Tulare County Airports Sequoia Field Airport has hangar space and tie-downs for lease.
For leasing information, call Alma Potter at (559) 624-7000, or go to the following link: http://www.trade-a-plane.com/classified/search?atcode=P&maxads=100&state=CA The County currently owns and manages two Airports: Harmon Field Airport, near Pixley; and Sequoia Field Airport, north of Visalia. Of these airports, Sequoia Field is the only one which remains in working condition. Although it has quite a distinguished history, Sequoia Field Airport has been under-utilized for many years, and has thus seen considerable deterioration of its infrastructure. However, the County is committed to making repairs to those portions of the infrastructure that are damaged, and improving all of the fixtures that make it such a unique and valuable airport. The County’s goal in improving these Airports is to improve the economic strength of the County, and to provide more resources to the local aviation community. The north hangar of Sequoia Field is currently used as storage for fixed aircraft, and its wings, which were historically used for offices, are also being used for storage. The south hangar is occupied by TBM Inc., a long-time tenant of Sequoia Field and a vital part of the present economy on the Airport. There are three portable T-hangars that are occupied by fixed aircraft located near the north end of the apron. The runway, taxiway, and apron are all in various conditions, some of which are in need of repair.
Proposed Improvements
The hangars, runway, taxiway, apron and other portions of the airport are planned to be improved within the next few years. The north hangar will have necessary improvements made to support industrial usage; the runway will be repaved; the taxiway will be realigned and repaved; portions of the apron will be removed and other portions repaved; and fueling capabilities and additional T-hangars are proposed for installation. Long Term Vision
The County wishes to transform Sequoia Field Airport into a sustainable part of Tulare County, not only a part of the local aviation community, but also of the local economy. The County is pulling from all of the resources available to achieve this goal, including the formation of an advisory committee, cooperation with state and federal funding and regulatory agencies, and the pursuit of all economic development opportunities.  | The revitalization of Sequoia Field has started with the assistance of the Construction Trades Training Program.
5/28/06 - Youth Corps member Alex Galvan digs a trench to provide high speed internet to Sequoia Field north of Visalia. |
Sequoia Field History
Sequoia Field Airport’s origins date back to pre-World War II aviation. Originally, it was used as a training school for civilian pilots, most of whom worked in agriculture. The County of Tulare acquired the deed to the 320 acre parcel on the eve of US involvement in World War II in August of 1941. One month later it was leased to the Cities of Visalia and Dinuba, who in turn subleased it to the Visalia-Dinuba School of Aeronautics. This was a training school used by the Army Air Corps (which later became the Air Force) for pilots who were being sent overseas during World War II. There are similar Army Air Corps training airports in the area, Rankin Field for example. |  |
Together Rankin and Sequoia Fields trained 18,000 pilots in the Ryan PT-22 aircraft over the course of four years. Nationally, almost a quarter million pilots were trained in that same period, some would joke that pilots were being turned out faster than aircraft could be produced. At its height Sequoia Field Airport had six parallel runways operating simultaneously. Sequoia Field Airport was equipped with barracks, mess halls, infirmaries, and other buildings used to house and train cadets.
After World War II was over, the cities turned their lease and the newly built buildings over to the County. During the years following World War II, the County used the Airport for several purposes. Among these uses were: “a home for the aged,” and a tuberculosis hospital. Because of its contribution to the war effort, the Sequoia Field Foundation was formed years later. This dedicated group of people was pivotal in getting the Airport listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, and erecting a monument on site. Although it is a realized part of the history of Tulare County, the Airport has had little contribution and development economically since the end of World War II. In the late Sixties, TBM Inc. located a branch of its business on Sequoia Field Airport, where it has been doing business ever since. TBM, which stands for Three Bothers Moore (after the founders), overhaul and assemble aircraft engines for customers that include the Department of Forestry. There have been several other businesses located on Sequoia Field Airport during the last forty years as well. Flight schools, fueling facilities, crop dusters, and aircraft mechanics have all used the Airport as a location for doing business. Though these and other hurdles present themselves in Sequoia Field’s modern context, the County is dedicated to developing the airport and providing for the long term economic strength and stability to the Airport, while recognizing and preserving the vital role it has played in the history of Tulare County. |
