Fresno Chandler Executive Airport
An important general aviation airport serving California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Situated in California’s San Joaquin Valley just 1½ miles west of downtown Fresno, Fresno Chandler Executive Airport was once the city’s airline facility and only publicly owned airport. Today commercial airline service is now provided at the city-owned Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
Fresno Chandler Executive Airport
Background
Initial Use
Following World War I, there were no real facilities for aviation in the Fresno area. As a result, husband and wife Wilber F. Chandler and Edna Maria Goble allowed pilots to take off and land in their fields once the crops were harvested. Chandler Field was officially dedicated for public use as an air field in November 1929, on a one hundred-acre site donated by the Chandlers.
Notable Events
- In 1923, local fliers organized the "World's Greatest Aerial Circus" to raise funds for a new aviation field. The event included races, parachute jumps and dual wing walking, and was held at "Chandler Field" in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day.
- On March 23, 1930, Charles A. Lindberg and his wife landed briefly at the airport and were greeted by a crowd of 20,000.
- In 1938, the runway was expanded 4,000 feet as part of a WPA project. However, in 1947, commercial airlines announced the new airfield was too small for the new commercial aircraft. Therefore, Fresno Air Terminal east of the city became the new municipal airport.
