San Luis Obispo Airport History (Guide)

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (IATA: SBP, ICAO: KSBP) was initially constructed in 1939 and used by the U.S. military for the period between 1939 and 1945.
The airport was established by Earl Thomson together with his brothers-in-law, William "Chris" and David Hoover. By that time, it was just a 27- by 39-meter hangar with the dirt runways.
Later, in 1939 the airport started being used by the U.S. Army Air Corps to hold the Civilian Pilot Training Program for armed services fliers. In 1943, the airbase begun being used as a training center for the Pacific Fleet. However, in 1946, the airport was returned to civilian use. The first airlines that began to operate through the airport was Southwest Airways. However, the airline ended its aircraft operations in 1956 due to the runway being too short for larger aircraft.
San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport had no flight scheduled for the period between 1956 and 1969 until Swift Aire Lines began its flights from the airport as it claimed it its hub spot.
In 1987, the airport was dedicated as McChesney Field, to honor a pilot Leroy E. McChesney, who has been leaving in the county since 1920.
In 1988, after the control tower was constructed, several airlines began flying commuter turboprops. Later, in October 2015, the new terminal was built to replace the former one as it could not face the passenger traffic effectively enough. That new terminal was expected to attract more service to the airport and newcomers to the country.

Guide to the airport

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (IATA: SBP, ICAO: KSBP) is a civil airport located near San Luis Obispo, or SLO, the city located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.
Three airlines are currently operating through the airport, providing flights to five domestic destinations: Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Seattle.
The airport has two operating runways: the runway 11/29 which is 1.859 meters long and the runway 7/25 which is only 762 meters long.
The terminal of the airport is located 64.5 meters above sea level.
The overall area of the airport is approximately 138 hectares.
The new terminal was built to replace the former one and was officially opened on November 1, 2017. The new terminal allowed to increase the capacity from 450.000 up to 1.2 million passengers per year.
Among the additional facilities hosted by the airport, there are numerous FBO's as Air San Luis, ACI Jet Center, SunWest Aviation, and Aerocademy, parking spots for general aviation aircraft, and aircraft rentals and flight schools.
The current busiest routes from SBP are Phoenix-Sky Harbor, Arizona; San Francisco, California; Los Angeles, California; Seattle/Tacoma, Washington; Denver, Colorado.

San Luis Obispo, California, is regarded as of the state's oldest communities. In was founded in 1772 by Spanish Franciscan Junípero Serra. The city is currently the county seat of San Luis Obispo County.
The city is located about 50 kilometers away from Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County. The total area of the town reaches 33.5 square kilometers, 33.1 square kilometers of which is covered by land, while the rest, which happens to be 0.39 kilometers, is covered by water.
The city lies at the West Coast of the United States and the Central part of the California State. Meanwhile, the Pacific Ocean is about 18 kilometers west of San Luis Obispo, the Santa Lucia Mountains, which happens to be a 169-kilometer mountain range, are situated east of San Luis Obispo.
San Luis Obispo Creek has its headwaters at the Santa Lucia Mountains and surrounds the city until it flows to the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach.
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is considered the center of the city, as the whole downtown area was built around that sight. There is a home for eclectic shops, restaurants, shopping centers, etc. That area might also be an excellent place for students, visitors, or residents as there is plenty of space for hiking, running, surfing, windsurfing, kayaking, diving, and sailing.
Among the famous local landmarks, the one may highlight the Madonna Inn, which is a renowned motel built by Alex Madonna in 1958.
The Fremont Theater is another place worth visiting, as it is one of the oldest old cinemas in the state opened in 1942, on the day when the United States entered World War II.
Another highlight of the city is the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival which is a six-day annual event when the contemporary and classic films are being shown for a broad audience at the Fremont Theatre or the Palm Theater. The second theatre, in turn, was constructed back in 1975.
San Luis Obispo has been home to several other events like the Tour of California bicycle race, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, an annual Mozart festival, held every July, the Olympic Flame Relay, a long-standing Christmas Parade and many more. For instance, the city hosts the beer tasting of over 200 craft beers at the Madonna Hotel during the annual California Festival of Beers. Moreover, Edna Valley, located south of the city, might be a great place to visit for wine-lovers, as it is a famous wine region that offers wine degustation.

Full information

Transfers

SLO Transit provides rides from the airport to the city downtown on a constant basis. The fare for the service is usually $1.50 for the bus transfer, $0.75 for the disabled passengers, and free of charge for children and VIP customers. The passes might be obtained as well, the cost starts from $5.50 for a regional daily pass and might reach $38.00 for a 31-day regular pass.
Phone: +1 (805) 541-2877
SLOTransit.org

Terminal

The terminal building of San Luis Obispo County Airport covers a 138-hectare area. It has two asphalt runways: 11/29 that is 1.859-meters long and 7/25 that is 762-meters long.
The current terminal was constructed to replace the former terminal. That new terminal has a newly-constructed check-in counters, security screening, a post-security food stand, a pet relief area, waiting areas, all-glass jet bridges, etc.
The expected capacity of the new terminal is 1.200.000 passengers per year.

Visa Regulation

The council of the United States requires everyone entering the country to issue a visa in the first place if needed. However, a Visa Waiver Program, valid on the territory of the United States since 1988, allows the citizens of some countries to come to the United States for no longer than 90 days without issuing a visa.
Those countries are Australia,

Metro

San Luis Obispo is one of the Southern Pacific Railroad stations, and it was constructed in 1942. The station is built in a Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style.
The station is fully equipped with the ticketing counters, checked baggage areas, and waiting area as well.