In the 1920's aircraft landed and took off from open fields. Landing speeds were so slow that they did not need runways. Thus names like Mines Field (now LAX), Mills Field (now SFO), Buchanan Field (Concord) came to be. Landing fields in our area were found at such places as Rio Del Mar, San Andreas, Palm Beach, one near Watsonville on Beach Road. One called Storms Field, on what is now called Freedom Blvd. near Mariposa Ave., was used by many barnstormers to sell rides as they flew from town to town.
It was in early 1931 that Watsonville entered the aviation age. On May 9, 1931, Governor James "Sunny Jim" Rolph riding in a Stinson Monoplane piloted by W.W. Bendell made a low pass over the runway and cut a ribbon stretched across the field to officially open Watsonville's first airport.
This was just over a year after the formation of "Watsonville Airport Inc.". Five thousand shares of stock were issued and bought by 400 "largely civic minded citizens" to purchase land to build an airport. An 85-acre site southwest of the city, near the junction of Highway 1 and Salinas road in Monterey County, was chosen for the airport because it was the only land available "at a reasonable price." It was to become "the busy center of flying activity" until 1941 when it became a US Navy facility.
Harlow Ford was the first president of the board of directors, and Claude Wilson was the first airport manager and flight instructor. Other people who were active in establishing the airport were Perry Andrews, William Bendell, Pete Calaghan, Basil and Kenneth Clark, Floyd McFarlane, Bill Russell, Charles Tharp, William Waters and Dr. Henry G. Watters.
Some pilots and their planes were Watters, Curtiss Robin; McFarlane, Russell, and Roy Martelli, Eagle Rock; Clark Brothers, Stinson and later a Ford Tri-Motor; Lou and Harold Foote, Monocoupe; Roy Waugaman, Ryan; Manager Wilson and Bert Scott, Bird; Russell Kemper, Lincoln Paige; William Neibling, TravelAir; and Jack Irwin, an airport manager later in an Irwin special.
In 1941 the airport was designated as an auxiliary base out of which the Navy would fly blimps to patrol for submarines off our coast. The blimp flight squadrons were based at Moffett Field and Watsonville was an auxiliary field where a blimp and flight crew were stationed. From there the blimps took off on 12-hour submarine patrols, convoy escort flights or on many occasions, to perform air-sea rescues. They stationed the crews here for about a month before being rotated with another crew and blimp. Local men stationed at Watsonville were Don Wilson, George Davis, Vern Dietz and Ron Hill.
The base was closed down in late 1945 when the blimps were no longer needed. The airport came to an end on May 3, 1947 when the corporation sold it to Edwin and Flora Peterson for a cattle feed lot.
In 1939 The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA), forerunner of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), decided that a civil airport was needed in Santa Cruz County. CAA representatives went first to the City of Santa Cruz offering to build an airport, if the city would buy the land. This offer was conditioned with an agreement that upon accepting CAA funding the land would always be used for an airport. Surprisingly, they voted down the offer. The CAA presented the same offer to the City of Watsonville. The offer was accepted by the City, and a special election was held on May 12, 1942 with Proposition 4 being a bond issue in the amount of $125,000 for a municipal airport. The citizens of Watsonville passed Proposition 4 with 1537 for, 407 against and 27 votes marked invalid.
In August of 1942 a parcel of land (287.58 acres) was purchased near Freedom, the airport's current site. It was reported that the CAA had allocated $743,900 for construction of the airport. On August 12, 1942 the Board of Aldermen, by adopting Resolution 3428 entered into an agreement with the United States relative to the operation and maintenance of the Watsonville Airport.
Construction was soon started under the direction of Army engineers. The War Department became involved and the city leased the Airport to the United States of America for the sum of one dollar on June 1, 1943.
The Navy took over in July, 1943, purchased an additional 35 acres, built support buildings and the concrete ramp. On October 23, 1943, the airport was commissioned as Naval Air Auxiliary Station Watsonville (NAAS Watsonville) and served as a satellite to Naval Air Station (NAS) Alameda.
With two auxiliary bases here Watsonville became known as a "Navy town," one well liked and remembered by the thousands of Navy fliers who made their way to war zones.
There were as many as 75 combat aircraft and 1,200 men at a time stationed at the Air Station. Then the ramp was used for Avengers, Corsairs, Dauntless', Hellcats and other Navy combat aircraft. Today that same ramp provides ample space for corporate and private planes, both local and visiting, which make daily use of the airport.
NAAS Watsonville was not a primary training facility, but one where Carrier Air Groups (CAG) came to organize. Each CAG consisted of torpedo, dive bomber and fighter squadrons. They brought these together in Watsonville and stayed here 90 to 120 days to train together before being assigned to the carriers on duty in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Since ships were most vulnerable to submarine attack entering and departing harbors, the CAGS would form on land and fly to the carrier after the ship was well clear of the harbor and reverse the procedure when returning to port.
Prior to the Navy taking over the airport in July, 1943, the CAA had contributed approximately $744,000. The Investment of the City in the project, by virtue of the ownership of the 287.58 acres, was approximately $280,000. By March of 1944, the Navy had invested an additional $1.2 million.
As the war ended, so did operations at NAAS Watsonville, on Nov. 1, 1945 it was closed and placed on caretaker status.
The last official Navy flight took off in Nov. 1945, piloted by Vern "Ack" Ackerman, a former operations officer at the base, a combat veteran decorated for sinking an enemy ship. Ack, a Watsonville native who served as airport manager until 1987 also flew in the first civilian airplane to use the airfield after the city of Watsonville took it over. The city acquired the land and improvements at no cost from the War Assets Administration, and subsequently sold 32 acres to the Freedom Elementary School District which moved its school into the old Navy buildings and operated it until 1963.
On December 2, 1946, a Southwest Airways DC3 (later Northwest Orient) landed at Watsonville Airport to pick up its first passenger and 16 pouches of mail, providing the first airline service to the community. This service continued until 1956.
The first airport manager was Robert Hudson. He held the post for about a year until he returned to the US Air Force. Ackerman and his business partner Robert F. Ditlevsen became co-managers of the airport. Ackerman bought out his partner and became airport manager in May 1948. In 1964 Ackerman resigned, only to return and be reappointed in July 1966. During the interim period the manager was C. O. Brandt. Ackerman remained airport manager until 1987. From 1987 until 1990 Kimberly Wirht was manager. The current manager is Don French.
When it became a civilian airport again back in 1946 17 aircraft were based there, now there are about 320 corporate and private planes. It offers both north-south (2-20) and east-west (8-26) runways allowing pilots to take advantage of all wind conditions. In addition, three instrument approaches are available. The largest plane to fly in and out is the Gulf Stream 4 which is slightly smaller than the 737. In 1990 an economic study was done by AMBAG which shows that the airport contributes over $19 million annually to the community.
After the Earthquake of October, 1989 the Airport provided the only access to the Pajaro Valley. An estimated 100 tons of supplies were airlifted during the first week following the earthquake.
The Watsonville Airport is a self sustaining operation that is home to 356 aircraft, has a staff of 4 and one half employees, and is used extensively by the business community. The Airport has an oversight committee, the Airport Advisory Committee, to assist management in establishing Airport policy with emphasis on good neighbor issues. The four runways (2/20 and 8/26) accommodate 75,000 operations per year of which an estimated 10,000 are instrument approaches. The Airport has a National Weather Service Automated Surface Observation Station (ASOS). The Airport has 206 T-hangars, 12 Corporate hangars, 12 mini-hangars, three mid sized hangars, 100 tie downs one hangar used as a training facility, one large fixed based operator (FBO) hangar, one small FBO building, a self fueling island, a restaurant and a land lease to Watsonville Aviation which has five large hangars and offices. Watsonville Air Center has one maintenance FBO, an upholstery shop and two flight schools. The Watsonville Airport is the busiest airport in the tri-county area in number of based aircraft and the number of operations.
The Watsonville Airport's primary goal for the future is the improvement of the instrument approach and landing area to attract an ever growing fleet of corporate aircraft while continuing to maintain support for the general aviation users and to provide adequate hangar space.
The Airport, through the Airport Advisory Committee, with the Watsonville Pilots Association, is developing a "Friendly Flying" video. This video will demonstrate various techniques pilots can use to minimize the airplane noise.
The Airport, working with the Pajaro Valley Board of Education, the Watsonville High School, and local aviation organizations, is putting together a training program for high school students. The program, patterned after the Experimental Aircraft Association's PROJECT SCHOOL-FLIGHT, is designed to give students real world experience in using math and developing mechanical and interpretive skills. This is accomplished by having the students build an airplane. An example; after learning about the principals of flight and the design of an airfoil (a wing), the students would, working from blueprints, build an aircraft wing. This would require the students to read plans, making accurate measurements and transferring the information to metal, and forming the metal into a wing. The project is spread over a four year period with a class size of twenty. At the end of the project the aircraft would be sold, with the proceeds used to finance the project a second time.
It should be noted that the Airport provides a location for the animal shelter, the police pistol range, a mulching operation, water storage tank and three wireless cell sites. This is noteworthy because any of these uses would create zoning issues and controversy anywhere else.
The Airport is home to the largest known population of Santa Cruz Tar plant along with several colonies of native prairie grass. The Tar plant is on the California's Endangered Species list and is a candidate for Federal listing.
The Airport has hosted the annual Watsonville Fly-In and Air Show held on Memorial Day weekend since 1964. This event has grown from a small grass roots event to one of the largest fly-ins on the west coast. It is estimated that the Watsonville Fly-In and Air Show brings $500,000 a year to the local economy.