Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
California: Santa Rosa Area
© 2002, © 2008 by Paul Freeman. Revised 3/16/08.
Calistoga Airpark / Calistoga Gliderport (revised 4/17/07) - Cotati NOLF (revised 4/29/05) - Paul Hoberg Airport (revised 10/27/06)
Pearce Field (revised 6/20/04) - Santa Rosa Airpark (added 3/16/08) - Santa Rosa Metropolitan Airport / Santa Rosa Coddingtown Airport (revised 3/16/08)
Santa Rosa Municipal Airport (added 3/16/08) - Santa Rosa NAAS / Santa Rosa Air Center (revised 5/25/07)
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Paul Hoberg Airport, Siegler Springs, CA
38.87 North / 122.68 West (North of San Francisco, CA)
Hoberg Airport, as depicted on the 1954 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
According to Dann Shively, “Hoberg's Resort in the Cobb Mountain area of Lake County dates back to 1885.
From a lodge & a few cabins it grew into the largest privately owned resort in California.
It included a bowling alley, swimming pool, and dance hall, and could handle up to 1,000 guests for dinner.
In the 1940s & 1950s it was world famous & drew big name bands & celebrities & was a really jumping place.”
There was no airfield depicted at this location
of the 1939 or 1946 San Francisco Sectional Charts (according to Dann Shively).
At some point between 1946-48, an airfield about 2 miles away was added to support the resort.
The earliest reference to the Hoberg Airport came from George Harper,
who recalled, “I flew into Hobergs in 1948 & 1949.
The runway went up about 5 degrees, tree-lined, you landed up & took off down.
In the summer you had best arrive & depart before 10 am hot thermals.”
Sandra Hoberg Fox recalled, “My family used to own Hoberg's Resort & the airstrip.
My Grandfather George, and Uncle Frank Hoberg actively flew out of that airport
during the 1940s through the early 1960s.
We had another desert resort in Borrego Springs, and they shuttled guests & workers back & forth.”
The earliest dated depiction of the field which has been located
was on the 1954 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
It depicted Hoberg as a public-use airport having a 5,300' unpaved runway.
A circa 1958-59 photo of 2 taildraggers in front of a hangar marked “Paul Hoberg Airport” (courtesy of Sandra Hoberg Fox).
Sandra recalled, “Hoberg's had a resident photographer, Bud Taylor, who took many of the shots from back then.
He took publicity photos, and pictures of guests during dinners, etc.”
According to Dann Shively, a source in the CA Department of Forrestry
indicated that Hoberg's “was an early air tanker [aerial firefighting] base in the mid 1950s.”
The 1961 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively)
continued to depict Hoberg as a public-use airport having a 5,300' unpaved runway.
According to Dann Shively, “The 52-acre resort started a decline in the 1960s
and was sold by the Hoberg family in 1971.
The airport apparently was not part of the sale.
It was officially later named the Paul Hoberg Airport.”
The 1974 USGS topo map depicted the single runway of Hoberg Airport,
but did not label the field at all.
The 1990 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively)
depicted Hoberg as a public-use airport having a 3,300' unpaved runway.
According to Dann Shively, “At some point between 1990-2005 it was shown to be a private strip.”
The 1993 USGS aerial photo showed the Hoberg Airport to be completely intact,
but without any obvious sign of recent usage.
The 1999 USGS topo map depicted the single runway of Hoberg Airport,
labeled simply as “Landing Strip”.
The Hoberg Airport evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1990-2005,
as it was depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 2005 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
A 2006 aerial view by Dann Shively, looking south at the abandoned Hoberg Airport.
Dann Shively reported in 2006 that the former resort “is currently a retreat center known as the Cobb Mountain Forest Retreat Facility.”
He reported that the former airfield is “deteriorated somewhat but not in terrible shape.
The runways are X'ed out.
The strip runs North/South & on the north end there's still a hangar & small building.”
A 2006 close-up aerial view by Dann Shively of the abandoned hangar at the former Hoberg Airport.
The Cobb Mountain Forest Retreat Facility was listed as being For Sale in 2006.
Sandra Hoberg Fox reported in 2006, “The Hoberg Airstrip is next to a gated meditation retreat (Adidam)
that used to be Seigler's Hot Springs Resort,
and the Adidam group bought an acre out of the center of the Hoberg airstrip to make it unusable.
My Grandmother had donated the airport property to Lake County,
and the county sold a piece to the Adidam group.
She gifted the land because she was worried about possible liability if anyone had an accident there.
The old Hoberg's Resort is for sale, and it is in dismal condition.
I still live on the property in my grandparents old home - basically the hole in the donut.
Many people look at the property,
but the condition is so terrible that it would be a huge undertaking to restore or tear down the buildings.
It shows what 35 years of neglect does to a once lovely property.
The buildings are all empty, and they haven't had a Transcendental Meditation Course in many months.
The asking price is $3 million plus.”
The site of the Hoberg Airport is located south of the intersection of Siegler Canyon Road & Loch Lomand Road.
Thanks to Dann Shively for pointing out this airfield.
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Cotati Naval Outer Landing Field, Cotati, CA
38.35 North / 122.72 West (Northwest of San Francisco, CA)
A 1942 aerial photograph looking northeast at the Cotati airfield,
taken prior to the construction of any buildings or fuel tanks.
Both runways had been constructed, but the concrete apron had not yet been built
(National Archives photo, courtesy of Dan Sebby).
In 1941, the Federal Government acquired 142 acres of farmland
for the establishment of Naval Outer Landing Field Cotati,
a small satellite airfield which would support flight operations from Alameda NAS.
The earliest photo of the airfield which has been located
was a 1942 aerial photograph looking northeast at the field (courtesy of Dan Sebby).
The photograph, taken during construction, showed the two paved runways as nearly complete,
but the field was still lacking its concrete apron & any buildings.
An additional 75 acres were acquired on June 16,1943 by Declaration of Taking
between the Federal Government & the Cotati & Rohnert Companies,
bringing the base's total acreage to 217 acres.
NAAS OLF Cotati became operational in 1943.
Cotati was primarily used for touch & go exercises for aircraft from Alameda & Santa Rosa Naval Air Stations.
A two-story control tower was located on the southeast side of the field.
The earliest chart depiction of the Cotati airfield which has been located
was on the 1943 Sacramento Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The 1944 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) labeled the field as "Cotati (Navy)".
According to a 1944 General Layout Map of the Cotati Air Facility,
the field contained runways, a control tower, fire & crash truck garage, gasoline & oil storage,
a small arms magazine, and a machine gun range.
The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described "Cotati OLF, Navy" as having a 3,900' runway.
(National Archives photo, courtesy of Dan Sebby).
A 1944 aerial photograph looking south at Cotati's ramp & control tower (National Archives photo, courtesy of Dan Sebby).
As of 1945, Cotati was one of two outlying fields assigned to NAAS Santa Rosa (according to John Voss).
In 1945 there were several sub-base runway failures due to flood-related moisture.
Documents found in the National Archives indicated that repairs were requested & approved,
but due to the extent of failures these costly repairs were never completed.
After the military ceased operations at Cotati in 1945 the airfield remained idle for several years.
"Cotati (Navy)", as depicted on the 1946 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
On the 1948 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss),
Cotati was still depicted as an active Navy Field,
with the largest runway being listed as a 4,000' paved strip.
It was still labeled "Cotati (Navy)" on the 1949 Sacramento Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
A 1949 Memorandum from the Commander, Naval Air Bases, 11th & 12th Naval District
states that Cotati was in inactive status.
The arable lands were under a lease for agricultural purposes,
and the Sonoma County Peace Officers’ Association used the rifle range under a permit.
The 1950 USGS topo map (courtesy of John Voss)
depicted "Cotati Naval Auxiliary Air Station (Inactive)" as having two 4,000' paved runways,
one oriented east/west, and the other northwest/southeast,
each with parallel taxiways.
A small paved ramp area was on the southeast side of the airfield.
There did not appear to be any hangars depicted on the map,
just one very small building along the side of the ramp.
Drag racing historian Bret Kepner said that drag racing occurred on the former Cotati runways as early as 1952,
and that the runways were "bumpy as hell".
He confirmed that Cotati was one of the true "originals" in drag racing.
The 1952 San Francisco Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
depicted “Cotati OLF (Navy)” as having two paved runways, with the longest being 4,000'.
In 1953, the Cotati airfield property was suggested as a location for Sonoma State College, but this was not pursued.
"Cotati OLF (Navy)" was still depicted on the March 1954 USAF Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy),
but the Aerodromes table listed the field's status as "Unattended".
On February 16, 1956, Naval Outer Landing Field, Cotati was declared excess by the military.
At some point in 1956, a total of 95 acres were leased to M.J. Azevedo for agricultural purposes.
Cotati NOLF was no longer depicted at all on the 1957 Sacramento Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
In 1957, the California Research Corporation requested a license covering
the use of the Cotati runways for road testing purposes.
A lease for 35 acres was approved for a period of one year from 1957-58.
Another lease permitted the City of Santa Rosa to use the former Navy runways for drag racing.
A diagram showing the race layout over the abandoned Cotati runways
from a 1957 program of the "First Cotati Road Race" (courtesy of Dann Shively).
According to Chad Murray, a longtime resident remembered that "When the strip was closed down,
the neighbor at the end of [Airport Road] turned the old facility into a drag strip & would collect $ for entrance."
A 1957 aerial photo depicting the former Cotati runways being reused as a racetrack (courtesy of Gary Horstkorta, via Dann Shively).
An undated photograph looking southwest at Cotati's abandoned control tower,
from a 1958 GSA property appraisal (courtesy of Dan Sebby).
The report described “the condition of this building is extremely poor as the sashes & doors have been destroyed,
the ceilings disintegrated & very little of value remaining other than salvage.”
On July 21, 1958, the Federal Government conveyed the entire 217 acres to Michael Callan by Deed.
Chuck Ross recalled, "I used to go to drag races there in about 1959 or so.
The quarter-mile strip ran toward the northwest
and the pits were down the other runway to the west.
A driver named Jay Cheatham was killed there about that time."
Apparently, the Cotati airfield saw at least some unofficial reuse as a civil airfield.
Hugh Codding (who owned the Cotati property in 1999)
recalled that he used to fly his small plane into the former landing field in the 1950s
while it was being utilized for drag racing & road testing.
The former Cotati airfield was no longer depicted at all on the 1961 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
The last aerial photograph which has been located
which depicts the Cotati airfield before it was largely redeveloped
was this 1965 USDA aerial photograph of the former Cotati airfield (courtesy of Dan Sebby).
The photograph showed obvious signs of tire tracks on the runways during the site's reuse as a racetrack;
racing facilities were present along the northwest/southeast runway.
The tank location looked undisturbed; structures were still in place over the tanks.
No other buildings from the former NAAS OLF Cotati facility were present except for the tanks.
In the spring of 1968, developer Hugh Codding offered to sell the 80 acre site
to the County for development as the South County Airport,
but the County Board of Supervisors would not even consider the proposal.
In 1971, Redwood Drive was relocated on the eastern border of the former airfield
and off/on ramps were constructed on the former field.
Rohnert Park Expressway also was built between 1971-73.
A 1977 aerial photograph obtained from the City of Rohnert Park showed that the northwest corner of the property
had been covered by the Rancho Verde Mobile Home Park,
and retail construction had taken place over the eastern edge of the site as well.
However, the eastern half of both runways still remained intact.
Two 1985 photos John Voss of the former runways at NOLF Cotati, before they were redeveloped.
In 1986, Codding Enterprises began redevelopment of another portion of the former airfield for retail shopping centers,
which eventually included a K-Mart & Target.
A 1987 aerial photograph obtained from the City of Rohnert Park showed that further redevelopment had taken place,
with only the outline of the southeastern end of the former northwesty/southeast runway still somewhat recognizable.
The layout of the racetrack which used the former Cotati runways,
superimposed over the 1993 USGS aerial photo of the site (courtesy of Gary Horstkorta, via Dann Shively).
The photograph otherwise showed that all traces of the former airfield had been removed by 1993.
As of 1999, the property was still owned by Codding Enterprises, a property management company.
The property consisted of Ranch Verde Mobile Home Park to the north, theater, bank, restaurants,
office buildings & retail stores to the south & an apartment complex to the east.
A circa 2001 aerial photo of the site.
The site of Cotati NOLF is located at the present-day intersection of Rohnhert Park Expressway & Labath Avenue.
The former airport access road is still there, appropriately named "Airport Road".
Thanks to Chad Murray & David Freeman for pointing out the Cotati airfield.
See also:
A 1999 Army Corps of Engineers report about Cotati
http://www.sonic.net/~kargo/rphistory.htm
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Pearce Field (CKE), Clearlake, CA
38.93 North / 122.62 West (North of San Francisco, CA)
Pearce Field, as depicted on the 1990 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
This former small general aviation airfield was apparently built at some point between 1961-74,
as it was not depicted on the 1961 Sectional Chart (according to Dann Shively).
The earliest depiction of Pearce Field which has been located was on the 1974 USGS topo map.
Pearce Field was listed among active airfields
in the 1977 Pilot's Guide to CA Airports (according to Chris Kennedy).
Dann Shively recalled, "In January of 1983, I covered a plane crash there.
The pilot tried to take off after an aborted landing attempt
and crashed into a senior citizen apartment complex off the end of Runway 30.
There were injuries but no fatalities in the plane or on the ground.
A few years later there was a fatal helicopter training accident.
Both these incidents probably contributed somewhat to the eventual closure."
The 1990 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively)
depicted Pearce Field as having a single 2,500' paved northwest/southeast runway.
As depicted on the 1993 USGS aerial photo,
the airfield consisted of a single 2,500' asphalt Runway 12/30, and several small ramps & hangars.
The airport was apparently well used, as a total of 13 aircraft were visible parked outside in the photo.
Pearce Field was closed in 1994.
Pearce Field was no longer depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on 2002 aeronautical charts.
David Heal reported in 2003: "Pearce Field… was closed by the City or County (I'm not sure which one)
when a MacDonalds fast food joint was proposed to be built in the southern approach path to the runway.
The County looked at a replacement site on top of a nearby hill,
but no one in the County was really interested in developing the site.
The southern portion of the old airfield was developed into a water-amusement park.
The northern portion of the paved runway & some hangars are still visible."
An August 2003 aerial view by Jonathan Westerling looking west at the remains of Pearce Field.
A 2004 photo by Dann Shively, looking down the remains of Pearce Field's Runway 12.
"You can see some of the center line is still evident.
At the other end (the southeast end) sits the water park."
A 2004 photo by Dann Shively of the two hangars which still remained on the west side of Pearce Field.
He reported that a length of the former runway & these 2 former hangars are all that remain of the former airport.
The site of Pearce Field is located south of the intersection of Route 53 & 18th Avenue.
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Calistoga Airpark / Calistoga Gliderport (O58), Calistoga, CA
38.58 North / 122.58 West (North of San Francisco, CA)
Calistoga Airport, as depicted on the 1948 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
This former general aviation airfield was built by Dave Compton just after WW2.
It was located right in the center of the small town of Calistoga,
east of the intersection of Lincoln Avenue & Washington Street.
The earliest depiction which has been located of the Calistoga Airport
was on the 1948 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It depicted Calistoga as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.
The 1949 Sacramento Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
also depicted Calistoga as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.
Calistoga's runway was apparently paved at some point between 1949-57,
as it was described on the 1957 Sacramento Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
as having a 2,800' hard-surface runway.
It was listed as Calistoga Airpark in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory,
with a single 2,800' asphalt Runway 9/27, and the operator was listed as Dave Compton.
Gliders have graced the skies above Calistoga regularly since 1968,
when Jim Indrebo leased the primitive field & began offering glider rides, lessons, rentals & tows.
Indrebo operated the Calistoga Soaring Center for the next 21 years.
Though the field's two narrow runways were used mostly by tow planes & gliders,
Calistoga was open to other aircraft as a privately owned, public-use airport.
Calistoga Airport, as depicted on the 1976 Pilot's Guide to CA Airports (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
In the 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury),
the field was described as having a single 2,600' asphalt Runway 10/28,
and the operator was listed as Calistoga Soaring Center.
By 1984, the runway length at Calistoga had continued to decrease,
as the 1984 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively) described the field as having only a 2,000' paved runway.
In 1989, both Indrebo & Jim & Pat Merchant competed to buy the 40 acre airfield in 1989.
The Merchants won, and Indrebo then negotiated with John Merchant
for a lease that would allow him to continue operating the Calistoga Soaring Center there.
"We weren't able to come to terms, and that is why I left," Indrebo said.
The Merchants then bought some gliders & tow planes, and opened a new business,
Calistoga Gliders, on the Calistoga airfield.
They limited the operation to tourist rides, choosing not to offer soaring lessons,
rentals or tows for private sailplane pilots, or to allow use of the airfield by other private planes.
By the time of the 1990 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively),
Calistoga was depicted as a private airfield.
A May 1990 photo taken by Ken Mercer at Calistoga Gliderport,
showing “the back of my tour pilot’s head on the takeoff run (southbound down the valley).”
A May 1990 photo taken by Ken Mercer showing Calistoga Gliderport's operations shed, with another glider just getting started on it’s tow.
Ken recalled, “My fiancé & I walked down from our hotel on Main Street,
I took the ride while she sat in an Adirondak chair under the trees
and the proprietor grilled hamburgers between customers.
Pretty idyllic, and I’m really sorry now it’s all gone now.”
USGS aerial photo 1993, when the field was still open.
As with many of the Wine Country's outdoor attractions & tourist services,
the Merchants' glider operation was hurt by the harsh, wet winter & spring of 1997-98.
Pat Merchant said that in addition to having a poor year financially,
she & her husband learned that if they were to continue operations at the airfield
they would have been required to replace a buried single-wall gasoline storage tank with a double-wall tank.
She said that would cost them between $60,000-$70,000.
Rather than risk another lean winter, the Merchants chose to shut down the Gliderport in 1998.
Merchant, who also owns the Indian Springs resort that adjoins the glider airport,
said she & her husband have no plans in hand for developing the land or putting it to some other use.
She added, though, "This is a piece of property that some day could have some really wonderful things."
Word that gliders have been grounded In Calistoga was received sadly in the mud-bath & wine town.
Longtime glider pilot Steve Brosseau of Santa Rosa said he was keeping his fingers crossed
that something might happen to preserve the land as an airfield.
"It's hard to imagine Calistoga without the glider port," he said.
At the time of its closure, the airfield at Calistoga consisted of
two runways (the primary, Runway 9/27, was a 2,800' asphalt strip),
a small paved ramp west of Runway 9, and several small hangars.
In the above 1993 aerial photo (taken when the field was still open),
a total of 6 aircraft were visible parked outside.
In a more recent 2000 photo, the runway markings were no longer visible,
but the field & buildings were otherwise intact.
A 180-degree panorama of the remains of the Calistoga Airport, by Jonathan Westerling, 2003.
A 2003 photo by Jonathan Westerling of what used to be the main hangar at Calistoga Airport, now reused as a ceramics shop.
Along the west side of the runway, several hangars (that appear to be of very recent construction) sit used.
Photo by Jonathan Westerling, 2003.
A 2003 photo by Jonathan Westerling, looking north up the remains of the runway,
from what used to be the end of the pavement.
Jonathan Westerling visited the site of the Calistoga Gliderport in 23003.
His report: "Given that the Calistoga Gliderport was located right in the center of a popular tourist community,
I should probably be thankful that the property has not yet been built up.
However, I couldn't help feeling a bit amazed that this hasn't happened at all."
"The buildings & location of the Gliderport remain largely intact.
The hangars, some vacant, are in fine shape.
The asphalt runway is unfortunately no more - having been ground up within the last year.
The resulting piles of gravel lie at the north end of the runway.
The parallel grass strip is less obvious, though it exists as a meadow to the east of the main runway -
which is now a 2,000' long gravel rut."
"From my visit, I feel it would still be easily possible for an enterprising soul
to bring the graceful fiberglass birds back to the skies above Calistoga.
For now, however, Napa Valley remains devoid of any fixed wing facilities to accommodate its residents & visitors."
The Calistoga Airport was no longer depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on 2003 aeronautical charts.
As seen in a circa 2001-2005 USGS aerial photo looking northeast at the site of Calistoga Airport,
the site is still largely intact, although the runway pavement has been removed.
Thanks to Don Rodrigues for pointing out this airfield.
See also: Santa Rosa Press Democrat 10/30/98.
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Santa Rosa Naval Auxiliary Air Station / Santa Rosa Air Center,
Santa Rosa, CA
38.41 North / 122.76 West (Northwest of San Francisco, CA)
A 1944 aerial view looking southeast at Santa Rosa (National Archives photo).
This base was built during WW2 as an outlying airfield for Alameda NAS.
According to the 2003 issue of the Journal of the Sonoma County Historical Society (courtesy of Tom Thompson),
the airfield opened in 1943, after being built on the old Leddy tract.
The 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
described "NAAS, Santa Rosa" as having a 7,000' hard-surface runway.
As constructed by the Navy, the airfield consisted of two paved 7,000' runways,
taxiways, ramps, hangars & other buildings.
During WW2, a total of 21 squadrons received their final training
in fighters, bombers, and torpedo planes at NAAS Santa Rosa.
As of 1945, Santa Rosa had two outlying fields (according to John Voss):
NOLF Cotati & NOLF Little River.
"Santa Rosa (Navy)" was still depicted as a Navy airfield on the 1946 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
Santa Rosa was evidently relinquished by the Navy at some point between 1946-48,
as it was depicted as a civil airfield, "Santa Rosa",
on the 1948 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It was described as having a 7,000' hard-surface runway.
A 1949 USN "Map of Auxiliary Air Station Santa Rosa" (courtesy of John Voss).
"Santa Rosa" was depicted as a civil airfield
on the 1949 Sacramento Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),
and described as having a 7,000' hard-surface runway.
Santa Rosa was reactivated by the Navy for Korean War duty in 1951.
According to Gene Stone (who was stationed at Santa Rosa in 1951),
the Navy established a fleet service squadron (FASRON 10) at Santa Rosa in 1951
for the sole purpose of assisting Carrier Air Group 2 in their preparations to go to Korea.
FASRON 10 departed Santa Rosa in 1952.
The 1952 San Francisco Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
depicted “Santa Rosa OLF (Navy)” as having two paved runways,
with the longest being 7,000'.
Santa Rosa was apparently abandoned by the Navy at some point between 1952-54,
as the Aerodromes table on the March 1954 USAF Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) listed the field as "Closed",
even though "Santa Rosa OLF (Navy)" was still depicted on the chart.
Tim McCoy recalled, "I was in the Civil Air Patrol as a Cadet in the 1950s.
The CAP used NAF Santa Rosa as a base during that time, even if it did not show up on sectionals.
I remember 'camping' there as a cadet, and as kids would do we raced all over the place exploring.
We found a 0.50-caliber wing gun in the bushes alongside one of the runways.
We drug the thing around all day trying to sneak it home, but no go."
Santa Rosa was not depicted at all on the 1957 Sacramento Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
It was labeled "Abandoned airport" on the 1961 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
The former NAAS Santa Rosa was depicted as an abandoned airfield
on the 1966 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
At some point between 1966-67,
Santa Rosa was reopened (once again) as a civilian airport, Santa Rosa Air Center (O01).
Santa Rosa Air Center was depicted on the 1967 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
with a single 7,0000' concrete runway.
Carl Tollestrup recalled, “a B-29 or B-50 bomber
that was stationed at the Santa Rosa Air Center during the early part of the 1970's.
I moved to Santa Rosa as a teenager in 1971.
We enjoyed going over to the Santa Rosa Air Center to look at a B-29 or B-50 bomber parked there.
The last I saw of it was when it finally flew out to somewhere.
It was quite a sight to see it take off!”
Santa Rosa Air Center, as depicted on the 1984 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
A 1988 airport diagram of Santa Rosa Air Center.
Two January 1990 photos by Ken Mercer taken at the Santa Rosa Air Center,
showing several Convair airliners & a Lockheed PV-2.
Ken recalled the photos were taken “at the terminus of a cross county from Palo Alto & back.
Because it was a Super Bowl Sunday (the SF 49ers were playing in that particular game)
there was absolutely no air traffic anywhere in the Bay Area all the way up to Santa Rosa.
The hangar in the background is the same old, decrepit one shown in some of the later-day photos [several paragraphs below].”
Santa Rosa Air Center, as depicted on the 1990 San Francisco Sectional Chart (courtesy of Dann Shively).
Santa Rosa Air Center closed in 1991,
having been replaced by the Sonoma County Airport, located further out of town to the northwest.
In the 1997 USGS aerial photo, development had started to cover the airfield,
with new buildings having been built over the eastern portion of the east/west runway.
The north/south runway still remained intact,
as did the ramp area on the northwest side of the former airfield.
A fantastic 360-degree panoramic shot of the airfield remains at Santa Rosa,
taken from atop the pile of rubble of former runway pavement.
Photo by Jonathan Westerling, 2003.
A 2003 photo by Jonathan Westerling of Santa Rosa's former maintenance hangar,
now quickly succumbing to the ravages of time.
A 2003 photo by Jonathan Westerling of a remaining portion of the former East/West runway, reused as a parking lot.
The yellow closed-runway "X" marking is still barely visible on the concrete in the center.
A 2003 photo by Jonathan Westerling looking west along the remains of the former East/West runway.
The reason for the airfield's demise is visible immediately beyond the runway - new houses.
A 2003 aerial view by Jonathan Westerling, looking southeast at the remaining runways of NAAS Santa Rosa.
Jonathan Westerling toured the site of the former airfield in 2003.
His observations: "The Santa Rosa Air Center is quickly on its way into history.
The entire area is fenced off & marked 'private'.
Only two buildings of note still stand, one is the old maintenance hangar (falling down)
and the other is the old Air Service Reserve Center which is a much newer building, but has been abandoned."
"Over
the eastern half of the East/West runway,
several business parks have been constructed using the old runway as parking lots.
At the intersection of the runways, many, many houses have been built.
As a reminder of the many takeoffs & landings that happened here,
the streets of the subdivision have names like Orville, Doolittle, Yeager, Quimby and Earhart."
"Runway 16 is intact & in good condition for several thousand feet,
and the threshold markings are still quite evident.
Also intact is the western end of the field, though only a thousand or so feet of concrete remain there."
"Runway 34 has been broken up, and the concrete piled up into a large mound of rubble near the apron.
Overlooking
the site from the top of this mound,
it is easy to envision the
aviation glory of the past, and the buildings of the future."
"The
site is easily seen from NorthPoint Parkway.
Travel to the end of the road (as of 2003)
and look to the north & west to view what remains of the field."
A 2003 aerial photo by Sarah Lowrey,
looking west at the runways & ramps of the former NAAS Santa Rosa
which have not yet been covered by new housing & office developments.
A 2006 photo by Kevin Braafladt of the remaining former airfield pavement at the former Santa Rosa NAAS.
A 2006 photo by Kevin Braafladt of the the former ammunition bunker to the southeast of the former Santa Rosa NAAS.
John Hess recalled, "As a fledgling flight instructor in 1969, how well I remember the old fields.
It really sickens me to see the construction at the Santa Rosa Air Center.
I made a thousand landings there at least."
Ken Mercer observed in 2007, “I hate to say it, but I drove through the now-developed property
about 6 months ago & the hangar is completely gone now.
A large portion of Runway 16/32 remains in great shape, though, along with the taxiways & apron area.
I'm not sure what will happen to those, but housing developers are gradually filling in the northern portion of that runway.”
A March 2007 aerial view by Ian Carisi looking southeast at the remains of the Santa Rosa runways.
Ian noted, “It's a shame that they built the houses right where the runways used to be. It's a big slap in the face.”
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Santa Rosa Municipal Airport, Santa Rosa, CA
38.47 North / 122.73 West (Northwest of San Francisco, CA)
Santa Rosa Municipal Airport, as depicted on the October 29, 1929 Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
Photo of the airport has not been located.
The original airport for the town of Santa Rosa was a small field
located on the northwest side of Santa Rosa.
The date of construction of the Santa Rosa Municipal Airport has not been determined.
The earliest depiction which has been located of the Santa Rosa Municipal Airport
was on the October 29, 1929 Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It described Santa Rosa as a “municipal” field,
but owned & operated by the Richfield Oil Company, which would seem to be a contradiction.
The field was said to be located 2 miles northwest of Santa Rosa,
and to consist of a 110 acre irregularly-shaped sod field,
within which were 2 runways, 2,000' northeast/southwest & 1,200' northwest/southeast.
A hangar was located on the north side of the field, and a beacon tower to the east.
A 1936 airport directory (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
described the Santa Rosa Municipal Airport in basically an unchanged fashion.
An undated aerial view looking northeast at the Santa Rosa Municipal Airport
from The Airport Directory Company's 1937 Airport Directory (courtesy of Bob Rambo).
The field was described as an irregularly-shaped sod field containing 3 runways,
with the longest being the 3,000' northeast/southwest strip.
At some point between 1937-48 the Santa Rosa Municipal Airport was evidently replaced
by a new Santa Rosa Airpark, directly across the road to the south,
as only Santa Rosa Airpark was depicted on the 1948 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
A 1953 aerial photo (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
depicted both the original Santa Rosa Municipal Airport (the 3 fairly wide runways on the south),
as well as the new Santa Rosa Airpark (the single northeast/southwest runway on the north).
As seen in a circa 2006 aerial photo, the site of the former Santa Rosa Municipal Airport has been densely redeveloped.
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Santa Rosa Airpark, Santa Rosa, CA
38.47 North / 122.73 West (Northwest of San Francisco, CA)
The 1948 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)
depicted the Santa Rosa Airpark as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.
The Santa Rosa Airpark was established at some point between 1937-48,
replacing the Santa Rosa Municipal Airport directly across the road to the north.
The earliest depiction which has been located of the Santa Rosa Airpark
was on the 1948 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It depicted Santa Rosa Airpark as having a 2,200' unpaved runway.
The earliest photo which has been located of the Santa Rosa Airpark
was a 1953 aerial photo (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It depicted both the Santa Rosa Airpark (a single northeast/southwest runway on the north),
as well as the original Santa Rosa Municipal Airport (the 3 fairly wide runways on the south).
The runway at Santa Rosa Airpark had evidently been paved at some point between 1948-53.
The date of closure of the Santa Rosa Airpark has not been determined.
According to Jonathan Westerling, the whole area was completely redeveloped after 1953.
This redevelopment changed many of the roads in the vicinity.
According to the 2003 issue of the Journal of the Sonoma County Historical Society (courtesy of Tom Thompson),
Santa Rosa Coddingtown Airport was built off of Piner Road in 1960,
at which point the Santa Rosa Airpark had presumably been closed.
A 1965 aerial photo (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling) showed that development
had obliterated any signs of the previous 2 airports by this time.
As seen in a circa 2006 aerial photo, the site of the former Santa Rosa Airpark has been densely redeveloped.
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Santa Rosa Metropolitan Airport / Santa Rosa Coddingtown Airport, Santa Rosa, CA
38.47 North / 122.73 West (Northwest of San Francisco, CA)
A 1965 aerial photo showing the Coddingtown Airport, shooed in amongst industrial buildings (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
According to Jonathan Westerling, the redevelopment of the area northwest of Santa Rosa after 1953
“included the construction of the last iteration of an airport here, known as Metropolitan / Coddingtown.
This final airfield was in the same general location,
but had a runway oriented North/South so it would fit in between the other streets in what had become an industrial area of town.”
Santa Rosa Metropolitan/Coddingtown Airport was built off of Piner Road in 1960,
(according to the 2003 issue of the Journal of the Sonoma County Historical Society, courtesy of Tom Thompson).
The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described the Santa Rosa Metropolitan Airport
as having a single 3,800' paved runway, and listed the operator as "Andy's Aircraft Sales".
The earliest depiction which has been located of the Metropolitan/Coddingtown Airport
was a 1965 aerial photo (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling).
It depicted the field as having a single north/south paved runway.
The airfield was evidently renamed Santa Rosa Coddingtown at some point between 1962-66,
as that is how it was labeled on the 1966 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It was depicted as having a single 3,200' paved runway.
Coddingtown Airport was initially owned by Santa Rosa Enterprises.
Almost 200 planes were based at Coddingtown Airport at its height,
including the Cessna 421 owned by Codding Enterprises.
The Aerodromes table on the 1967 Sacramento Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
described Santa Rosa Coddingtown as having a single 3,050' asphalt-concrete runway.
The 1968 Flight Guide (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Santa Rosa Coddingtown Airport as having a 3,050' paved Runway 16/34,
along with a ramp at the northeast side of the field, with at least four buildings (hangars?).
Ownership of Coddingtown Airport was transferred to Codding Enterprises in 1968.
Tim McCoy recalled, "The airport was never popular, as it was too close to residential Santa Rosa,
and there were continuous complaints about noise, and low flying planes.
When it was in operation I flew into it a couple of times
and even before all the hoopla about 'noise pollution' you had to do a little dance to land there."
Santa Rosa Coddingtown Airport,
as depicted on the December 1971 USAF Tactical Pilotage Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
According to the Sonoma County Historical Society,
Coddingtown Airport "was closed by 1972."
Santa Rosa Coddingtown Airport was still depicted on the 1980 USGS topo map,
but it had already been closed for several years by that point.
As seen in a circa 2006 aerial photo, the site of the former Santa Rosa Coddingtown Airport has been densely redeveloped.
According to Bruce Codding, the former Santa Rosa Coddingtown Airport
was located "at the corner of Piner Road & Airway Drive.
Where the terminal used to be is now a Golden Gate transit bus terminal.
Some of the runway is still undeveloped & visible."
Tim McCoy reported in 2004, "I had an engineering business
and rented space in one of the hangars on what was Coddingtown Airport.
The current owner has a large winery, and uses it to store wine.
The owner started with a manufacturing company that built heating & air-conditioning equipment for industrial users,
he sold that company but it still operates on the site; he still owns all the property.
Most of the hangars & the main office building are still there."
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