Twentynine Palms Airport
{{Short description|Airport in San Bernardino County, California}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Twentynine Palms Airport
| image = Twentynine Palms Airport-03Oct1995-USGS.jpg
| caption = USGS aerial image, 3 October 1995
| IATA = TNP
| ICAO = KTNP
| FAA = TNP
| type = Public
| owner = County of San Bernardino
| operator =
| city-served = Twentynine Palms, California
| location =
| elevation-f = 1,888
| elevation-m = 575
| coordinates = {{Coord|34|07|54|N|115|56|45|W|region:US-CA_type:airport_scale:10000}}
| website =
| r1-number = 8/26
| r1-length-f = 5,531
| r1-length-m = 1,686
| r1-surface = Asphalt
| r2-number = 17/35
| r2-length-f = 3,797
| r2-length-m = 1,157
| r2-surface = Asphalt
| stat-year = 2022
| stat1-header = Aircraft operations (year ending 2/28/2022)
| stat1-data = 18,000
| stat2-header = Based aircraft
| stat2-data = 14
| footnotes = Source: Federal Aviation Administration{{FAA-airport|ID=TNP|use=PU|own=PU|site=02379.2*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective September 7, 2023.
}}
Twentynine Palms Airport {{airport codes|TNP|KTNP|TNP}} is a public use airport located six nautical miles (11 km) east of the central business district of Twentynine Palms, a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is owned by the County of San Bernardino.
History
{{stack|
File:TwentyNinePalmsAirAcademyWacoCG4A1942.jpg in 1942]]
File:TwentyninePalmsAirAcademyJuly1941.jpg
File:US Army Air Corps TG-1Aglider.jpg with the Army designation TG-1]]
}}
It was activated on 1 January 1942 by the United States Army Air Forces. It started as USAAF contract glider training, and was called Twenty-Nine Palms Air Academy until 16 February 1943. It had four axillary airfields in local area, including Condor Field. Flying training was performed with Fairchild PT-19s as the primary trainer. It also had several PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks assigned. It conducted basic flying training from March 1943 until being transferred to United States Navy April 1944. General Henry H. Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Forces, ordered the training for 150 glider pilots for World War II. By the end of WW2 over 6,000 glider pilots had been trained. In all 1,654 of the glider pilots were trained at the Twentynine Palms Air Academy. It was under USN control and became an auxiliary airfield to NAS San Diego.[https://www.29palms.marines.mil/Portals/56/Docs/OP/2009/022709.pdf?ver=2018-07-23-110240-517 29palms.marines.mil, Twentynine Palms 29th, page A7]
Facilities and aircraft
Twentynine Palms Airport covers an area of {{convert|480|acre|ha|lk=on}} at an elevation of 1,888 feet (575 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 8/26 is 5,531 by 75 feet (1,686 x 23 m) and 17/35 is 3,797 by 50 feet (1,157 x 15 m).
For the 12-month period ending February 28, 2022, the airport had 18,000 aircraft operations, an average of 49 per day: 97% general aviation and 3% military. At that time there were 14 aircraft based at this airport: 10 single-engine, 1 multi-engine and 3 glider.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Twenty Nine Palms Army Airfield}}
Other sources
{{Refbegin}}
- {{AFHRA}}
- 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}}
{{Refend}}
External links
- [http://cms.sbcounty.gov/airports/Airports/TwentyninePalms.aspx Twentynine Palms Airport] at County of San Bernardino website
- [http://www.opennav.com/airport/KTNP openNav: TNP / KTNP charts]
- {{FAA-procedures|TNP}}
{{US-airport-minor|TNP|TNP|KTNP}}
{{IE Mass Transit}}
{{USAAF Training Bases World War II}}
Category:Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in California
Category:Airports in San Bernardino County, California
Category:Twentynine Palms, California
Category:USAAF Contract Flying School Airfields
Category:1942 establishments in California