Burbank Airport, even older

Ron Dickson, who writes about the aviation history of the San Fernando Valley, sends along this photo of the terminal and tower at Burbank before Lockheed took over and stucco-ized the structure. It was known from 1930-34 as United Terminal.

I have been in the attic and have seen the original 1930 building with it's cast eagles with the initials "UA" in it's claws, standing first for "United Airport" (1930-34) and then for "Union Airport" (1934-42). Lockheed purchased the property for the war production and testing effort in 1942 and named the facility "Lockheed Air Terminal" and they put the stucco shell around the old terminal building. We used to be able to walk up the same concrete steps that Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes, Bob Hope and all the others once used, but now they have a ramp installed over them.

Here is yesterday's post with a photo of the terminal in 1959. Here's my aviation category at The Valley Observed, which is suffering from serious time-crunched neglect on my part.