Riverview Airport (site) (Needles, California)

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Now a residential area, this was once the site of Rivreview Airport.

According to a list of Southern California Airports, Riverview Airport was established in 1946. It was presumably built as a replacement airport for the town of Needles, after the town's pre-WW2 Needles Municipal Airport (4 miles south of the town) was taken over during WW2 as Needles Army Airfield.

The earliest depiction to Riverview Airport which has been located was on the February 1947 Los Angeles Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). The February 1949 Los Angeles Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) described Riverview as having a 2,700' unpaved runway.

The 1950 USGS topo map (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Riverview Airport as being located adjacent to the west side of Route 95, one mile south of Needles. It was depicted as having two runways (oriented northwest/southeast & northeast/southwest), a connecting taxiway, and several small buildings (hangars?) in between the road & the northeast side of the airfield.

The 1963 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) described "Needles Riverview" as having two gravel runways: 2,600' Runway 2/20 & 2,300' Runway 14/32. The airport was listed as offering hangars, tiedowns, minor repairs, and charters. The operator was listed as Aileen Wilson, a Piper dealer.

The 1964 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Riverview as having two dirt runways: 2,665' Runway 2/20 & 2,300' Runway 14/32. A cluster of three buildings was depicted along the east side of the field.

Riverview Airport apparently closed at some point between 1964-65, as it was no longer depicted at all on the August 1965 LA Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy) or on the 1969 USGS topo map. It was presumably closed due to competition from the larger facilities at Needles Municipal Airport (to the south).

By the time of the 1975 USGS topo map, the former airport had been replaced by several new residential streets.

However, the two buildings in the northeast corner of the photo (along the west side of Route 95) appeared to be the same buildings depicted in the 1950 USGS topo map of the airport, and apparently were former hangars.

www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Airfields_CA_SanBernardino...