Santa Monica Airport (IATA: SMO, ICAO: KSMO, FAA LID: SMO) (Santa Monica Municipal Airport) is a general aviation airport largely in Santa Monica, California. The airport is about 2 miles (3 km) from the Pacific Ocean (Santa Monica Bay) and 6 miles (10 km) north of Los Angeles International Airport.
Originally Clover Field, after World War I aviator 2nd lieutenant Greayer "Grubby" Clover, the airport was the home of the Douglas Aircraft Company was headquartered adjacent to Clover Field. Among other important aircraft built there, Douglas manufactured the entire Douglas Commercial "DC" series of reciprocating-engine-powered airliners including the DC-1 (a prototype), DC-2, DC-3, DC-4, DC-5 (only 12 built), DC-6 and DC-7. During World War II, B-18 Bolo and B-18A bombers and thousands of C-47 (military version of the DC-3) and C-54(later the civilian DC-4) military transports were built at Santa Monica, during which time the airport area was cleverly disguised from the air with the construction of a false "town" (built with the help of Hollywood craftsmen) suspended atop it. In 1958, Donald Douglas asked the city to lengthen the airport's runway so that Douglas Aircraft could produce and test the DC-8 there. The city, bowing to objections of residents, refused to do so, and Douglas closed a plant that had employed 44,000 workers in World War II, moving airliner production to Long Beach Airport .
The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 categorized it as a reliever airport. The airport is scheduled to remain open until 2029 .
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Douglas DC-3 Monument Park
More than 1,000 active and retired Douglas heritage employees and their families convened at the Santa Monica Airport (search) on Saturday, March 21, to participate in the unveiling of a new monument park honoring Donald W. Douglas, the company he founded, and his famed DC-3 airplane.
The public site, located at Airport Ave. and Donald Douglas Loop Road, offers a restored DC-3 elevated on pedestals, a life-sized statue of Donald W. Douglas and his favorite dog “Bar,” a Founders’ Wall listing more than 1,000 contributors to the project, and kiosks with information on the history of the Douglas Aircraft Company. A new Museum of Flying is slated to open adjacent to the monument in 2010.
At the opening day celebration, Victoria Douglas Thoresonunveiled the statue of her grandfather, along with the aid of its creator, famed sculptor Yossi Govrin. Also in attendance were such former Douglas and McDonnell Douglas senior executives as Bob Johnson, Jim Worsham, Jim Dorrenbacher, Jim McMillan, Jack Crosthwait, Gene Dubil, Roger Schaufele, and Jim Phillips.
Donald W. Douglas (search) founded his aircraft manufacturing empire in Santa Monica just 17 years after the Wright brothers’ (search) initial flight in 1903. In 1924, his Douglas World Cruisers (search) became the first aircraft to circumnavigate the globe. In 1933, he introduced the famed DC (Douglas Commercial) series of passenger airplanes that revolutionized air travel. During the World War II, Douglas manufacturing plants in Santa Monica, El Segundo, Long Beach, Chicago, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City produced more than 30,000 military planes and employed more than 160,000 workers. By the time of its merger with McDonnell Aircraft Corp. in 1967, the Douglas Company had delivered more than 43,000 commercial and military aircraft.
The Douglas DC-3 Monument Park is open and free to the public during daylight hours. Funding for the project came from the Douglas White Oaks Ranch Trust, which is administered by the Employees Community Fund of Boeing California; the City of Santa Monica; David Price, chairman of the Santa Monica Museum of Flying (search) and donor of the restored DC-3; and active and retired employees of the Douglas Aircraft Company, McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.
More information visit the website : http://www.macdacwestretirees.org/DC3Mon.html