![]() In 1952, Lou Gardner purchased Ford's residence and after building motel rooms around the residence, opened the Blue Sky Lodge in 1953. ![]() Ford built a residence near the Carmel Valley Village, where he lived for some time. In 1949, the State of California licensed the airport. All were in walking distance of the Airpark and decorated to resemble a Mexican village. It included an Airway Market (now the General Store), a barbershop named the "Clip Joint," and the Grapevine liquor Store. In 1946, Ford and Tirey developed the "Airway Village" that years later was renamed the Carmel Valley Village. After the war, the house was turned into a flying school subsidized by the federal government, which lasted until the Del Monte Aviation got underway in Monterey. Pilot Tommy Matthews built a hangar house, with living quarters above the hangar garage. ĭuring World War II, the airfield served to train pilots and as an alternative landing field for military planes flying out of Watsonville and King city. Dean Wolter ran a flying club at the airfield with a few members. He envisioned hillside homes where residents could view incoming planes. To suit their tastes, Ford created ranch style house sites of 1-3 acres. Non pilots bought up many of the Airpark homesites. Following the World War II Ford revived his dream of a residential airpark. As a result, the airport project was put on hold while Ford joined the Army Air Corps to aid in the US war effort. All private planes were banned from flying on the west coast. However, on the same day, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The grand opening of the airport was on December 7, 1941. Tirey later oiled 1,800 ft (550 m) of the runway. ![]() They planted the 2,400 ft (730 m) landing strip with African Kikuyu grass. Ford Jr., developed the airport for pilot owners who wanted to be “at home a minute or two after getting out of their planes.” Two hangar houses were built at the airport as well as a prototype hangar-house to serve as an example for the "airborne community of the future." Frank De Amaral did all the grading work at the airport. In 1940, Byington Ford and his brother, Tirey L. In the 1930s, the property was used for growing oats by bush pilots before the airport development. The Commission found that development of the airport was important as it represented the "first airpark in the United States and in the world." History The California Historical Resources Commission voted to nominate the "Carmel Valley Vintage Airpark" (CVVA) as a State Historic Resource. The airport was later called the Carmel Valley Vintage Airfield. ![]()
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