It is loud. If you’ve ever stood on the edge of the 215 freeway in Riverside, California, you know that sound—the literal roar of heavy engines that makes the air feel like it’s vibrating in your chest. That is the sound of March Field Air Base, or as it’s officially known these days, March Air Reserve Base. It isn't just a patch of asphalt in the Inland Empire. Honestly, it’s one of the most storied patches of dirt in American military history, and most people just drive right past it on their way to San Diego or Palm Springs without a second thought.
That’s a mistake.
March Field has been around since 1918. Think about that for a second. While World War I was still raging in the muddy trenches of Europe, the US government was looking at this dusty plain in Riverside and seeing the future of flight. It’s seen everything from the very first open-cockpit biplanes to the massive, hulking C-17 Globemasters that dominate the skyline today.
The Secret History of March Field Air Base
When people talk about the "Golden Age" of flight, they usually think of Lindbergh or Earhart. But March Field Air Base was the actual laboratory for the modern Air Force. Back in the 1930s, a guy named Hap Arnold—yes, that General Hap Arnold—commanded the field. He wasn't just sitting behind a desk; he was basically inventing the concept of strategic bombing right there in the California sun.
It’s kinda wild to think that the same runways being used today were once the training grounds for the men who would eventually fly the B-17s and B-24s over Germany. During the 1930s, the base was the "West Coast’s premiere air station." It was glamorous, in a military sort of way. Hollywood stars like Bob Hope actually started their USO tours here. In fact, Hope’s very first radio broadcast for the troops happened at March Field in 1941. That’s a real piece of trivia that usually gets lost in the shuffle.
The base wasn't always this massive sprawl of concrete. It started as Alessandro Aviation Field, named after a tiny whistle-stop on the Santa Fe Railway. It was renamed for Second Lieutenant Peyton C. March, Jr., who died in a plane crash in Texas just as the base was opening. There’s a weight to that name. It serves as a constant reminder of the risks involved in early aviation.
Why the Inland Empire Is Built Around These Runways
You can’t understand Riverside or Moreno Valley without understanding the base. It’s the gravity well that pulls everything toward it. For decades, March Field Air Base was a massive economic engine. When it was a full-time, active-duty Strategic Air Command (SAC) base during the Cold War, it was a city unto itself.
Thousands of airmen lived there. They bought groceries in Riverside, rented apartments in Moreno Valley, and sent their kids to local schools. When the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process hit in the 1990s, people panicked. They thought the region would collapse. And while it definitely hurt—the base transitioned to a Reserve Base in 1996—it didn't die.
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It evolved.
Today, the base is a weird, fascinating hybrid. You have the military side, with the 452nd Air Mobility Wing. These are the folks flying those giant grey C-17s you see lumbering through the sky like prehistoric whales. But then you also have the civilian side. The March Joint Powers Authority has turned parts of the old base into a massive logistics hub. If you’ve ordered something on Amazon recently and you live in Southern California, there’s a decent chance it passed through the shadow of the old March hangars.
The Museum: Where the Metal Lives
If you actually want to feel the history, you have to go to the March Field Air Museum. It’s right off the highway. You can’t miss it because there’s a freaking SR-71 Blackbird sitting out front.
Seeing a Blackbird in person is a religious experience for aviation nerds. It looks like something from a movie, but it’s real, leaking fuel on the tarmac (which they were designed to do on the ground) and holding records that still haven't been broken. The museum has over 70 aircraft. We're talking B-29s, B-52s, and even some weird experimental stuff that never quite made the cut.
One of the coolest, though often overlooked, exhibits is the P-38 Lightning. It’s a twin-tailed devil of a plane that was essential in the Pacific during WWII. Standing under the wing of one of those, you realize just how small and cramped those cockpits really were. Those pilots were built different.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Base Today
There’s this common misconception that March Field Air Base is "closed" or just a museum. That couldn't be further from the truth. It is incredibly active.
- The 452nd Air Mobility Wing: This is the primary unit. They provide strategic airlift and aerial refueling. If there’s a disaster somewhere in the world, these guys are often the ones flying in the supplies.
- The 163rd Attack Wing: This is part of the California Air National Guard. They operate the MQ-9 Reaper drones. It’s a strange juxtaposition—historic 1930s architecture on one side of the base, and high-tech remote-piloted aircraft missions on the other.
- Department of Homeland Security: The base is a major hub for Border Patrol and Customs aircraft operations.
It’s a massive multi-agency complex. It isn't just "the Air Force" anymore; it’s a lynchpin of national security and regional logistics.
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The Architecture of a Military Powerhouse
Walk around the historic district of the base and you'll see something you don't expect: Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. It doesn't look like a "base." It looks like a high-end university campus from the 1920s.
This was intentional.
The Army Air Corps wanted these bases to feel permanent. They wanted them to be beautiful. The red-tiled roofs and white stucco walls were designed to blend in with the Southern California aesthetic while projecting a sense of stability and prestige. Many of these buildings are now on the National Register of Historic Places. You can still see the old barracks and officer housing that look almost exactly as they did when Hap Arnold was walking the grounds. It’s a vibe you just don't get at newer, more utilitarian bases like Edwards or Nellis.
Living in the Flight Path: The Reality
Let’s be real for a second. Living near March Field Air Base isn't always a picnic. The noise is constant. If you’re a local, you learn the "March Pause." It’s that three-second gap in a conversation when a heavy lifter is taking off and you just have to wait for the sound to pass.
But there’s a weird pride in it, too.
The people in Riverside and Moreno Valley generally love the base. It’s part of the identity. There’s a reason the local high school teams have names related to flight. There’s a reason you see retired veterans everywhere. The base isn't just next to the community; it is the community.
And then there are the airshows.
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When the "March Field AirFest" (or whatever they’re calling it this year) happens, hundreds of thousands of people descend on the runways. You get to see the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels screaming overhead. You get to walk through the cargo hold of a C-5 Galaxy, which is basically a flying warehouse. It’s one of the few times the public gets to step inside the gates and see what’s actually happening behind the barbed wire.
Navigating the Future of the Field
What happens next for March? It’s a fair question. With the push toward electric aircraft and more automated logistics, the base is once again at a crossroads. There’s constant talk about expanding more civilian cargo flights, which would bring more jobs but also more noise.
The military mission seems secure for now, though. The strategic location—so close to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and within striking distance of the entire West Coast—makes it too valuable to give up. Plus, the infrastructure is already there. You can’t just "build" a new 13,000-foot runway somewhere else in California without a decade of environmental lawsuits.
March has the space. It has the history. And it has the community support.
Practical Ways to Experience March Field Air Base
If you’re actually interested in seeing this place for yourself, don't just stare at it from the freeway. Here is how you actually do it:
- Visit the March Field Air Museum: It’s open most days and it’s cheap. Spend the extra couple of dollars for the tram tour if they're running it; it takes you out to the flight line where you can see the big stuff up close.
- The Heritage Coffee Spot: There are a few local spots right outside the base where the aircrews hang out. If you want to hear the real stories (the ones that aren't in the brochures), grab a coffee at one of the diners in Moreno Valley near the gate.
- Check the Airshow Schedule: They don't happen every year, but when they do, it’s the best way to see the "active" side of the base.
- Photography: If you’re a plane spotter, there are several public dirt turnouts along the perimeter fences. Just don't be a weirdo—don't touch the fences, and definitely don't fly a drone anywhere near the airspace. The security forces there do not have a sense of humor about that.
March Field Air Base is a survivor. It survived the end of the biplane era, the end of the Cold War, and the massive budget cuts of the 90s. It’s a testament to the fact that some places are just too important to disappear. Next time you're stuck in traffic on the 215, roll down your window. If you hear that low-frequency rumble, just remember you're listening to over a hundred years of history taking off.
To dig deeper into the specific flight schedules or museum events, check the official March Air Reserve Base website or the March Field Air Museum’s digital archives. Both maintain updated calendars of public-facing events and historical deep-dives into the specific airframes currently stationed on the field.