Airport Tours

Airport tours are booked on a first come, first serve basis. Tours are available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, between the hours of 9:00am and 4:00pm. To book your tour call (805) 964-7622. Allow at least two weeks advance to book tour. Tours are a free public service by the Santa Barbara Airport and are age appropriate. Our new center meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and is located at 45 Hartley Place. The Visitors Center features hands on aviation exhibits for kids of all ages. For more information or to book a tour please call.

Activities

The Airport Visitor Center hosts several local flying clubs on a monthly basis. Including the Ninety-Nines, EAA Chapter 527, Santa Barbara Radio Modelers and the Santa Barbara Flying Club. All of these clubs are open to the public. Interested parties can inquire about club dates and times by calling the Visitor's Center. Once a year the Visitor's Center hosts a GATE certified class on aviation for area 6th grade students. If you are an accelerated student in math and science and have a love for aviation this class is for you.

Our newest hands on exhibit is a wind tunnel, where students will fly a radio controlled aircraft in a wind tunnel. This identical exhibit is a copy of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum wind tunnel. It is the first one of its kind built outside the Smithsonian Institute. It will be available to the general public in September 2001.

The Airport Visitor's Center provides a local resource to teachers seeking curriculum from agencies including FAA, NASA, and the California DOT. Local teachers may contact the center to receive a current listing of relevant teaching materials and curriculums. The Visitor's Center boasts the South Coast's best video collection on aviation history, with over 200 videos!

History

45 Hartley Place has been used previously as the Airport Fire Station. It has housed City Fire Station 8 and County Fire Station 12. The bays that once housed fire trucks now house hands on exhibits on aviation. The Visitor's Center was originally one room located in the Airport Administration building. It has since grown to two classrooms, an exhibit hall, an office and a kitchen. The classrooms contain state of the art computers for use by the students, a flight simulator, and high-speed internet access for research.

Tour Personnel

Tim Lawton is the coordinator of the Airport Visitor's Center. He's been working with the Airport since 1989 and also coordinates the adopt-a-school program for Isla Vista Elementary School. The City of Santa Barbara has provided local school districts access to the Airport and its businesses through the Community Educator Liaison position. Tim conducts the local tours of the Airport, but also provides in-class visits and presentations on request. He holds a BA in education from Westmont College and a MA in education from Gordon-Conwell.