loading image

Happy Birthday SFO! The airport was dedicated on May 7, 1927. Hangar No. 1 was the first aircraft hangar at Mills Field, built in September 1927. Located 150 feet to the south of the administration building, lettering on the roof identified the airport from above, while an illuminated wind vane, rotating beacon, and an arrow pointing north provided weather and navigational information to approaching pilots. The airport site was not permanently secured, and to allow for disassembly and relocation, central attach points for the hangar’s steel frame were fastened with nuts and bolts rather than rivets. Three more hangars of similar size and construction were added in early 1928, and although they were conceived as temporary structures, Hangar No. 4 stood until 1999. This truss section from Hangar No. 4 is now on display in “Mills Field and the San Francisco Airport” located in the SkyTerrace. This image was posted on May 08, 2023.