Arts by Dylan: Wings over Solano 2024 Tower Canvas

Travis Air Force Base used to be named after the towns it is in, the Fairfield-Suisun Army Airbase.

In the 1940's the area was agricluture and there was almost nothing around, it was not that much different then Burnsflat Oklahoma (my grandfather was stationed there in the 1950's and my aunts and uncles remember it). Basically, it was an airstrip in the middle of nowhwere but had decent amount of wind.

In 1950 the commander of the Base, General Travis died when a B-29 he was in crashed. The base was renamed in his honor, similiar to Edwards, I believe Edwards was an early test pilot who died in a plane crash and the base got renamed in his honor.

Over the last 70 years the towns of Fairfield, Suisun, and Vacaville have grown around the base, there are almost 250,000 people living within a few short miles of the base.

But the base continues to be a gateway to the pacific, and a hugely important military base for the Air Force and is home to refuelers and cargo planes that fly humanitarian aide all over the world whenever something happens.

There is probably not a single major historical event or natural disaster over the last 50 years that has not had some plane from Travis involved in helping carrying out a mission.

Photographer: Dylan Carpowich