

May 25, 1989 First KC-135 "R" model arrives

September 18, 1989 Loring bombers first to ever fly into Royal Air Force Base, St. Mawgan, United Kingdom