Palm Springs International Airport
Encyclopedia
Palm Springs International Airport is a public airport
located two miles (3 km) east of the central business district
(CBD) of Palm Springs
, California
, serving the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area of Southern California
. The airport covers 940 acres (380.4 ha) and utilizes two runway
s. It is highly seasonal, in that many flights do not operate during the summer.
On December 30, 2006, Air Force One
left Palm Springs International Airport with the body of the 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford. The body of the President
was flown to Washington, D.C.
, for official federal services.
due to its clear weather and its proximity to March Field and the Los Angeles
area.
In March 1941, the War Department certified improvements to the existing airport in Palm Springs as essential to National Defense. The airport was approved to serve as a staging field by the Air Corps Ferrying Command 21st Ferrying Group in November 1941. Land was acquired to build a major airfield one half miles from the old airfield site. The new airfield, designated Palm Springs Army Airfield was completed in early 1942, and thereafter the old air field was used only as a backup landing site.
Many of the field's Air Transport Command
560th Army Air Forces Base Unit personnel stayed at the comfortable Lapaz Guest Ranch nearby. Training conducted at the airfield was by the 72d and 73d Ferrying Squadrons in long-distance over-water flying and navigation. Later, training was also provided to pursuit pilot training by IV Fighter Command
459th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron. Training was conducted with P-51 Mustang
; P-40 Warhawk and P-38 Lightning
aircraft.
On 1 June 1944 training operations moved to Brownsville Army Airfield, Texas and the airfield was used for military (Army and Navy) air transport flights until the end of April 1945. The auxiliary field or backup field was declared surplus on 12 May 1945 and the main airfield was declared excess and transferred to the War Assets Administration
for disposal in 1946 and it was sold to private buyers.
The City of Palm Springs purchased the land in 1961 and converted it for commercial use, which began in 1964 as the Palm Springs Municipal Airport.
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...
located two miles (3 km) east 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"...
(CBD) of Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, serving the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The airport covers 940 acres (380.4 ha) and utilizes two runway
Runway
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...
s. It is highly seasonal, in that many flights do not operate during the summer.
On December 30, 2006, Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
left Palm Springs International Airport with the body of the 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford. The body of the President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
was flown to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, for official federal services.
Airlines and destinations
Top Destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dallas-Fort Worth, TX |
106,000 | American |
| 2 |  San Francisco, CASan Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO... |
96,000 | Alaska, United |
| 3 |  Seattle, WASeattle-Tacoma International Airport The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5... |
91,000 | Alaska |
| 4 |  Phoenix, AZPhoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located southeast of the central business district of the city of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States... |
87,000 | US Airways |
| 5 |  Denver, CODenver International Airport Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel... |
57,000 | United |
| 6 | Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually... |
52,000 | United |
| 7 |  Chicago O’Hare, IL |
40,000 | American, United |
| 8 |  Salt Lake City, UT |
35,000 | Delta |
| 9 |  Portland, ORPortland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah... |
26,000 | Alaska |
| 10 | Bellingham, WA Bellingham International Airport Bellingham International Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of Bellingham, in Whatcom County, Washington, USA. The airport has a single runway. Due to the close proximity to British Columbia, the Bellingham International Airport functions somewhat as a reliever airport to... |
22,000 | Allegiant |
History
PSP was originally constructed as a United States Army Corps as an emergency landing field in 1939 on land owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla IndiansAgua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, located in Riverside County, California.-Reservation:...
due to its clear weather and its proximity to March Field and the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area.
In March 1941, the War Department certified improvements to the existing airport in Palm Springs as essential to National Defense. The airport was approved to serve as a staging field by the Air Corps Ferrying Command 21st Ferrying Group in November 1941. Land was acquired to build a major airfield one half miles from the old airfield site. The new airfield, designated Palm Springs Army Airfield was completed in early 1942, and thereafter the old air field was used only as a backup landing site.
Many of the field's Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
560th Army Air Forces Base Unit personnel stayed at the comfortable Lapaz Guest Ranch nearby. Training conducted at the airfield was by the 72d and 73d Ferrying Squadrons in long-distance over-water flying and navigation. Later, training was also provided to pursuit pilot training by IV Fighter Command
IV Fighter Command
The IV Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Fourth Air Force, based at Oakland Airport, California...
459th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron. Training was conducted with P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
; P-40 Warhawk and P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
aircraft.
On 1 June 1944 training operations moved to Brownsville Army Airfield, Texas and the airfield was used for military (Army and Navy) air transport flights until the end of April 1945. The auxiliary field or backup field was declared surplus on 12 May 1945 and the main airfield was declared excess and transferred to the War Assets Administration
War Assets Administration
The War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
for disposal in 1946 and it was sold to private buyers.
The City of Palm Springs purchased the land in 1961 and converted it for commercial use, which began in 1964 as the Palm Springs Municipal Airport.
See also
- List of airports in the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area
- California World War II Army AirfieldsCalifornia World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established numerous airfields in California for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers.-Overview:...