Redlands Municipal Airport
| Redlands Municipal Airport | |||||||||||
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| IATA: none – ICAO: KREI | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | City of Redlands | ||||||||||
| Location | Redlands, California | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,571 ft / 478.8 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°05′07″N 117°08′47″W / 34.08528°N 117.14639°W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  Redlands Municipal Airport  Redlands Municipal Airport | |||||||||||
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Redlands Municipal Airport (ICAO: KREI) is a public airport located two miles (3.2 km) northeast of downtown Redlands, serving San Bernardino County, California, USA. This general aviation airport covers 194 acres (79 ha) and has one runway.
History
The Redlands area witnessed some of the nation's earliest general aviation activity. The first recorded air meet held in the Redlands area (sponsored by the University of Redlands) was in 1911. In 1916, Beryl Williams founded the Redlands Aircraft Company in the town. He is remembered for painting his biplane in light blue paint, hoping to render it invisible from the ground.
In 1947, Robert Kanaga and Austin Welch built the Redlands Flying Inn Airport (including a 3,500 foot runway, a maintenance shop, and a hangar), which marked the first official airport for the city. Kanaga was called for military duty during the Korean War, and the duo offered to sell the airport to the city. The sale was not concluded, since the city did not have the necessary funds available, so the property was purchased by the Southern California Turkey Growers Association; who used the property as a turkey and chicken ranch. In the late 1950s, Roy Haskins and Alexander Theos purchased the turkey ranch, and began to refurbish the buildings to restore it as an aviation facility.
In 1962, with the help of a $20,000 loan from Lockheed, the City purchased land to expand the airport site and make the airport a municipal facility. Several airport improvement projects followed to extend and widen the runway, install lights, erect a beacon (which was moved onsite from its original installation at Norton Air Force Base), and install perimeter fencing.
Current use
The Redlands Municipal Airport is home to a fixed-base operator with a fueling station, flight training schools, and various aircraft repair and refurbishing establishments. Redlands is also home to EAA Chapter 845, an active chapter. The Redlands Airport Association, formed in June 2014, is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Redlands Airport.
Airline service
During the 1970s, two airlines provided service to Redlands. Hughes Airwest flew Fairchild F-27 twin turboprop aircraft between Los Angeles and Redlands. Golden West Airlines provided similar service and route, utilizing de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprop airplanes.
No scheduled airline service is currently available. Due to vandalism, the passenger terminal is no longer open to the public.
References
- Template:ID=REI
External links
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for REI
- AirNav airport information for REI
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for REI
Coordinates: 34°05′07″N 117°08′47″W / 34.08528°N 117.14639°W
Airports in the Inland Empire | ||
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| Towered general aviation airports | ||
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