Camarillo Airport was established in 1942 when the U.S. Public Roads Administration acquired 100 acres (40 ha) of farmland to develop a landing strip for light planes.[4] California State Highway Department constructed an auxiliary landing field with a 5,000 ft (1,500 m) runway, which was later extended to 8,000 ft (2,400 m) in 1951 to accommodate what by then had developed into Oxnard Air Force Base. The Aerospace Defense Command, via the 414th Fighter Group at Oxnard AFB, directed the 354th, 437th, and 460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons successively.
In the years following the closure of Oxnard AFB in January 1970, the Ventura County government actively pursued the acquisition of the former military base property from the Department of Defense for commercial airport use. This initiative ran into public opposition, opposed primarily by local residents concerned about the noise of growing commercial traffic. In 1976, the transfer of the airport was finally approved, provided the runway length was shortened to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) by displacing the runway threshold each end, substantially at the eastern end.[5] The agreement also did not allow cargo and large commercial passenger flights.[6] By 1985, the airport was entirely managed by the Ventura County Department of Airports.[7]
From 1995 to 2012, one of the last Lockheed EC-121 Warning Stars underwent a major restoration and dominated the tarmac. After completion of work, it was flown out to the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.[8] The Ventura County Department of Airports began work in 2022 on a layout plan dealing with maintenance and other near-term projects for the airport.[6]
Facilities and operations
Camarillo Airport covers an area of 650 acres (260 ha) and contains one runway (8/26) which measures 6,013 x 150 ft (1,833 x 46 m). It has two helipads, both measuring 50 by 50 ft (15 x 15 m).
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2020 the airport had 108,566 aircraft operations, an average of 297 per day: 94% general aviation, 2% air taxi and 3% military. There were 383 aircraft based at this airport: 301 single engine, 35 multi-engine, 24 jet aircraft, 22 helicopters, and 1 glider.[1]
The airport is an FAA-towered facility, with a number of Fixed-Base Operators headquartered at the airfield, including vintage aviation organizations.
The Camarillo Composite Squadron 61 of the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is based at this airfield, located near Sky Blue Air, at the east end of the airport.
The Ventura County Fire Department and Sheriff's Office each support large, separate facilities at opposite ends of the field to support new recruit and recurring refreshment training.
A "Viewport" opened in 2014, providing a child-friendly area to view the airport activities which had become difficult with increased security concerns.[9]
The Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force[2] and its museum are located to the west of the Waypoint Cafe in three large hangars. In addition to a collection of displays, models, and artifacts, the museum is home to the following aircraft:[11][12][13]
On August 7, 2019, a private aircraft from Wheeler Express crashed 1,000 feet (300 m) from the runway of the airport. Both people on board were killed.[17]
The Ampaire Electric EEL completed the longest flight to date for an airplane employing electric propulsion after launching from the airport on October 8, 2020. The hybrid electric aircraft, developed by U.S. startup Ampaire, will be used in a series of demonstration flights with Mokulele Airlines on its short-haul routes. The plane had just undergone four weeks of flight testing over the Oxnard Plain.[21]
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