🛩️ National Aviation Week kicks off this week! Did you know Venice had an U.S. Army air base on the grounds of the current Venice Municipal Airport? Here are a few quick facts and photos as we celebrate #AviationWeek: ✈️ At the peak of operations from 1943 to 1946, the Venice Army Air Base had over 4,000 service members living on base and trained more than 20,000. ✈️ The majority of training focused on the maintenance and operation of P-40 Warhawks, P-39 Airacobras, P-47 Thunderbolts, and P-51 Mustangs. ✈️ Top engineers from Rollison, Republic, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt were recruited to come to Venice to help service and train new mechanical staff. ✈️ In 1946, with World War II over, the base changed hands to the City of Venice to be operated as a municipal airport.