Warf
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Airport in Loreto
Does anyone know the year the airport in Loreto was constructed and open for business? Thanks
La Pazadise
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David K
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My airport books are packed at the moment, but from memory late 70s?
The previous years was a dirt runway north of town and one on the south used by Ed Tabor for his Flying Sportsman Lodge.
If Skeet was posting still, he could tell you from memory of flying his plane there.
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freediverbrian
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I took a flight out of Loreto airport in 1972 (?) .I remember because it was a big deal in town the first flight between Baja city's. It was a hopper
flight from Tijuana to Loreto to La Pax . All of the town's important people were there to see it. We wanted a flight to TJ but we got a flight to La
Paz back to Loreto and then to TJ.
I was about 13 traveling with my Dad we drove a Chevy Impala to Loreto for a friend to use as a taxi.It was over Christmas break took us 7 days to
get to Loreto from so cal.
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David K
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Quote: Originally posted by freediverbrian  | I took a flight out of Loreto airport in 1972 (?) .I remember because it was a big deal in town the first flight between Baja city's. It was a hopper
flight from Tijuana to Loreto to La Pax . All of the town's important people were there to see it. We wanted a flight to TJ but we got a flight to La
Paz back to Loreto and then to TJ.
I was about 13 traveling with my Dad we drove a Chevy Impala to Loreto for a friend to use as a taxi.It was over Christmas break took us 7 days to
get to Loreto from so cal.
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Do you recall if the runway at Loreto was dirt or paved?
A few towns in Baja with dirt runways had air service in the 60s and 70s from a couple of airlines (Guerrero Negro, Santa Rosalia at San Lucas Cove,
San Felipe's Playa Blanca runway, also Mulegé and Bahía de los Angeles were served by Francisco Muñoz' Baja Air Service).
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Warf
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Thanks for the replies. '72 or '73 seems likely as the Carretera was completed in '73. Does anyone have any photos of Loreto around that time?
La Pazadise
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David K
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I stayed at the Playas de Loreto hotel in July 1973, the airport then was dirt and just north of town, along with the one by Flying Sportsman Lodge.
The highway was completed and opened on Dec. 1, 1973. The paving north from La Paz had reached Loreto around 1970, however.
Here is the July 1971 Baja Map:
Airport symbols on this map look like a T. See one on the north side of Loreto.
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freediverbrian
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| Quote: Originally posted by David K | | Quote: Originally posted by freediverbrian | I took a flight out of Loreto airport in 1972 (?) .I remember because it was a big deal in town the first flight between Baja city's. It was a hopper
flight from Tijuana to Loreto to La Pax . All of the town's important people were there to see it. We wanted a flight to TJ but we got a flight to La
Paz back to Loreto and then to TJ.
I was about 13 traveling with my Dad we drove a Chevy Impala to Loreto for a friend to use as a taxi.It was over Christmas break took us 7 days to
get to Loreto from so cal.
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Do you recall if the runway at Loreto was dirt or paved?
A few towns in Baja with dirt runways had air service in the 60s and 70s from a couple of airlines (Guerrero Negro, Santa Rosalia at San Lucas Cove,
San Felipe's Playa Blanca runway, also Mulegé and Bahía de los Angeles were served by Francisco Muñoz' Baja Air Service).
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I don't think the run way was paved and the terminal was small. But was out of town in current location
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paranewbi
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I flew in (1980?) on a jet out of TJ. It was a promotional thing and a combo flight with a hotel package for 3 days stay. If I recall it was a grand
opening of a new large hotel and it was Thanksgiving while we were there. They had nine tables set up Thanksgiving night with food from eight
different Mexican states and one for a turkey with all the fixens'.
We rented a VW bug from a business owned by an American couple and the morning after Thanksgiving I went out to the VW to find a fender damaged. The
damage had black paint on it, the same color as the cop car parked next to the VW 
If I remember correctly, the runway was asphalt and the terminal was a new palapa covered building (very small).
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4x4abc
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David,
do you have an accurate location for the old Loreto strip?
Harald Pietschmann
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David K
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Hi Harald, once we are moved and unpacked, I can show the aerial photos of it from Arnold Senterfitt's book.
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ncampion
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The farthest back I know of is summer of 79 when my brother flew down in a twin engine prop plane to visit us on our sailboat. The runway was paved
then and the terminal was the old palapa that is now the general aviation terminal. It was jet capable then as we later got a ride on a private Lear
jet back to the US to renew our visa.
Living Large in Loreto. Off-grid and happy.
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