Sacramento McClellan Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sacramento McClellan Airport
IATA: MCC ICAO: KMCC FAA LID: MCC
Summary
Airport type	Private
Owner	McClellan Park
Operator	McClellan Jet Services
Serves	Sacramento, California
Elevation AMSL	77 ft / 23 m
Website	flykmcc.com
Runway
Runway Length Surface ft m 16/34 10,599 3,231 Concrete
[[Helipad|]]
Number Length Surface ft m H1 57 17 Concrete H2 57 17 Concrete H3 57 17 Concrete H4 57 17 Concrete
Statistics (2004)
Aircraft operations 10,000 Based aircraft 84
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Sacramento McClellan Airport is a private airport located about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Sacramento, California. It is in Sacramento County, in the United States.

This airport used to be a military base called McClellan Air Force Base. It was a military site from 1939 to 2000. In 2000, it became part of McClellan Business Park. The airport is mainly used for general aviation, which means it's for private planes and smaller flights. Many groups use the airport today. These include Calstar, the California Department of Forestry, and the United States Coast Guard. Other users are Dassault Falcon, the United States Forest Service, and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

Airport History

The site of the airport first became an air force base in 1935. It was named after Major Hezekiah McClellan on December 1, 1939. Major McClellan was a brave pilot who tested planes in cold, arctic areas. He was born in 1894 and sadly died in a plane crash in 1936.

Building the Base

Construction of the Pacific Air Depot began in 1935. The main buildings were finished by April 18, 1938. These included offices, living areas for soldiers, storage buildings, and a hospital. In 1938, the base was renamed Sacramento Air Depot. It grew a lot to become a place where fighter planes like the P-38 and P-39 were fixed and updated.

World War II Efforts

In December 1941, soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor, many planes arrived. These included P-40s, Martin B-26 Marauder bombers, and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. They came to be armed and made ready for flights overseas. In March 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle's B-25 planes came to McClellan. They were prepared here for their famous Tokyo raid.

Cold War Operations

The base was renamed McClellan Air Force Base in 1948. It continued its job of fixing and updating aircraft during the Cold War. It was a key part of the Air Force Logistics Command. During the 1980s and early 1990s, McClellan was the main place for fixing and updating F-111 and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft.

What's at the Airport?

McClellan Airfield has one main runway made of concrete. It is very long, measuring about 10,600 feet (3,231 meters). The airport also has four concrete helipads for helicopters. Each helipad is 57 feet (17 meters) by 57 feet.

In the year leading up to April 10, 2004, the airport had 10,000 aircraft operations. This means about 27 flights happened each day. About 40% were military flights, 40% were air taxis, and 20% were general aviation flights. There are 84 aircraft based at this airport. Most of these are multi-engine planes and jets.

The Aerospace Museum of California is located at the north end of the airfield. It's a great place to learn about planes and space!

The Coast Guard's Role

The airport is also a home for the United States Coast Guard. Their facility here is called Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento. The Coast Guard does many important jobs from this base.

Their missions include search and rescue (SAR) operations, helping with law enforcement, and supporting navigation aids like lighthouses. They also carry out various military operations. Coast Guard helicopters from this station also fly to Coast Guard ships at sea.