The 1968 ‘birth’ of the Palmdale Intercontinental Airport

n June 27, 1968, the Antelope Valley Press bannered this spectacular headline:

Here is the historic story:

“Authority to issue $46 million in revenue bonds for land acquisition and first stage development of a major airport facility in the Palmdale area was requested yesterday by the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners.

The mammoth acquisition funding request was part of $410 million package request approved by the commission in its Wednesday morning meeting.

The huge project, which includes construction of new terminals, auto parking areas and roadways for Los Angeles and Ontario International Airports and acquisition of land for a new airport in the Palmdale area will be paid for by airport revenues, at no cost to the taxpayers, Louis Warshaw, commission president, stressed as he pointed out the urgent need to expedite the development program.”

According to our story, $46 million would be used for land acquisition and first stage development of a major airport facility in the Palmdale area, specifically designed to be operational in the late 1970s for supersonic and future generations of aircraft.

After the announcement of the intercontinental airport, William Pereira, the world-renowned architect who had designed Los Angeles International Airport, presented one of the most sensationally optimistic speeches ever delivered in the Antelope Valley.

In his enthusiastic presentation he predicted that Palmdale would become the second-largest city in the state and would be one of the four or five largest cities in the countr y.

Pereira said the airport would bring about an era of rapid growth that would give Palmdale a population of 2.5 million — one of the 20 largest cities in the world.

The airport story was the second blockbuster news break in 1968 for the Antelope Valley, which experienced a remarkable spring-forward year.

The Palmdale City Council has voted to work hard to locate the new Space Force branch in Palmdale.

It’s been suggested that the land, once acquired for the airport, could be used for the Space

Force facilities. On May 2, the headline was:

Valley Press all-caps, wood-type

(Wood type was literally made of hard wood and that day’s two-line banner was nearly 6 inches high.)

The secondar y deck headline was:

The Lockheed story announced that the company would assemble its wide-bodied jetliner, the L-1011 TriStar in an enormous new plant in Palmdale, just off the southwest corner of Air Force Plant 42.

Between 1968 and 1984, the massive program produced 250 aircraft and at peak production, had 9,000 people employed.

The Cheyenne was an Army helicopter. A prototype was built but the program never went into production. It was a victim of disinterest by the Army and Congress.

The two big announcements of the airport and the commercial airliner created a flurry of land speculation on the periphery of the 17,700-acres that the Department of Airports set out to purchase just east of Air Force Plant 42.

Speculators made hard-to-refuse offers to ranch owners in the vicinity, believing that the land would escalate in value in the years ahead.

The Department of Airports began acquisition of the land. It was an extremely complex effort to acquire hundreds of individually owned parcels.

Some of the owners lived halfway round the world. It took considerable detective work to find out who the properties belonged to, many of which had been inherited by new generations.

The department completed a relatively barebones Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and the state of California put its stamp of approval on the airport project.

But then, the Sierra Club, a Palmdale Homeowners Association, plus seven individuals filed a lawsuit with the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking revocation of federal site approval. The Department of Airports was subsequently named as a defendant in a suit as the airport opponents demanded a much more

dium. Add garlic, stirring constantly, and heat until opaque, about 1 minute. Add the minced olives and anchovies, if using. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until the oil is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour oil over eggplant. Add thyme or oregano and toss until evenly coated. Set aside and cool completely before using.

9. Lightly oil an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Working on a floured surface, roll dough into an 11-by-16-inch rectangle, then transfer it to the oiled baking sheet and press the dough to the sides. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.

10. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange eggplant slices evenly over dough, and scatter tomatoes and sliced olives on top. Drizzle any leftover oil from the bottom of the eggplant bowl on pizza.

11. Bake until edges and underside are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

12. Using a spoon, top with dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and basil leaves on top, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.