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Trinity Center Business Supporters Pflueger's Custom Aircraft Panels Scott Museum These businesses proudly support TCPA

Trinity Center Airport is located in the community of Trinity Center in the scenic northern portion of the County and lies adjacent to the Trinity Alps Wilderness and Trinity Lake. Trinity Center Airport is the most active airport in the county.

Trinity Center enjoys a small year-round population (many of whom are pilots), that increases during the summer vacation months. Local attractions include camping and hiking, mountain biking, boating, house boating, fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, Scott Museum and sightseeing.

Trinity Center Airport is the cover story in the May/June 2006 issue of Pilot Getaways Magazine.

• Trinity Center 2005 Pilot Survey Form (PDF)
• Exhibit A: 2005 Airport Layout Plan and Report for Trinity
  Center Airport -- Scope of Work (PDF)
• Trinity Center Airport Master Plan 1995 (7.5MB PDF)

Local weather and webcam

• North Trinity Lake weather and webcam
• National Weather Service
• Weather Underground

AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer
Pat Forbes

Airport Information

Note: The popular runway is 14. This airport can get busy on weekends and holidays. Please make frequent position reports when arriving and leaving the area. And, make all standard runway movement announcements.

AirNav: Trinity Center

Area and Airport History

Trinity Center was established in 1851 and is now located 40 miles north of Weaverville, on Highway 3. The town is located on the old Scott Ranch. This rural town includes a grocery store, gas station, restaurants, Post Office and various services.

The current town site is actually the third site where the town has been located. The "original" Trinity Center was a mining town and was moved because of flooding and its proximity to good mining veins. The new town, "Old" Trinity Center, was 2 miles from the current town site. Old Trinity Center was covered with water in 1961 when the hydroelectric and water storage project created Trinity Dam and Lake. The original Scott Ranch homestead was also covered when the lake filled.

When the Trinity Lake level is low, you can still see the old runway while flying into Trinity Center. The runway is normally underwater, upriver, north of the current site.

Many of the Old Trinity Center buildings and homes were moved to the new town site in 1959--including the Oddfellows Hall at the corner of Scott and Mary, and are still in use today.

The early residents used Trinity River water to help them mine for gold and grow agricultural products. Today, water provides electricity and recreation. The water also provides irrigation for vineyards that produce award-wining wines, local agriculture and sustains livestock on some of the remaining ranches. Much of the water is diverted to the California central valley.

Annual Events

Each Labor Day weekend the airport at Trinity Center is the focus of the "Fly-in & Bar-B-Q", with entertainment, craft fair and just plain fun. From May to September, the Scott Museum is open and the many fine displays of items from local families show life more than 150 years ago.

Who is James E. Swett?

Colonel James Swett, a Trinity Center resident, became one of the top-scoring F4U aces, with 15 1/2 victories in 94 missions in the Corsair. He had already earned the Congressional Medal of Honor flying the F4F Wildcat before switching to the F4U.

Leading a four-plane F4F section with VMF-221 on April 7, 1942, he shot down no fewer than 7 Japanese Val dive-bombers in an engagement over Tulagi Harbor, before taking a hit himself and ditching in the sea.

In all, Jim Swett flew 211 combat missions, 94 in Corsairs; made 120 carrier launches and recoveries; and in addition to his Medal of Honor, was awarded 6 DFCs and two Purple Hearts.

We are privileged to have Jim in our community and to have our airport named in his honor.

Medal of Honor citation
As a F4U Corsair pilot
The full story...