Fresno Municipal Airport, 1931 (Source: Webmaster)
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Chandler Field, the Fresno airport, was dedicated for public use in November 1929. A photograph of it about that time is at the R.T. Gerow Collection. The area, even prior to 1929, was used informally as an airfield. Following World War I there were no real facilities for aviation in the Fresno area, so the Chandlers allowed pilots to take off and land in their farm fields once the crops were harvested. This is a good thing, because one of the two pilots who identified Fresno as his home base landed in 1927.
At left, this REFERENCE, page 31, describes the Fresno airport as it was in 1931.
Fresno Municipal Airport, Ca. 1933 (Source: Webmaster)
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At right, his REFERENCE, page 19, pictures and describes the Fresno Municipal Airport in 1933 as follows. It was located at 1360 Tehama Street,
1.3 miles southwest of the city. It had one oiled runway 3,500
x 400 ft. down the center of its 125 acres.
For communications, it had a telephone (dial 2-1810) and
weather reports on the field. Modern hotels were in Fresno,
with the taxi fare of 50 cents. A restaurant was at the field.
"FRESNO" was painted on the hangar roof. For night
operations, runways were lighted with flood, boundary and
obstruction lights. A rotating white and green beacon was
installed. There were no landing or flood light charges.
Fuel, oil, hangars were available, as was a 24-hour licensed
repair depot with licensed mechanics. Hangar fees were $1.50
per night for single-engine craft, $2.00 for twins, and $3.50
for tri-motored airplanes.
Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc. provided
two scheduled flights daily to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Schneiders Aero Service, Cardif and Peacock and Harrah Flying
Service provided flight training and charter trips.
Below, this REFERENCE, page 16, describes the Fresno airport in 1937 as follows. Note that a light beacon, communications radio station and a radio range beacon were installed sometime between 1931 and 1937.
Fresno Municipal Airport, 1937 (Source: Webmaster)
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In addition, there is a short history of Chandler Field at the link (link inop as of 12/19/22. This link further directs you to some buildings that were constructed in the 1936-37 time period, including the "administration building" cited above
. These buildings and the land upon which they are built are now part of the Chandler Field/Fresno Municipal Airport Historic District . Fresno should be congratulated for preserving in a meaningful way this part of their history.
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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 06/05 REVISED: 12/17/10, 04/24/18
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