Est. 1942 · World War II Naval Aviation Training · John Glenn First Military Solo · Naval Air Transport Service History · Cold War Aviation
Naval Air Station Olathe was commissioned on October 1, 1942, one of dozens of naval air training facilities rapidly established across the United States following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The installation's first function was naval air primary training — producing the combat aviators the war demanded at scale.
The base's historical distinction is concrete: John Glenn, who would later become the first American to orbit Earth, was among the cadets in the first training class at Olathe, and made his first solo flight in a military aircraft from this base.
Over its 27-year operational life, NAS Olathe transitioned through multiple missions: primary pilot training, support for the Naval Air Transport Service (the Navy's internal airline), and training for Navy and Marine reservists during the Korean War and early Cold War period. The base was closed on June 30, 1970, and Johnson County government took possession of the property.
The redevelopment converted the military installation into New Century AirCenter, a combined commercial airport, business park, and industrial complex. The hangar complex adjacent to the control tower now houses an Army Reserve Chinook helicopter unit. The CAF Heart of America Wing maintains a Naval Air Park at the site, preserving the base's aviation history.
On January 3, 1949, 1st Lt. Neal R. Webster, low on fuel and flying in thick fog, crashed into the side of the Administration Building just past Hangar 43. Webster died at the scene, and his passenger, Pvt. Thomas Ruse, died about six hours later.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Air_Station_Olathe
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Century_AirCenter
- https://www.jocogov.org/best-times/september-october-2022/cover-story-history-olathe-naval-air-station
- https://www.jocogov.org/department/airport-commission/new-century-aircenter
ApparitionsPhantom soundsPhantom voicesPhantom footstepsDoors opening/closingEquipment malfunction
On January 3, 1949, 1st Lt. Neal R. Webster flew into the side of the Administration Building just past Hangar 43 in thick fog and died at the scene; his passenger, Pvt. Thomas Ruse, died about six hours later. Reports of whistles, footsteps, voices, locks that will not lock and doors opening unaided are said to have begun soon afterward, and they have continued across the decades.
Security guards making rounds in the building describe the same category of phenomena with consistency: voices that are directional and audible but have no visible source, whistles, footsteps on the floor and on overhead catwalks when the building is verified empty, locks that will not stay locked, doors that move without mechanical cause or air pressure differential. Some guards report seeing apparitions.
The inclusion of the site in an A&E 'Haunted America' special at some point before the date of the Shadowlands submission gives the account a media-verified dimension, though the specific episode and season number were not identified in available sources. The Johnson County government's own historical coverage of the base does not address the paranormal record, focusing instead on the facility's operational history.
