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The Livermore Airport will hold its 13th annual open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday with pilots showing off their aircraft, including military Warbirds, aerobatic type planes and antique, classic and experimental airplanes.
The event, which is open free to the public, will be broadcast on the site by local FM station KKIQ, which will also give away prizes. Music and entertainment will be provided throughout the afternoon with beverages and food available for purchase.
The local Chapter 663 of the Experimental Aircraft Association will be signing up youngsters from 8 to 17 years old for “Young Eagle” airplane rides that will take place at a later date. The rides will provide them with an opportunity to experience flight and learn about aviation.
According to John Davelaar, an airport spokesman, the Livermore Airport dates back to 1929 when it opened on a small field near what is now Rincon Avenue. In April, 1942, the airfield was taken over by the federal government under condemnation proceedings for use as a Naval Auxiliary Airfield. During those years of World War II, the facility provided auxiliary air service to support the Livermore Naval Air Station, which is now the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
After the war, the city of Livermore operated the airfield under a lease with the Navy. The Airport was then known as the Livermore Sky Ranch, the predecessor of the Livermore Municipal Airport. In July 1953, the Livermore City Council passed a resolution to accept title to Livermore Sky Ranch.
Due to its close proximity to downtown Livermore, the field became increasingly desirable for other uses. In 1958, the city moved the field to its present location and sold the old site to a San Ramon company for residential development.
The new airport began operations in December of 1965 on a 257-acre site with a 4,000-foot asphalt runway and a parallel taxiway. A precision instrument approach landing system (ILS) was added to Runway 7L-25R in 1979 and in 1985, to ease congestion on the main runway, a 2,699-foot parallel runway was constructed. An extension of the main runway to 5,255 feet followed in 1989.
Since 1985, Livermore Municipal Airport has made over $25 million in facility improvements, including the cost of property acquisition to enhance protection of approaches to the runways. Today, the Livermore Municipal Airport encompasses 590 acres, 392 hangars of various sizes and shapes, 249 tie-downs, 9 shelters, and is home to 580 based aircraft.
The Livermore airport is the 11th busiest airport in California with more than 253,000 operations a year.
