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Blythe Airport



Blythe Airport
IATA: BLH – ICAO: KBLH
Summary
Airport type Public
Location Riverside County, west of Blythe, California
Elevation AMSL 399 ft / 122 m
Coordinates 33°37′09.0″N 114°43′00.8″W / 33.61917°N 114.716889°W / 33.61917; -114.716889Coordinates: 33°37′09.0″N 114°43′00.8″W / 33.61917°N 114.716889°W / 33.61917; -114.716889
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
8/26 6,543 1,994 Asphalt
17/35 5,800 1,768 Asphalt

Blythe Airport (IATA: BLH, ICAO: KBLH) is a public airport located six miles (9.7 km) west of Blythe, serving Riverside County, California, USA. The airport has two runways and is mostly used for general aviation.

Facilities

Blythe Airport has two runways:

  • Runway 8/26: 6,543 x 150 ft (1,994 x 46 m). Surface: Asphalt
  • Runway 17/35: 5,800 x 100 ft (1,768 x 30 m). Surface: Asphalt

History

Prior to World War II, Blythe Airport was established by the Civil Aeronautics Administration in the late 1930s as an emergency landing field on the Los Angeles to Phoenix airway. A commercial airport was opened in April 1940. During World War II the airfield was known as Blythe Army Air Base (also known as Bishop Army Airfield) and was used by the United States Army Air Forces.

The field was built for the I Troop Carrier Command but was given up by that command, without ever occupying it, to the Fourth Air Force as part of the United States Army Desert Training Center (DTC) was established by General George S. Patton shortly after the outbreak of the war, Blythe was the only air field with construction already under way. For six months, the air field served as the sole air support base for the Army maneuvers under way at the DTC.

The 46th Bombardment Group and later the 85th Bombardment Group occupied the field during the CAMA days and flew a variety of planes including A-31 Vengeances and A-36 Apaches. Once air fields were established at three new locations within the DTC (Thermal, Rice and Desert Center), Blythe field was no longer required for the Army's desert exercises. After General Patton was sent to North Africa, the name of the training center was changed to the California-Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA). The 46th and 85th Bomb Groups were reassigned elsewhere and Blythe's mission was changed to the training of combat air crews prior to shipment overseas.

Four-engined B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators replaced the dive bombers as part of the Second Air Force 16th Bombardment Training Wing 358th Combat Crew Training School.

Known units assigned to Blythe Army Airfield were:

  • 46th Bombardment Group (Light) 23 May 1942-November 1942. A-20 Havoc
  • 85th Bombardment Group (Light) 23 May 1942-November 1942. A-20 Havoc
  • 85th Bombardment Group (Dive) 2 November-11 December 1942 A-24 Dauntlesses
  • 34th Bombardment Group (Heavy) 15 December 1942-April 1944. B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators
  • 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) April 1943 B-17 Flying Fortresses

At its peak in December, 1943, the base had a population just short of 8000 uniformed and civilian personnel. This was twice the population of the city of Blythe, the only community within a one hundred mile radius. By April, 1944 only a housekeeping force was assigned to the base, now downgraded from Air Base to Air Field status. By July 1944 the field was abandoned by the Army and declared surplus. 126 airmen were killed in Blythe Army Air Base-related accidents.


Photo of the main hangar at Blythe Airport taken in August 2009.
Photo of the main hangar at Blythe Airport taken in August 2009.

Blythe Army Air Field later became a sub-base of Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base) on 30 June 1945, and was inactivated on 18 October 1945, although during October-December 1946, the 477th Composite Group (Medium) used the airfield for desert maneuvers, flying B-25 Mitchells. The War Assets Administration returned the airfield to civil control in 1947.

Today a modern airport has been built on the site of the former wartime airfield; however most of the area of what was Blythe Army Air Base has been abandoned to the natural landscape being empty and undeveloped. Deteriorating abandoned runways and concrete parking ramps are clearly visible in aerial photography.



The above content comes from Wikipedia and is published under free licenses – click here to read more.

Blythe Airport picture

Location & QuickFacts

FAA Information Effective:

2006-06-08

Airport Identifier:

BLH

Longitude/Latitude:

114-43-00.8000W/33-37-09.0000N
-114.716889/33.619167 (Estimated)

Elevation:

399 ft / 121.62 m (Surveyed)

Land:

3904 acres

From nearest city:

6 nautical miles W of Blythe, CA

Location:

Riverside County, CA

Magnetic Variation:

13E (2005)

Owner & Manager

Ownership:

Publicly owned

Owner:

Riverside County Aviation Div

Address:

3525 14th Street
Riverside, CA 92501-3813

Phone number:

951-863-2530
TOM TURNER, AIRPORT DIVISION, EXT. 358

Manager:

Charles Hull
CITY OF BLYTHE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.

Address:

235 N. Broadway
Blythe, CA 92225

Phone number:

760-922-6161

Airport Operations and Facilities

Airport Use:

Open to public

Wind indicator:

Yes

Segmented Circle:

Yes

Control Tower:

No

Attendance Schedule:

ALL/ALL/0700-1700

Lighting Schedule:

DUSK-DAWN
ACTVT MIRL RYS 17/35; 08/26; AND VASI RYS 17; 35 & 26 - CTAF.

Beacon Color:

Clear-Green (lighted land airport)

Landing fee charge:

No

Sectional chart:

Phoenix

Region:

AWP - Western-Pacific

Traffic Pattern Alt:

800 ft

Boundary ARTCC:

ZLA - Los Angeles

Tie-in FSS:

RAL - Riverside

FSS Phone:

951-351-3020

FSS Toll Free:

1-800-WX-BRIEF

NOTAMs Facility:

BLH (NOTAM-d service avaliable)

Federal Agreements:

NGPY

Airport Communications

CTAF:

122.800

Unicom:

122.800 

Airport Services

Fuel available:

100LLA

Airframe Repair:

MAJOR

Power Plant Repair:

MAJOR

Bottled Oxygen:

NONE

Bulk Oxygen:

NONE

Runway Information

Runway 08/26

Dimension:

6543 x 150 ft / 1994.3 x 45.7 m

Surface:

ASPH, Good Condition

Weight Limit:

Single wheel: 80000 lbs.
Dual wheel: 160000 lbs.
Dual tandem wheel: 300000 lbs.

Edge Lights:

Medium

 

Runway 08

Runway 26

Longitude:

114-43-39.8259W

114-42-22.4640W

Latitude:

33-36-59.7683N

33-36-59.5333N

Elevation:

397.00 ft

396.00 ft

Alignment:

90

127

Traffic Pattern:

Left

Left

Markings:

Non-precision instrument, Good Condition

Precision instrument, Good Condition

Crossing Height:

0.00 ft

42.00 ft

VASI:

 

4-box on left side

Visual Glide Angle:

0.00°

3.00°

Runway End Identifier:

No

No

Centerline Lights:

No

No

Touchdown Lights:

No

No

 

Runway 17/35

Dimension:

5800 x 100 ft / 1767.8 x 30.5 m

Surface:

ASPH, Good Condition

Weight Limit:

Single wheel: 52000 lbs.
Dual wheel: 76000 lbs.
Dual tandem wheel: 135000 lbs.

Edge Lights:

Medium

 

Runway 17

Runway 35

Longitude:

114-43-00.2703W

114-43-00.5427W

Latitude:

33-37-48.1258N

33-36-50.7511N

Elevation:

399.00 ft

394.00 ft

Alignment:

127

0

Traffic Pattern:

Left

Left

Markings:

Basic, Good Condition

Basic, Good Condition

Crossing Height:

40.00 ft

40.00 ft

VASI:

4-box on left side

4-box on left side

Visual Glide Angle:

3.00°

3.00°

Runway End Identifier:

No

No

Centerline Lights:

No

No

Touchdown Lights:

No

No

 

Radio Navigation Aids

ID

Type

Name

Ch

Freq

Var

Dist

OEG

NDB

Golden Eagle

 

413.00

12E

48.0 nm

BLH

VORTAC

Blythe

121X

117.40

14E

2.6 nm

PKE

VORTAC

Parker

126X

117.90

15E

29.1 nm

Remarks

  • ACFT OVER 12500 LBS AVOID HOUSING AREA 1.5 NM SW BLO 2000' FINAL APCH RWY 35 BE ESTABD 2 NM FM TOUCHDOWN.
  • DEP FM RY 17 MAKE CLIMBING LEFT TURN SOON AS SAFETY PERMITS. USE WIDE TFC PATTERN FOR RYS 26 & 35.
  • POWER PLANT 1 MILE EAST OF ARPT PRODUCING THERMAL PLUMES; AVOID LOW ALTITUDE DIRECT OVERFLIGHT OF THE POWER PLANT.

 

Based Aircraft

Aircraft based on field:

11

Single Engine Airplanes:

9

Multi Engine Airplanes:

2

Operational Statistics

Aircraft Operations:

69/Day

General Aviation Local:

49.7%

General Aviation Itinerant:

49.7%

Military:

0.6%

 

Blythe Airport 

Address: Riverside County, CA

Tel: 951-863-2530, 760-922-6161


Images and information placed above are from
http://www.airport-data.com/airport/BLH/

We thank them for the data!

 


General Info
Country United States
State CALIFORNIA
FAA ID BLH
Latitude 33-37-08.986N
Longitude 114-43-00.755W
Elevation 397 feet
Near City BLYTHE

 




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