Chofu Airport

Chōfu Airport 調布飛行場 Chōfu Hikōjō
IATA: none – ICAO: RJTF
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Location		Chōfu, Tokyo
Elevation AMSL		139 ft / 42 m
Coordinates		35°40′18″N 139°31′41″E
Map
RJTF Location in Japan
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
17/35	800	2,625	Asphalt concrete
Source: Japanese AIP at AIS Japan

Chofu Airport (調布飛行場, Chōfu Hikōjō) (ICAO: RJTF) is an airport located 1.2 NM (2.2 km; 1.4 mi) northwest Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, west of central Tokyo. It is administered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The airport's main commercial activity is New Central Airlines commuter flights to the islands south of Tokyo.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
New Central Airlines	Oshima, Niijima, Kouzushima

History

Used as an Imperial Japanese Army Air Force base during World War II, the airfield was equipped with Ki-61 Tony fighters used for air defense against USAAF B-29 Superfortress attacks. Occupied after the war by American forces, the airport was briefly used as a photo-reconnaissance airfield by P-51D Mustang (F-6) aircraft of the 6th and 71st Reconnaissance Groups beginning in late September 1945, mapping the extent of wartime damage over Honshū. The mapping flights ended in January 1946, ending operational military use by the Americans.

The United States Air Force saw no need for the facility, especially given it's proximity to the densely populated urban area. It was turned over to the Occupation Government in 1946, eventually being returned to Japanese control.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links

• Chofu (in Japanese) Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan) Tokyo Civil Aviation Bureau
• Chōfu Hikōjō Mondai (in Japanese)
• Malibu.jp web site describes the fliers club and on airport "Propeller Cafe" (Japanese).