Oxnard Field
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Oxnard Field (also known at various times as Albuquerque Airport and Albuquerque Army Air Field) was the first airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It served as the home of commercial aviation in Albuquerque from 1928 to 1929 and remained in use for other purposes until 1948. The field was located on Albuquerque's East Mesa, east of the present site of Albuquerque International Sunport.
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[edit] History
The field was originally constructed in 1928 by Santa Fe Railroad workers Frank G. Speakman and William Langford Franklin, using grading equipment loaned by the city after hours. The facility was named Albuquerque Airport in recognition of the city's role in aiding its construction. On May 15, 1928, a Stearman biplane piloted by Ross Hadley became the first aircraft to land at the new airport.
James G. Oxnard, a New York entrepreneur, bought out Franklin's share in the airport soon after it was completed and renamed it Oxnard Field. Oxnard expanded the facility to 480 acres, adding an administration building and other facilities.
In its brief stint as the city's main airport, Oxnard Field was served by two competing airlines, Western Air Express and Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT). However, the proximity of the field to the Sandia Mountains made pilots uneasy, and Western Air built a new facility, West Mesa Airport, in 1929. Following the merger of TAT and Western Air to form Trans World Airlines, all commercial air service shifted to West Mesa.
The onset of World War II brought new activity to Oxnard Field. Military pilots began using the facility for refueling and maintenance in 1939, and it was taken over by the federal government on April 3, 1942. An Army Air Forces Air Depot Training Station was established in June, and shortly thereafter the airport was designated Albuquerque Army Air Field. Two new runways and a variety of other facilities were built during this period.
The field was used for the last time between 1945 and 1948, when it served as the final destination for hundreds of surplus warplanes which were assembled there for scrapping. Following the end of this operation, the airport was closed permanently.
[edit] Facilities
The airport initially had two dirt runways, east-west (4300 feet) and northeast-southwest (2500 feet). The only facilities consisted of gravity-fed fuel tanks. Oxnard added the administration building, a hangar, and a 52-foot beacon. The Airport Inn was a popular dining establishment. The airport reached its final configuration during the war, when the north-south and northwest-southeast runways were added.
[edit] Oxnard Field today
The former airport is now part of Kirtland Air Force Base, and new development has covered most of it. However, part of the northeast-southwest runway remains visible and the former administration building and hangar are still standing. Another legacy of Oxnard Field is the major streets Wyoming Boulevard and Ridgecrest Drive, both of which were originally developed as airport access roads.
