Reid–Hillview Airport

Reid–Hillview Airport of Santa Clara County

View of the airport from the south

Reid–Hillview Airport diagram
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Santa Clara County, California
Location San Jose, California
Elevation AMSL 133 ft / 40.5 m
Coordinates 37°19′58″N 121°49′11″W / 37.33278°N 121.81972°W / 37.33278; -121.81972Coordinates: 37°19′58″N 121°49′11″W / 37.33278°N 121.81972°W / 37.33278; -121.81972
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
13L/31R 3,100 945 Asphalt
13R/31L 3,099 945 Asphalt

Reid–Hillview Airport of Santa Clara County (IATA: RHV, ICAO: KRHV, FAA LID: RHV) is in the eastern part of San Jose,[1] in Santa Clara County, California. The airport is owned by Santa Clara County and is near the Evergreen district of San Jose where aviation pioneer John J. Montgomery experimented with gliders in 1911. Reid–Hillview Airport is also the official general aviation airport for the 2015 Super Bowl in Levis Stadium (nearby Santa Clara, CA).

Reid–Hillview is a general aviation airport; there is no scheduled airline service. As with most general aviation airports air charter operations are available. The airport has a control tower that operates 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. The FAA classifies Reid–Hillview as a reliever airport for San Jose International Airport.[2]

History

Groundbreaking for Reid–Hillview airport came in 1937. Bob and Cecil Reid built the Garden City Airport in 1935, which was quickly closed to make room for U.S. Route 101. Their second site was northwest of the Hillview golf course, hence the name. Until 1946 the single runway was unpaved.

Reid–Hillview was a single runway airport until 1965, when a second runway was added. The control tower opened in October 1967.[3]

The airport was the origin for an emergency supply airlift to the Watsonville Municipal Airport following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, after mountain and coastal roads were blocked, cutting off Santa Cruz and Watsonville from relief efforts by ground. The Watsonville Airport estimates that it received 100 tons of supplies via the airlift during the week following the quake.[4] John McAvoy and Bill Dunn of the Reid–Hillview Airport Association received the 1990 Grand Award from the Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission for organizing the airlift.[5]

In 2010 San Jose State University's Aviation program relocated to Reid–Hillview. The University operates out of the Swift Building, where it holds classes during the academic year.

Fixed-base operators (FBOs)

Overlooking transient parking and the control tower.

At Reid–Hillview, fixed-base operators (FBOs) compete for fuel sales, aircraft rentals and/or flight training.

Future airport plans

The Santa Clara County wrote up a 120+ page document containing information for future plans and expansions for Reid–Hillview. Around the mid-2000s the County announced they would demo the second story of the Airport Terminal to make room for new offices for the Airport Administration. They failed to follow up on this plan and the second story has been sitting idle ever since.

Included in the document, the County also planned on adding small expansions to the runway to allow turboprops and small business jets to land. Although turboprops and small business jets still land in the current runway, this minor expansion will allow a larger flow of these type of aircraft to land.

Ground transportation

Capitol Expressway (County Route G21) is at the entrance to the airport at Cunningham Ave.

Rental cars/taxi

Enterprise car rental is available on the field next to the Airport Shoppe. Nice Air also has rental vehicles.

Bus

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has its Eastridge Transit Center across Tully Road at Eastridge Mall, about 1/2 mile walk southbound along Capitol Expressway.

VTA has plans for a bus rapid transit line from the Diridon train station in downtown San Jose to the Eastridge Transit Center. Further plans with less certain funding include a light rail extension from the Alum Rock station to Eastridge. In both cases, the segment along Capitol Expressway would serve Reid–Hillview Airport.

Other airport amenities

As of a few years ago, Reid–Hillview Airport had vending machines, a pilot's lounge and break room. Santa Clara County passed a new law stating the terminal would no longer allow unhealthy food or drinks to be sold inside. This means coffee and all the vending machines that used to be there would no longer exist in the terminal. Now, all that remains is a water drinking fountain and bathrooms. However, there is still a seating area inside the terminal.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Reid–Hillview Airport of Santa Clara County". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
  2. ↑ "National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) Reports". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  3. ↑ "A Brief History of Reid–Hillview Airport". Nice Air Aviation. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  4. ↑ "Watsonville's Airports: Past – Present – Future". Watsonville Airport. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  5. ↑ "MTC Awards: Grand Award". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. 2007-03-22. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
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