Gila River Memorial Airport
Encyclopedia
Gila River Memorial Airport is a private-use airport owned and operated by the Gila River Indian Community
, located 4 miles southwest of the central business district
of Chandler
, in Maricopa County
, Arizona
, United States
. It is used for cropdusting
and air charter
operations, with no scheduled commercial services.
. After the war, it was renamed Goodyear Air Force Auxiliary Airfield, with its original triangular configuration modified to accommodate early jet aircraft of the 1950s. During the 1960s, it passed on to civilian control as Goodyear Airport, then as Memorial Airfield. No hangar space existed at the airport until the late 1970s, when the airport began playing host to older piston-engined transport aircraft, many of which had been converted for use as air tankers. By the 1990s, it had become something of an aircraft boneyard
.
By 2007, the Gila River Indian Community had assumed control of the airfield, renaming it Gila River Memorial Airport, and all commercial tenants were evicted from the property in the hopes of turning the airfield into a casino http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/1130cr-airfield1201.html. In 2008, numerous aircraft were still present, including C-54s, DC-4s, DC-7s, PV-2s, and a Howard 500
. http://www.ruudleeuw.com/usa08-chandler.html Many of them have since been removed, with some of the old airport outbuildings dismantled, with further plans to expand and develop the airport still in progress http://www.gilariver.org/index.php/news/74-january-2009-grin/558-tcrp-heads-west-to-la-and-sf-to-conduct-public-outreach.
Gila River Indian Community
The Gila River Indian Community is an Indian reservation in the U.S. state of Arizona, lying adjacent to the south side of the city of Phoenix, within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in Pinal and Maricopa Counties. It was established in 1859, and formally established by Congress in 1939...
, located 4 miles southwest of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Chandler
Chandler, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
, in Maricopa County
Maricopa County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.0% White*5.0% Black*2.1% Native American*3.5% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.5% Two or more races*12.7% Other races*29.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is used for cropdusting
Aerial application
Aerial application, commonly called crop dusting, involves spraying crops with fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides from an agricultural aircraft. The specific spreading of fertilizer is also known as aerial topdressing....
and air charter
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
operations, with no scheduled commercial services.
History
Gila River Memorial Airport was built in 1942 as Williams Auxiliary Army Airfield #5, one of several satellite airfields for Williams Army AirfieldWilliams Air Force Base
Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in Mesa, and about southeast of Phoenix, Arizona.It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993...
. After the war, it was renamed Goodyear Air Force Auxiliary Airfield, with its original triangular configuration modified to accommodate early jet aircraft of the 1950s. During the 1960s, it passed on to civilian control as Goodyear Airport, then as Memorial Airfield. No hangar space existed at the airport until the late 1970s, when the airport began playing host to older piston-engined transport aircraft, many of which had been converted for use as air tankers. By the 1990s, it had become something of an aircraft boneyard
Aircraft boneyard
Aircraft boneyard is a term for a storage area for aircraft that are retired from service. Most aircraft at boneyards are either kept for storage or turned into scrap metal...
.
By 2007, the Gila River Indian Community had assumed control of the airfield, renaming it Gila River Memorial Airport, and all commercial tenants were evicted from the property in the hopes of turning the airfield into a casino http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/1130cr-airfield1201.html. In 2008, numerous aircraft were still present, including C-54s, DC-4s, DC-7s, PV-2s, and a Howard 500
Howard 500
-External Sources:* * * - Development of Howard 500 model for Microsoft Flight Simulator, with extensive detail, photographs, and movies of real aircraft.-Aircraft Videos:* * *...
. http://www.ruudleeuw.com/usa08-chandler.html Many of them have since been removed, with some of the old airport outbuildings dismantled, with further plans to expand and develop the airport still in progress http://www.gilariver.org/index.php/news/74-january-2009-grin/558-tcrp-heads-west-to-la-and-sf-to-conduct-public-outreach.
External links
- 34AZ at Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields
- "Memorial Airfield development appears stalled", Arizona Republic, 30 November 2007.