This airport sits on 800 acres in the Apple Valley desert. It's packed with history
“Have you made up our mind?” asked Marie, the waitress serving me at the Little Aviator Café in Apple Valley.
“Yes, I think the government is hiding the facts that extraterrestrial beings actually exist,” I said. “Did you happen to see the latest video from Las Vegas?”
Marie just looked at me. “I meant with your lunch order.”
I ordered a cheeseburger with potato salad; I was trying to avoid fries in sympathy with my waistline.
“Would you like something to drink with your lunch?” Marie asked.
After viewing the video of the green cigar-shaped orb flying around the Nevada skies, I wanted to order a bottle of Scotch since a couple of police officers admitted that they, too, had seen the strange object in the sky.
No Scotch was ordered with the burger and potato salad.
Of course, I believed talking about a UFO or a UAP (Unexplained Aerial Phenomena), as the Pentagon refers to little green men in shiny objects, would greatly interest the Apple Valley Airport Terminal.
Nope, the guy sitting at a table a few feet away looked at me, pointed to my head, and said, “You know, tin foil hats don’t work.”
“And how do you know that?” My journalistic mind had taken over. He went back to his chili size.
Recently, I was out and about in Apple Valley looking at this historic site, which became a bit peckish. That’s a British term for hunger, just like standing in line is queuing up.
Bloody English, always trying to confuse us.
“King George loves you, colonists,” an officer in His Majesty’s Army may have told a person standing in front of Bunker Hill in 1775. “Oh, the guns my soldiers are pointing at you? It’s a sign of respect. We want to salute your resolve.”
So, after looking here and there, I ended up at the Apple Valley Airport. Along with my lovely wife Laureen and our good friend Paul, I visited the small airport to the north of the town a few years back when they hosted an awesome air show.
The show was exciting as planes took to the air, flying in circles, flying straight up into the sky, flying straight down from the sky, and all sorts of flying stunts that only a qualified person should attempt – or one that just drank a bottle of Scotch with his lunch.
Of course, the above was meant in humor – operating any vehicle, including golf carts, should be done while the operator has not consumed alcohol. Here comes the hate mail.
This year’s annual event will be held on Oct. 7 and promises to be one of the best the small airport has ever hosted. A rumor is that Tom Cruise will fly his P-51 Mustang to the event.
On this latest visit, I ran and zigzagged across the runways as planes were either taking off or landing.
As any photojournalist knows, sometimes, all common sense goes out the window for just the right camera angle.
Exhausted after being nearly crop-dusted by a Cessna Skyhawk, I knew it was time to retrace my steps toward the airport terminal. Besides, I could hear the sirens and red lights rolling along Dale Evans Parkway and knew they’d be making a beeline for the airport.
And that’s when I stopped for a bite at the Little Aviator Café. Again, I jest. But I did enter the café.
According to rumor, and who doesn’t love listening to a good rumor, the restaurant was once located near the Hesperia Airport. However, the owners, Pam and Tony Spagnuolo, decided to open the Apple Valley location in 2016.
The place was packed, the food was good, and watching planes land and take off was cool.
The original airport in Apple Valley was situated right alongside Highway 18, a couple of hundred yards from the Apple Valley Inn, built by Newton Bass in 1948 – the same year he made the Inn.
Hollywood stars would flock to the High Desert to escape the Low Desert and enjoy the tranquility of Victor Valley.
In 25 minutes, a plane could take a big muck-muck celebrity from Los Angeles to Apple Valley instead of the tedious three-hour drive along Route 66.
Yes, Virginia, there was no Interstate 15 way back in the old days.
One of the earliest photographs I could locate was in March of 1949. According to the Apple Valley News of the day, it was a photo of 3 DC-3s. These aircraft had been used to deliver actors, crews, and other film personnel for a shooting near Apple Valley for the film ‘Swords of the Desert.’
The article's title was, ‘First Airline Lift to Movie Location.’
More films and television series were filmed in the Apple and Victor Valleys, and the small dirt-stripped airport may even see nearly 30 planes a day landing and departing.
‘Sky King,’ starring Kirby Grant, was partially filmed at the airport, mainly during the opening credits. The television series ran for almost a decade in the 1950s and depicted an airplane-flying cowboy who would thump, squash, manhandle, and stomp bad guys in the desert.
The good old days.
“What are you going to do me, Sky King?” a ruffian may have asked the impeccably dressed holster-wearing man.
“Well, I’m gonna stomp you, thump you, squash you, manhandle you, and then fly off in my trusty steed, Songbird.”
“Okay.”
Since the High Desert grew rapidly during the 1950s and 1960s, various airlines moved passengers here and there.
Bonanza Air Lines flew DC-3s and Fairchild F-27s from the 1950s until 1966. I believe the airline was operated by Ben Cartwright and his sons, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe – it was one of the first airlines with meals served – yes, by Hop Sing.
As the town of Apple Valley continued to grow, the airport had to be moved to its present location miles to the north along Corwin Road.
Folks probably got tired of tread marks on their vehicle rooftops from low-flying Cessnas as they drove along Highway 18, would be my guess.
The current airport opened in 1970 on 800 acres of desert.
Air West and its successor Hughes Airwest had flights that served Las Vegas, Riverside, Ontario, Los Angeles, and Bangkok from 1970 until 1973.
Then in 1979, a local commuter airline, Inland Empire Airlines, had flights from Apple Valley to Ontario, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Bullhead City aboard their Fairchild Swearingen aircraft, a small but comfortable 19-seat twin-turboprop.
As of today, as far as my research could uncover, there are no commercial flights for passengers from Apple Valley Airport, and if there are, I am sure I will hear about it.
The County of San Bernardino, where the airport is located, indicates it as a CSA, which means a Customer Service Airport.
For that interested, flight training is offered, along with aircraft repair, refueling, tie-downs, hangars, ground transportation information, a restaurant, and all sorts of things that make life easier for those who venture into the desert skies.
This complex features two asphalt runways, allowing the brave pilot to land or take off at a titch above 3,000 feet in elevation.
One runway is 6,498 feet long and is referred to as 18/36. The other runway is 4,099 feet long and is referred to as 8/26.
I have no idea why they are referred to as such.
I’m sure pilots know, and that is all that matters. Me, strap me in by the window seat, grab a cold adult libation, get ready for take-off, and pray the pilot up front knows how to operate a flap or an aileron.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol utilize the airport for helicopter flight programs.
There is a wonderful tribute to Captain Joseph McConnel, Jr, who once called Apple Valley his home. Named a triple jet fighter ace for his heroic actions during the Korean War, his aircraft is on full display, and that alone is worth visiting the airport.
After some time at the airport, I noticed a great outdoor eating area just east of the terminal. Covered picnic tables, BBQs, and the like. A very comfortable and inviting place to sit and watch as planes swoop in and land or swoop out and take off.
The day was warm, not hot, and the skies were clear—a perfect scenario for floating into the heavens.
John can be contacted at beyersbyways@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Airport on 800 acres in the Apple Valley is packed with history
