Shafter Airport
Encyclopedia
Shafter Airport , also known as Minter Field, is a public use airport
located four nautical mile
s (7 km) east of the central business district
of Shafter
, in Kern County
, California
, United States
. It is owned by the Minter Field Airport District.
of 421 feet (128 m) above mean sea level. It has two runway
s: 12/30 with 4,501 x 100 ft (1,372 x 30 m) asphalt
surface and 17/35 with a 2,972 x 100 ft (906 x 30 m) concrete
surface.
For the 12-month period ending January 18, 2007, the airport had 45,000 general aviation
aircraft operations, an average of 123 per day. At that time there were 89 aircraft based at this airport: 81% single-engine
, 3% multi-engine, 1% jet
, 6% helicopter
and 9% ultralight.
was first opened in June 1941 when the United States Army Air Corps
(USAAC) dispatched a small garrison of airmen to open an airfield at Shafter.
The name was derived from close proximity to the highway of the same name. The airfield commander utilized Bakersfield College
as his headquarters, while airmen were quartered in temporary facilities from Bakersfield to Wasco
while barracks and other structures were being built. As construction proceeded though the rest of the year, the Minter Sub-Depot was established as a branch of the Sacramento Air Depot.
In August, the first operational training units (OTU)s began arriving at Minter, the airfields mission being advanced pilot training of USAAC bomber, attack, transport and pursuit pilots. In April 1942, contracts for the construction of more than 65 on-base buildings were let while the constantly increasing numbers of cadets were housed in a large tent city erected as temporary shelter.
With the relative completion of construction in July 1942, the airfield was renamed Minter Field a member of the locally prominent Minter family. The Lieutenant, a World War I
veteran, was killed in a mid-air collision over March Field in July, 1932. The airfield was placed under the overall command of the United States Army Air Forces
West Coast Training Center.
The primary aircraft flown at Minter Field was the Vultee BT-13 Valiant
, which was used for basic flight training. Other training aircraft included the Cessna UC-78 Bobcat, as well as the AT-6 Texan
advanced trainer, North American B-25 Mitchell
twin-engine medium bomber, and Lockheed P-38 Lightning, as well as other widely used fighter, bomber and observation craft.
With the end of the war in 1945, airfield was determined to be excess by the military and turned over to the local government for civil use in March 1948.
The Gossamer Condor
piloted by Bryan Allen won the first Kremer prize on August 23, 1977 by completing a figure '8' course specified by the Royal Aeronautical Society
at Minter Field. A California State Monument is located at the Field for this event.
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 four nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (7 km) east 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 Shafter
Shafter, California
Shafter is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is located west-northwest of Bakersfield. The population was 16,988 at the 2010 census, up from 12,736 at the 2000 census. Wired telephone numbers in Shafter follow the format 746-xxxx and the ZIP Code is 93263.The city is located...
, in Kern County
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by the Minter Field Airport District.
Facilities and aircraft
The airport covers an area of 1206 acres (488.1 ha) at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 421 feet (128 m) above mean sea level. It has two runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s: 12/30 with 4,501 x 100 ft (1,372 x 30 m) asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface and 17/35 with a 2,972 x 100 ft (906 x 30 m) concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surface.
For the 12-month period ending January 18, 2007, the airport had 45,000 general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
aircraft operations, an average of 123 per day. At that time there were 89 aircraft based at this airport: 81% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
, 3% multi-engine, 1% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
, 6% helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
and 9% ultralight.
History
Lerdo Field, as the airport was initially known during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was first opened in June 1941 when the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
(USAAC) dispatched a small garrison of airmen to open an airfield at Shafter.
The name was derived from close proximity to the highway of the same name. The airfield commander utilized Bakersfield College
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield College is a public community college located in Bakersfield, California, USA. Bakersfield College has an official Twitter account at @bcrenegades and an official...
as his headquarters, while airmen were quartered in temporary facilities from Bakersfield to Wasco
Wasco, California
Wasco is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California, United States. Wasco is located northwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 328 feet...
while barracks and other structures were being built. As construction proceeded though the rest of the year, the Minter Sub-Depot was established as a branch of the Sacramento Air Depot.
In August, the first operational training units (OTU)s began arriving at Minter, the airfields mission being advanced pilot training of USAAC bomber, attack, transport and pursuit pilots. In April 1942, contracts for the construction of more than 65 on-base buildings were let while the constantly increasing numbers of cadets were housed in a large tent city erected as temporary shelter.
With the relative completion of construction in July 1942, the airfield was renamed Minter Field a member of the locally prominent Minter family. The Lieutenant, a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran, was killed in a mid-air collision over March Field in July, 1932. The airfield was placed under the overall command of the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
West Coast Training Center.
The primary aircraft flown at Minter Field was the Vultee BT-13 Valiant
BT-13 Valiant
The Vultee BT-13 Valiant was an American World War II-era basic trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces...
, which was used for basic flight training. Other training aircraft included the Cessna UC-78 Bobcat, as well as the AT-6 Texan
T-6 Texan
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
advanced trainer, North American B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
twin-engine medium bomber, and Lockheed P-38 Lightning, as well as other widely used fighter, bomber and observation craft.
With the end of the war in 1945, airfield was determined to be excess by the military and turned over to the local government for civil use in March 1948.
The Gossamer Condor
Gossamer Condor
-See also:-Further reading:*Morton Grosser. Gossamer Odyssey: The Triumph of Human-Powered Flight. MBI Press, 2004; Dover Publications, Inc., 1991; Houghton Mifflin Co., 1981*Morton Grosser. On Gossamer Wings. York Custom Graphics, 1982...
piloted by Bryan Allen won the first Kremer prize on August 23, 1977 by completing a figure '8' course specified by the Royal Aeronautical Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...
at Minter Field. A California State Monument is located at the Field for this event.
External links
- Shafter Airport/Minter Field, official site
- Minter Field Air Museum