Palmdale Regional Airport
Palmdale Regional Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
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AMSL 2,543 ft / 775 m | | ||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 34°37′43″N 118°05′04″W / 34.62861°N 118.08444°W | ||||||||||||||||||
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Palmdale Regional Airport (IATA: PMD, ICAO: KPMD, FAA LID: PMD) is an airport in Palmdale, California, United States. The city of Palmdale took over the airport at the end of 2013, managing it via the Palmdale Airport Authority.[2] The airport currently does not have any scheduled passenger airline service.
Overview and facilities
PMD and
The airport covers 5,832
Palmdale Regional Airport has a small airline terminal and a
In January 2024,
Museums
The Blackbird Airpark Museum[5] and the adjacent Joe Davies Heritage Airpark (formerly the Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark)[6] have been opened on Plant 42 property along Avenue P, with displays of the SR-71, U-2, Century Series fighters and other aircraft designed, engineered, manufactured, and flight tested at its facilities. Both museums are free to the public.[citation needed]
The Blackbird Airpark Museum is an extension of the AFFTC Museum at Edwards AFB, while the Heritage Airpark is operated by the city of Palmdale. Both are staffed by retirees who had previously worked in the aerospace industry, some actually having worked on the aircraft displayed at the two parks. All of the aircraft have been carefully restored for public display. The two airparks are located at Avenue P and 25th Street East near Site 9.[citation needed]
FAA operations
The
History
The origins of Palmdale Regional Airport go to the early 1930s, when a small airstrip was built in the desert. It was listed in 1935 documentation as CAA Intermediate #5. It was established by the Bureau of Air Commerce (later the
World War II
In 1940, Palmdale Army Airfield was activated as a
Postwar use
Palmdale Army Airfield was declared a surplus facility in 1946 and was purchased by Los Angeles County for use as a municipal airport.[8] The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 caused the Air Force to reactivate the property for use in final assembly and flight testing of military jet aircraft.
Both the Air Force and its aircraft contractors needed a location away from major population centers - due to sonic booms, other noises and security concerns - but close enough to the major centers of aircraft design and production, while having excellent flying weather the year around. The land that became Plant 42 fit these criteria. Consequently, the Air Force agreed to purchase the land from Los Angeles County in 1951.
Lockheed assembled 250 new TriStar wide body jetliners at their manufacturing plant located at the airport from 1968 to 1984. The first L-1011 TriStar entered service with Trans World Airlines and Eastern Air Lines in 1972.[9]
Past airline service
From 1970 to 1983 the Los Angeles Department of Airports, now called Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), acquired about 17,750 acres (72 km2) of land east and south of United States Air Force Plant 42 in unincorporated Los Angeles County to be developed into the future "Palmdale Intercontinental Airport," an alternative to LAX. LAWA has not developed its Palmdale airport land beyond the small airport terminal.
From the late 1960s and early 1980s, commuter air carriers Cable Commuter Airlines followed by successor
In 1989, LAWA and the U.S. Air Force came to an agreement concerning use of the Plant 42 complex's facilities and land for commercial use. The agreement allows a maximum of 400 flights per day.
In 1990,
In March 2001, Los Angeles County hired Tri-Star Marketing to prepare the presentations needed to bring air-passenger service back to Palmdale Regional Airport.
On December 29, 2004, civilian use resumed when
In January 2007, subsidies valued at $4.6 million, with $2 million slated to underwrite losses incurred from providing airline service, were raised to restore commercial service to the airport. The incentive package included a $900,000 grant from the federal government to the city of Palmdale to develop regional airport service.[16] The terminal was remodeled and reopened in May 2007. Convincing airlines of the marketability of the airport without subsidies has been difficult. The communities around LAX and Burbank do not want the noise of additional flights, but most Antelope Valley residents support expanding service at Palmdale.
In February 2007, the city of Palmdale and LAWA selected United Airlines to provide service between Palmdale and
The airport was included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service facility based on enplanements in 2008 (more than 10,000 per year).[20] The airport had 10,392 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 82% more than the 5,712 in 2007.[21]
In late 2008, the city of
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective January 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "Airport Guides - Flight Tracking & Status, Airport Parking, Maps & More". www.ifly.com.
- ^ Pike, John. "Air Force Plant 42 - Palmdale, CA".
- ^ https://metro.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?GUID=F4F25F16-1916-45B6-9403-CCD6329F9958&ID=6172529
- ^ Black Airpark Museum part of Air Force Flight Test Center Museum
- ^ "City of Palmdale > Visitors > Joe Davies Heritage Airpark". www.cityofpalmdale.org.
- ^ a b California World War II airfield database Archived September 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Morrison, Patt (June 13, 2023). "What if LAX were literally anywhere else? It could have been". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ http://airliners.net, photos of new L-1011 aircraft at the Lockheed plant at Palmdale Airport (KPMD)
- ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, June 1, 1968 Cable Commuter Airlines system timetable
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Nov. 15, 1979 Official Airline Guide (OAG), LAX-Palmdale schedules & April 26, 1981 Golden West Airlines system timetable
- ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, 1983 Mojave Airlines system timetable
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Oct. 28, 1990 America West Airlines route map
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Oct. 27, 1991 America West Airlines route map
- ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Oct. 1, 1991 & April 2, 1995 Official Airline Guide (OAG) editions, LAX-Palmdale schedules
- ^ "United Airlines selected for Palmdale-Frisco service". LA Daily News. February 2, 2007. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
- ^ "L.A. Area Airport Totals for 2007". Long Beach Press Telegram. January 30, 2008. Archived from the original on March 5, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
- ^ "LA/Palmdale Regional Airport To Double Air Service In September". News Release. Los Angeles World Airports. June 18, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Gatlin, Allison (August 11, 2019). "Palmdale explores return of service to airport". Antelope Valley Press. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
- ^ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
- ^ Grooms, Larry (August 18, 2022). "So you want to fly from Palmdale? Despite delays, hope remains for AV commercial flights". Aerotech News & Review. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
External links
- Palmdale Aviation & Aerospace Commission
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective April 18, 2024
- FAA Terminal Procedures for PMD, effective April 18, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for PMD
- AirNav airport information for KPMD
- ASN accident history for PMD
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures