Era II
After a devastating flood destroyed the original Riverside Airport in 1938, pilots relocated downstream to what would become Flabob Airport, where Flavio Madariaga and Bob Bogen built a thriving aviation community by hand. Over the following decades, Flabob became a nationally recognized center for homebuilt aircraft, aerobatics, and aviation innovation, attracting legendary builders, pilots, and pioneers.
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The original Riverside Airport was destroyed in the 1938 flood.
- Pilots relocated slightly downstream to the present-day Flabob site.
- A Civil Air Patrol squadron was established there as World War II approached.
1943-1984
Built by Vision—and Resourcefulness
- In 1943, Flavio Madariaga and Bob Bogen purchased the airstrip, launching a new era.
- Madariaga, a jack of all trades and pilot, transformed the airport through repurposing items.
- He traded an airplane and flying lessons for the oak crates that held the tanks that Patton used to train troops in the desert. The oak was used to build hangars.
- He salvaged buildings from March Field.
- He built much of the airport by hand.
A Name Takes Hold
- In 1925 The Riverside civilian airport was established.
- In 1940 The Riverside Arlington municipal airport was established.
- In the 1940s, emergency crews went to the wrong Riverside airport so Madariaga and Bogen combined their names to create Fla-Bob which is now Flabob.
A Center for Aviation Innovation
Flabob became a hub for builders, pilots, and designers:
- Ray Stits – pioneer of homebuilt aircraft, founder of EAA Chapter 1.
- Lou Stolp – creator of the Starduster; a light-sport aircraft for homebuilders.
- Ed Marquart – designer of classic homebuilt aircraft
- Art Scholl – Educator and stunt pilot.
- Frank Tallman – Stunt pilot and aerial coordinator for the movies.
- The field saw major milestones:
- The world’s smallest airplane (Ray Stits)
- The first solar-powered aircraft (Solar Riser)
- Early aerobatic aircraft that shaped modern competition flying.
1953
The Birth of EAA Chapter 1
- In 1953, Paul Poberezny invited Ray Stits to join the new Experimental Aircraft Association; Stits proposed local chapters—and founded Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 1 at Flabob
A Community That Has Endured
- Flabob became known as a “little guy’s” airport:
- Home to antiques, homebuilts, and family aircraft.
- A place where knowledge was shared and passed down.
- After Madariaga’s death in 1984, the airport faced an uncertain future:
- Economic pressures threatened its survival.
- Pilots began leaving for more stable airport.
Explore Our History in Eras
How a small dirt airfield became one of Southern California’s most unique aviation communities.
Era I: 1917-1937
After the closure of March Field in 1923, Riverside’s aviation spirit lived on through a rough new civilian airfield west of the Santa Ana River. Led by barnstormer Roman Warren, the airport quickly became a center for daring flights, flight instruction, and the growing excitement surrounding early aviation.
Era III: 2000-Present
In 2000, Tom Wathen saved Flabob Airport from redevelopment and transformed it into a center for aviation education, preservation, and hands-on learning through the Tom Wathen Center. Today, Flabob continues to inspire future pilots, mechanics, engineers, and aviation enthusiasts through youth programs, schools, restoration projects, and a thriving community built around the spirit of flight.
Flabob's Full History
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