Tehachapi Airport and Gliderport

Tehachapi Airport and Gliderport. . On February 16, 1914 Silas Christofferson made the first flight over the Tehachapi range above Tehachapi at an “altitude of 800 feet and was in plain view of the mountain folk who turned out in large numbers to see him pass.” There was another sighting in the Tehachapi skies in 1918 when three military planes flew over, mapping an aerial route for the United States Mail., A landing field was first discussed at the Board of Trustees meeting in 1921 and a field was actually established in 1927. The Chamber of Commerce arranged with the County Road Department to grade land owned by the Ramina Corporation for a landing field. The County Road Department provided signals and other equipment for the field. The airport provided a convenience for pilots flying over the valley but the Chamber hoped it would bring more prominence to the area. , An effort was made in 1934 to get the county to lease or buy the airport site from the Ramina Corporation but it wasn’t until some time later that it became part of the County airport system, known as the Kern County Airport #4. In 1980 the City of Tehachapi accepted the transfer of the airport from the County of Kern, and the airport became the Tehachapi Airport. , In 1959 pilot Fred Harris, selected the Tehachapi Valley as a perfect location to open the Holiday Soaring School. It was one of only two commercial soaring operations in the United States. In the early 1960s under a contract with NASA, Harris helped develop a prototype for the modern hang-glider. He also worked with the astronaut program, training men such as Neil Armstrong and Edward Aldrin in the art of free soaring through space, a part of their training before the historic moon flights. The glider port, known as Mountain Valley Airport, is located just southeast of Tehachapi.