Salinas Municipal Airport
Salinas Municipal Airport , commonly referred to as Salinas Airport is an airport in Monterey County, California, United States, three miles (4.8 km) southeast of Downtown Salinas. It is included in the 2017–21 National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems as a regional general aviation airport. It had 1,800 enplanements in 2014. Facilities Salinas Municipal Airport covers and has two asphalt runways: 8/26 is 6,004 x 150 ft. (1,830 x 46 m), and 13/31 is 4,825 x 150 ft. (1,471 x 46 m). It has one helipad, 90 x 90 ft. (27 x 27 m) asphalt/concrete. In the year ending June 30, 2007 the airport had 77,896 aircraft operations, average 213 per day: 97% general aviation, 2% air taxi and 1% military. 229 aircraft were then based at this airport: 70% single-engine, 21% multi-engine, 3% jet and 6% helicopter. History A first airport was proposed by members of the local American Legion post. With city support, it was established in the summer of 1928 and was called Salinas American Legion Airport, later known simply as Legion Field. It was located near the current American Legion Post #31 and the runway ran parallel to West Laurel Drive. Commercial service was available as early as 1933 via Pacific Seaboard Air Lines on twice-daily flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Legion Field closed shortly after the current airfield was turned over to civilian control following the end of the Second World War. The current airfield opened in late 1941 as Salinas Army Air Field (AAF). It was used by the United States Army Air Forces Fourth Air Force as a subpost to Fort Ord during the war. Its mission was that of an incoming personnel processing center and a training field for Army pilots in reconnaissance and observation duties in various aircraft from light observation planes to medium bombers. The Air Transport Command also used the field and had an air freight terminal here for transshipment of cargo. Reconnaissance units Initially, IV Air Support Command used Salinas as a training base for photo-reconnaissance units. The 69th Observation Group arrived at the base in October 1941 equipped with a variety of O-38, O-46, O-47 and O-52 light aircraft which were also used in conjunction with Army ground forces at Fort Ord in their maneuvers. The 69th moved to San Bernardino AAF in Southern California after the Pearl Harbor Attack in December and engaged in anti-submarine patrols. The 71st Observation Group replaced the 69th in December 1941, moving in from Third Air Force at Birmingham Airport, Alabama. The 71st was equipped with a similar mixture of observation aircraft and engaged in anti-submarine patrols over the Central California coast until August. The group was temporarily assigned to the Army Desert Training Center at Rice AAF in the Mojave Desert in August, training with General George Patton's forces prior to the Operation Torch invasion of North Africa in November. It moved back to Salinas in October 1942, and trained with Fort Ord units. It was reassigned back