Visalia Municipal Airport

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Visalia Municipal Airport is five miles west of downtown Visalia, in Tulare County, California. The airport is eligible for the Essential Air Service program but currently has no scheduled commercial service.The Federal Aviation Administration says this airport had 1,831 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2010, a decrease from 2,455 in 2009. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation airport (the commercial service category requires 2,500 enplanements per year).HistoryVisalia Municipal Airport was built in 1927 and purchased by the city in 1928. In 1936 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) began several projects at the Visalia Municipal Airport. The WPA would continue to make improvements at the field until 1942 when the War Department assumed control.Unlike other military airfields of World War II, Visalia Army Air Field seems to have used the existing municipal airport. Operations at Visalia AAF began almost immediately upon the United States Army Air Forces control of the airfield. Anti-submarine patrols were conducted from Visalia AAF by the Lockheed A-29 Hudson, and later B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, equipped 47th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) from February until June 1942.