Barstow-Daggett Airport
Encyclopedia
Barstow-Daggett Airport is a county-owned public-use airport
in San Bernardino County
, California
, United States
. It is located four nautical miles (7 km) east of the central business district
of the town of Daggett
, and 12 NM east of the city of Barstow
. Built in 1933, it is the oldest of the six airports operated by San Bernardino County.
of 1,930 feet (588 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 8/26 is 6,402 by 150 feet (1,951 x 46 m) and 4/22 is 5,123 by 100 feet (1,561 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending February 16, 2006, the airport had 36,500 aircraft operations, an average of 100 per day: 51% general aviation
and 49% military
. At that time there were 59 aircraft based at this airport: 32% single-engine
, 3% multi-engine, 1.7% jet
, 2% helicopter
, 2% ultralight and 59% military
.
, the Civil Aeronautics Administration
(CAA) selected the site as an important civil air field and negotiated a standard agreement (AP 4) with the county of San Bernardino to maintain the air field. Shortly thereafter, the site was chosen by the War Department as a Modification Center. As a result, the County acquired fee interest to the additional land necessary for War Department use. On 4 May 1942, the government entered into an agreement with the County to lease the 1,099 acre site (renewable annually but not beyond 30 June 1967).
On or about 29 May 1942, the government and Douglas Aircraft Company
, Inc., entered into a cost plus fixed fee ($1.00) contract (No. W-509-ENG-2557), whereby Douglas agreed to do all things necessary and incident to the procurement, furnishing, delivery and installation of equipment, machinery, machine tools, materials, supplies and facilities for proper operation of a Modification Center. Douglas established the Modification Center and operated it until the middle of 1944, when Army Air Forces deactivated the project. According to a narrative report contained in project files, there was no evidence of the lease ever having been executed, so it was believed that Douglas occupied and used the premises without any written agreement.
On 12 November 1942, the Secretary of War and Standard Oil Co. (San Francisco) entered into an agreement (unnumbered lease to run with lease W-868-ENG-4504), whereby Standard Oil agreed to install, operate, and maintain lubricating oil storage and distribution facilities at the site. In addition, on 20 December 1943, the CAA was granted a permit (to run with Lease No. W-868-ENG-4505) to use and occupy two parcels of land totaling 11.2 acres at the Modification Center for a radio range and communication building site, together with a right of way between the two parcels for establishing and maintaining subsurface cable lines. The original permit period ended 30 June 1944, however, the lease contained a provision for annual renewal, at the option of the government, through 30 June 1967. Upon the expiration of the permit, all CAA property was to have been removed to a condition satisfactory to the Commanding Office or other competent military authority.
Approximately 65 buildings and 20 other assorted structures were constructed at the facility (headquarters and flight operations buildings, hangars, barracks, sewage treatment plants, warehouses, water wells, water and fuel storage tanks, gasoline station, etc.). The total cost of government improvements was $3,924,273, with the CAA expending an additional $107,235 for various improvements. Douglas constructed a swimming pool, paint and dope storage shed, and an air hose station for which reimbursement was not made. According to airport personnel, improvements constructed by the County (non DOD) consisted of one building, and the addition of a small surface water pond in the vicinity.
The site (all 1,099 acres) was classified as surplus on 15 November 1945. According to the completed Declaration of Surplus Real Property Form (SPB 5, dated 28 March 1946), the improvements at the site were in good condition. Custody and accountability for the site was assumed by the War Assets Administration on 27 June 1946, with the installation immediately transferred to the Navy Department. According to airport personnel interviewed during the site visit, the County obtained control of facility from the military in 1958. Unfortunately, a fire during the 1960s destroyed County records of the transaction. During the period 1946 through 1958, it is not clear which agency and jurisdiction over the facility. From 1958 through the present, the airport was controlled by the current owner, the County. According to Exhibit A of the original 1942 lease with the County, the government, at its option, may leave in place the alterations and improvements made to the landing areas in lieu of restoration.
Today the Army has based several UH-60 Blackhawks there operating under the NTC aviation company which on paper is based in Fort Irwin.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located four nautical miles (7 km) east of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of the town of Daggett
Daggett, California
Daggett is an unincorporated town located in San Bernardino County, California in the United States. The town is located on Interstate 40 ten miles East of Barstow. The town has a population of about 200. The ZIP code is 92327 and the community is inside area code 760.-History:The town was...
, and 12 NM east of the city of Barstow
Barstow, California
Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 22,639 at the 2010 census, up from 21,119 at the 2000 census. Barstow is located north of San Bernardino....
. Built in 1933, it is the oldest of the six airports operated by San Bernardino County.
Facilities and aircraft
Barstow-Daggett Airport covers an area of 1087 acres (439.9 ha) at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 1,930 feet (588 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s: 8/26 is 6,402 by 150 feet (1,951 x 46 m) and 4/22 is 5,123 by 100 feet (1,561 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending February 16, 2006, the airport had 36,500 aircraft operations, an average of 100 per day: 51% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and 49% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
. At that time there were 59 aircraft based at this airport: 32% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
, 3% multi-engine, 1.7% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
, 2% helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
, 2% ultralight and 59% military
Military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:...
.
History
Just prior to World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Civil Aeronautics Administration
Civil Aeronautics Administration
Civil Aeronautics Administration may refer to:*Civil Aeronautics Administration - a division of Ministry of Transportation and Communication, Executive Yuan, Republic of China...
(CAA) selected the site as an important civil air field and negotiated a standard agreement (AP 4) with the county of San Bernardino to maintain the air field. Shortly thereafter, the site was chosen by the War Department as a Modification Center. As a result, the County acquired fee interest to the additional land necessary for War Department use. On 4 May 1942, the government entered into an agreement with the County to lease the 1,099 acre site (renewable annually but not beyond 30 June 1967).
On or about 29 May 1942, the government and Douglas Aircraft Company
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
, Inc., entered into a cost plus fixed fee ($1.00) contract (No. W-509-ENG-2557), whereby Douglas agreed to do all things necessary and incident to the procurement, furnishing, delivery and installation of equipment, machinery, machine tools, materials, supplies and facilities for proper operation of a Modification Center. Douglas established the Modification Center and operated it until the middle of 1944, when Army Air Forces deactivated the project. According to a narrative report contained in project files, there was no evidence of the lease ever having been executed, so it was believed that Douglas occupied and used the premises without any written agreement.
On 12 November 1942, the Secretary of War and Standard Oil Co. (San Francisco) entered into an agreement (unnumbered lease to run with lease W-868-ENG-4504), whereby Standard Oil agreed to install, operate, and maintain lubricating oil storage and distribution facilities at the site. In addition, on 20 December 1943, the CAA was granted a permit (to run with Lease No. W-868-ENG-4505) to use and occupy two parcels of land totaling 11.2 acres at the Modification Center for a radio range and communication building site, together with a right of way between the two parcels for establishing and maintaining subsurface cable lines. The original permit period ended 30 June 1944, however, the lease contained a provision for annual renewal, at the option of the government, through 30 June 1967. Upon the expiration of the permit, all CAA property was to have been removed to a condition satisfactory to the Commanding Office or other competent military authority.
Approximately 65 buildings and 20 other assorted structures were constructed at the facility (headquarters and flight operations buildings, hangars, barracks, sewage treatment plants, warehouses, water wells, water and fuel storage tanks, gasoline station, etc.). The total cost of government improvements was $3,924,273, with the CAA expending an additional $107,235 for various improvements. Douglas constructed a swimming pool, paint and dope storage shed, and an air hose station for which reimbursement was not made. According to airport personnel, improvements constructed by the County (non DOD) consisted of one building, and the addition of a small surface water pond in the vicinity.
The site (all 1,099 acres) was classified as surplus on 15 November 1945. According to the completed Declaration of Surplus Real Property Form (SPB 5, dated 28 March 1946), the improvements at the site were in good condition. Custody and accountability for the site was assumed by the War Assets Administration on 27 June 1946, with the installation immediately transferred to the Navy Department. According to airport personnel interviewed during the site visit, the County obtained control of facility from the military in 1958. Unfortunately, a fire during the 1960s destroyed County records of the transaction. During the period 1946 through 1958, it is not clear which agency and jurisdiction over the facility. From 1958 through the present, the airport was controlled by the current owner, the County. According to Exhibit A of the original 1942 lease with the County, the government, at its option, may leave in place the alterations and improvements made to the landing areas in lieu of restoration.
Today the Army has based several UH-60 Blackhawks there operating under the NTC aviation company which on paper is based in Fort Irwin.
External links
- San Bernardino County Department of Airports: Barstow-Daggett Airport
- Historical record of balloons launched from the airport in the early 90's
- Airport history from Daggett Aviation