Rice Army Airfield (site)
USA /
Arizona /
Poston /
World
/ USA
/ Arizona
/ Poston
World / United States / California
airport, Second World War 1939-1945, military
According to the book "The Desert Training Center/CA-AZ Maneuver Area, 1942-44" (via Rick Jackson), the "Rice Municipal Airport" was acquired by the Army's IV Air Support Command in 1942, and was operational by 1942. This presumably means that it existed before WW2 as a civil airport. Its date of construction is unknown, but it was not depicted on a 1932 Los Angeles Airways Chart (courtesy of Scott O'Donnell).
Rice Army Airfield was a subbase of Thermal Army Airfield. The airfield consisted of two paved 5,000' runways and numerous dispersal pads extending off the runways to the south. In order to house the more than 3,000 men, the Army constructed barracks & dormitories.
Rice AAF was described in the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer) as having 5,500' runways. The 1944 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) depicted Rice AAF as an active military airfield. By 1944, the airfield was assigned to March Field as a subbase.
According to a history of the Fourth Air Force (courtesy of Francis Blake), operations at Rice Field were ended by 8/2/44, and the field was declared surplus on 10/31/44.
The Rice airfield was not depicted at all on the February 1949 LA Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy). Apparently, the Rice airfield was reused starting at some point in 1949 as a civilian airport, as that is how it was depicted on the 1949 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton). Rice was described as having a 6,100' hard-surface runway.
Bob Howe reported, "My grandfather ran a small flight school there. After WW2 he (the Revered Gilbert Howe) taught missionaries to fly. I found out about Rice Field while listening to an old recording. In this tape, he mentioned taking over a hangar from the military."
Rice was depicted as an active public-use airfield on the March 1952 San Diego Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). The chart depicted Rice as having a 5,000' paved runway. The status of the Rice airfield evidently changed to a private airfield at some point between 1952-55, as that is how it was depicted on the September 1955 San Diego Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). The Rice Airport was evidently abandoned (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1955-58, as it was no longer depicted at all on the March 1958 LA Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_SanBernardino...
Rice Army Airfield was a subbase of Thermal Army Airfield. The airfield consisted of two paved 5,000' runways and numerous dispersal pads extending off the runways to the south. In order to house the more than 3,000 men, the Army constructed barracks & dormitories.
Rice AAF was described in the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer) as having 5,500' runways. The 1944 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss) depicted Rice AAF as an active military airfield. By 1944, the airfield was assigned to March Field as a subbase.
According to a history of the Fourth Air Force (courtesy of Francis Blake), operations at Rice Field were ended by 8/2/44, and the field was declared surplus on 10/31/44.
The Rice airfield was not depicted at all on the February 1949 LA Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy). Apparently, the Rice airfield was reused starting at some point in 1949 as a civilian airport, as that is how it was depicted on the 1949 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton). Rice was described as having a 6,100' hard-surface runway.
Bob Howe reported, "My grandfather ran a small flight school there. After WW2 he (the Revered Gilbert Howe) taught missionaries to fly. I found out about Rice Field while listening to an old recording. In this tape, he mentioned taking over a hangar from the military."
Rice was depicted as an active public-use airfield on the March 1952 San Diego Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). The chart depicted Rice as having a 5,000' paved runway. The status of the Rice airfield evidently changed to a private airfield at some point between 1952-55, as that is how it was depicted on the September 1955 San Diego Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). The Rice Airport was evidently abandoned (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1955-58, as it was no longer depicted at all on the March 1958 LA Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_SanBernardino...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_Army_Airfield
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Coordinates: 34°3'56"N 114°48'48"W
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