Oxnard Field
| Oxnard Field | |
|---|---|
| Summary | |
| Location | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Opened | 1928 |
| Closed | 1948 |
Oxnard Field (also known at various times as Albuquerque Airport and Albuquerque Army Air Field) was the first airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It served as the home of commercial aviation in Albuquerque from 1928 to 1929 and remained in use for other purposes until 1948. The field was located on Albuquerque's East Mesa, east of the present site of Albuquerque International Sunport.
The field was originally constructed in 1928 by Santa Fe Railroad workers Frank G. Speakman and William Langford Franklin, using grading equipment loaned by the city after hours. Working with the town of Albuquerque, they graded two runways on the East Mesa—one approximately 5,300 feet (1,600 m) long and the other just under 4,000 feet (1,200 m). The venture became Albuquerque Airport. Other individuals and promoters soon became interested in Albuquerque as a crossroads location for southwestern air traffic.
James G. Oxnard, a New York entrepreneur, bought out Franklin's share in the airport soon after it was completed and renamed it Oxnard Field. Oxnard expanded the facility to 480 acres (1.9 km2), adding an administration building and other facilities.
In its brief stint as the city's main airport, Oxnard Field was served by two competing airlines, Western Air Express (WAE) and Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT). However, the proximity of the field to the Sandia Mountains made pilots uneasy, and Western Air Express built a new facility, West Mesa Airport, in 1929. Following the merger of TAT and WAE to form Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA), all commercial air service shifted to West Mesa. This airport became known as Albuquerque Airport—while the former Albuquerque Airport on the East Mesa took on the name Oxnard Field, continuing as a private venture.
The onset of World War II brought new activity to Oxnard Field. By 1939, Army and Navy pilots had begun using Oxnard Field for refuelling and maintenance. The Army eventually bought the Oxnard Field property and its subsequent transfer to the federal government on April 3, 1942 restricted the runways to military use only. The Army established a training depot for aircraft mechanics near Oxnard Field. An Army Air Forces Air Depot Training Station was established in June, and shortly thereafter the airport was designated Albuquerque Army Air Field. Two new runways and a variety of other facilities were built during this period.
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