Eric Marcus Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Eric Marcus Municipal Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport
in Pima County
, Arizona
, United States
. It is located five nautical miles (9 km) north of the central business district
of Ajo
and is about 82 miles (132 km) southwest of Phoenix
. The airport was renamed on February 11, 2006; it was formerly known as Ajo Municipal Airport.
The airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2009–2013, which categorizes
it as a general aviation
facility.
designated 12/30 with a 3,800 x 60 ft (1,158 x 18 m) asphalt
surface. For the 12-month period ending March 31, 2006, the airport had 300 general aviation
aircraft operations, an average of 25 per month.
The Ajo Country Club is on the southeast part of the former Army Airfield containment area.
prior to the United States entry into World War II
. It was designated a sub-post of Luke Army Airfield as part of the Gila Bend Gunnery Range in Maricopa County, with small detachments being stationed at the airfield. The 543d School Squadron operated from Ajo Field operating towing aircraft for aerial gunnery practice.
In June 1943, the Ajo AAF was transferred to Williams Army Air Field and the airfield was upgraded with three bituminous runways 5350x150(N/S), 5300x150(NE/SW), 6300x150(NW/SE). A large parking apron was built with additonal taxiways, landing aids and several hangars. It later became a single engine gunnery school as part of the Fixed Gunnery School operated by the 82d Flying Training Wing at Las Vegas Army Airfield, although it still supported the flying training at Luke and also Williams Army Airfield. It was under the command of the 472d (Reduced) Army Air Force Base Unit, AAF West Coast Training Center.
Ajo AAF also had three auxiliary landing fields, located out on the (now) Barry Goldwater bombing range
Although abandoned since the war, all of these fields are easily visible from the air.
With the exception of the small caliber shooting at the former fire-in-butt range, all live ammunition activities took place on the Ajo-Gila Bend Gunnery Range, well away from the Ajo AAF. A Chemical Warfare Service Detachment was assigned to the Ajo AAF; however, their activities were restricted to classroom instruction. All chemical warfare activities, other than classroom instruction, were directed through Williams Army Air Field. Ajo AAF was not authorized to receive any chemical warfare materiel
The airfield was used by the Air Force until the end of the war and was inactivated on 7 October 1946. A portion of the Ajo AAF property, approximately 51 acres, was returned to the Department of the Interior (DOI) on July 28, 1947, as part of a quitclaim. The remaining land was handed over to Pima County on August 4, 1949
Of the three original runways, only one is serviceable and still in use. Most of the buildings on the airfield were sold off, removed or broken up. Abandoned streets and taxiways are being eroded away by sands, tumbleweed
s and time.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Pima County
Pima County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located five nautical miles (9 km) north of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Ajo
Ajo, Arizona
Ajo is a census-designated place in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The population was 3,705 at the 2000 census. Ajo is located on State Route 85 just from the Mexican border. It is the closest community to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument....
and is about 82 miles (132 km) southwest of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. The airport was renamed on February 11, 2006; it was formerly known as Ajo Municipal Airport.
The airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. It is developed and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration . Its purposes are:* to identify all the airports in the U.S...
for 2009–2013, which categorizes
FAA airport categories
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has a system for categorizing public-use airports that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's Airport...
it as a general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
facility.
Facilities and aircraft
Eric Marcus Municipal Airport covers an area of 1375 acres (556.4 ha) and has one runwayRunway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
designated 12/30 with a 3,800 x 60 ft (1,158 x 18 m) asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface. For the 12-month period ending March 31, 2006, the airport had 300 general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
aircraft operations, an average of 25 per month.
The Ajo Country Club is on the southeast part of the former Army Airfield containment area.
History
The airport was established on 22 August 1941 on approximately 1,426 acres near Ajo, Arizona as part of the expansion of the Army Air CorpsArmy Air Corps
The Army Air Corps is a component of the British Army, first formed in 1942. There are eight regiments of the AAC as well as five Independent Flights and two Independent Squadrons deployed in support of British Army operations across the world. They are located in Britain, Belize, Brunei, Canada,...
prior to the United States entry into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was designated a sub-post of Luke Army Airfield as part of the Gila Bend Gunnery Range in Maricopa County, with small detachments being stationed at the airfield. The 543d School Squadron operated from Ajo Field operating towing aircraft for aerial gunnery practice.
In June 1943, the Ajo AAF was transferred to Williams Army Air Field and the airfield was upgraded with three bituminous runways 5350x150(N/S), 5300x150(NE/SW), 6300x150(NW/SE). A large parking apron was built with additonal taxiways, landing aids and several hangars. It later became a single engine gunnery school as part of the Fixed Gunnery School operated by the 82d Flying Training Wing at Las Vegas Army Airfield, although it still supported the flying training at Luke and also Williams Army Airfield. It was under the command of the 472d (Reduced) Army Air Force Base Unit, AAF West Coast Training Center.
Ajo AAF also had three auxiliary landing fields, located out on the (now) Barry Goldwater bombing range
- Ajo Aux #1 at 32°31′41"N 112°55′58"W
- Ajo Aux #2 at 32°36′19"N 112°52′41"W
- Ajo Aux #3 at 32°39′38"N 112°52′14"W.
Although abandoned since the war, all of these fields are easily visible from the air.
With the exception of the small caliber shooting at the former fire-in-butt range, all live ammunition activities took place on the Ajo-Gila Bend Gunnery Range, well away from the Ajo AAF. A Chemical Warfare Service Detachment was assigned to the Ajo AAF; however, their activities were restricted to classroom instruction. All chemical warfare activities, other than classroom instruction, were directed through Williams Army Air Field. Ajo AAF was not authorized to receive any chemical warfare materiel
The airfield was used by the Air Force until the end of the war and was inactivated on 7 October 1946. A portion of the Ajo AAF property, approximately 51 acres, was returned to the Department of the Interior (DOI) on July 28, 1947, as part of a quitclaim. The remaining land was handed over to Pima County on August 4, 1949
Of the three original runways, only one is serviceable and still in use. Most of the buildings on the airfield were sold off, removed or broken up. Abandoned streets and taxiways are being eroded away by sands, tumbleweed
Tumbleweed
A tumbleweed is the above-ground part of a plant that, once mature and dry, disengages from the root and tumbles away in the wind. Usually, the tumbleweed is the entire plant apart from the roots, but in a few species it is a flower cluster. The tumbleweed habit is most common in steppe and desert...
s and time.
External links
- Eric Marcus Municipal Airport (P01) at Arizona DOT airport directory
- Eric Marcus Municipal Airport Dedication (February 2006), photos from Pima County