Montgomery - Gibbs Executive Airport is a public airport in San Diego, California, United States, six miles (10 km) north of downtown San Diego. The airport covers 456acre and has three runways, one public and two private helipads. The runways are 28 Right/10 Left-28 Left/10 Right parallels and 5/23.OverviewThe field was named for John J. Montgomery, an aviation pioneer who in 1884-1886 made the first manned, controlled, heavier-than-air flights in the United States from Otay Mesa south of San Diego starting with a glider designed in 1883. and for William Gibbs 1910-2016 who founded the airport in 1940. Montgomery - Gibbs Executive Airport is one of the nation's busiest airports for small aircraft and has a number of flying clubs, flight schools, plus business turboprops and jets based there. The San Diego Fire Department bases aircraft there. King Schools, Inc. is based nearby and its aircraft are based at the airport. Since summer 2009, King Schools (in conjunction with Cessna) has been flight-testing the prototype Cessna 162 Skycatcher Light-Sport Aircraft at or around the airport. The airport was renamed Montgomery - Gibbs Executive Airport in 2016HistoryThe airport opened in July 1940 as "Gibbs Field" as an all-way clay and gravel surface airfield. During World War II, control of the airport was assumed by the United States Army Air Forces, which built three hard runways. It was called "Gibbs Auxiliary Field" and used as a support airfield for the contractor pilot school at Ryan Field, near Hemet. It also supported training activities at the United States Army Desert Training Center (DTC) in the Mojave Desert, and later as an auxiliary airfield for Lindbergh Field in San Diego. It was used presumably as an overflow airfield to store newly manufactured B-24 Liberator bombers and PBY Catalina amphibian aircraft made by Consolidated Aircraft.
