A Brief History of
Hendricks Field
early history of this
site.
On June 13, 1941,
what was destined
to become
Hendricks Field
was just a huge
tract of land
about seven
miles southeast
of Sebring.
On that day
the War
Department
a n n o u n c e d
that the tract-sandy, palmetto-covered,
marshy, almost surrounded by lakes and a creek –
had been selected as the site for a Basic Flying School.
This year marks the 76th anniversary of the official
opening of Hendricks Field and the arrival of the first
B-17s to this legendary WW2 USAAF base.
Hundreds of combat air crews
were trained here in Sebring
and sent to Europe and the
Pacific. Approximately 20%
never returned – a sobering
thought and a reminder of
the sacrifices that generation
made. Always remember
that Sebring International
Raceway was originally an
important military base that
helped win the war.
What follows are excerpts
from an original Hendricks
Field document detailing the
102 T h e 6 6 t h A n n u a l 1 2 H o u r s o f S e b r i n g