Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 2

42 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 IR TERMINAL- LISTER FIELD PLANNING FOR PROGRESS I n the shadow of Mount Rainier, situated on the highest slope of the Yakima Valley, the City of Yakima, Washington holds pride of place as county seat for Yakima County in a region noted for apple, wine, and hops production. It is a beautiful, lush area named after the original Yakama people. European settlers came when Lewis and Clark arrived in 1805 and the expedition established homesteaders on the rich fertile soil. A storied history of conflict and tenacity led to moving the entire city (which was then only 100 buildings) on rollers with horses, so as not to be bypassed by the Northern Pacific Railroad. The Yakima Air Terminal-McAllister Field (YKM) is located three miles south of Yakima and is owned and operated by the city. It traces its history back to 1939 as a Northwest Airlines site. The airport served as an air force base during World War II and over the years a variety of airlines have come and gone, including Howard Hughes Airline, Republic Air, Bonanza, Pacific, and many others. These days it sees twice daily