Illinois Valley Airport
Encyclopedia
Illinois Valley Airport is a county-owned public-use airport
located four miles (6.4 km) southwest of the central business district
of Cave Junction
, a city in Josephine County
, Oregon
, United States
.
Base,or even the Cave Junction Airport, was built by the US Forest Service
. It operated from 1943 to 1981 as a smokejumper base, during which time the smokejumpers parachuted on 1445 fires for 5390 fire jumps, or about 142 jumps per year.
was a firefighter at the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base in 1954. In 1971, Roosa took a packet of Douglas Fir seeds with him to the moon, and when he returned the Forest Service planted these "Moon Trees" across the US, including two at the Illinois Valley Airport. The smokejumpers cared for these trees, but after their departure, both trees died.
paved runway
(18/36) measuring 4,807 x 75 ft (1,465 x 23 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 6,000 aircraft operations, all of which were general aviation
.
The airport has a fixed base operator
, aircraft rentals and instruction, hangar rentals, and a restaurant (closed) and a small campground. All other services are four miles (6 km) north in Cave Junction.
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...
located four miles (6.4 km) southwest 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 Cave Junction
Cave Junction, Oregon
Cave Junction, incorporated in 1948, is a city in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,883. Its motto is the "Gateway to the Oregon Caves," and the city got its name by virtue of its location at the junction of Redwood Highway and Caves Highway...
, a city in Josephine County
Josephine County, Oregon
Josephine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the county is probably named after a stream in the area called Josephine Creek, which in turn is probably named after Virginia Josephine Rollins Ort. In 2010, its population was 82,713...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The Illinois Valley Airport, also known as the Siskiyou SmokejumperSmokejumper
A smokejumper is a wildland firefighter who parachutes into a remote area to combat wildfires.Smokejumpers are most often deployed to fires that are extremely remote. The risks associated with this method of personnel deployment are mitigated by an extremely well developed training program that has...
Base,or even the Cave Junction Airport, was built by the US Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
. It operated from 1943 to 1981 as a smokejumper base, during which time the smokejumpers parachuted on 1445 fires for 5390 fire jumps, or about 142 jumps per year.
Moon Trees
Lunar orbiter commander Stuart RoosaStuart Roosa
Stuart Allen Roosa was a NASA astronaut, who was the command module pilot for the Apollo 14 mission. The mission lasted from January 31 to February 9, 1971 and was the third mission to land astronauts on the Moon...
was a firefighter at the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base in 1954. In 1971, Roosa took a packet of Douglas Fir seeds with him to the moon, and when he returned the Forest Service planted these "Moon Trees" across the US, including two at the Illinois Valley Airport. The smokejumpers cared for these trees, but after their departure, both trees died.
Facilities and aircraft
Illinois Valley Airport covers an area of 175 acres (70.8 ha) which contains one asphaltAsphalt
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...
(18/36) measuring 4,807 x 75 ft (1,465 x 23 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 6,000 aircraft operations, all of which were 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...
.
The airport has a fixed base operator
Fixed base operator
A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
, aircraft rentals and instruction, hangar rentals, and a restaurant (closed) and a small campground. All other services are four miles (6 km) north in Cave Junction.
- Note: as of 1/2008 the FBO and restaurant are closed. Hopefully a new FBO and food will locate there soon.