The Yucca Valley Airport is currently closed for a complete repaving, which began earlier this month. No traffic will be allowed in or out of the small airport until the repaving process is complete, which is estimate to be August 11.
The Yucca Valley Airport is historic, iconic, and part of the regional airports collective. The Airport dates back to the early days of Pioneertown in the 1940s when Gene Autry and Roy Rogers needed to transport cast and crew quickly. The Yucca Valley Airport is an essential link in the transportation chain, providing flight training, recreational flying, and, most importantly, serving local needs during a national or local emergency. The Yucca Valley Airport was essential in the Sawtooth Complex Fire in the summer of 2006.
The 35-acre airport facility is leased long-term to the Yucca Valley Airport District and includes a 200-acre radius around the Airport. It is Privately owned and open to the Public. Aircraft that fly into the Airport are often single-propeller, twin-propeller, turbo-propeller, and small jet aircraft. Still it has received jets, military planes, helicopters, and the County Sheriff’s Department Emergency Aircraft.
The Airport District comprises residents living in the area, mainly along the south side and across the Yucca Wash along the north. Many residents are pilots and have private aircraft hangers that open onto the runway or nearby. The San Bernardino Sheriffs’ Department utilizes the runway for their helicopters for law enforcement and search and rescue efforts in the Joshua Tree National Park or for major off-road events. Air Ambulances land and take off from the Airport in life-saving missions to the larger hospitals.
The Airport had not been repaved since 1986 and needed improvement. The Airport District held a special meeting; they initially considered doing an “overly” that would only last a while. However, the District voted to bring the Airport into FAA standards with a complete repaving that ensured the runway for 20 years.
The Town of Yucca Valley offered the district $95,000 through Measure Y. Then they received a loan from Cal Trans, and the remaining amount came from taxes collected through airport fees and residents’ taxes. The total amount is around $830,000.
The Airport District Vice President Gerard Noonan hoped the Airport could eventually house emergency aircraft. The Airport, he said, represents an Aviation culture that is loyal and nostalgic and serves the needs of the area.
