A restoration of the historic terminal building at Lone Pine/Death Valley Airport (O26) in California is nearing completion, thanks to a grant from the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF).
Friends of Lone Pine Airport (FLPA) used the grant for materials for the project. FLPA and RAF volunteers have been working on the restoration for months, with FLPA’s Anna Montgomery reporting the task is almost complete.
“It’s such a great model — the volunteer labor and donations make the dollars go so much farther,“ Montgomery said.
Inyo County replaced the leaking roof in 2024 and FLPA and RAF volunteers began exterior restoration, investing hundreds of hours patching and repairing damage, priming and painting.
The RAF grant, applied for by RAF California Liaison Katerina Barilov, was used for work on the interior.
The pilot lounge has a new tongue and groove ceiling, refinished floors, and vintage lighting.
Volunteers also repainted walls, installed a new toilet and fixtures in the bathroom, and refurbished the kitchen, which visiting pilots are welcome to use, according to officials.
“The RAF grant and their collaboration made this project possible. It was so empowering to take something that clearly had meaning and history and make it shine again. Many thanks to all the volunteers, their donations of time and materials, and their hard work. A special thanks to Brian Forbes, who did a tremendous job on the skilled carpentry and for donating the vintage lights. Also a special thank you to Banks Glass for their incredible donation of windows and expertise,” Montgomery said.
This was the second RAF-supported project at Lone Pine. In 2022, a RAF grant helped the airport add new flushing toilets and enclosed restrooms with running water.
The airport has fuel and is considered a gateway to backcountry airstrips in the region.
For more information: TheRAF.org, FriendsOfLonePineAirport.org
A WW2 training field. It was the closest field to Manzanar, one of the concentration camps for Japanese Americans in 1942.
I flew Twin Bonanzas for BofA into Lone Pine in the late 60’s. Can’t remember if that building was there then. Great memories and better aviation experiences.