Marin County Airport or Gnoss Field, formerly O56, is a public airport two miles northeast of Novato. The airport covers 90acre and has one runway and one helipad.Most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, but Marin County Airport/Gnoss Field is DVO to the FAA and NOT to the IATA (which assigned DVO to Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City, Philippines).There was a plan unveiled in 2014 to extend the length of Gnoss' runway by 1100', to 4400'. The FAA's final recommendation in 2016 called for a significant reduction to this extension, to only 300 feet, which would make Runway 31/13 3600 feet once completed. Public commentary, especially from aviators, was negative toward this proposal. Many pilots contended that the FAA has underestimated the level of activity at Gnoss Field.HistoryThe airport was opened by the Wright family just after World War II to serve the thousands of ex-military pilots expected to be flying after the war.The Wrights original privately owned airport had a dirt runway and was just west of the current airport, in what is now a grassy field. The last vestiges of the Wright airport buildings burned in a grass fire about 2005.In 1968 the County of Marin bought the airport and moved it to its present location.
