Gillespie Field

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Coordinates: 32°49′34″N 116°58′21″W / 32.82611, -116.9725

Gillespie Field


FAA airport diagram
IATA: SEE – ICAO: KSEE – FAA: SEE
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner County of San Diego
Serves San Diego, California
Location El Cajon, California
Elevation AMSL 388 ft / 118 m
Website co.san-diego.ca.us/dpw/...
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
9L/27R 5,342 1,628 Asphalt
9R/27L 2,738 835 Asphalt
17/35 4,145 1,263 Asphalt
Statistics (2005)
Aircraft operations 244,475
Based aircraft 739
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Gillespie Field (IATA: SEE, ICAO: KSEE, FAA LID: SEE) is a county-owned public-use airport located 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the central business district of San Diego, in El Cajon, San Diego County, California, United States.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Section reference dates.[2]

In 1942 the United States Marine Corps chose a 688-acre (2.78 km²) site east of San Diego to conduct parachute training for the newly forming Parachute battalions. In September 1942 Camp Gillespie was completed and named in honor of Lieutenant Archibald Gillespie, a Marine officer who played a prominent role in the effort to separate California from Mexico in the 1840s.[3]

In February 1944, the camp was commissioned as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Gillespie falling under the command of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. MCAAF Gillespie soon became responsible for Camp Pendleton Outlying Air Field. Among the units that transited and trained at MCCAF Gillespie were VMSB-141, Air Warning Squadron 10 and the Navy's VT-37.[4]

Overhead view of MCAAF Gillespie in June 1944.
Overhead view of MCAAF Gillespie in June 1944.

In 1946, the airfield was turned over to San Diego County and was turned into a general aviation facility.[5] In 1952, the County granted ownership of the facility by the federal government. In 1971, the County Sheriff stationed ASTREA, the law enforcement aviation section, at the airport. And in 1993, the San Diego Aerospace Museum located its restoration operations and a special exhibit at the field.

[edit] Facilities and aircraft

Gillespie Field covers an area of 852 acres (345 ha) which contains three asphalt paved runways:[1]

  • Runway 9L/27R: 5,342 x 100 ft (1,628 x 30 m)
  • Runway 9R/27L: 2,738 x 60 ft (835 x 18 m)
  • Runway 17/35: 4,145 x 100 ft (1,263 x 30 m)

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 244,475 aircraft operations, an average of 669 per day: 99.9% general aviation, <1% air taxi and <1% military. There are 739 aircraft based at this airport: 90% single-engine, 4% multi-engine, 4% helicopter, 1% jet and 1% glider.[1]

[edit] Museum

Gillespie is also the home of the restoration facility Gillispie Field Annex[6] for the San Diego Air and Space Museum (formerly San Diego Aerospace Museum).[7] It is open to the public and has on display many vintage and modern aircraft;[8] and has an Atlas ICBM rocket as it's gate guard, replica of the Spirit of St. Louis, and a recently restored F-102A Delta Dagger with drop tanks.

[edit] See also

United States Marine Corps Portal

[edit] References

Notes
  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for SEE (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-10-25
  2. ^ Gillespie Field (San Diego County web page)
  3. ^ Shettle(200):97
  4. ^ Shettle(200):98
  5. ^ Shettle(200):98
  6. ^ SDASM Gillispie Field Annex Restoration Facility
  7. ^ San Diego Air and Space Museum Official Site
  8. ^ Gillespie Field Annex Layout and Aircraft
Bibliography
  • Shettle Jr., M. L. (2001). United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II. Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-964-33882-3. 

[edit] External links

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