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Meadows Field Airport
Meadows Field (IATA: BFL, ICAO: KBFL, FAA LID: BFL) is a public airport in Kern County, California, United States, three miles northwest of downtown Bakersfield. It is the main airport for the Bakersfield area, and one of two airports in the San Joaquin Valley, the other being Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Also known as Kern County Airport #1, it is located in an area of unincorporated Kern County adjacent to Oildale, California.
Federal Aviation Administration records show 141,847 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 103,067 in 2009 and 111,699 in 2010. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.
Aviation has been linked to Kern County for almost as long as the existence of the industry. In 1891, Charles Howard ascended in a hot air balloon to 1,000 feet (300 m). He jumped and landed safely with a parachute he designed and constructed. By 1910, only seven years after the Wright Brothers' first airplane flight, aircraft began arriving in the county. They were brought in by Glenn Curtiss (in conjunction with the Kern County Board of Trade). The first flight in the area was flown by Charles Hamilton.
Bakersfield then had two airfields. The more prominent field was at Sacramento and Monterey streets in East Bakersfield (at the time, mostly empty fields). It was named Bernard Field and was run by the Pacific Aero Club. The field would be a stop for US Air Mail from 1923 to 1926 (when that moved to Meadows Field). Another airfield was on the Panorama Bluffs in Northeast Bakersfield where Greenlawn Mortuary is today.
With the development of commercial air service, Bakersfield needed a purpose-built commercial airport. In 1926, the Kern County Chamber of Commerce constructed and operated a new airport called Kern County Airport No. 1. Originally at the intersection of U.S. Route 99 and Norris Road, the following year it was moved one mile east to its current location. The original facility had one runway, one terminal building, and a few hangars and other buildings. In 1935, Kern County bought the airport from the Chamber of Commerce. It was the first county-owned airport in the nation.
In September 1939, war broke out in Europe, prompting Congress to appropriate $40 million for the Development of Landing Areas for National Defense (DLAND). Under DLAND, the secretaries of War, Commerce, and the Navy approved expenditures for airports. By 1941, the Army Air Corps had begun directing aid to Meadows Field for improvements to include the operation of airport towers.
In late 1943, the United States Army Air Forces acquired usage rights to Meadows Field. It was placed under the jurisdiction of the IV Fighter Command. The 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group (NFOTG) used the facility as part of the Army Air Forces Night Fighter School, which had transferred from Florida to Hammer Field, California. Meadows Field was used as an auxiliary training airfield and the school operated a combination of modified Douglas A-20 Havocs for night fighter operations, designated P-70, and brand-new prototype YP-61 Black Widow night fighters.
Between May 1 and July 12, 1944, the 427th Night Fighter Squadron trained at Meadows Field; the 549th Night Fighter Squadron trained there between July and October 1944. In addition, flights of P-61s from the 426th, 547th, 548th, and 550th Night Fighter squadrons moved in and out of Meadows Field during 1944 as part of their training prior to being deployed to combat units, primarily in the Pacific and CBI theaters.
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Meadows Field Airport
Meadows Field (IATA: BFL, ICAO: KBFL, FAA LID: BFL) is a public airport in Kern County, California, United States, three miles northwest of downtown Bakersfield. It is the main airport for the Bakersfield area, and one of two airports in the San Joaquin Valley, the other being Fresno Yosemite International Airport. Also known as Kern County Airport #1, it is located in an area of unincorporated Kern County adjacent to Oildale, California.
Federal Aviation Administration records show 141,847 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 103,067 in 2009 and 111,699 in 2010. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.
Aviation has been linked to Kern County for almost as long as the existence of the industry. In 1891, Charles Howard ascended in a hot air balloon to 1,000 feet (300 m). He jumped and landed safely with a parachute he designed and constructed. By 1910, only seven years after the Wright Brothers' first airplane flight, aircraft began arriving in the county. They were brought in by Glenn Curtiss (in conjunction with the Kern County Board of Trade). The first flight in the area was flown by Charles Hamilton.
Bakersfield then had two airfields. The more prominent field was at Sacramento and Monterey streets in East Bakersfield (at the time, mostly empty fields). It was named Bernard Field and was run by the Pacific Aero Club. The field would be a stop for US Air Mail from 1923 to 1926 (when that moved to Meadows Field). Another airfield was on the Panorama Bluffs in Northeast Bakersfield where Greenlawn Mortuary is today.
With the development of commercial air service, Bakersfield needed a purpose-built commercial airport. In 1926, the Kern County Chamber of Commerce constructed and operated a new airport called Kern County Airport No. 1. Originally at the intersection of U.S. Route 99 and Norris Road, the following year it was moved one mile east to its current location. The original facility had one runway, one terminal building, and a few hangars and other buildings. In 1935, Kern County bought the airport from the Chamber of Commerce. It was the first county-owned airport in the nation.
In September 1939, war broke out in Europe, prompting Congress to appropriate $40 million for the Development of Landing Areas for National Defense (DLAND). Under DLAND, the secretaries of War, Commerce, and the Navy approved expenditures for airports. By 1941, the Army Air Corps had begun directing aid to Meadows Field for improvements to include the operation of airport towers.
In late 1943, the United States Army Air Forces acquired usage rights to Meadows Field. It was placed under the jurisdiction of the IV Fighter Command. The 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group (NFOTG) used the facility as part of the Army Air Forces Night Fighter School, which had transferred from Florida to Hammer Field, California. Meadows Field was used as an auxiliary training airfield and the school operated a combination of modified Douglas A-20 Havocs for night fighter operations, designated P-70, and brand-new prototype YP-61 Black Widow night fighters.
Between May 1 and July 12, 1944, the 427th Night Fighter Squadron trained at Meadows Field; the 549th Night Fighter Squadron trained there between July and October 1944. In addition, flights of P-61s from the 426th, 547th, 548th, and 550th Night Fighter squadrons moved in and out of Meadows Field during 1944 as part of their training prior to being deployed to combat units, primarily in the Pacific and CBI theaters.
