Santa Barbara Airport
Encyclopedia
Santa Barbara Airport , also known as Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, is a public airport
located 7 miles (11 km) west of downtown Santa Barbara, California
, United States.
The Santa Barbara airport is adjacent to the University of California, Santa Barbara
and the city of Goleta
. However, the land that the airport sits on was annexed to the city of Santa Barbara by a 7 miles (11 km) long, 300 feet (91.4 m) wide corridor, most of which lies under the Pacific Ocean. This a shoestring annexation. Much of the airport is between 10 and 15 feet above sea level, and it is bordered by the wetland
area known as the Goleta Slough
.
Five airlines serve the Airport as of June 2011 with more than 30 daily departures to five U.S. cities (see below). In 2006, more than 850,000 passengers used the airport. It is also a popular training airport. The field is home to three flight schools, Above All Aviation, flight school and FAA approved Aerial Scenic Tour Facility, Red Baron Aviation, an FAA certified test center and Cessna Pilot Center, as well as Spitfire Aviation.
, established a seaplane factory on State Street (Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company
) and constructed a wooden ramp on West Beach to launch their planes. In 1928, Gordon Sackett and Royce Stetson landed a Hisso-powered airplane in a cow pasture near the corner of Hollister and Fairview Avenues and set up a flight school on the spot. That first airstrip marked the beginning of what was to become the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport.
As airplane manufacturing grew in the late 1930s that simple airstrip developed into an airfield. Western General set up shop and began producing Meteor airplanes, while Santa Barbara Airways' founder Frederick Stearns II built two additional runways and two large hangars. Stearns also installed the first radio equipment at the airfield.
Commercial service began in 1932 with Pacific Seaboard Airlines, and United Airlines
inaugurated service from Santa Barbara/Goleta in 1936.
As the prospect of war escalated the United States Government established a defense program to construct 250 airports across the country on a cost-sharing basis with local governments. Thomas M. Storke
secured Santa Barbara's enrollment in the program, and in 1941 groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. The Spanish-style terminal building, commissioned by United Airlines in 1942 was designed by William Edwards and Joseph Plunkett, an architectural team whose work, including the Arlington Theatre
and the National Armory, helped shape the Mediterranean style of the city.
In 1947, the Santa Barbara Flying Club was formed to promote general aviation in the region. The club is still a registered non-profit meeting monthly at the Visitor Center, and working with other groups and businesses to continue making Santa Barbara a great place to fly.
In the 1951 war film Flying Leathernecks
, John Wayne
's character was stationed in Goleta. The movie references the airbase as being in Goleta because, during World War II, the airbase had not yet been annexed by Santa Barbara. There is a short clip of the airport and surrounding area in the movie.
Three runways are currently used: 7/25 and two parallel runways 15/33. In addition to these runways, the airport originally had an additional strip: runway 3/21. The development of the University of California, Santa Barbara
(to the southwest) and the construction of hangars in support of production of the Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
(to the northeast) were factors in the abandonment and eventual removal of this runway.
During the 1950s-60s-70s Santa Barbara Airport was on the airline route between San Francisco and Los Angeles, served by Southwest Airways
and its successors and United Airlines
, but no airline scheduled a nonstop out of California until United started nonstops to Denver in 1979 and to Chicago in 1980. (The Chicago flight only lasted a year or so.) American MD80 nonstops to/from DFW started in 1984, sometimes on a triangle routing DFW-BUR-SBA-DFW or DFW-SBA-BFL-DFW. "Main line" flights ended in 2002 when United pulled out, leaving SBA to the regional airlines.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located 7 miles (11 km) west of downtown Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, United States.
The Santa Barbara airport is adjacent to the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
and the city of Goleta
Goleta, California
Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated, populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the Census-designated place had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant...
. However, the land that the airport sits on was annexed to the city of Santa Barbara by a 7 miles (11 km) long, 300 feet (91.4 m) wide corridor, most of which lies under the Pacific Ocean. This a shoestring annexation. Much of the airport is between 10 and 15 feet above sea level, and it is bordered by the wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
area known as the Goleta Slough
Goleta Slough
The Goleta Slough is an area of estuary, tidal creeks, tidal marsh, and wetlands near Goleta, California, USA. It primarily consists of the filled and unfilled remnants of the historic inner Goleta Bay about 8 miles west of Santa Barbara...
.
Five airlines serve the Airport as of June 2011 with more than 30 daily departures to five U.S. cities (see below). In 2006, more than 850,000 passengers used the airport. It is also a popular training airport. The field is home to three flight schools, Above All Aviation, flight school and FAA approved Aerial Scenic Tour Facility, Red Baron Aviation, an FAA certified test center and Cessna Pilot Center, as well as Spitfire Aviation.
History
Santa Barbara's aviation history began in 1914 when Lincoln J. Beachey flew an airplane across Goleta Valley. Two years later the Loughead brothers, who later changed their name to LockheedLockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
, established a seaplane factory on State Street (Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company
Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company
The Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company was formed by brothers Malcolm Loughead and Allan Loughead in 1912 in Santa Barbara, CA. The company later went on to become the Lockheed Corporation....
) and constructed a wooden ramp on West Beach to launch their planes. In 1928, Gordon Sackett and Royce Stetson landed a Hisso-powered airplane in a cow pasture near the corner of Hollister and Fairview Avenues and set up a flight school on the spot. That first airstrip marked the beginning of what was to become the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport.
As airplane manufacturing grew in the late 1930s that simple airstrip developed into an airfield. Western General set up shop and began producing Meteor airplanes, while Santa Barbara Airways' founder Frederick Stearns II built two additional runways and two large hangars. Stearns also installed the first radio equipment at the airfield.
Commercial service began in 1932 with Pacific Seaboard Airlines, and United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
inaugurated service from Santa Barbara/Goleta in 1936.
As the prospect of war escalated the United States Government established a defense program to construct 250 airports across the country on a cost-sharing basis with local governments. Thomas M. Storke
Thomas M. Storke
Thomas More Storke was an American politician, rancher, journalist and publisher. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in 1962....
secured Santa Barbara's enrollment in the program, and in 1941 groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. The Spanish-style terminal building, commissioned by United Airlines in 1942 was designed by William Edwards and Joseph Plunkett, an architectural team whose work, including the Arlington Theatre
Arlington Theater (Santa Barbara, California)
The Arlington Theater is the largest movie theater and principal performing arts venue in Santa Barbara, California, USA. In addition to regular screenings and artists, it is home to many events associated with the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.- History :Located at 1317 State...
and the National Armory, helped shape the Mediterranean style of the city.
In 1947, the Santa Barbara Flying Club was formed to promote general aviation in the region. The club is still a registered non-profit meeting monthly at the Visitor Center, and working with other groups and businesses to continue making Santa Barbara a great place to fly.
In the 1951 war film Flying Leathernecks
Flying Leathernecks
Flying Leathernecks is a 1951 action film directed by Nicholas Ray, produced by Edmund Grainger, and starring John Wayne and Robert Ryan. The movie details the exploits and personal battles of United States Marine Corps aviators during World War II...
, John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
's character was stationed in Goleta. The movie references the airbase as being in Goleta because, during World War II, the airbase had not yet been annexed by Santa Barbara. There is a short clip of the airport and surrounding area in the movie.
Three runways are currently used: 7/25 and two parallel runways 15/33. In addition to these runways, the airport originally had an additional strip: runway 3/21. The development of the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
(to the southwest) and the construction of hangars in support of production of the Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography*Taylor, Michael J.H. . Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. Studio Editions. London. 1989. ISBN 0-517-69186-8-External links:* * *...
(to the northeast) were factors in the abandonment and eventual removal of this runway.
Pacific Air Lines
Pacific Air Lines was a regional airline serving the West Coast of the United States that began operations in the 1940s under the name Southwest Airways...
and its successors and United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, but no airline scheduled a nonstop out of California until United started nonstops to Denver in 1979 and to Chicago in 1980. (The Chicago flight only lasted a year or so.) American MD80 nonstops to/from DFW started in 1984, sometimes on a triangle routing DFW-BUR-SBA-DFW or DFW-SBA-BFL-DFW. "Main line" flights ended in 2002 when United pulled out, leaving SBA to the regional airlines.
Future expansion
In early 2007, Santa Barbara executives tentatively approved a $60 million project to expand the terminal, while keeping the "Santa Barbara Airport Experience" by building around the original 1942 terminal. Some of the features of the redesign are passenger loading bridges, making it so everything is contained in one building including car rentals, security, gates and the baggage tents.Flight statistics
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually... |
123,000 | United, American |
| 2 |  Denver, ColoradoDenver International Airport Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel... |
76,000 | United, Frontier |
| 3 |  Phoenix, ArizonaPhoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located southeast of the central business district of the city of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States... |
70,000 | US Airways |
| 4 | San Francisco, California San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO... |
53,000 | United |
| 5 |  Seattle, WashingtonSeattle-Tacoma International Airport The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5... |
22,000 | Alaska |
| 6 |  Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport is a major public airport in Utah. A joint civil-military facility, it is located in western Salt Lake City, approximately four miles from the central business district... |
18,000 | Delta |
| 7 | Sacramento, California Sacramento International Airport Sacramento International Airport is a public airport located 10 miles northwest of the central business district of Sacramento, in Sacramento County, California, USA. It is run by Sacramento County... |
12,000 | Alaska |
| 8 | San Jose, California San Jose International Airport Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport serving the city of San Jose in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is named for San Jose native Norman Yoshio Mineta, who was Transportation Secretary in the Cabinet of George W... |
5,000 | United |
| 9 |  Portland, OregonPortland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah... |
4,000 | Alaska |
Airlines and destinations
External links
- Webcams at UCSB Bookstore offer live views of the airport environment.
- The Santa Barbara Flying Club is a registered non-profit organization founded in 1947.