Santa Paula Airport
Encyclopedia
Santa Paula Airport is a privately owned public-use airport
located one mile (2 km) southeast of the central business district
(CBD) of Santa Paula
, a city in Ventura County
, California
, USA
. The airport has one runway
and one helipad
exclusively serving privately operated general aviation
aircraft with no scheduled commercial service.
where the ranch was built. Recognizing an opportunity for an airport in the area, Ralph Dickenson and Dan Emmet obtained $1,000 from 19 local ranchers and purchased additional land adjacent to the river. In 1930, following two years of personal construction and development by these founders, the newly named Santa Paula Airport opened to the public with a lavish celebration of aerobatics
, celebrity appearances, and aircraft. This airport was also one of the favorite flying spots of actor Steven McQueen.
facility handling approximately 97,000 arrivals and/or departures a year, and is home to over 259 individual aircraft. As of February 2007, no Fixed Base Operator
s are currently headquartered at the airfield.
The airport today is smaller than local airports, primarily serving the local community and providing hangar space for pilots of nearby communities. Much of the original 1930’s-era facilities still exist and are used today, giving the airport a very authentic representation of the Golden Age of Aviation
. As a result of the airport’s history and theme, many vintage
aircraft owners have long sought hangar space at the airport’s limited facilities for use and display. Every first Sunday of the month, the airport comes alive with visitors. People put their airplanes on display with info cards on the propeller. The CP Aviation always sells Santa Paula souvenirs. Also, car clubs come in and there are always nice cars to look at. The Petersen Auto Museum has displayed their Ferrari
collection there.
as a result of the damage. CP Aviation has now moved back to Santa Paula as of 6/1/2007. Repairs began in March 2005 following the receding of the floodwaters, and as of February 2007, the airport is again fully open to the public.
s and has one runway
and one helipad
:
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 one mile (2 km) southeast 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 Santa Paula
Santa Paula, California
Santa Paula is a city within Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 29,321 at the 2010 census, up from 28,598 at the 2000 census...
, a city in Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
, 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...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport has one 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...
and one helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
exclusively serving privately operated 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 with no scheduled commercial service.
History
Santa Paula Airport was originally established in 1927 when a local rancher purchased an OX-5 and based it at the small dirt airstrip on his ranch. Not long after, a hangar was constructed, drawing more local aircraft owners to the airstrip. One year later the Santa Clara Valley flooded following the collapse of the St. Francis Dam, taking many lives and destroying acres of property along the Santa Clara RiverSanta Clara River (California)
The Santa Clara River is approximately long, located in southern California in the United States. It drains an area of the coastal mountains north of Los Angeles. The Santa Clara is one of the largest river systems along the coast of Southern California and one of only a few remaining river...
where the ranch was built. Recognizing an opportunity for an airport in the area, Ralph Dickenson and Dan Emmet obtained $1,000 from 19 local ranchers and purchased additional land adjacent to the river. In 1930, following two years of personal construction and development by these founders, the newly named Santa Paula Airport opened to the public with a lavish celebration of aerobatics
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
, celebrity appearances, and aircraft. This airport was also one of the favorite flying spots of actor Steven McQueen.
Airport today
Today Santa Paula Airport is a non-toweredControl tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
facility handling approximately 97,000 arrivals and/or departures a year, and is home to over 259 individual aircraft. As of February 2007, no Fixed Base Operator
Fixed base operator
A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
s are currently headquartered at the airfield.
The airport today is smaller than local airports, primarily serving the local community and providing hangar space for pilots of nearby communities. Much of the original 1930’s-era facilities still exist and are used today, giving the airport a very authentic representation of the Golden Age of Aviation
Golden Age of Aviation
The Golden Age of Aviation was the period between World War I and World War II in which civil aviation, fueled by many daring and dramatic record-breaking feats, became popularized...
. As a result of the airport’s history and theme, many vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
aircraft owners have long sought hangar space at the airport’s limited facilities for use and display. Every first Sunday of the month, the airport comes alive with visitors. People put their airplanes on display with info cards on the propeller. The CP Aviation always sells Santa Paula souvenirs. Also, car clubs come in and there are always nice cars to look at. The Petersen Auto Museum has displayed their Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
collection there.
2005 flood disaster
On February 21 and 22, 2005, Santa Paula Airport was heavily damaged when the rain swollen Santa Clara River ate into the airport property destroying airplane tiedowns, ramp and approximately 600 feet (182.9 m) of part of the western one-third of the runway. The airport’s only flight school, CP Aviation, moved to nearby Oxnard AirportOxnard Airport
Oxnard Airport is a public airport located one mile west of the central business district of Oxnard, a city in Ventura County, California, USA. The airport covers and has one runway. Oxnard Airport is managed by the Ventura County Department of Airports.- History :Ventura County opened Oxnard...
as a result of the damage. CP Aviation has now moved back to Santa Paula as of 6/1/2007. Repairs began in March 2005 following the receding of the floodwaters, and as of February 2007, the airport is again fully open to the public.
Facilities
Santa Paula Airport covers 38 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s and has one 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...
and one helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
:
- Runway 4/22: 2,650 x 60 ft (808 x 18 m), Surface: AsphaltAsphaltAsphalt 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...
- Helipad H1: 60 x 60 ft (18 x 18 m), Surface: Asphalt
- The Logsdon Cafe is a large restaurant adjacent the runway on the airport property.
- The Aviation Museum of Santa Paula is headquartered at the airport.