A Black pilot in a field that is almost 90% White, Carr was already a trailblazer in aviation before a 2006 shooting left him unable to use his legs. “Those are clearly outdated.”įor Hayward’s Quincy Carr, it’s a matter of pride. “We have facilities in Terminal 1 that were opened in 1962,” said Zatopek. Due to a lack of space in the airport, one airline had people queuing up outside this summer. “You probably have to go back to before World War II where you might identify Oakland as the dominant passenger airport,” said Goodwin.Īccording to Joan Zatopek, aviation planning and development manager for the Port of Oakland, that’s because the airport has not kept up with the needs of modern-day passengers, air traffic technology, or the highest seismic standards of the 21st century. (Oakland Tribune Archives)Īnd yet today, even with that storied history, few view the East Bay as an aviation hotspot. Amelia Earhart with her plane at the Oakland Airport on March 11, 1937. The Oakland Airport was the first in the region, the first in the country to open an airport hotel, a key base for military operations during World War II, and the departure point for numerous attempts at setting long-distance flight records - including Amelia Earhart’s ill-fated journey around the world. Of the original contestants, only two made it to Honolulu.īut that inauspicious beginning would nonetheless prove to be the start of a rich legacy of aviation innovation in the East Bay. Three of the planes immediately crashed or were forced to abort. Spectators lined the dirt runway at the Oakland Airport, cars parked behind them in tidy rows. They were contestants in a competition put on by wealthy businessman and pineapple magnate Sanford Dole, with a cash prize worth nearly half a million in today’s dollars going to the fastest pilot to make the flight. Ernie Smith and Emory Bronte take off from Oakland Airport Jon a Travelair monoplane for a 2,393 mile flight to Hawaii – the first single engine plane to make the flight. To understand the East Bay’s future potential for aviation, it’s important to understand aviation’s history here - one that stretches back almost a century to the morning of August 16, 1927, when eight planes lined up at the Oakland airfield to attempt the first transpacific flights from California to Hawaii. “There’s tremendous opportunity for growth and development.” “We are the closest airport to most of the 7.7 million people that live in the San Francisco Bay Area,” said John Albrecht, a manager of aviation marketing and communications with the Port of Oakland. Perhaps most importantly, it is well situated for the flight needs of a shifting Bay Area population. It is already a shipping hub, with major operations conducted by FedEx and UPS on site. The Oakland Airport has better weather and an easier approach for pilots than SFO. It’s an effort to tap into what many see as the airport’s potential to once again become a major player in the Bay Area. The plan, which is currently open to public comment, outlines dramatic changes for the airport - including the construction of a new 830,000-square-foot terminal building, upgrades to existing facilities, and the addition of 16 gates to “meet increasing air travel demand.” Last Wednesday, Oakland Airport officials published a draft environmental report outlining their plans for terminal modernization and development, an early step in a push to reimagine an airport that hasn’t seen significant upgrades in 40 years. When the Oakland International Airport announced plans for a major expansion last week, the potentially profound implications for the Bay Area may not have been obvious - it’s long operated in the shadow of major airline hubs in San Francisco and San Jose.īut in fact, the often-overlooked airport may finally be catching up to the major role that aviation has played in the East Bay - and that the East Bay has played in aviation.
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