LA/Palmdale Regional Airport

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LA/Palmdale Regional Airport
IATA: PMD - ICAO: KPMD
Summary
Airport type public
Operator Los Angeles World Airports &
U.S. Air Force
Serves Palmdale, California
Elevation AMSL 2,543 ft (775.1 m)
Coordinates 34°37′46″N, 118°05′04″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7/25 12,002 3,658 Concrete
4/22 12,001 3,658 Concrete
7L/25R 6,000 1,829 Asphalt

LA/Palmdale Regional Airport (IATA: PMD, ICAO: KPMD), also United States Air Force Plant 42, is an airport in the city of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, California, United States.

This commercial terminal is situated at Palmdale Airport owned and operated by USAF Plant 42 and is generally considered one of the largest civilian airports in the world due to the size of the 5,800 acres (23 km²) Plant 42 operates and the surrounding LAWA owned land. It serves predominantly as a manufacturing plant for aircraft used by the United States military forces. It is also planned for expanded commercial service. The airport currently has a small commercial air terminal owned and operated by the Los Angeles World Airports department of the city of Los Angeles which is served by United Airlines.

Contents

Built in 1940, Palmdale Airport was operated by the United States Government, primarily as an emergency landing strip. In 1946 its operation was turned over to Los Angeles County, for private use. In 1950, the airport was again taken over by the Federal Government for use in building and testing military aircraft, thus establishing operation of United States Air Force Plant 42.

In 1966 The Los Angeles Department of Airports, now called Los Angeles World Airports, LAWA, acquired several thousand acres of land around Plant 42 to be developed into the future "Palmdale Intercontinental Airport," with the goal of surpassing the air traffic of LAX. To date, LAWA has so far not developed its Palmdale airport beyond that of a small commuter airport serving only the Antelope Valley. With few airlines able to sustain long-term service from the airport, only recently in 2000 has work towards the construction of a larger terminal been started.

The current terminal was remodeled and reopened in May 2007 for the return of commercial service to the airport. The City of Palmdale has promoted the airport to attract more commercial carriers to the existing terminal, but convincing airlines of the marketability of the airport without subsidies has been difficult. Palmdale airport offers airline passengers a quicker ground transportation travel time from Sherman Oaks than the standard LAX airport car trip down the San Diego 405 freeway, but so far the airport does not provide the range of destinations that would convince passengers to try Palmdale as an alternative to relieve the overcrowding at LAX and Bob Hope Airport. Most of the communities surrounding more crowded airports do not want the added traffic volume and noise to the area. Expansion of Palmdale Regional is also welcomed by a good number of Antelope Valley residents, and is seen by some Valley residents as the long awaited foundation for stabilizing the local economy.

In January 2007, subsidies valued at $4.6 million, with $2 million slated to underwrite losses incurred from providing airline service was raised to restore commercial service to the airport. The incentive package included a $900,000 grant from the federal government given to the city of Palmdale to develop regional airport service.[1]

Then in February 2007, the City of Palmdale and LAWA selected United Airlines to provide service between Palmdale and San Francisco International Airport. (The only other proposal was from Delta Air Lines to Salt Lake City). The United twice-daily, regional jet service began on June 7, 2007.

  • On February 1, 1991, USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737 landing on Runway 24L at LAX, collided upon touchdown with a SkyWest Fairchild Metroliner, Flight 5569 departing to Palmdale Regional Airport, that had been holding in position on the same runway. The collision killed all 12 occupants of the SkyWest plane and 22 persons aboard the USAir 737.

Some of those associated with Plant 42 aerospace contractors are in many cases apprehensive about a large airport becoming established, though they tend to support a small to mid-sized operation. These aerospace engineers, mechanics, firefighters, and other skilled trades people see the entry of a large airport as the death knell of what they have long strived to maintain - a secure environment away from prying eyes in which to develop, manufacture and flight test advanced aerospace projects and "black" projects which they see as vital to the national defense of the United States.[citation needed] They point to what has happened at Burbank Airport (now renamed Bob Hope Airport) as a template for what could befall Plant 42 and its operational future (There are presently no aerospace contractors manufacturing advanced or "black" projects working out of Bob Hope Airport).

Others in favor of airport development bring out the fact that Palmdale and Lancaster have both grown substantially in size since the start of "black projects" at Plant 42 began and the encroachment of the cities on the facility is inevitable at this point in time. Thus having a commercial terminal would not have any more effect on the visibility of the top secret projects than is currently exposed to the cities. They also bring out the fact that Detroit, Michigan, which was once a colossal manufacturing empire, spent so much time and money to court and cater to the American automobile industry, that it ignored other opportunities, and now as a result Detroit is suffering from urban decay because the single industry that they worked so hard to protect is in a steep decline. Thus, supporters of the airport point out that the creation of a commercial airport in Palmdale would create a substantial influx of jobs that would far outweigh any losses from the potential pullout of the top secret aircraft industry, and also divide the employment sectors to avoid any possibility of a Detroit repeat should the aircraft industry meet a similar decline.

FAA diagram of the airport
FAA diagram of the airport

Main article: Plant 42

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • The movie The Terminal was filmed at this airport.
  • Microsoft Corp's XBOX 360 secret preview was held in an unused hangar at this airport.
  • The entire Space Shuttle fleet was built at this airport.
  • The 2 main runways at this airport are over 2 miles (3 km) in length each.
  • The FAA's Los Angeles Center aircraft control facility is really at this airport, not actually in Los Angeles.
  • The combined 5,800 acres (23 km²) USAF Plant 42 and adjacent LAWA owned 17,500 acres (71 km²) would make this airport the largest (geographically) in the world if the LAWA portion was to ever be fully developed.

  1. ^ http://www.dailynews.com/antelopevalley/ci_5144422 United Airlines selected for Palmdale-Frisco service, LA Daily News, 02/02/2007

v • d • e
Transportation in Greater Los Angeles
Commuter Rail and Subways: Metrolink • Metro Red Line (LACMTA) • Metro Purple Line (LACTMA) • Metro Blue Line (LACTMA) • Metro Green Line (LACMTA) • Metro Gold Line (LACMTA)
Amtrak Rail Routes:Pacific Surfliner (Amtrak California) • Coast Starlight (Amtrak) • Southwest Chief (Amtrak) • Sunset Limited (Amtrak) • Texas Eagle (Amtrak)
Airports: Los Angeles International Airport • LA/Ontario International Airport • John Wayne Airport • Long Beach Airport • Bob Hope Airport • Palm Springs International Airport • LA/Palmdale Regional Airport
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA/Palmdale_Regional_Airport"
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