Airport type Public Elevation AMSL 295 ft / 90 m 12/30 6,559 Code VIS Phone +1 559-713-4201 | Owner City of Visalia Website www.FlyVisalia.com 6,559 1,999 Elevation 90 m Serves Visalia | |
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Address 9501 W Airport Dr, Visalia, CA 93277, USA Similar Sequoia Shuttle, Visalia Transit, Fresno Yosemite Internatio, Visalia Marriott at the Conv, Hanford Station | ||
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.
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The Federal Aviation Administration says this airport had 1,831 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2010, a decrease from 2,455 in 2009. 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).
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 field until 1942 when the War Department assumed control of the field.
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 a 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 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 stationed at Visalia AAF for its entire training cycle from February until May 1944 when it 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.
The airport appeared in the 1993 film Son In Law in a scene where an American Eagle Airlines Saab 340 is shown landing.
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).
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.
The airport has been served by SeaPort Airlines, Air Midwest, Great Lakes Airlines, Scenic Airlines, SeaPort Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, Swift Aire Lines, United Airlines, United Express and Wings West Airlines. United flew Boeing 737-200s from Visalia to Los Angeles and San Francisco until 1979-80; the other airlines mainly used commuter turboprops.