The 79th Bombardier Training Group continued operations until the surrender of Japan, when the cadets who agreed to remain in postwar service were transferred to Midland AAF, Texas. The last class graduated on 26 September 1945. The base was declared surplus and reverted to city control in November 1945 and it served as the Big Spring Municipal Airport for 6 years.
Webb Air Force Base
As a result of the Korean War, and the need for trained pilots, the airfield was reopened on October 1, 1951. The base was renamed Webb Air Force Base in 1952 to memorialize Lt. James L. Webb, a Big Spring native and World War II combat pilot, who was killed off the Japanese coast in 1949.
The 3560th Pilot Training Wing (later redesignated the 78th Flying Training Wing) was stationed at the base, and instruction of the first class began in April 1952. The base population soon passed the 2,000 mark. By the end of 1968 almost 9,000 pilots had been trained at Webb.