Hollywood Burbank Airport

The airport has been named United Airport (1930–1934), Union Air Terminal (1934–1940), Lockheed Air Terminal (1940–1967), Hollywood–Burbank Airport (1967–1978), Burbank–Glendale–Pasadena Airport (1978–2003), and Bob Hope Airport (since 2003 as the legal name).[2] In 2017 it was rebranded as Hollywood Burbank Airport due to the lack of recognition of Bob Hope Airport's geographic region.[2][3]

United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UA&T) was a holding company created in 1928 that included Boeing Aircraft and United Air Lines, itself a holding company for a collection of small airlines that continued to operate under their own names. One of these airlines was Pacific Air Transport (PAT), which Boeing had acquired because of PAT's west coast mail contract in January 1928.[7] UA&T sought a site for a new airport for PAT and found one in Burbank. UA&T had the benefit of surveys that the Aeronautics Department of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce had conducted starting in 1926 to identify potential airport sites.[8]

It took UA&T a year and the cooperation of the city to assemble the site.[9] The 234-acre (0.95 km²) site was rife with vines and trees and the ground had to be filled and leveled, but it had good drainage, a firm landing surface, steady winds, and good access to ground transport.[10] Construction was completed in just seven months. In an age when few aircraft had brakes and many had a tail skid instead of a wheel, runways were not usually paved; those at Burbank had a 5-inch-thick (130 mm) mixture of oil and sand. There were no taxi strips, but the designers left room for them. Two of the runways were over 3,600 feet (1,100 m) long; a third was 2,900 feet (880 m); all were 300 feet (91 m) wide. These were generous dimensions, and the site had room for expansion.[11]

External image
Aerial view of the Union Air Terminal Building at Burbank Airport, August 1935 [looking SE]

United Airport was dedicated amid much festivity (including an air show) on Memorial Day weekend (May 30 – June 1), 1930. The airport and its handsome Spanish Revival-style terminal was a showy competitor to nearby Grand Central Airport in Glendale, which was then Los Angeles' main airline terminal. The new Burbank facility was actually the largest commercial airport in the Los Angeles area until it was eclipsed in 1946 by the Los Angeles Airport in Westchester when that facility (formerly Mines Field, then Los Angeles Municipal Airport) commenced scheduled airline operations.

The Burbank facility remained United Airport until 1934 when it was renamed Union Air Terminal. The name change came the same year that Federal anti-trust actions caused United Aircraft and Transport to dissolve, which took effect September 26, 1934. The Union Air Terminal moniker stuck until Lockheed bought the airport in 1940 and renamed it Lockheed Air Terminal.

In March 1939 sixteen airline departures a day were scheduled out of Burbank: eight on United Airlines, five on Western Airlines and three on TWA (American Airlines' three departures were still at Glendale).[12] Commercial air traffic continued even while Lockheed's extensive factories supplied the war effort and developed military and civil aircraft into the mid-1960s. The April 1957 OAG lists nine weekday departures on Western, six on United, six on Pacific Air Lines, one on TWA and one on American Airlines (a nonstop to Chicago Midway Airport). Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) had 48 Douglas DC-4 departures a week to SFO and SAN (PSA did not fly out of LAX until 1958).[13] In 1958, Oakland-based Transocean Air Lines was operating Lockheed Constellation propliner service three times a week nonstop to Honolulu as well as a Constellation flight operated twice a week on a round trip routing of Oakland - Burbank - Chicago Midway Airport - New York Idlewild Airport (now JFK Airport) - Hartford.[14] By the summer of 1962, PSA was operating all of its nonstop flights to San Francisco and San Diego with new Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop aircraft with a combined total of 32 departures a week from Burbank.[15]

Pacific Southwest Lockheed L-188 Electra, 1962

Jet service arrived at Burbank during the late 1960s with Pacific Air Lines operating Boeing 727-100s nonstop to Las Vegas and San Francisco as well one-stop direct to Eureka/Arcata. Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) flew from Burbank to the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego with 727s, and Hughes Airwest (previously Air West) flew Douglas DC-9-10s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s nonstop to Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver with one-stop DC-9s to Houston Hobby Airport. Hughes Airwest even operated one-stop DC-9 jet service to Grand Canyon National Park Airport near the south rim of the Grand Canyon. In 1986 United Airlines Boeing 767-200s flew nonstop to Chicago O'Hare Airport; the wide body 767 was the largest passenger airliner ever to serve Burbank. AirCal McDonnell Douglas MD-80s flew nonstop to the Bay Area and direct to Lake Tahoe.

In 1967 Lockheed renamed the facility Hollywood-Burbank Airport. In 1970 Continental Airlines began Boeing 727-200 flights to Portland and Seattle via San Jose and also flew the short hop to Ontario. Continental later offered flights to Chicago via Ontario. Continental went on to serve Denver with nonstop Boeing 727-200s from BUR. Alaska Airlines began serving Burbank in 1981 with Boeing 727-100s and 727-200s flying nonstop and direct to Seattle and Portland, which was Alaska Air's first service to southern California.[16] Aloha Airlines pioneered nonstop jet service from BUR to Hawaii, flying Boeing 737-700s to Honolulu before ceasing all passenger operations.

A 1973 decision by the United States Supreme Court in City of Burbank v. Lockheed Air Terminal, Inc. overturned an airport curfew imposed by the city of Burbank on flights between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am under the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause on the grounds that airports were subject to federal oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration and under the terms of the Noise Control Act of 1972.[17] The airport now has a strict voluntary noise abatement procedure to reduce noise of aircraft arriving and departing from the airport. Commercial flights are scheduled between the hours of 7:00 am and 10:00 pm, all departing flights take off to the south on runway 15, and all arriving flights land on runway 8.[18]

The facility remained Hollywood-Burbank Airport for more than a decade until 1978 when Lockheed sold it to the Burbank–Glendale–Pasadena Airport Authority. The airport then got its fifth name: Burbank–Glendale–Pasadena Airport (1978–2003). On November 6, 2003, the airport authority voted to change the name to Bob Hope Airport in honor of comedian Bob Hope, a longtime resident of nearby Toluca Lake, who had died earlier that year and who had kept his personal airplane at the airfield.[19] The new name was unveiled on December 17, 2003, on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight in 1903, the year that Bob Hope was born.

After much debate between the Airport Authority, the city of Burbank, the Transportation Security Administration, and Burbank residents, in November 2007 it was decided that a new $8-million to $10-million baggage screening facility for Terminal B is legal, considering the anti-growth limitations placed on the airport. The facility will house a $2.5-million explosive detection system, used for the automatic detection of explosives within checked luggage. However, the facility is still in the early planning phases.[20]

On June 27, 2014, a $112 million Regional Transportation Center opened. The 520,000-square-foot center at Hollywood Way and Empire Avenue was also built to withstand a major earthquake while serving as an emergency "nerve center." The industrial-looking hub with a red steel roof will be adorned by 16, three-story art panels. Solar panels generating 1.5 megawatts of electricity will also be added to its roof. A nearby parking garage was built to handle more than 1,000 cars, while traffic lights have been reworked around the airport.[21]

View of tower from open gangway, 2015

Hollywood Burbank Airport covers 555 acres (224 ha) at an elevation of 778 feet (237 m) above sea level. It has two asphalt runways: 15/33 is 6,886 by 150 feet (2,099 x 46 m) and 8/26 is 5,802 by 150 feet (1,768 x 46 m).[4] Airliners generally take off on Runway 15 due to wind from the south, and land crosswind on Runway 8 since that is the only runway with ILS and clear terrain for the approach. Flights from the northeast sometimes land visually on Runway 15 to save the extra distance circling to Runway 8. When the wind is from the north airliners often make a visual left-base approach to Runway 33, with a left turn close to the airport.[24]

In the year ending September 30, 2018, the airport had 133,669 operations, average 366 per day: 43% general aviation, 40% scheduled commercial, 17% air taxi, and <1% military. In October 2018, 91 aircraft were then based at this airport: 38 jet, 28 single-engine, 16 multi-engine, and 9 helicopter.[4]

Ground transportation

Passenger drop-off zone

Hollywood Burbank Airport can be reached using the Hollywood Way exit off Interstate 5, the Hollywood Way (westbound) or Pass Avenue (eastbound) exit off State Route 134, or the Victory Boulevard exit off State Route 170. Car and pedestrian access to the terminal is provided at either Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue or on Empire Avenue one block west of Hollywood Way. On-site parking consists of valet parking, short-term parking, and Parking Lots D and E. Remote Parking Lot A is located at Hollywood Way and Winona Avenue. Remote Parking Lot B is located on Hollywood Way north of Burton Avenue. Remote Parking Lot C is located on Thornton Avenue west of Ontario Street. Shuttle buses are provided from Parking Lots A, B, C, and D to the terminal buildings. A shuttle stop is also located at the corner of Hollywood Way and Thornton Avenue.[1]

Lyft, Uber, and Wingz all use the passenger drop-off location[25] in front of the main terminal for departing travelers—and arrivals use the adjacent Short Term Parking structure directly opposite the terminal.

There are two bus stop areas: Hollywood Way-Thornton Avenue (a short walk east of Terminal A) and Empire Avenue/Intermodal, a short walk south of Terminal B next to the train station. All Burbank-bound lines serve the Downtown Burbank Metrolink station.

Amtrak's Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink's Ventura County Line serve the Burbank Airport–South station located south of the airport. The train station is a short quarter mile walk from the terminal area, and a free shuttle bus with luggage racks connects the terminals and the train station. From this station, the Ventura County Line provides access to downtown Los Angeles and Ventura County; Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner provides access to San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, downtown Los Angeles, Anaheim, and San Diego.

Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line stops at the Burbank Airport–North station located about 1 mile north of the terminal near the intersection of San Fernando Boulevard and Hollywood Way, and a free shuttle bus takes passengers to the terminal.[26] From this station, the Antelope Valley Line provides access to downtown Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley.

Hollywood Burbank Airport was initially built for smaller aircraft; as a consequence, it has one of the smallest commercially used runways in the United States. The result is a challenging landing for even the most experienced pilots.

• On September 21, 1938, USAAC Chief Maj. Gen. Oscar Westover was killed in the crash of Northrop A-17AS, 36-349, c/n 289, '1', out of Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., in a crosswind short of the runway. The single-engined attack design, used as a high-speed staff transport, crashed into a house at 1007 Scott Road in Burbank. Also killed was Westover's mechanic, S/Sgt Samuel Hymes.[41] (Another source identifies him as Sgt. Samuel Hyne.)[42] Northeast Air Base, Massachusetts, was renamed Westover Field on December 1, 1939, later Westover AFB on January 13, 1948.[43] The location of the crash may indicate that Gen. Westover's intended landing field was not Hollywood Burbank Airport (then Union Air Terminal), but a nearby landing field, Lockheed Aircraft Company Plant B-1 Airfield (34.189°N, 118.331°W), 1 mile southeast of Hollywood Burbank Airport, which existed from ca. 1928 until World War II. The site is now (2020) the Empire Center Shopping Center, with a Staples, Lowe's, and Target where the runway had been.
• On August 6, 1945, leading U.S. fighter ace Richard Bong was killed when his plane's primary fuel pump malfunctioned during takeoff on the acceptance flight of P-80A 44-85048. Bong either forgot to switch to the auxiliary fuel pump, or for some reason was unable to do so. Bong bailed out of the aircraft but was too low for his parachute to deploy. The plane crashed into a narrow field at Oxnard St & Satsuma Ave, North Hollywood.
• On October 31, 1951, a Pacific Southwest DC-3 crashed shortly after take-off into Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery, immediately south of the airport. Though damaged, the fuselage remained intact and there were only very minor injuries.
• On September 8, 1955, Currey Air Transport Flight 24, a Douglas DC-3 bound for Oakland, crashed on the airport property while returning to the airfield after experiencing an engine failure shortly after takeoff. The plane, N74663, struck a power line on the southern boundary of the airport, causing it to crash into two parked Air Force C-54 aircraft and a Lockheed Aircraft service hangar. The pilot, co-pilot and an airport employee on the ground were killed; the plane's stewardess and one passenger were seriously injured. The remaining 29 passengers on board received minor injuries.
• On December 14, 1962, a Flying Tiger Line Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation freighter (N6913C) crashed in dense fog 1-1/2 miles west of the airport during an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Runway 07. The Constellation clipped a telephone pole and billboard and crashed in an industrial and residential neighborhood near the intersection of Lankershim Boulevard and Vose Street in North Hollywood after the aircraft's 38-year-old pilot suffered a heart attack at a critical point in the landing approach. All five occupants of the Constellation—the pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and two non-revenue passengers—died in the crash. Also killed were two persons in a commercial building and a teen-age girl in a house that were among the structures struck by the plane.
• On December 5, 1982, Douglas C-53 N163E operated by P. Crossman was damaged beyond repair in a taxiing accident.[44]
• On March 5, 2000, Southwest Airlines Flight 1455, upon landing on Runway 8 at Burbank following a flight from Las Vegas, overran the runway, injuring 44. The Boeing 737 crashed through a metal blast barrier at the end of the runway, then an airport perimeter fence, and came to rest in the traffic lanes of Hollywood Way, a main north–south thoroughfare. The plane stopped near a Chevron gasoline station located across the street from the runway. The incident resulted in the dismissal of the pilots. The Chevron gasoline station was subsequently closed and removed due to safety concerns.
• On September 21, 2005, JetBlue Flight 292 took off from Burbank, and the nose gear failed to retract and instead jammed sideways. The aircraft spent several hours in the air before safely making an emergency landing at LAX, with 140 passengers and 6 crew members aboard. The Airbus A320 was originally bound for JFK International Airport, in New York City. After the aircraft took off, the incident was quickly captured by news helicopters which ran feed that was shown live nationally on cable news. Many passengers on the flight said they watched images of their own aircraft's flight on JetBlue's LiveTV system.
• On October 13, 2006, a Gulfstream Aerospace jet overran the runway upon landing.[45] There were no reported injuries amongst the five passengers and two crew members. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was on board, enroute to attend the funeral of teammate Cory Lidle. Rodriguez was uninjured, but the accident happened two days after the fatal plane crash of his teammate.
• On December 6, 2018, Southwest Airlines Flight 278 from Oakland overran the runway in heavy rain. The flight was stopped by the EMAS installed following the similar Southwest Airlines Flight 1455 incident in 2000.[46]

• California World War II Army Airfields
• List of airports in California
•  This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hollywood Burbank Airport.

• Hollywood Burbank Airport, official site
• Elevate BUR, official replacement terminal site
• Burbank Airport at Burbank.com
• Aerial image as of March 2004 from USGS The National Map
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective January 28, 2021
• FAA Terminal Procedures for BUR, effective January 28, 2021

• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KBUR
  • ASN accident history for BUR
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBUR
  • FAA current BUR delay information
• AC-U-KWIK information for KBUR