Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 4
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Chennault International Airport (KCWF) is a public aerospace and industrial complex on the site of the former Lake Charles Army Airfield and Chennault Air Force Base, near Lake Charles in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. It offers one of the longest runways on the Gulf Coast, making it a distinctive destination for simulator pilots interested in both its Cold War heritage and its role as a modern maintenance and business aviation hub.
Chennault International Airport is a public aerospace and industrial facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana, governed by the Chennault International Airport Authority. Named for General Claire Chennault, commander of the famed Flying Tigers of the Second World War, the airfield began life as a military flying school and later a Strategic Air Command bomber base before its conversion to civilian and industrial use. For a simulator pilot, its appeal lies in the sheer scale of its main runway, among the longest on the Gulf Coast, combined with a rich lineage stretching from advanced fighter training through the jet-bomber era of the Cold War.
The airport lies in south-central Louisiana at Lake Charles, in Calcasieu Parish, and is situated along the Interstate 10 corridor. A tower frequency is published for the field, indicating that air traffic control services are provided during operating hours.
Chennault has a single physical runway, 15/33, measuring 10,695 feet with a hard surface and runway lighting. Runway 15 is equipped with an ILS approach, making it usable in a wide range of weather conditions.
Lake Charles Approach/Departure is available on 119.8 MHz. The field broadcasts AWOS-3 weather on 120 MHz. The common traffic advisory frequency and tower frequency are both 124.2 MHz, with ground control on 121.65 MHz. UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz.
The airfield's origins lie in June 1941, when the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury leased Lake Charles Municipal Airport to the federal government for construction of the Lake Charles Army Flying School, an advanced training base for single-engine fighter pilots that also had two auxiliary fields for emergency and overflow use. The 481st School Squadron arrived in February 1942 and flew North American AT-6 Texans, joined shortly after by the 482nd and 483rd squadrons as part of the 60th and 61st Single Engine Flying Training Groups. Advanced single-engine training ended in January 1943 when the mission moved to the newly established Aloe Army Airfield in Texas, and Third Air Force then established a tactical bomber training school at the site, redesignating it Lake Charles Army Airfield. The 386th Bombardment Group flew B-26 Marauders there from February to May 1943, followed by the 416th Bombardment Group with A-20 Havocs from June to November 1943, and the 336th Bombardment Group formed as a B-26 replacement training unit in May 1943. At the war's end the base became permanent and hosted the 47th Bombardment Group flying A-26 Invaders, though budget cuts led to the group's inactivation and the airfield's closure at the end of 1946; it passed to the City of Lake Charles in February 1947. The Korean War brought reactivation as Lake Charles Air Force Base under Strategic Air Command. The 44th Bombardment Wing arrived in 1951 to train B-29 Superfortress aircrews for Far East Air Forces, later converting to B-47 Stratojets and adding a KC-97 Stratotanker air-refuelling squadron before the wing was discontinued in 1960 and transferred to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. Concurrently, the 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was activated at the base in October 1951, initially flying borrowed RB-29s before receiving its own B-29s and later B-47 Stratojets and KC-97 tankers. The base was ultimately renamed Chennault Air Force Base in honour of General Claire Chennault, commander of the Flying Tigers. By the end of 1986 the site had re-emerged in its current civilian guise as Chennault International Airport, with a governing board and a programme of site improvements and job training in partnership with Sowela. In 2020 a Boeing 747SP belonging to Las Vegas Sands Corporation, stored at the airport, was damaged beyond repair by Hurricane Laura when its wingtip struck a steel beam. The airport was named Louisiana's Airport of the Year in both 2017 and 2021.
Chennault International Airport now operates as a major hub for aerospace and industrial activity in southwest Louisiana, serving corporate, military, civilian and general aviation traffic. It supports maintenance operations and government contract fuel services, and its long, strong runway continues to handle both civilian and military aircraft. Major tenants at the field include Northrop Grumman and Citadel Completions, reflecting its role as a centre for aircraft maintenance and completions work alongside its general aviation activity.
