About the Airport

The Heber Valley Airport has been part of the Valley community since 1947.

Heber City acquired land for an airport in 1946 and in 1947, local residents formed the Heber Valley Flying Service, Inc., on the property, with Russell McDonald as chief flight instructor, head mechanic, and general manager. Most of the company’s customers were World War II veterans learning to fly on the GI Bill.

The first major improvement to the airport came in 1949, when Heber City received money from the Federal Aviation Funding (then the Civil Aeronautics Authority) program. The runway was extended to 4,400 feet and paved. The taxiway, access road, and aircraft parking areas were also paved. These improvements officially placed the airport in the federal National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS).

In January 1952, Heber City acquired the airport hangar. The Heber Valley Flying Service ceased operations but activity at the airport continued with private airplanes and gliders. In 1956, the airport once again had a full-time fixed-base operation (FBO). The current FBO on the field is OK3 AIR.

Gliders and sailplanes have been at the airport since 1955; Soar Utah has been a full-time summer operation since 1991.

The most recent improvement done to the airport was in 2015, in order to update the runway pavement. The airport can now accommodate most corporate jet aircraft. Today there are 54 hangars and over 100 planes on the field.

About Russ McDonald

Russell McDonald was one of the founders of the Heber Valley Flying Service, and the company’s chief flight instructor, head mechanic, and general manager. Russ went to work for United Airlines as a pilot, retiring in 1987 after 36 years of service. Until his death, Russ owned a Pitts S-2 Biplane and a P-51 Mustang, both of which he flew at the Heber Valley Airport. In 1996, the airport became known as Heber Valley Airport – Russ McDonald Field. He was honored by Heber City for his work in getting the airport started in 1947, for being a partner in the first fixed base operation on the field, and for continuous flying since 1944.