Santa Paula Airport thriving after devastating flood

Two years after floodwaters ravaged the Santa Paula Airport (KSZP), the local flying and non-flying communities are once again enjoying all that this quaint little airport has to offer. Ironically, the airport--long a haven for antique airplanes and those who restore and fly them--got its start because of a flood. Following the flood of 1928, several local pilot-ranchers purchased land along the Santa Clara River. The privately owned, public use airport was officially dedicated in 1930, and except for a few scares over the decades, river and airport had peacefully coexisted--until February 2005. According to Airport Association President, Rowena Mason, “In the initial weeks after our runway washed out to sea, the future of the airport remained a huge question mark. But a lot of wonderful people came together and worked extremely hard to get our airport fully operational again.” It took local pilots, community leaders, and Governmental agencies on local, State, and Federal levels first to re-open the airport for restricted use, then to implement a massive backfill and repair project. The last stages of restoration were completed in December 2006. Remarkably, the majority of airport businesses managed to stay afloat during the entire ordeal.Weather permitting, the airport continues to host an open house on the first Sunday of each month, complete with docent tours of a chain of hangars that make up the Santa Paula Airport Museum. The airport restaurant still serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. And 100LL is available at the above-ground fuel island. Future plans include the construction of a new hangar complex on the East end of the field.