California State Military
DepartmentCalifornia State Military
DepartmentDuring World War II, the mission of Chico AAF changed to that of air defense; primarily intercepting Japanese balloon bombs. Chico AAF also became a Combat Crew Training Station for fighter squadrons preparing to deploy and an unmanned emergency landing field.
Research indicated that the only improvements made by the U.S. Army at the former Vina Auxiliary Field was a 3,000-foot by 3,000-foot paved landing mat, a cras This allowed for student pilots and disabled aircraft to safely land from any direction. The 1944 directory of U.S. Army and Navy airfields indicated that there were no services at the Site.
On 20 November 1946 the Site was transferred
to the War Assets Administration (WAA) for disposal. The WAA transferred
the Site to the Farm Credit Administration's Federal Land Bank
of Berkeley who later deeded the Site to the County of Tehama
for use as a municipal airport. The Site is now in privare hands.
This airfield was evidently built during WW2 as one of 5 satellite airfields used by Chico Army Airfield (11 miles to the southeast), which was used to train fighter & bomber pilots. The date of construction of this airfield is unknown. It is presumed that it was not a pre-WW2 civilian airport, but rather was built by the military during the Second World War. Chico AAF itself was used starting in 1942.
The configuration of the Chico Aux #3 airfield consisted of a rectangular paved “landing mat”. The rectangular shape of the mats permitted aircraft to land in any direction, eliminating the possibility of a crosswind. Some were reportedly camouflaged with painted homes & streets.
Strangely, it was not depicted at all on the Sacramento Sectional Chart from 1943, 1944, 1948, or 1949, so it was evidently abandoned by the military at some point prior to 1949.
"Chico Aux #3" was evidently reopened as a civil airfield at some point between 1949-54, as it was depicted as a civil field on the March 1954 USAF Sacramento Sectional Chart and described as having a 3,000' hard-surface runway.
Chico Aux #3 was still depicted on the 1957 Sacramento Sectional Chart.
The 1969 USGS topo map depicted the landing mat, labeled as "US Auxiliary Airfield".
The 1980 USGS topo map also still depicted the landing mat, labeled as "US Auxiliary Airfield".
It was still listed in the 2003 Airport Facility Directory as a private airfield, the Deer Creek Ranch Airport, although it is not depicted at all on the 2003 Sectional Chart. According to the 2003 Airport/Facility Directory, one single-engine airplane is based at the field.
The site of the airfield is located southeast of the intersection of Reed Orchard Road & Leininger Road, three miles east of the town of Vina.
Posted 27 October 2007