San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport

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San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport
McChesney Field
IATA: SBP - ICAO: KSBP - FAA: SBP
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator San Luis Obispo County
Serves San Luis Obispo, California
Elevation AMSL 212 ft (64.5 m)
Coordinates 35°14′13″N, 120°38′31″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 6,100 1,859 Asphalt
7/25 2,500 762 Asphalt

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (IATA: SBP, ICAO: KSBP, FAA LID: SBP), also known as McChesney Field, is an airport located in San Luis Obispo, California serving San Luis Obispo County. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by four commercial airlines.

Located just south of the City of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport serves areas as far north as Southern Monterey County and as far south as Northern Santa Barbara County. The airport offers convenient access to and from the Central Coast. Residents and visitors have the choice of four commercial airlines with flights to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and San Francisco. The airport is also home to full service general aviation and corporate facilities.

Contents

[edit] History

The San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport began as one man's dream. Earl Thomson, along with his brothers-in-law, William "Chris" and David Hoover, talked county officials into leasing them the land. By April 1939 the airport opened with an 88-by-100 foot hangar and dirt runways.

In 1940, hard surface runways and lights were installed by the War Department. Iin 1940 and 1941, 183 private pilots and 20 advanced students were trained here though a federally sponsored Civilian Pilot Training Program for armed services fliers.

The federal government took over the airport though World War II, turning it back to the county in 1946. Southwest Airways inaugurated a passenger and airline service that year.

In 1947, county supervisors contracted for another hangar, ramp, and eventually an administration building. The supervisors named Chris Hoover full-time airport manager in 1953.

In 1987, the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport was dedicated as McChesney Field, in honor of Leroy E. McChesney for his leadership and dedication to aviation. Mr. McChesney resided in the county since 1920 and had been a pilot since 1949. He was a longtime member of the California Aviation Council, a member of the California Aeronautics Board, and other aviation organizations. Mr. McChesney was the Grand Marschal of the first Airport Day in 1984.

Airport facilities now include a terminal building, restaurant, numerous hangars and airplane related businesses. In 1988, a control tower was opened by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Although Southwest Airways started airline service here in 1946, it only lasted until 1955. Southwest replaced it's DC-3's with Martin 404's, which were too large for the 4,000-foot (1,200 m) runway, so they moved to Paso Robles. There was a long gap in air passenger service until Swift Aire Lines was started up in 1969. By the time that the control tower opened in 1988, Wings West, SkyWest, WestAir, and later, American Eagle were in operation. Passenger service from San Luis Obispo was here to stay. Today, four regional airlines serve the community: United Express (SkyWest Airlines), Delta Connection (SkyWest Airlines), American Eagle, and U.S. Airways Express (Mesa Airlines).

[edit] Future Expansion Plans

 This article or section contains information about a planned or expected expansion of an existing airport.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the construction and/or completion of the airport expansion approaches, and as more information becomes available on it.

The key components of the future expansion concept include:

  • A 1,000-foot (+/-) pavement extension on the northwest end of Runway 11-29, providing a total runway pavement length of 6,300 feet (1,900 m).
  • Install EMAS at the south end of Runway 11-29 to meet the current RSA requirement for a C-II runway.
  • Extension of parallel Taxiways A and M to the northwest end of the extended runway, at the existing separation distances from the runway centerline.
  • Straightening of Taxiway A at the current terminal ramp. Upon relocation of passenger terminal facilities to the new terminal, the portion of Taxiway A in front of the existing terminal may be aligned with the remainder of the taxiway.
  • Other taxiway improvements include the extension of Taxiway C to the west ramp, closing of Taxiway E and replacement with a rightangled taxiway between Taxiway A and Taxiway J, and reconfiguration of Taxiway F. Taxiway J will be widened next to the west ramp to provide two-way taxiing.
  • A new passenger terminal, ramp, and structured parking deck will be constructed in the location originally recommended in the 1998 Airport Master Plan. The new 66,350-square-foot (6,164 m²) terminal is designed to meet increased space needs for post 9-11 security requirements (including inline bag screening) and future passenger demands in a phased manner, with additional building and concourse added as required to meet long term needs.
  • A new Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) station is under construction to the southeast of the future terminal building. The new structure will be approximately 8,700 square feet (810 m²).
  • Shifting of the Runway 25 threshold, creating an interim length of 2,500 feet (760 m) on Runway 7-25. In addition, consistent with the runway’s B-I design category, the runway may be narrowed to 60 feet (18 m). Upon completion of the relocation of Santa Fe Road, the runway pavement may be extended 500 feet (150 m) on the west end to provide an ultimate runway length of 3,000 feet (910 m). Additional exit taxiways have been placed on either side of the runway.
  • Upon completion of the westerly shift of the threshold of Runway 25, new general aviation fixed base operations facilities may be constructed southeast of the new passenger terminal ramp and ARFF facility. The facilities may include large span hangars (a minimum of 24,000 square feet), office area, ramp for itinerant aircraft, and automobile parking. An entrance/exit point onto Highway 227 may be provided near these facilities.
  • Hangar facilities totaling 82,000 square feet (+/-) for general aviation aircraft southeast of the fixed base facilities. These facilities will provide 65 (+/-) individual storage units on the east side of the airfield. Parking ramp will also be provided southeast of the hangars. The hangars will be located outside of the primary surface area for Runway 11-29 (500 feet from runway centerline).
  • Lease parcels along the south side of Runway 7-25 will provide for potential construction of 120,000 square feet (11,000 m²) of individual hangars, with access from Buckley Road.

[edit] Facilities

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport covers 340 acres (138 ha) and has two runways:

  • Runway 11/29: 6,100 x 150 ft. (1,859 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
  • Runway 7/25: 2,500 x 100 ft. (762 x 30 m), Surface: Asphalt

[edit] Fixed Base Operators

  • Aviation Consultants Incorporated
  • San Luis Jet Center
  • Pigs Can Fly Aviation
  • Pacific Aerocademy
  • Air San Luis

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Cargo Airlines

[edit] Car Rentals

[edit] Airport Dining and Shopping

  • Spirit of San Luis Restaurant
  • Higher Groundz Snack Bar and Gift Shop

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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