South Valley Regional Airport is a public airport located in West Jordan, seven miles (11 km) southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah. Established as a Utah World War II army airfield, it is the primary general aviation airport in the area and is a Utah Army National Guard training base with Apache and Blackhawk helicopters. Leading Edge Aviation is the single Fixed Based Operator (FBO) onsite: the FBO and Alta Aircraft Maintenance operate maintenance facilities, and the FBO and Utah Helicopter Flight Academy operate flight schools.HistoryOn 10 February 1942, the United States district engineer (Colonel E. G. Thomas) recommended a "5,450-acre dry farming area in Kearns" for an inland Army training site. For one of "the eight new technical training installations rushed into operation" during 1942-3, a Kearns, Utah "plot of 1,405 acres was purchased". The Kearns Center military unit was activated (designated) 1 May 1942, and "a contract for a theater of operations cantonment was let" on 16 June 1942. "Basic Training Center No. 5" began operations on 17 July and opened on 20 July under Training Command. A "Denver and Rio Grande Western" spur was built to the installation's railroad station, and by 21 August all barracks were complete. "Upon completion of their basic training most of the pre-aviation cadets sent to one of the many college operated under the supervision of the Army Air. The 510th Training Group and three technical school squadrons (1032d, 1033d, and 1034th) were assigned to Kearns on 10 September 1942, and Kearns' commander, Colonel Leo F. Post, arrived by September 12. Construction was completed in October 1942 and Kearns' "basic military training and technical training" continued until 30 September 1943.
