Williams Gateway, The Hidden Airport

Back in the day when the Mister and I were newlyweds growing cotton instead of communities, we used to spend a lot of time at Williams Air Force Base. We had a lot of friends in the military, the Mister loved talking with his hands to the young pilots about aerobatic maneuvers (ever watch two pilots talk? the hands become instant aircraft knifing through the air with the accompanying exclamation "there I was!"), and we dragged strollers to every air show they put on out there. We were somewhat distressed when "Willie" was put on the base closures list (whatever are they thinking?! there is no other pilot training base with more days of good weather for flying than this one!), but since we weren't asked for our opinion, they closed the base for military training.

Fast forward to today. Many of my neighbors have a vague perception of an airport "out there" but don't really give it much thought unless they see a huge airplane landing there. Williams Gateway has gone through several fits and starts: should it be a reliever airport, what about education, industrial expansion, who will pay for what? Things seem to be coming together these days; I posted yesterday on ASU East, which has a large portion of the facilities. There are flight training schools, aircraft maintenance facilities, air ambulances based there, and many other uses. Of course, the Mister and the Water Expert park their Cirrus there, so we often notice when new enterprises arise at the field.

In short, there are many dreams and aspirations for Williams Gateway by the policy-makers of our town. I think of it as a diamond in the rough, full of potential that is as yet untapped. The Mister reminds me that the airport at Ontario CA was originally not thought to be worth much, but today it is a bustling hub of economic activity. What will Williams Gateway look like in ten years? Who knows?

Here's one possibility for the future, though. Because of its military background, the runways are big enough for the Airbus; there is plenty of land around the runways for facilities, and when the San Tan Freeway comes through, that will provide easier access to Gateway. Intriguing.