Great video. I went to Chanute for Tech School in 1972. I was a C-135 and B-52 Mechanic. Ironically I was also born at Chanute in 1952. My Father was B-29 pilot and later a B-47 pilot.
Me and my team was sent there TDY from McClellan AFB, California in the summer of 1990 to repair and replaced some old telephone cable's. Chanute to me was a one big base. I was shocked when they closed it down. Sad. That base had a lot of history to it. Thankfully I got a chance to visit there. Good video, Thanks.
I was stationed there from 1982 until closure and retirement in 1993. Had a lot of good times there. Did lots and lots of fishing around Illinois. A good safe place for kids to grow up.
Completed the airframe repair course there in the summer of 1979. Also joined the aero club and soled in one of their Cessna 150's N388V. Learned to fly rc models at the model flying field too. Went to Slot and Wing Hobby shop outside the north gate every Saturday morning. Loved everything about that place and that time. Thanks for posting, nice tour.
A breath of Fresh Air watching this video. Great to see the base when it was still active compared to so many videos of it in deplorable condition after closure.
I went to Chanute in 1973 for fire training. Was the last class to graduate under a warrant officer. Did dome fishing around there. Alot of good times. From there to Grissom AFB for about a yr.
I lived there from 1990-1993....my husband (not ex) was an instructor at the fire school. I lived in base housing on Kiernan Dr and work right outside the main gate at a video store called Coming Attractions. I love Chanute! Thanks for sharing,
I worked at the Dental Clinic and was there from Aug 91 to 30 Aug 93....still have a key to the dental clinic somewhere :-) Lived at 162 Kiernan Drive and would walk from there to work on nice days. Helped close the dental clinic, then the Hospital, and then spent a few weeks working at DRMO scraping a bunch of stuff. I miss Chanute. Best assignment I had in my 22 yr career.
Kimberly, what’s your husband’s name? I was there in 92 and actually flew out the day after this video was filmed. 12/24/92. I was in fire school. Only instructors name I can remember is fletcher.
I was born and raised for ten years 1980 - 90 at chanute. Dad was a life support trainer. we lived on white drive. my dad actually painted the sign for coming attractions and the lil italian restraunt by the ball fields was our normal friday night luxury. how cool
Woah. I spotted the dorm I lived in for 6 weeks in Feb and March of 91 while I went to some Sheetmetal training there. Not being used to living in a military dorm (mostly hotels when I went TDY) I looked for the elevator to take me to the third floor. What elevator the nice girl at the front desk said? Oh yeh. That's right. Ok. Hoof it. Thank heaven I packed lightly with only essentials. It was cold and windy. Found the club and spent a good deal of time there when unoccupied. Nice room. Fairly new with a "jack and jill' shared bathroom. Got "yes sir'd" a couple of times when I told the young troops next door to pipe down.
I was there summer and fall '75, for Fuels Specialist training, leaving BMT in early August and pulling details until training started in September, and leaving before the cold weather hit. A friend who was still there for AGE training showed me his parka and face mask he was issued since he was going to be there.
Was at Chanute from Sept. 1983 till Dec. 1983 for Fabrication and Parachute Rigger school and then June 1986 till Aug. 1986 for Fire protection school.
Im a younger airman but currently at my base, we have Grissom Hall that derived from Chanute Grissom Hall as well. I visited it recently with my gf and got some pics inside the buildings. I love the history and heritage. Hope to find a flight patch somewhere in the buildings and add it to my uniform.
after leaving Okinawa in may 78, I was stationed at Chanute june 78-july 80 after which I headed to korea for the next 3.5 years....loved it....nice quiet peaceful town we always joked at how they rolled up the sidewalks at sunset....daddy longlegs, aka tsg Leroy legs coined the CORNPATCH ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD name for it....but, great place to be...many good friends there...57 north to exit 335 to visit dads family twice a month
Named for Octave Chanute (1832-1910), resident of Chicago much of his life. Civil engineer of railroads, bridges, stockyards. After retiring from his railroad career, became the world's foremost expert and correspondent on efforts to create practical flying machines. Published 'Progress In Flying Machines' in 1894, sponsored early hang gliding experiments at Indiana Dunes, gave publicity and encouragement to the Wright Brothers. 'Prevented by Great Storm' from seeing the Wrights fly in 1905, saw one their first public flights at Fort Myer, Va., in 1908.
AGE Instructor, 1980-1984. Best memories of my life. So sad to see all the videos on RUclips of what Chanute has become. I wish I'd never have seen them now.
@Ron c I was there in January of 70.. I didn't have a liner for my field jacket and I remember one time the chill factor was -43... I like to have froze.. I think that was the coldest I've been my entire life... I would love to find our barracks.. Don't know the name of it...
Dad was a missile system analyst when retired in 65. While at mountain home I think he went to school at Chanute. If anyone can remember 64 65 a w.g. Logue that was my dad
This video takes me back to when Army bases looked like Army bases, Air Force bases looked like Air Force bases, Naval ports looked like they were still under construction, and Marine camps looked like exceptionally well managed minimum security prison complexes. Now all bases look like DoD approved; Housing Structure, Dormitory, Single-Occupancy, NCO, option one. Office Structure, Administrative, Personal Management, option three. Dining facility, Enlisted, option two. Industrial, Mechanical Workspace, option seven. Moral and Welfare, Area Beautification triangular, option four. Stock designs, stock color schemes, stock building designs, with stock building materials, zero personality, and zero cares for the “numbers” serving.
Our bus broke down in the corn fields I think around Feb 73?Texas was I. 50's when we left Lackland below 0 in Illinois...we had summer blues on our feet were frozen from unloading our duffle bags stacking in snow bank...I thought it was a AF psychologist test. Stayed in Wll barracks first 2 weeks...find out my dad entered AAF there during WWII and discharged there... surreal! So sad to watch RUclips On Broken Wings Chanute AFB...we were all contaminated lots of us sick or passed on .
When I drove around that base, you can see underground hatches literally everywhere. I passed by yesterday and most of them have recently been dug up and and replaced with sod. You can see many of them as you drive around in this video. I've always been very curious what those are..... any idea?
JAYZIGGY5 They were pressure relief valves for the steam-heated base. When too much steam pressure built up, their little red light would turn on and steam would be released
Zach Poremba Thank you! I have wondered what those were for years! Most of them are gone now but they were everywhere. That place is pretty creepy looking now days, but I would love to go inside and look around.
I was stationed at Chanute from April 1971 to Feb 1975, first year civil engineering site development then 3 years in the comptroller office. great memories, 45 years ago, hard to believe
AGE Instructor 89-93. Fun times. Thanks for the memories.
Great video. I went to Chanute for Tech School in 1972. I was a C-135 and B-52 Mechanic. Ironically I was also born at Chanute in 1952. My Father was B-29 pilot and later a B-47 pilot.
Me and my team was sent there TDY from McClellan AFB, California in the summer of 1990 to repair and replaced some old telephone cable's. Chanute to me was a one big base. I was shocked when they closed it down. Sad. That base had a lot of history to it. Thankfully I got a chance to visit there. Good video, Thanks.
I was stationed there from 1982 until closure and retirement in 1993. Had a lot of good times there. Did lots and lots of fishing around Illinois. A good safe place for kids to grow up.
went to Wx Oberver”A” school i. 81 and Wx Forecasting scool “C” in 91. Some good times-thanks for posting.
I was at Chanute in 77 for technical training in Aircrew Flight Equipment. Loved the Base, & the town.
Completed the airframe repair course there in the summer of 1979. Also joined the aero club and soled in one of their Cessna 150's N388V. Learned to fly rc models at the model flying field too. Went to Slot and Wing Hobby shop outside the north gate every Saturday morning. Loved everything about that place and that time. Thanks for posting, nice tour.
Thank you for doing that, it brought back memories.
A breath of Fresh Air watching this video. Great to see the base when it was still active compared to so many videos of it in deplorable condition after closure.
@2:01 that P-51H is now at Robin's Air Force Base Museum, in Warner-Robins, GA.
I went to Chanute in 1973 for fire training. Was the last class to graduate under a warrant officer. Did dome fishing around there. Alot of good times. From there to Grissom AFB for about a yr.
I lived there from 1990-1993....my husband (not ex) was an instructor at the fire school. I lived in base housing on Kiernan Dr and work right outside the main gate at a video store called Coming Attractions. I love Chanute! Thanks for sharing,
I worked at the Dental Clinic and was there from Aug 91 to 30 Aug 93....still have a key to the dental clinic somewhere :-) Lived at 162 Kiernan Drive and would walk from there to work on nice days. Helped close the dental clinic, then the Hospital, and then spent a few weeks working at DRMO scraping a bunch of stuff. I miss Chanute. Best assignment I had in my 22 yr career.
Kimberly, what’s your husband’s name? I was there in 92 and actually flew out the day after this video was filmed. 12/24/92. I was in fire school. Only instructors name I can remember is fletcher.
I was born and raised for ten years 1980 - 90 at chanute. Dad was a life support trainer. we lived on white drive. my dad actually painted the sign for coming attractions and the lil italian restraunt by the ball fields was our normal friday night luxury. how cool
Lived there from 84 to 90, lot of good memories at Chanute, this video brings back a lot of them.
I was there in 1983 for tech school. I was an aircraft electrician, later stationed at Pease AFB New Hampshire working on Kc-135 and FB-111.
The airbase is called Chanute Field. My father in law served there in 1941 and I went through meteorology training in 1968.
I was an air police officer assigned to chanted afb in the mid 60s it was huge I would rack up 80 or 90 miles per night patrol in my truck
That’s crazy I was there for structural maintenance at the time of this video!
Went to Vehicle Maintenance school in the summer of 1976 Good times
Woah. I spotted the dorm I lived in for 6 weeks in Feb and March of 91 while I went to some Sheetmetal training there. Not being used to living in a military dorm (mostly hotels when I went TDY) I looked for the elevator to take me to the third floor. What elevator the nice girl at the front desk said? Oh yeh. That's right. Ok. Hoof it. Thank heaven I packed lightly with only essentials. It was cold and windy. Found the club and spent a good deal of time there when unoccupied. Nice room. Fairly new with a "jack and jill' shared bathroom. Got "yes sir'd" a couple of times when I told the young troops next door to pipe down.
I was there summer and fall '75, for Fuels Specialist training, leaving BMT in early August and pulling details until training started in September, and leaving before the cold weather hit. A friend who was still there for AGE training showed me his parka and face mask he was issued since he was going to be there.
Was at Chanute from Sept. 1983 till Dec. 1983 for Fabrication and Parachute Rigger school and then June 1986 till Aug. 1986 for Fire protection school.
I was there in early 92 for fire school had a great time
Im a younger airman but currently at my base, we have Grissom Hall that derived from Chanute Grissom Hall as well. I visited it recently with my gf and got some pics inside the buildings. I love the history and heritage. Hope to find a flight patch somewhere in the buildings and add it to my uniform.
Thank you for the bring back Chanute even if it on a video. :)
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Phyllis Davis we
This was taken just four months after I got out of the Air Force. I was at Chanute for fuels training from Feb-Apr of 1986.
The Blue Angel was named "Lucy" in honor of Lucy Goff who was Program Director of the USO in Rantoul for decades.
after leaving Okinawa in may 78, I was stationed at Chanute june 78-july 80 after which I headed to korea for the next 3.5 years....loved it....nice quiet peaceful town we always joked at how they rolled up the sidewalks at sunset....daddy longlegs, aka tsg Leroy legs coined the CORNPATCH ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD name for it....but, great place to be...many good friends there...57 north to exit 335 to visit dads family twice a month
Named for Octave Chanute (1832-1910), resident of Chicago much of his life. Civil engineer of railroads, bridges, stockyards. After retiring from his railroad career, became the world's foremost expert and correspondent on efforts to create practical flying machines. Published 'Progress In Flying Machines' in 1894, sponsored early hang gliding experiments at Indiana Dunes, gave publicity and encouragement to the Wright Brothers. 'Prevented by Great Storm' from seeing the Wrights fly in 1905, saw one their first public flights at Fort Myer, Va., in 1908.
Thanks for the tour. I was at Chanute 72-73 Security Police
AGE Instructor, 1980-1984. Best memories of my life. So sad to see all the videos on RUclips of what Chanute has become. I wish I'd never have seen them now.
Larry C I was there as an AGE student 2277 STUS I think it was in 90-91, it is sad to see the place now. Remember the ol Hitching Post bar ?
@@deborahchesser7375 Ha, absolutely. Spent many a night there "socializing" . . . never with students though (wink wink).
AGE Instructor '63-'66
I lived in those dorms while I was going through Aircraft Maintenance School (43151) in 1968.
@Ron c I was there in January of 70.. I didn't have a liner for my field jacket and I remember one time the chill factor was -43... I like to have froze.. I think that was the coldest I've been my entire life... I would love to find our barracks.. Don't know the name of it...
Dad was a missile system analyst when retired in 65. While at mountain home I think he went to school at Chanute. If anyone can remember 64 65 a w.g. Logue that was my dad
This video takes me back to when Army bases looked like Army bases, Air Force bases looked like Air Force bases, Naval ports looked like they were still under construction, and Marine camps looked like exceptionally well managed minimum security prison complexes.
Now all bases look like DoD approved; Housing Structure, Dormitory, Single-Occupancy, NCO, option one. Office Structure, Administrative, Personal Management, option three. Dining facility, Enlisted, option two. Industrial, Mechanical Workspace, option seven. Moral and Welfare, Area Beautification triangular, option four.
Stock designs, stock color schemes, stock building designs, with stock building materials, zero personality, and zero cares for the “numbers” serving.
Our bus broke down in the corn fields I think around Feb 73?Texas was I. 50's when we left Lackland below 0 in Illinois...we had summer blues on our feet were frozen from unloading our duffle bags stacking in snow bank...I thought it was a AF psychologist test.
Stayed in Wll barracks first 2 weeks...find out my dad entered AAF there during WWII and discharged there... surreal!
So sad to watch RUclips On Broken Wings Chanute AFB...we were all contaminated lots of us sick or passed on .
I was an Air Force Avionics Technical Instructor from 1973 - 1975.
the area is a whole lot different when I was stationed there in 1979.
Went to weather observer school there in 1955. Yikes. Then on to Westover AFB in Mass.
That would have been awesome if you got to go in the hangers and take video. It was nice seeing the place as it was before they let it go to crap.
When I drove around that base, you can see underground hatches literally everywhere. I passed by yesterday and most of them have recently been dug up and and replaced with sod. You can see many of them as you drive around in this video. I've always been very curious what those are..... any idea?
JAYZIGGY5 They were pressure relief valves for the steam-heated base. When too much steam pressure built up, their little red light would turn on and steam would be released
Zach Poremba Thank you! I have wondered what those were for years! Most of them are gone now but they were everywhere. That place is pretty creepy looking now days, but I would love to go inside and look around.
Definitely creepy. White hall especially.
Zach Poremba It is! Also pretty sad imagining at one time that place was crawling with military and now its just rotting. I really want to go inside!
Memories of Weather training in 1959 & 1961.
Where was the B-36?
Disassembled in the summer of 1990 and sent to Castle air museum in California.
Castle AFB got the B-58 as well.. possibly a few more...
Lots of good and not so good memories
I was stationed at Chanute from April 1971 to Feb 1975, first year civil engineering site development then 3 years in the comptroller office.
great memories, 45 years ago, hard to believe
Wheres the greasy spoon
I wish Rantoul still looked like this. Fucking shame.
So is your language….
NDI school 1989, 3362nd
vdcg2010 AGE 90’ NDI, non destructive insp yep
I had just left for Minot a few weeks before this was filmed. Had a fun few months there