BajaNomad

Airport in Loreto

Warf - 9-8-2018 at 05:57 PM

Does anyone know the year the airport in Loreto was constructed and open for business? Thanks

David K - 9-8-2018 at 07:23 PM

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.

freediverbrian - 9-8-2018 at 09:30 PM

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.



David K - 9-9-2018 at 07:09 AM

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.

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).


Warf - 9-9-2018 at 07:15 AM

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?

David K - 9-9-2018 at 07:35 AM

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.

freediverbrian - 9-9-2018 at 08:19 AM

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.

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).







I don't think the run way was paved and the terminal was small. But was out of town in current location

paranewbi - 9-9-2018 at 09:13 AM

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 :o
If I remember correctly, the runway was asphalt and the terminal was a new palapa covered building (very small).

4x4abc - 9-9-2018 at 10:01 AM

David,

do you have an accurate location for the old Loreto strip?

David K - 9-9-2018 at 01:21 PM

Hi Harald, once we are moved and unpacked, I can show the aerial photos of it from Arnold Senterfitt's book.

ncampion - 9-10-2018 at 08:46 AM

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.