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Chico Regional Airport

January 01, 1970

Chico Regional Airport (IATA: CIC, ICAO: KCIC, FAA LID: CIC), formerly known as Chico Municipal Airport, is four miles (6 km) north of Chico, in Butte County, California, United States. The airport covers 1,475 acres (6.0 km2), has two runways and one helipad. Its fixed-base operator, Northgate Aviation provides fuel, maintenance, flight training, and charter flights. Though an operational airport with that meets Federal Aviation Regulations Part 139 standards, the airport has not seen active commercial air service since SkyWest Airlines ended service to San Francisco at the end of 2014.

Chico Regional Airport

Chico Army Airfield
USGS 2006 orthophoto
Summary
Airport typePublic Use
OwnerCity of Chico
OperatorCity of Chico Public Works
ServesChico, California
LocationChico, California, 4 miles (6 km) north of downtown Chico
Elevation AMSL240 ft / 73 m
Coordinates39°47′43″N 121°51′30″W / 39.79528°N 121.85833°W / 39.79528; -121.85833
Maps
KCIC
Location
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
13L/31R 6,724 2,049 Asphalt
13R/31L 3,000 914 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 64 20 Concrete
Statistics (04/2012 – 04/2013)
Aircraft operations48,467
Based aircraft97
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]
Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

Past airline service and Pacific Express edit

Airlines at Chico were American Airlines regional affiliate American Eagle, Hughes Airwest, Pacific Express, Reno Air Express and WestAir operating as United Express.

Southwest Airways and its successors provided the only airline service into Chico from 1947 until June 1979. Two airlines flew jets from Chico: Hughes Airwest with Douglas DC-9s and, from 1982 to 1984, Pacific Express with BAC One-Elevens. Both airlines flew to San Francisco. Hughes Airwest also flew direct DC-9s to Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Portland, San Jose, and other cities. Prior to the DC-9 service, Air West flew Fairchild F-27s to San Francisco and Portland. From 1982 to 1984, Pacific Express operated one BAC One-Eleven departure a day to San Francisco with some flights making a stop in Sacramento. According to the February 1, 1984, timetable, the airline had a daily morning BAC One-Eleven nonstop to Sacramento continuing to San Francisco, Bakersfield and Santa Barbara.[2] Other airlines included American Eagle, Reno Air Express and WestAir which flew smaller turboprops such as the BAe Jetstream 31 mainly to San Francisco or San Jose.

Service flown by SkyWest Airlines operating as United Express with Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias nonstop to San Francisco ended on December 2, 2014.[3] The airport now has no scheduled passenger air service.

Pacific Express was based in Chico, but ceased all flight operations in early 1984. Pacific Express flew to 22 cities in California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington with BAC One-Elevens and Boeing 737-200s. The airline had ordered new BAe 146-200s but never took delivery. Several of these BAe 146s were acquired by Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA). Pacific Express briefly had a code sharing agreement with Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) when the airline operated as Pan Am Pacific Express.[4]

History edit

The City of Chico built a small airport on 160 acres (0.65 km2) of land five miles (8 km) north of the city in the late 1930s and leased the facility to a fixed-base operator. The airport was expanded in 1941 to help serve the needs of the United States military,[5] on 11 September 1941, when the City Council of Chico signed a lease with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (representing the War Department) for the use of 1,045 acres (4.2 km2) of land at $1 per year with an option to buy. The city also provided all utilities and service roads to the field. Between four and five million dollars were allocated for construction of all needed facilities in a very short time, as at other bases. Eventually 140 buildings as well as runways, aprons and service roads were built.

Chico Army Airfield was under the command of the 10th Army Air Force Base Unit, AAF West Coast Training Center, Army Air Forces Training Command. Chico AAF also had five auxiliary landing fields:

On 15 April 1942 the first cadre of permanent troops who managed the field moved in. The field was opened as the Chico Army Flying School on April 15, 1942. The first cadets arrived on April 25, 1942, from Moffett Field where they had completed part of their basic flying in addition to their primary training. Basic training at Chico began on July 28, 1942.

 
Chico Army Air Field 1942 Classbook

An all black company was assigned to the Field in August 1942. The first WACs arrived in October 1943. A cadre of black WACs was housed on an eleven-acre site across Cohasset Road from the Field. WASPS (Women's Army Service Pilots) frequently delivered planes to the field. At its peak Chico Army Air Field had about 4,000 personnel. In the first two years, it trained 5,500 cadets and thousands of ground personnel.

In April 1944 the mission of the field was changed from basic flying training of cadets to training of fighter pilots. An April 24, 1944, the field was transferred from the Western Flying Training Command to the IV Fighter Command.

The new command brought in pilots who had completed their basic and advanced training and received commissions prior to coming to Chico. Here they were to be taught tactics of combat flying using Bell King Cobra (P-63) planes, later switching to the twin-engine Lockheed P-38 Lightnings. These were all propeller planes. In May 1945 jet training was introduced on the P-59 jet trainers, and in July the P-51 `Mustangs. On August 25, 1945 IV Fighter Command was replaced by the 21st Bombardment Wing. Its function was to process both personnel and aircraft for overseas assignment. In October 1945 the wing was redesignated the First Staging Command. Now the planes being processed were B-29 Superfortress bombers and crews.

Chico Army Air Field was deactivated on December 31, 1945. The property was excessed and transferred by the U.S. Army to the General Services Administration (GSA) for disposal. The lease on 1,045.3 acres was terminated on June 8, 1948. The lease termination agreement included the transfer of all U.S. Government constructed improvements to the City of Chico. GSA transferred the 10.97 acres to the City of Chico by deed dated January 28, 1949. The total acreage disposed was 1,056.27.

Honorary Naming edit

On May 19, 1992, the City of Chico City Council unilaterally adopted Resolution No. 146 91-92, formally naming Chico Airport "The Jean Morony Airfield" in honor of local judge and aviation advocate Jean Morony. Judge Morony is often credited as being one of the forefathers of aviation in Butte County, having been directly involved with the establishment of US Army Air Corps training activities in Chico and later as one of the key-figures in Chico aviation affairs spanning the mid-to-late-20th century. As of 2023, this name is not in regular use, however remains recognized by a plaque at the Chico Regional Airport passenger terminal.

Strategic Air Command edit

On 30 January 1959 the Air Force announced plans to conduct surveys in the vicinity of Beale Air Force Base to determine the feasibility for missile bases. A Titan-I ICBM was located on the north side of the airport[6] from 1962 to 1965, part of Beale AFB's 851st Strategic Missile Squadron system of several ICBMs centered around Marysville. Its formal designation was Beale 851-C. The last missile was lowered into the Chico complex 4C on April 20, 1962.

The Chico missile complex had two accidents in 1962. On 24 May during a contractor checkout, a terrific blast rocked launcher 1 at the complex, destroying a Titan I and causing heavy damage to the silo. On 6 June trouble again struck as a flash fire at another silo killed a worker. After the investigation, the Air Force concluded that the two separate explosions occurred because of a blocked vent and blocked valve. The silo was repaired and put back into operational service.

Today, the site has all three launch silos capped, but some development has taken place on the launch area, with a retention pond, some trees, and some single-story buildings being erected. It appears to be in use for some type of quarrying/grading material which is transported to construction sites in the Chico area.[7]

In Popular Culture edit

Top Gun: Maverick was filmed in the foothills outside Chico in July 2019 for the final scenes between the F-14 and two SU-57's, which was performed using two L-39's and CGI. The film crew spent 10 days filming and secretly used the Chico Airport for a staging area.[8]

2022 Renaming Effort edit

On November 15, 2022, the Chico City Council passed a motion to rename Chico Municipal Airport to Chico Regional Airport.[9] “The purpose of renaming the airport is to represent the entire area it serves and will serve when air service returns,” said Erik Gustafson, Director of Public Works Operations and Maintenance. “We are not innovators on this. Commonly airports are renamed to gain a larger market share.”[10] The City hired an airport marketing firm that agreed on the word “regional” adding value and keeping “Chico” to associate incoming travelers with known Chico amenities.

Ground Transportation edit

Butte Regional Transit offers weekday bus service from Oroville and Chico to the airport via the #52 bus.[11]

See also edit

References edit

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chico Army Airfield.
  • Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas OCLC 71006954, 29991467
  • Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites, History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC OCLC 57007862, 1050653629
  1. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for CIC PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 13, 2014.
  2. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 1, 1984 Pacific Express timetable
  3. ^ . Record Searchlight. Archived from the original on 2014-08-16. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  4. ^ http://www.departedflights.com, Feb. 1, 1984 Pacific Express system timetable, "Pan Am Pacific Express"
  5. ^ Chico Redevelopment Agency (June 14, 2004). (PDF). City of Chico. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2007. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  6. ^ "Titan I map". California Film Commission.
  7. ^ "Beale AFB History". Global Security.org.
  8. ^ Saam, Kelly (June 16, 2022). "Chico's top secret mission in the filming of 'Top Gun: Maverick'". Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "11/15/22 City Council".
  10. ^ "Chico Municipal Airport to be renamed Chico Regional Airport". 17 November 2022.
  11. ^ https://www.blinetransit.com/documents/B-LineWeb2019.pdf

External links edit

  • Chico Regional Airport
  • Northgate Aviation
  • FAA Airport Form 5010 for CIC PDF
  • FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective April 18, 2024
  • Resources for this airport:
    • FAA airport information for CIC
    • AirNav airport information for KCIC
    • ASN accident history for CIC
    • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
    • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
    • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures

January 01, 1970
chico, regional, airport, iata, icao, kcic, formerly, known, chico, municipal, airport, four, miles, north, chico, butte, county, california, united, states, airport, covers, acres, runways, helipad, fixed, base, operator, northgate, aviation, provides, fuel, . Chico Regional Airport IATA CIC ICAO KCIC FAA LID CIC formerly known as Chico Municipal Airport is four miles 6 km north of Chico in Butte County California United States The airport covers 1 475 acres 6 0 km2 has two runways and one helipad Its fixed base operator Northgate Aviation provides fuel maintenance flight training and charter flights Though an operational airport with that meets Federal Aviation Regulations Part 139 standards the airport has not seen active commercial air service since SkyWest Airlines ended service to San Francisco at the end of 2014 Chico Regional AirportChico Army AirfieldUSGS 2006 orthophotoIATA CICICAO KCICFAA LID CICSummaryAirport typePublic UseOwnerCity of ChicoOperatorCity of Chico Public WorksServesChico CaliforniaLocationChico California 4 miles 6 km north of downtown ChicoElevation AMSL240 ft 73 mCoordinates39 47 43 N 121 51 30 W 39 79528 N 121 85833 W 39 79528 121 85833MapsKCICLocationRunwaysDirection Length Surface ft m 13L 31R 6 724 2 049 Asphalt 13R 31L 3 000 914 AsphaltHelipadsNumber Length Surface ft m H1 64 20 ConcreteStatistics 04 2012 04 2013 Aircraft operations48 467Based aircraft97Source Federal Aviation Administration 1 Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as KML GPX all coordinates GPX primary coordinates GPX secondary coordinates Contents 1 Past airline service and Pacific Express 2 History 2 1 Honorary Naming 2 2 Strategic Air Command 2 3 In Popular Culture 2 4 2022 Renaming Effort 3 Ground Transportation 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksPast airline service and Pacific Express editAirlines at Chico were American Airlines regional affiliate American Eagle Hughes Airwest Pacific Express Reno Air Express and WestAir operating as United Express Southwest Airways and its successors provided the only airline service into Chico from 1947 until June 1979 Two airlines flew jets from Chico Hughes Airwest with Douglas DC 9s and from 1982 to 1984 Pacific Express with BAC One Elevens Both airlines flew to San Francisco Hughes Airwest also flew direct DC 9s to Seattle Phoenix Las Vegas Portland San Jose and other cities Prior to the DC 9 service Air West flew Fairchild F 27s to San Francisco and Portland From 1982 to 1984 Pacific Express operated one BAC One Eleven departure a day to San Francisco with some flights making a stop in Sacramento According to the February 1 1984 timetable the airline had a daily morning BAC One Eleven nonstop to Sacramento continuing to San Francisco Bakersfield and Santa Barbara 2 Other airlines included American Eagle Reno Air Express and WestAir which flew smaller turboprops such as the BAe Jetstream 31 mainly to San Francisco or San Jose Service flown by SkyWest Airlines operating as United Express with Embraer EMB 120 Brasilias nonstop to San Francisco ended on December 2 2014 3 The airport now has no scheduled passenger air service Pacific Express was based in Chico but ceased all flight operations in early 1984 Pacific Express flew to 22 cities in California Nevada Oregon Idaho and Washington with BAC One Elevens and Boeing 737 200s The airline had ordered new BAe 146 200s but never took delivery Several of these BAe 146s were acquired by Pacific Southwest Airlines PSA Pacific Express briefly had a code sharing agreement with Pan American World Airways Pan Am when the airline operated as Pan Am Pacific Express 4 History editThe City of Chico built a small airport on 160 acres 0 65 km2 of land five miles 8 km north of the city in the late 1930s and leased the facility to a fixed base operator The airport was expanded in 1941 to help serve the needs of the United States military 5 on 11 September 1941 when the City Council of Chico signed a lease with the U S Army Corps of Engineers representing the War Department for the use of 1 045 acres 4 2 km2 of land at 1 per year with an option to buy The city also provided all utilities and service roads to the field Between four and five million dollars were allocated for construction of all needed facilities in a very short time as at other bases Eventually 140 buildings as well as runways aprons and service roads were built Chico Army Airfield was under the command of the 10th Army Air Force Base Unit AAF West Coast Training Center Army Air Forces Training Command Chico AAF also had five auxiliary landing fields Orland Auxiliary Field No 1 39 43 16 N 122 08 44 W 39 72111 N 122 14556 W 39 72111 122 14556 Orland Auxiliary Field No 1 now the Haigh Field Airport Kirkwood Auxiliary Field No 2 39 47 20 N 122 07 31 W 39 78889 N 122 12528 W 39 78889 122 12528 Kirkwood Auxiliary Field No 2 no remains abandoned Vina Auxiliary Field No 3 39 56 54 N 121 59 29 W 39 94833 N 121 99139 W 39 94833 121 99139 Vina Auxiliary Field No 3 now private Deer Creek Ranch Airport 3000 ft square mat field Campbell Auxiliary Field No 4 39 54 10 N 121 55 43 W 39 90278 N 121 92861 W 39 90278 121 92861 Campbell Auxiliary Field No 4 abandoned all way field slight traces of runways Oroville Auxiliary Field No 5 39 34 58 N 121 38 24 W 39 58278 N 121 64000 W 39 58278 121 64000 Oroville Auxiliary Field No 5 abandoned all way field slight traces of runways Siskiyou County Army Airfield 41 46 53 N 122 28 05 W 41 78139 N 122 46806 W 41 78139 122 46806 Siskiyou County Army Airfield now Siskiyou County Airport On 15 April 1942 the first cadre of permanent troops who managed the field moved in The field was opened as the Chico Army Flying School on April 15 1942 The first cadets arrived on April 25 1942 from Moffett Field where they had completed part of their basic flying in addition to their primary training Basic training at Chico began on July 28 1942 nbsp Chico Army Air Field 1942 Classbook An all black company was assigned to the Field in August 1942 The first WACs arrived in October 1943 A cadre of black WACs was housed on an eleven acre site across Cohasset Road from the Field WASPS Women s Army Service Pilots frequently delivered planes to the field At its peak Chico Army Air Field had about 4 000 personnel In the first two years it trained 5 500 cadets and thousands of ground personnel In April 1944 the mission of the field was changed from basic flying training of cadets to training of fighter pilots An April 24 1944 the field was transferred from the Western Flying Training Command to the IV Fighter Command The new command brought in pilots who had completed their basic and advanced training and received commissions prior to coming to Chico Here they were to be taught tactics of combat flying using Bell King Cobra P 63 planes later switching to the twin engine Lockheed P 38 Lightnings These were all propeller planes In May 1945 jet training was introduced on the P 59 jet trainers and in July the P 51 Mustangs On August 25 1945 IV Fighter Command was replaced by the 21st Bombardment Wing Its function was to process both personnel and aircraft for overseas assignment In October 1945 the wing was redesignated the First Staging Command Now the planes being processed were B 29 Superfortress bombers and crews Chico Army Air Field was deactivated on December 31 1945 The property was excessed and transferred by the U S Army to the General Services Administration GSA for disposal The lease on 1 045 3 acres was terminated on June 8 1948 The lease termination agreement included the transfer of all U S Government constructed improvements to the City of Chico GSA transferred the 10 97 acres to the City of Chico by deed dated January 28 1949 The total acreage disposed was 1 056 27 Honorary Naming edit On May 19 1992 the City of Chico City Council unilaterally adopted Resolution No 146 91 92 formally naming Chico Airport The Jean Morony Airfield in honor of local judge and aviation advocate Jean Morony Judge Morony is often credited as being one of the forefathers of aviation in Butte County having been directly involved with the establishment of US Army Air Corps training activities in Chico and later as one of the key figures in Chico aviation affairs spanning the mid to late 20th century As of 2023 this name is not in regular use however remains recognized by a plaque at the Chico Regional Airport passenger terminal Strategic Air Command edit On 30 January 1959 the Air Force announced plans to conduct surveys in the vicinity of Beale Air Force Base to determine the feasibility for missile bases A Titan I ICBM was located on the north side of the airport 6 from 1962 to 1965 part of Beale AFB s 851st Strategic Missile Squadron system of several ICBMs centered around Marysville Its formal designation was Beale 851 C The last missile was lowered into the Chico complex 4C on April 20 1962 The Chico missile complex had two accidents in 1962 On 24 May during a contractor checkout a terrific blast rocked launcher 1 at the complex destroying a Titan I and causing heavy damage to the silo On 6 June trouble again struck as a flash fire at another silo killed a worker After the investigation the Air Force concluded that the two separate explosions occurred because of a blocked vent and blocked valve The silo was repaired and put back into operational service Today the site has all three launch silos capped but some development has taken place on the launch area with a retention pond some trees and some single story buildings being erected It appears to be in use for some type of quarrying grading material which is transported to construction sites in the Chico area 7 In Popular Culture edit Top Gun Maverick was filmed in the foothills outside Chico in July 2019 for the final scenes between the F 14 and two SU 57 s which was performed using two L 39 s and CGI The film crew spent 10 days filming and secretly used the Chico Airport for a staging area 8 2022 Renaming Effort edit On November 15 2022 the Chico City Council passed a motion to rename Chico Municipal Airport to Chico Regional Airport 9 The purpose of renaming the airport is to represent the entire area it serves and will serve when air service returns said Erik Gustafson Director of Public Works Operations and Maintenance We are not innovators on this Commonly airports are renamed to gain a larger market share 10 The City hired an airport marketing firm that agreed on the word regional adding value and keeping Chico to associate incoming travelers with known Chico amenities Ground Transportation editButte Regional Transit offers weekday bus service from Oroville and Chico to the airport via the 52 bus 11 See also edit nbsp Aviation portal California World War II Army Airfields Aero Union 35th Flying Training Wing World War II Chico Air MuseumReferences edit nbsp This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chico Army Airfield Manning Thomas A 2005 History of Air Education and Training Command 1942 2002 Office of History and Research Headquarters AETC Randolph AFB Texas OCLC 71006954 29991467 Shaw Frederick J 2004 Locating Air Force Base Sites History s Legacy Air Force History and Museums Program United States Air Force Washington DC OCLC 57007862 1050653629 FAA Airport Form 5010 for CIC PDF Federal Aviation Administration Effective November 13 2014 http www departedflights com Feb 1 1984 Pacific Express timetable UPDATED SkyWest is leaving Chico Record Searchlight Archived from the original on 2014 08 16 Retrieved 2014 08 16 http www departedflights com Feb 1 1984 Pacific Express system timetable Pan Am Pacific Express Chico Redevelopment Agency June 14 2004 Amended and Restated Development Plan for the Chico Municipal Airport Redevelopment Project PDF City of Chico Archived from the original PDF on January 3 2007 Retrieved 15 June 2014 Titan I map California Film Commission Beale AFB History Global Security org Saam Kelly June 16 2022 Chico s top secret mission in the filming of Top Gun Maverick Retrieved June 16 2022 11 15 22 City Council Chico Municipal Airport to be renamed Chico Regional Airport 17 November 2022 https www blinetransit com documents B LineWeb2019 pdfExternal links editChico Regional Airport Northgate Aviation FAA Airport Form 5010 for CIC PDF FAA Airport Diagram PDF effective April 18 2024 Resources for this airport FAA airport information for CIC AirNav airport information for KCIC ASN accident history for CIC FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker NOAA NWS weather observations current past three days SkyVector aeronautical chart Terminal Procedures Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chico Regional Airport amp oldid 1205745245, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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