Jantzen Beach Seaplane Base

Last updated
Jantzen Beach Seaplane Base
Summary
Owner/Operator Jantzen Beach
Amusement Park
Location Hayden Island,
Portland, Oregon
Opened 1946
Closed 1981
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
ftm
5,2801,609water
3,000914gravel

Jantzen Beach Seaplane Base was a private seaplane base and airport located on Hayden Island in Portland, Oregon. It featured a mile long landing area on the Columbia River and a 3,000 foot by 300 foot gravel runway. The park was owned and operated by the Jantzen Beach Amusement Park. When the park was converted into the Jantzen Beach SuperCenter the seaplane base and airport were removed.

Seaplane airplane with an undercarriage capable of operating from water surfaces

A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are in a subclass called amphibious aircraft. Seaplanes and amphibians are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteristics: floatplanes and flying boats; the latter are generally far larger and can carry far more. These aircraft were sometimes called hydroplanes, but currently this term applies instead to motor-powered watercraft that use the technique of hydrodynamic lift to skim the surface of water when running at speed.

Seaplane base airport with water runways and piers and/or ramps for seaplanes and amphibious aircraft

A seaplane base is a type of airport that is located in a body of water, usually a river, bay, harbor, or lake, where seaplanes and amphibious aircraft take-off and land.

Airport location where aircraft take off and land

An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports often have facilities to store and maintain aircraft, and a control tower. An airport consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off or a helipad, and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control towers, hangars and terminals. Larger airports may have airport aprons, taxiway bridges, air traffic control centres, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency services. In some countries, the US in particular, they also typically have one or more fixed-base operators, serving general aviation.

History

C. R. Zehtbaur, vice-president of the Jantzen Beach Amusement Park, announced in 1946 that his business entered a long-term lease for a one-mile strip along the Columbia River. The park graded a 3,000 by 300 foot runway and built hangars, a ramp, a salesroom and a clubhouse. The cost of the seaport was estimated at US$500,000 (US$6,274,744 adjusted for inflation). Gary Safley, who was a retired United States Naval Aviator, joined the seaport staff as the clubhouse flight instructor. The runway complied with the Civil Aeronautics Authority's class two guidelines. [1] Western Skyways began offering flight instruction at the seaplane base in 1947. [2]

Jantzen Beach Amusement Park

Jantzen Beach Amusement Park was a popular amusement park from 1928 to 1970 in Portland, Oregon, on Hayden Island in the middle of the Columbia River. "The Coney Island of the West" opened on May 26, 1928 as the largest amusement park in the nation, covering over 123 acres (50 ha) at the northern tip of Portland.

Columbia River River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and then south into the US state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven US states and a Canadian province. The fourth-largest river in the United States by volume, the Columbia has the greatest flow of any North American river entering the Pacific.

Runway Area of surface used by aircraft to takeoff from and land on

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface.

In 1963, the Oregon Department of Aviation unanimously denied a proposal to expand the seaplane base into a combined airport on a man-made island on the Columbia River. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Air Transport Association of America, the Port of Portland and Portland General Electric objected to the proposal, citing safety as the concern. [3]

Oregon Department of Aviation

The Oregon Department of Aviation is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon chiefly responsible for matters relating to the continuing development of aviation as part of the state's transportation system, and the safety of its airways. In addition to operating the 28 airports owned by the State of Oregon, the department licenses more than 450 public or private airports, heliports and landing areas, and registers all pilots and non-military aircraft based within the state. Its activities include overseeing aviation system planning, providing administrative and technical support for community airport planning and development, administering an airport pavement maintenance program, providing small community aviation grants, and conducting aviation and public education programs.

Federal Aviation Administration United States Government agency dedicated to civil aviation matters

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a governmental body of the United States with powers to regulate all aspects of civil aviation in that nation as well as over its surrounding international waters. Its powers include the construction and operation of airports, air traffic management, the certification of personnel and aircraft, and the protection of U.S. assets during the launch or re-entry of commercial space vehicles. Powers over neighboring international waters were delegated to the FAA by authority of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Port of Portland (Oregon) Port district in Portland, Oregon, USA

The Port of Portland is the port district responsible for overseeing Portland International Airport, general aviation, and marine activities in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area in the United States, established in 1891 by the 16th Oregon Legislative Assembly. The current incarnation was created by the 1970 legislature, combining the original Port with the Portland Commission of Public Docks, a city agency dating from 1910.

Related Research Articles

Portland International Airport airport in Portland, Oregon, United States

Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon that accounts for 90% of passenger air travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah County, 6 miles by air and 12 mi (19 km) by highway northeast of downtown Portland. Portland International Airport is often referred to by its IATA airport code, PDX. The airport covers 3,000 acres of land.

Floyd Bennett Field historic former airport in Brooklyn, New York City

Floyd Bennett Field is an airfield in the Marine Park neighborhood of southeast Brooklyn in New York City, along the shore of Jamaica Bay. The airport originally hosted commercial and general aviation traffic before being used as a naval air station. Bennett Field is currently part of the Gateway National Recreation Area's Jamaica Bay Unit, and is managed by the National Park Service (NPS). While no longer used as an operational commercial, military, or general aviation airfield, a section is still used as a helicopter base by the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

Vanport, Oregon Former city destroyed by flood in Oregon, United States

Vanport, sometimes referred to as Vanport City or Kaiserville, was a hastily constructed city of wartime public housing in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States, between the contemporary Portland city boundary and the Columbia River. It is currently the site of Delta Park and the Portland International Raceway.

Portland–Troutdale Airport airport in Oregon, United States of America

Portland–Troutdale Airport is a public use airport located 10 nautical miles east of the central business district of Portland, in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. Also known as Troutdale Airport, it is located in Troutdale. It is one of four airports in the Portland metropolitan area owned and operated by the Port of Portland. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a regional general aviation facility.

Hillsboro Airport airport in Oregon, United States of America

Hillsboro Airport, also known as Portland–Hillsboro Airport, is the name of a corporate, general aviation and flight-training airport serving the city of Hillsboro, in Washington County, Oregon, USA. It is one of three airports in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area owned and operated by the Port of Portland. Established in 1928, it is Oregon's second busiest airport at over 200,000 operations annually.

Hayden Island, Portland, Oregon Neighborhood in Portland, Oregon, United States

Hayden Island is an island in the Columbia River between Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The wide main channel of the Columbia passes north of the island. To the south, sheltered by the island, is a smaller channel known as North Portland Harbor. Much of Hayden Island is within Portland city limits, and recognized as one of its 95 neighborhoods.

Lotus Isle former amusement park in Portland, Oregon, United States

Lotus Isle Amusement Park was an amusement park that operated from 1930 to 1932 on Tomahawk Island in Portland, Oregon. Known as the "Wonderland of the Pacific Northwest", Lotus Isle was located just east of the more successful Jantzen Beach amusement park. Lotus Isle spread out over 128 acres (0.52 km2) and at the time was Portland's largest amusement park.

Columbia Gorge Regional Airport airport in Dallesport, United States of America

Columbia Gorge Regional Airport, also referred to as The Dalles Municipal Airport, is a public use airport in Klickitat County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located near Dallesport, Washington and two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the city of The Dalles in the state of Oregon. The airport is jointly owned by the city of The Dalles and Klickitat County. It is adjacent to the Columbia River, near the east end of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.

Grove Field is a public airport located three miles (5 km) north of the central business district of Camas, a city in Clark County, Washington, United States. It is located near Lacamas Lake which has a seaplane base. Due to the closing of Evergreen Field, many aircraft have moved to Grove Field.

Swan Island Municipal Airport airport in Oregon, United States of America

The Swan Island Municipal Airport was a joint civil-military airport that was operational in the Overlook neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. It opened officially in 1927, but the United States Postal Service had been using the field for a year. After the Portland–Columbia Super Airport was completed in the late 1930s, Swan Island Municipal Airport had little use since its runways were too small for newer aircraft and the low altitude made it difficult to land and take-off. It was operational for nearly two decades, but due in part to the advances in aviation, the airport became obsolete soon after its construction. During World War II, a Kaiser shipyard was located at Swan Island. The shipbuilding facilities were acquired by the Port of Portland after the war.

Jantzen Beach Center

Jantzen Beach Center is an outdoor shopping mall located in Portland, Oregon, on Hayden Island in the Columbia River, known as Jantzen Beach SuperCenter from 1996 until about 2012. Opened in 1972 as an indoor mall, sometimes known informally as Jantzen Beach Mall, it was largely torn down in 1995–96 for big box development. The remaining enclosed portion included Ross Dress for Less, Burlington Coat Factory and Target as its anchor stores until April 2012, when renovation work began. A new one-story Target store was constructed on the property over the site of a former Barnes & Noble bookstore and restaurant, opening in October 2012.

Newport Municipal Airport (Oregon) airport in Oregon, United States of America

Newport Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) south of the central business district of Newport, a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.

Scappoose Industrial Airpark airport in Oregon, United States of America

Scappoose Industrial Airpark is a public use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) northeast of the central business district of Scappoose, in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It is owned and operated by the Port of Columbia County, an Oregon port district and municipal corporation, on behalf of district residents. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, it is categorized as a general aviation airport.

Apple Valley Airport (Oregon) airport in Oregon, United States of America

Apple Valley Airport is a private airport located one mile southeast of Buxton in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Built in 1994 by a Portland TV personality, the subsequent owners have pushed to expand operations at the airport. Near U.S. 26 west of the Portland metropolitan area, the 2,470 feet (750 m) long turf airstrip is used for agricultural operations.

Olinger Strip airport in Oregon, United States of America

Olinger Strip Airport is a private airport located 3 miles west of Hillsboro in Washington County, Oregon, USA. Located in the unincorporated community of Leisyville, the air strip is a single, 2,000-foot (610 m) long runway with houses running the length of the field on the north of the strip.

Pearson Field municipal airport in Vancouver, Washington

Pearson Field also once known as Pearson Airpark, is a city-owned municipal airport located one mile (2 km) southeast of the central business district of Vancouver, a city in Clark County, Washington, United States.

Tourist sternwheelers of Oregon list of sternwheelers of Oregon used in tourism

Since the early 1980s, several non-steam-powered sternwheel riverboats have been built and operated on major waterways in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, as river cruise ships used for tourism. Although configured as sternwheelers, they are not paddle steamers, but rather are motor vessels that are only replicas of paddle steamers. They are powered instead by diesel engines. The Lurdine was, when launched in 1983, "the first passenger-carrying sternwheeler in decades to [operate] on the Columbia River". In the case of the 1983-built M.V. Columbia Gorge, the construction and operation of a tourist sternwheeler was led by local government officials who viewed the idea as potentially being a major tourist attraction, giving an economic boost to their area, Cascade Locks, Oregon.

Jantzen Beach Carousel

The Jantzen Beach Carousel, also known as the C. W. Parker Four-Row Park Carousel, is a carousel formerly installed at Portland, Oregon's Jantzen Beach, in the United States.

References

  1. "Resort plans air-sea port". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. 31 March 1946. p. 20.
  2. "Concern rents seaplane base". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. 6 January 1947. p. 21.
  3. "State board denies plea for seaplane island base". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. 19 November 1963. p. 12.