Maxwell Air Force Base is the US Air Force installation in Montgomery, Alabama, that hosts Air University, the service’s center for professional military education. The site began as a Wright brothers flying school in 1910.
From Wright brothers field to Air Force base
The Wright brothers opened one of the world’s earliest flying schools on the land that later became the base; Wikipedia’s Maxwell article says they decided to do so toward the end of February 1910. According to Wikipedia’s article on the Wright Flying School, it began in Montgomery on March 19, 1910, and later moved to Huffman Prairie Flying Field near Dayton, Ohio. A photograph held by the Alabama Department of Archives and History, shown on Wikimedia Commons, captions the site as the Kohn plantation, where the brothers set up the school.
The flying field did not stay quiet for long. Wikipedia’s Maxwell article reports that an aviation repair depot on the site built the first plane made in Montgomery and exhibited it at the field on 20 September 1918. In 1922 the War Department redesignated the depot as Maxwell Field. The name honors Second Lieutenant William C. Maxwell, a native of Atmore, Alabama.
Key dates at a glance
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 19, 1910 | Wright flying school begins training students in Montgomery |
| September 20, 1918 | Repair depot exhibits the first plane made in Montgomery |
| 1922 | Depot redesignated Maxwell Field |
| July 15, 1931 | Air Corps Tactical School opens at Maxwell |
| March 12, 1946 | Army Air Forces School redesignated Air University |
| September 1947 | Field renamed Maxwell Air Force Base |
| March 1992 | Gunter Air Force Base consolidated under Maxwell |
Source: Maxwell Air Force Base and Air University (United States Air Force) on Wikipedia, and Wright Flying School.
The Air Corps Tactical School and the road to Air University
Maxwell became an educational center long before it became an Air Force base. The Air Corps Tactical School opened there on 15 July 1931, and the Maxwell article says the school evolved into the first tactical center of the Army Air Corps and later the Air Force. Classes were suspended in June 1940, which led to the school’s permanent closure.
After the war, the education mission continued under a new name. Air University was established on 12 March 1946, when the Army Air Forces School was redesignated, and the Maxwell article records that the field was renamed Maxwell Air Force Base in September 1947, when the Air Force was created.
Air University today
Air University is a professional military education university system of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Maxwell. Its component institutions include the Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, Squadron Officer School, the Community College of the Air Force, Air Force ROTC and Officer Training School. The Curtis E. LeMay Center, formerly the Air Force Doctrine Development and Education Center, develops and publishes Air Force doctrine and teaches it through courses.
For readers following cyber and information-technology topics, the base matters because the service’s education and doctrine work sits alongside its operational cyber community. The site’s guide to what cyberpower means explains the vocabulary that Air Force training and doctrine use.
Gunter Annex and other tenants
Gunter Annex is a separate installation under the 42d Air Base Wing, the host wing for Maxwell-Gunter. It began in 1940 as a flying school, when the Army Air Corps leased the Montgomery Municipal Airport site, and it is named for William Adams Gunter, a long-time mayor of Montgomery. Wikipedia’s Gunter Annex article says the annex is home to the Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate, and that the 26th Network Operations Squadron provides network defense for the Air Force Enterprise Network.
Gunter was originally known as Gunter Field, later became Gunter Air Force Station and then Gunter Air Force Base, and was consolidated under Maxwell in March 1992. The annex lies in the north-northeast suburbs of Montgomery, and the two sites are often named together as Maxwell-Gunter.
The Maxwell article also lists Headquarters, Civil Air Patrol – USAF, and the Air Force Historical Research Agency, a repository for air power scholars, among the activities based at Maxwell.
Why the base matters to Montgomery
Maxwell is located in Montgomery, Alabama, and carries a layered history: a civilian flying school, a repair depot, the Air Corps Tactical School and, since 1946, the headquarters of Air University. That continuity ties the city to American military aviation, from the Wright school’s first students to professional military education today.
Visiting Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell is an active military installation, not a public park. A base notice published May 9, 2025 says that from May 7, 2025, anyone seeking a visitor pass for Maxwell or Gunter Annex needs a REAL ID-compliant credential or another accepted document, such as a US passport or passport card. Gate rules, visitor control hours and sponsor requirements change, so check the base’s official website before travelling.
This site is independent. It is not affiliated with the US Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base or any conference organizer, and it cannot grant or arrange base access.
Most visitors to Montgomery spend their time off base. The downtown venue used for the annual Air Force IT and cyber event is covered in the Montgomery convention center overview, and a short section of the things to do in Montgomery guide places Maxwell on the map for conference visitors. The full event background is in the AFITC conference guide.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Wright brothers open their flying school at Maxwell?
The school began training students in Montgomery on March 19, 1910, according to Wikipedia’s Wright Flying School article, and later moved to Ohio.
Who is Maxwell Air Force Base named after?
The base honors William C. Maxwell, a second lieutenant from Atmore. The field took his name in 1922, and it became an Air Force base in September 1947.
What is at Maxwell Air Force Base today?
Maxwell is the headquarters of Air University and the home of the 42d Air Base Wing, which hosts the Maxwell-Gunter complex. Activities there include Headquarters, Civil Air Patrol – USAF, and the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
Can the public visit Maxwell?
Entry is controlled. Since May 7, 2025, visitor passes require a REAL ID-compliant credential or another accepted document, such as a US passport, per a base notice. Confirm current rules on the base’s official website.
Photo credits: Tech. Sgt. Jeffery Foster, U.S. Air National Guard (Public domain (US government work)); Alabama Department of Archives and History (via Wikimedia Commons) (Public domain); Bennett Rock, U.S. Air Force (Public domain (US government work)).
