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 airport is situated on 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 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.

Contents

[edit] 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. Additionally, LAWA acquired several thousand acres of land around Plant 42 in 1966 to be developed into "Palmdale Intercontinental Airport," with the goal of surpassing the air traffic of LAX. LAWA has so far not developed its Palmdale airport land to the full potential it possesses. This is due to two main reasons: perceptions by the traveling public that Palmdale is too far away to suit their desires, and the inability for Los Angeles city government leaders to obtain the political will from the voting public to develop the airport. Only recently (since 2000) have steps been taken to actually work towards the construction of a larger terminal. The current terminal has been vacant since July 2006 when Scenic Airlines discontinued scheduled service due to low passenger usage and high fuel costs. Convincing airlines of the marketability of the airport has thus far been difficult because of the perceived distance of the airport from Los Angeles basin population centers. While Palmdale may offer the airline passenger a quicker ground transportation travel time from Sherman Oaks than the standard LAX airport car trip down the San Diego 405 freeway, so far the airport has been unable to convince passengers to try Palmdale as an alternative.

There is a longstanding desire by the City of Palmdale to attract more commercial carriers to the existing terminal. It is the desire of many Southern Californians to use this airport as an alternative to expanding LAX and Bob Hope Airport. Most of the communities surrounding those 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 stabilizng the local economy.

However, 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 tradespeople 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).

No scheduled airlines currently serve this airport, however a coalition of airport supporters put together an incentive package valued at $4.6 million, with $2 million slated to underwrite losses incurred from providing airline service. The incentive package includes a $900,000 grant from the federal government given to the city of Palmdale to develop regional airport service.[1]

In February 2007, the City of Palmdale and LAWA selected United Airlines to provide service between Palmdale and San Francisco International Airport. LAWA plans to have the airport operational and ready to begin service by the summer of 2007.

FAA diagram of the airport
FAA diagram of the airport

[edit] Military usage and manufacturing

Please see Plant 42.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Previous carriers included:

[edit] Trivia

  • 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 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 acre USAF Plant 42 and adjacent LAWA owned 17,500 acres would make this airport the largest (geograpically) in the world if the LAWA portion was to ever be fully developed.

[edit] References

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

[edit] External links

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