When Isaac Van Nuys built the first wood frame house in the San Fernando Valley back in 1872, he could not have imagined that his name would be synonymous with a bustling population area. Where he saw wheat fields and pasture land, now there are some 150,000 people and all the features of a 21st century San Fernando Valley town. Plus, of course, one of the busiest airports in the world.
Industry has long been important to Van Nuys. Once the home of a major manufacturing facility for Chevrolet, Van Nuys now hosts an Anheuser-Busch Brewery, Home Depot, and other large employers. The town is also the location of the San Fernando Valley Administration Center which provides municipal, county, state, and federal government services for the Valley population.
For almost a 80 years, the Van Nuys Airport (VNY) has been a center of activity in the town. From a small field in the 1920's it has grown to be the world's busiest general aviation airport. No commercial flights come here, yet private and chartered aircraft flights account for nearly a half million takeoffs and landings a year.
In the early days, Van Nuys Airport served barnstormers and intrepid airmen – and women – who sought flying records. They included:
• A men’s solo endurance record of 37 hours, by Herbert Fahy, in 1929.
• A women’s endurance record of 42 hours, by Elinor Smith and Bobbi Trout, in 1929.
• A women’s speed record of 196 mph, by Florence “Pancho” Barnes, in 1930.
Just about 20 miles north of the Los Angeles Airport (LAX), the airport was a favorite of several Hollywood stars. Gene Autry, Cecil B. DeMille, and Howard Hughes were among the celebrities who flew here. The airport has become increasingly popular as it offers both convenience and a measure of anonymity for celebrities and politicians. And for those who need to fly out of LAX, the Flyaway Bus Service offers non-stop service between VNY and LAX.
Van Nuys Airport has a film-friendly policy that aims to keep film production at "home" in Lost Angeles. From Casablanca to the TV show 24, the airport has been part of many films and TV shows over the years. The 1980's action-espionage series Airwolf used the VNY hangars as the site of "Santini Air," the charter air service operated by Dominic Santini and played by Ernest Borgnine. Even during the war years of the 1940's when the airport was a defense-manufacturing center, the entertainment industry discovered a young woman there on an aircraft assembly line. Her name would be Marilyn Monroe.
The airport is not only about movies and takeoffs and landings; the 730 acres of VNY are home to 100 businesses plus a 27-hole golf course. Los Angeles police, fire, and water and power helicopters have hangars and maintenance facilities here. The Los Angeles schools have an aviation mechanics school where future airframe and power plant mechanics get their training.
A 1960's guided tour program opened the doors of the airport to the local community for a journey through aviation past and present. VNY continues to offer tours today, giving about 10,000 adults and children a close-up look at the airport each year. And for those who can't get enough of airplanes, a public observation area adjacent to the east side of the airfield features permanent displays, special children’s exhibits and a continuous live broadcast of air traffic controllers in the airport’s control tower.
We hope you've enjoyed this stop on our continuing San Fernando Valley tour. Happy landings!
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