Few would guess Atlantic City has a rich aviation history, being
instrumental in many technical advances and playing a key role in the
defense of the nation. The wartime role of Naval Air Station Atlantic
City, commissioned in 1943, was training naval fighter pilots as well as
developing technology and procedures for ground controlled interception
of enemy aircraft. After the war, Atlantic City was the site of testing
new Navy aircraft as well as the development of all-weather,
night-fighting, and attack capabilities. After the Navy left in 1958,
the airfield became home to the Federal Aviation Administration's
premier research center, a New Jersey Air National Guard jet fighter
base, a US Coast Guard air station, and Atlantic City International
Airport.