Pearson Airfield

In 1905, Lincoln Beachery made the first aerial crossing of the Columbia River in the dirigible Gelatine and landed on an open grassy field between the river and Vancouver Barracks. This landing was the beginning of the end for the barracks polo field and was the first of many milestones in aviation history that would be associated with Pearson Airfield.

Named in 1924 for Lt. Alexander Pearson, a local pilot who won the first cross-country air race and was the first to make an aerial survey of the Grand Canyon, Pearson is one of the oldest operating airfields in the country. The first airplane landed in 1911, and by World War I the airfield was a major contributor to the Allied war effort with its spruce mill churning out wood airplane components. The Army Air Service was based at Pearson between 1923 and 1941.

During the Golden Age of Flight, Pearson was a stopover for the first flight around the world and the first transpolar flight. One of its early commanders was the first to make the transcontinental flight.

After World War II the Army classified Pearson Airfield as surplus and sold it to the City of Vancouver, who then sold about half the land to the National Park Service. The airfield was to have closed in 2002, but at the urging of local aviation interests, the Park Service and the city reached an agreement in 1994 for its continued operation.

Today Pearson Airfield is part of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. The Pearson Air Museum and Jack Murdock Aviation Center feature interpretive displays of aviation history and hands-on exhibits of flight mechanics. Pearson has 150 hangars and continues its aviation legacy as a popular spot with recreational pilots.