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Gillespie Airport

Gillespie Field
SEE - FAA airport diagram.gif
FAA airport diagram
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner County of San Diego
Serves San Diego, California
Location El Cajon, California
Elevation AMSL 388 ft / 118 m
Coordinates 32°49′34″N 116°58′21″W / 32.82611°N 116.97250°W / 32.82611; -116.97250Coordinates: 32°49′34″N 116°58′21″W / 32.82611°N 116.97250°W / 32.82611; -116.97250
Website co.san-diego.ca.us/dpw/...
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
9L/27R 5,342 1,628 Asphalt
9R/27L 2,738 835 Asphalt
17/35 4,145 1,263 Asphalt
Statistics (2005)
Aircraft operations 209,345
Based aircraft 964
Aircraft operations 209,345
Based aircraft 964

Gillespie Field (IATA: SEEICAO: KSEEFAA LID: SEE) is a county-owned public airport 10 miles (16 km) northeast of downtown San Diego, in El Cajon, San Diego County, California.

In 1942 the United States Marine Corps chose a site with 688 acres (278 ha) east of San Diego for parachute training for the newly forming Parachute battalions. In September 1942 Camp Gillespie was completed and named in honor of Lieutenant Archibald H. Gillespie, a Marine officer who played a prominent role in the effort to separate California from Mexico in the 1840s. Three 256 foot high towers were built from which the paratroopers practiced their jumps.

In February 1944, the camp was commissioned as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Gillespie under the command of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. MCAAF Gillespie soon became responsible for Camp Pendleton Outlying Air Field. Among the units that transited and trained at MCCAF Gillespie were VMSB-141, Air Warning Squadron 10 and the Navy's TBM-3 Avenger torpedo squadron VT-37.

In 1946 the airfield was turned over to San Diego County and became a general aviation facility.


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