Zamperini Field
Coordinates: 33°48′12″N 118°20′23″W / 33.80333°N 118.33972°W
| Zamperini Field | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| FAA airport diagram | |||
| IATA: TOA – ICAO: KTOA – FAA LID: TOA | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | City of Torrance | ||
| Location | Torrance, California | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 103 ft / 31 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 11L/29R | 5,000 | 1,524 | Asphalt/Concrete |
| 11R/29L | 3,000 | 914 | Asphalt/Concrete |
| Helipads | |||
| Number | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| HI | 110 | 34 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2005) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 173,027 | ||
| Based aircraft | 499 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
Zamperini Field (IATA: TOA, ICAO: KTOA, FAA LID: TOA) is a city-owned public-use airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Torrance, in Los Angeles County, California, United States.[1]
The airport, one of the busiest general aviation airports in the state and once known as Torrance Municipal Airport, was renamed in honor of local sports and war hero Louis Zamperini.
Contents |
[edit] Facilities and aircraft
Zamperini Field covers an area of 506 acres (205 ha) which contains two asphalt and concrete paved runways: 11L/29R measuring 5,000 x 150 ft (1,524 x 46 m) and 11R/29L measuring 3,000 x 75 ft (914 x 23 m). It also contain one asphalt paved helipad measuring 110 x 110 ft (34 x 34 m).[1]
For the 12-month period ending May 31, 2005, the airport had 173,027 aircraft operations, an average of 474 per day: 99% general aviation, 1% military and <1% air taxi. There are 499 aircraft based at this airport: 89% single-engine, 8% multi-engine, 2% helicopter and <1% glider.[1]
[edit] Terminal
Zamperini Field has a small terminal building equipped with a vending machine, conference room, bathroom, and flight planning room. Also, there is an outside patio which has small tables. Inside the main room of the terminal are historical papers related to the airport on the wall, and a security post.
[edit] Helicopter operations
The helipad for a neighboring hospital, the Torrance Medical Center, is located at the north-west corner of the Zamperini Field airfield.
[edit] Manufacturing
Zamperini Field is the home of Robinson Helicopter Company. Their entire production, assembly, and testing facilities are located on the southeast side of the airfield, and are the largest buildings at the airport.
[edit] Museum
Zamperini Field is the new home of the Western Museum of Flight, which was previously in Hawthorne, California.
[edit] Accidents and incidents
- The Aeroméxico Flight 498 or Cerritos air disaster happened in 1986, when a private Piper Cherokee owned by William Kramer en route from Torrance to Big Bear City Airport near Big Bear Lake collided with a Douglas DC-9 owned by Aeroméxico en route from various Mexican cities to Los Angeles International Airport. Both planes crashed, causing all of the people on both planes to die and some residents in Cerritos to die or sustain injuries.
[edit] History
The airport was built by the United States Army Air Force about 1942, and was known as Lomita Flight Strip. It was an emergency landing airfield for military aircraft on training flights. It was closed after World War II, and was turned over for local government use by the War Assets Administration (WAA).
[edit] References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
[edit] External links
- Zamperini Field page at city website
- Zamperini Field (unofficial information site)
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 12 January 2012
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KTOA
- ASN accident history for TOA
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures
