Southern California Logistics Airport

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Southern California Logistics Airport

IATA: VCV - ICAO: KVCV
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		United States Air Force
Serves		Victorville, California
Elevation AMSL		2,885 ft (879 m)
Coordinates		34°35′51″N, 117°22′59″W
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
17/35	15,050	4,587	Asphalt/Concrete
3/21	9,138	2,785	Asphalt/Concrete

Southern California Logistics Airport (IATA: VCV, ICAO: KVCV), also known as Victorville Airport, is a public airport located in the city of Victorville in San Bernardino County, California, USA. It is located on the former site of George Air Force Base.

1 George Air Force Base
2 Base Closure
3 Military Logistical Use
4 Airport Today
5 Facilities
6 Trivia
7 External links

[edit] George Air Force Base

George Air Force Base (GAFB) covered 5,339 acres (21.6 km²) which included two runways (9,116 and 10,050 feet), 6.3 million square feet (580,000 m²) of ramp space and associated facilities; 1,641 units of housing; 14 dormitory buildings with 1,400 bed capacity; a hospital with a dental clinic; and various office and industrial structures. George Air Force Base (AFB) was located in Victorville, California, in the Mojave Desert approximately 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

George AFB, originally called the Victorville Army Airfield, was constructed between 1941 and 1943 as a flight training school. After World War II, the base was placed on standby status and used for surplus aircraft storage. The base was reopened in 1950 under the command of the newly created U.S. Air Force and renamed George Air Force Base. Flight training remained the primary mission of this base throughout its history and a number of bomber, glider, single engine, twin engine, and jet fighter aircraft were flown there. George AFB was a major training facility for the Air Force's F-4 Phantom II used in the "Wild Weasel" defense suppression concept and was the home of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing. These planes and the 561st Fighter Squadron were transferred to Nellis AFB shortly before the base closed in the early 1990's.

[edit] Base Closure

In 1988, George AFB was scheduled in the first round of base closures passed by Congress under the Base Realignment and Closure program. The base was officially decommissioned in December 1992. In 1993, President Clinton announced a "Five Part Plan" to speed economic recovery in communities where military bases were to be closed. One part of this plan called for improving public participation in the base's environmental cleanup program. George AFB was among a number of installations where environmental cleanup was placed on a "fast track" so base property could be quickly transferred to the community for reuse.

[edit] Military Logistical Use

The Fiscal Year 2002 military spending bill earmarked $1.3 million to allow the U.S. Army to continue using the Southern California Logistics Airport (SCLA) to transport troops enroute to training exercises at Fort Irwin. The airport has proven to be one of the most efficient and safest locations for travel to and from the Army's National Training Center for the 60,000 troops who rotate through each year. Company D of the 158th Aviation Regiment is a general support aviation company that moved in under a five-year contract the Army signed with SCLA and the city of Victorville. The unit is part of the 244th Aviation Brigade of Fort Sheridan, IL.

[edit] Airport Today

The federal government is responsible for helping the Victor Valley recover from the closure of George Air Force Base in 1988. The conversion of the former George Air Force Base to Southern California Logistics Airport [SCLA] was designed to provide major corporations with logistics needs access to a global intermodal logistics gateway to the Western United States. Located near Interstate 15 in California’s Victor Valley, the 5,000 acre (20 km²) complete intermodal business complex is approximately 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles County and 40 minutes north of Ontario airport.

In July 2000 the Department of Commerce awarded the Southern California Logistics Airport the designation of Foreign Trade Zone. The designation was intended to make it much easier for the Victor Valley Economic Development Authority to convince international carriers to use the airport as a base for shipping foreign products to Southern California. During that same period, the Department of Transportation approved a $4.9 million grant for the Southern California Logistics Airport to extend its main runway from 10,050 feet to 13,050 feet to accommodate international jet transports. The airport authority required the 3,000 ft extension to ensure that cargo planes could depart fully-loaded in summer heat. The longer runway was also required efficient use of the facility as the main transportation hub for the 70,000 troops a year traveling to and from the Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin.