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The Maine Air National Guard is more than seven months older than the United States Air Force. The Guard was established as part of the Army Air Corps and then the Air Force after it became a separate branch of the military on Sept. 18, 1947.

The land the Air and Army National Guard bases occupy in and around Bangor International Airport is owned by the Air Force or the city of Bangor.

The Air Guard wing spans 280 acres. In an agreement with the Air Force, it manages 303 acres around the airport, but uses only 122. It leases 158 acres from the city of Bangor. Within four months the remaining 181 acres of Air Force property are expected to be transferred to the Army, the Federal Aviation Administration, the city or private citizens.

The BIA runway, which the Guard uses, is approximately 11,000 feet long and 200 feet wide and is listed as an alternative landing site for space shuttles. An average commercial aircraft runway is about 9,000 feet long.

The Guard received its first jet aircraft, the F-80 Shooting Star, in the summer of 1948, but the Air Force co-opted them to use in the Korean War zone. The Guard was given propeller-driven F-51H Mustangs as replacements.

The T-33 T-Bird [Shooting Star] served the Guard as a training jet for 22 years, from 1954 to 1976.

The 101st Air Refueling Wing employs nearly 900 Guard members, approximately 400 full time, with an additional 170 temporarily full time to help in war efforts.

The Air Guard is the fifth-largest employer in the city of Bangor, ranking behind Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems and the University of Maine.

The Bangor wing’s 2006 annual budget was approximately $57 million, but once items paid for directly by the government, such as airmen’s wages and fuel, are included, more than $116 million was pumped into Bangor’s economy.

The average age in the 101st is 37 years old.

The average 101st wing member will serve 27 years before seeking retirement.

The city of Bangor saves more than $1 million a year by partnering with the Guard for fire protection and snow removal at BIA. Using some state employees, the Guard provides all fire protection at the airport and owns and maintains a majority of the snow removal equipment. The plow truck drivers are city employees.

The Guard tracked 578 military airplanes that stopped in Bangor to refuel in 2006. This accounted for more than $600,000 in revenue for Bangor businesses. The planes brought 4,046 crew members and 5,185 passengers to Bangor, resulting in more than $360,000 spent on hotel stays alone.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Bangor’s wing has pumped more than 8.5 million gallons of fuel into military aircraft.

The average age of the KC-135 jets in Bangor’s fleet is 50 years old.

The wing will convert to a newer, more fuel-efficient model of the KC-135 Stratotanker in April.