Visalia Municipal Airport

Visalia Municipal Airport
Visalia Army Air Field
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Visalia
Serves Visalia, California
Elevation AMSL 295 ft / 90 m
Coordinates 36°19′07″N 119°23′34″W / 36.31861°N 119.39278°W / 36.31861; -119.39278Coordinates: 36°19′07″N 119°23′34″W / 36.31861°N 119.39278°W / 36.31861; -119.39278
Website www.FlyVisalia.com
Map
VIS
Location in California
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 6,559 1,999 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 45 14 Asphalt
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft operations 63,900
Based aircraft 134

Visalia Municipal Airport (IATA: VIS, ICAO: KVIS, FAA LID: VIS) is five miles west of downtown Visalia, in Tulare County, California. The airport is eligible for the Essential Air Service program but currently has no scheduled commercial service and is not eligible to request funding for service until April 30, 2026.

The Federal Aviation Administration says this airport had 1,831 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2010, a decrease from 2,455 in 2009.[2] The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation airport (the commercial service category requires 2,500 enplanements per year).[3]

History

Visalia Municipal Airport was built in 1927 and purchased by the city in 1928. In 1936 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) began several projects at the Visalia Municipal Airport. The WPA would continue to make improvements at the field until 1942 when the War Department assumed control.

Unlike other military airfields of World War II, Visalia Army Air Field seems to have used the existing municipal airport. Operations at Visalia AAF began almost immediately upon the United States Army Air Forces control of the airfield. Anti-submarine patrols were conducted from Visalia AAF by the Lockheed A-29 Hudson, and later B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, equipped 47th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) from February until June 1942.

Visalia AAF (along with Hayward AAF and Palmdale AAF) was established as sub-installations of Fresno's Hammer Field. It shared Hammer Field's mission to train light, medium and heavy bomber squadrons. During that period Consolidated B-24 "Liberator", B-25s, Martin B-26 "Marauder" and the A-29s operated from Visalia AAF.

In January 1944 the Headquarters, Army Air Forces ordered the entire Air University night fighter training program to California to be headquartered at Hammer Field. Under the supervision of the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics (AAFSAT) and the 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, night fighter crews were organized into Overseas Training Units and entered three phases of training.

In all phases, Visalia AAF was used as a satellite training site. During this period, Douglas P-70 "Nighthawk" (heavy night fighter version of the A-20 "Havoc" light bomber) and Northrop P-61 "Black Widow" operated from Visalia AAF. It is known that the 425th Night Fighter Squadron was stationed at Visalia AAF for its entire training cycle from February until May 1944 when it was deployed to the European Theater at RAF Charmy Down, England as part of the Ninth Air Force.

In 1946 the War Assets Administration, acting on behalf of the War Department, terminated the leases with the City of Visalia and other parties with the remainder of the lands transferred to the City of Visalia in 1947. United Airlines flights began in 1946-47; their DC3/CV340/DC6/737s ended in 1979-80.[4][5][6][7]

The airport appeared in the 1993 film Son In Law in a scene where an American Eagle Airlines Saab 340 is shown landing.

United Airlines flew Boeing 737-200s from Visalia to Los Angeles and San Francisco until 1979-80.

After the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978, Visalia Municipal Airport became eligible for the Essential Air Service program. In the years since, several airlines (Air Midwest, Great Lakes Airlines, Scenic Airlines, SeaPort Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, Swift Aire Lines, and Wings West Airlines) attempted to establish commercial air service to the airport, but none were successful.

SeaPort Airlines was the carrier to most recently operate service from Visalia. Starting on February 9, 2015 SeaPort operated 12 nonstop round trips per week to Burbank Bob Hope Airport and 12 nonstop round trips per week to Sacramento International Airport. The airline suspended its service without advance notice on January 15, 2016.[8]

After the abrupt cancellation, the Department of Transportation received proposals from three other airlines to start service from Visalia, but the community rejected the offers. The City stated in a letter that "Based on a thorough review of all proposals and consideration of industry trends and the recent history of declining air service performance in Visalia, it is the Council's belief that none of the carriers have a strong enough proposal to guarantee that Visalia would maintain eligibility in the EAS program."

In January 2017, the city asked to be enrolled in the EAS Community Flexibility Pilot Program which allows communities to receive a grant equal to two years worth of subsidy in exchange for their forgoing their EAS service for ten years. Visalia was the first community ever to enroll in the program established in 2003. In March 2017, Visalia received a grant worth $3,703,368 for the construction of two 10-unit tee hangers to serve small single-engine aircraft, and one corporate hanger to serve business jets and large aircraft.[9] In exchange, the city will be ineligible to receive EAS subsidy funding for service until April 30, 2026.

Facilities

Visalia Municipal Airport covers 821 acres (332 ha) at an elevation of 295 feet (90 m). It has one asphalt runway, 12/30, 6,559 by 150 feet (1,999 x 46 m), and one helipad 45 by 45 feet (14 x 14 m).[1]

In the year ending April 28, 2011 the airport had 63,900 aircraft operations, average 175 per day: 92% general aviation, 4% airline, 4% air taxi, and <1% military. 134 aircraft were then based at this airport: 78% single-engine, 18% multi-engine, 4% jet, and 1% glider.[1]

Airlines and destinations

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
AmeriflightOntario

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 FAA Airport Master Record for VIS (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 25, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State)" (PDF, 189 KB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  3. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  4. ↑  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
  5. ↑ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
  6. ↑ Maurer, Maurer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5.
  7. ↑ Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
  8. ↑ "Order Setting Total Costs Under the Community Flexibility Pilot Program" (PDF). US Department of Transportation. January 3, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Authorization for the City Manager to execute a Department of Transportation Grant Agreement, under the Community Flexibility Pilot Program, for the amount of $3,703,368 to fund a hangar development project at the Visalia Municipal Airport" (PDF). City of Visalia. February 6, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2017.

Other sources

  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket DOT-OST-2004-19916) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2005-4-25 (April 28, 2005): selecting Eagle Canyon Airlines, Inc., d/b/a Scenic Airlines, to provide essential air service at Visalia, California, at the annual subsidy rate of $450,000 per year for the first two years and $300,000 for the third year beginning with its inauguration of service.
    • Order 2006-8-29 (August 30, 2006): selecting Mesa Air Group Inc. d/b/a Air Midwest to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Merced and Visalia, California, and Ely, Nevada, for two years, beginning when the carrier inaugurates service. Merced and Visalia will receive 23 weekly round trips to Las Vegas, operated on a Las Vegas - Merced - Visalia - Las Vegas or Las Vegas - Visalia - Merced - Las Vegas routing at an annual subsidy rate of $1,599,207. Ely will receive 6 nonstop round trips each week to Salt Lake City at an annual subsidy rate of $647,709. Air Midwest will operate as America West Express/US Airways Express and serve each community with 19-passenger Beech 1900-D aircraft.
    • Order 2008-6-26 (June 19, 2008): selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Merced and Visalia, California, and Ely, Nevada, for the two-year period beginning when the carrier inaugurates full EAS pursuant to this Order, at an annual subsidy of $4,900,401 with 19-seat Beech 1900D turboprop aircraft.
    • Order 2010-9-13 (September 9, 2010): re-selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) with 19-passenger Beechcraft-B-1900D aircraft at Merced and Visalia, California, and Ely, Nevada, for the two-year period from October 1, 2010, through September 31, 2012. The annual subsidy rates will be set at $1,961,174, $1,746,507, and $1,752,067 for Merced, Visalia and Ely, respectively, for a combined total of $5,459,748.
    • Order 2012-9-9 (September 10, 2012): re-selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) with 19-passenger Beechcraft B-1900D aircraft at Merced and Visalia, California, for the two-year period from October 1, 2012, through September 31, 2014. The annual subsidy rates will be set at $1,698,878 and $1,697,929, for Merced and Visalia, respectively, for a combined total of $3,396,807.


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