Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 2

23 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 Today, Dunsmuir is renowned as a hub for tourism in Northern California, partly because Interstate 5 passes through the city. “We also have the best water on earth,” says Blake Michaelsen, Acting City Manager of Dunsmuir. “It truly is. The water delivered to the greater Dunsmuir area is pure spring water, straight from a mountain spring to the tap with no chemicals or filtration.” This exceptional water has long been bottled and sold, originally as Shasta Water, and now Castle Rock Water. Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott Airport is conveniently located three miles north of the City of Dunsmuir, and ten miles south of Mt. Shasta, in the southernmost portion of Siskiyou County in northern California near the Oregon border. Built and operated by Siskiyou County in the 1930s, the airport originated as an unpaved emergency landing facility for civilian airlines. In 1946, Bert Hawkins became the first Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at the Airport. Over the years several other FBOs have operated, currently there is no one filling the role but the opportunity is available. “The airport itself is mainly used for firefighting operations and emergency operations for the California Forest Fire Service,” Michaelsen reports. “There are a few recreational flyers who use the airport, and we also have people who come for the fly fishing and outdoor recreation. There are also fantastic restaurants and hotels. So, there is a lot that draws people in.” Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott Airport is still used as an emergency landing facility, but as Michaelsen points out, it is mainly used by the Forest Service. There are 10 home-based GA aircraft on the property, which covers 126 acres at an elevation of 3,258 feet. It has one runway, 14/32, which is 2,700 by 60 ft. and is classified as a small aircraft, utility airport that is adequate for small (under 12,500 pounds at takeoff) aircraft operations. Because it lacks an instrument approach due to obstructions from the surrounding terrain, aircraft operations at the Airport are restricted to daytime only. The two general aviation areas DUNSMUI R MUNI C I PAL -MOTT A I RPORT at Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott are connected by a partial parallel taxiway (Taxiway A). The northeast area is accessed from the land side via the formal airport access drive and is comprised of four smaller privately-owned hangars, a large city-owned hangar, and an aircraft tiedown apron. “It’s a pretty bare-bones operation,” according to Todd Juhasz, former City Manager. “The airport sells no fuel, and its abundant amount of prime acreage lacks water and sewer lines, which makes the land, as yet, unsuitable for development. We’ve had various plans that have been put together, including a potential hub for