Editing Burbank, California (section)

===Aviation===

[[File:People of Burbank, by Barse Miller, 1940 (cropped).jpg|thumb|''People of Burbank'' (1940), [[United States post office murals|mural]] at the [[Downtown Burbank Post Office]]]]
The establishment of the aircraft industry and a major airport in Burbank during the 1930s set the stage for major growth and development, which was to continue at an accelerated pace into [[World War II]] and well into the postwar era. Brothers [[Allan Loughead]] and [[Malcolm Loughead]], founders of the [[Lockheed Aircraft Company]], opened a Burbank manufacturing plant in 1928 and, a year later, aviation designer [[Jack Northrop]] built his Flying Wing airplane in his own plant nearby.<ref>Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' pp. 59, 93, 103–6, Cypress, CA, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-9897906-0-4}}.</ref>

[[File:WWII Woman aircraft inspector checking electrical assemblies, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, California in June 1942.jpg|thumb|Woman aircraft inspector checking electrical assemblies, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank (June 1942)]]
Dedicated on [[Memorial Day]] Weekend (May 30 – June 1), 1930, the [[Bob Hope Airport|United Airport]] was the largest commercial airport in the Los Angeles area until it was eclipsed in 1946 by the [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles Municipal Airport]] (now [[Los Angeles International Airport]]) in [[Westchester, Los Angeles, California|Westchester]] when that facility (the former ''Mines Field'') commenced commercial operations. [[Amelia Earhart]], [[Wiley Post]] and [[Howard Hughes]] were among the notable [[aviation pioneers]] to pilot aircraft in and out of the original Union Air Terminal. By 1935, Union Air Terminal in Burbank ranked as the third-largest air terminal in the nation, with 46 airliners flying out of it daily. The airport served 9,895 passengers in 1931 and 98,485 passengers in 1936.

[[File:Ventura bombers production line.jpg|thumb|right|Vega Aircraft plant in Burbank (June 1942)]]
[[File:lockheed plant.jpg|thumb|right|Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Burbank, 1945]]

In 1931, Lockheed was then part of Detroit Aircraft Corp., which went into bankruptcy with its Lockheed unit. A year later, a group of investors acquired assets of the Lockheed company. The new owners staked their limited funds to develop an all-metal, twin-engine transport, the Model 10 Electra. It first flew in 1934 and quickly gained worldwide notice.<ref>Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' p. 59, Cypress, CA, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-9897906-0-4}}.</ref>

A brochure celebrating Burbank's 50th anniversary as a city touted Lockheed payroll having "nearly 1,200" by the end of 1936. The aircraft company's hiring contributed to what was a favorable employment environment at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2FSFVH&CISOPTR=1713&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=235&DMY=40&DMTEXT=%2520Burbank&DMTHUMB=1&REC=19&x=16&y=101&DMROTATE=0 |title=CONTENTdm Collection: Item Viewer |publisher=Digital-library.csun.edu |access-date=December 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929213756/http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2FSFVH&CISOPTR=1713&DMSCALE=100&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=1&DMX=235&DMY=40&DMTEXT=%20Burbank&DMTHUMB=1&REC=19&x=16&y=101&DMROTATE=0 |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

Moreland's truck plant was later used by Lockheed's Vega Aircraft Corporation, which made what was widely known as "the explorer's aircraft." [[Amelia Earhart]] flew one across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1936, Lockheed officially took over Vega Aircraft in Burbank.<ref>Herman, Arthur. ''Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II,'' pp. 86, 203, Random House, New York, NY, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6964-4}}.</ref><ref>Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' p. 74, Cypress, CA, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-9897906-0-4}}.</ref>

During World War II, the entire area of Lockheed's Vega factory was camouflaged to fool an enemy reconnaissance effort. The factory was hidden beneath a rural neighborhood scenes painted on canvas.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.amazingposts.com/2008/08/world-war-ii-lockheed-burbank-aircraft.html | title = World War II-Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant Camouflage | work = Amazing Posts | date = August 16, 2008 | access-date = January 4, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081227090442/http://www.amazingposts.com/2008/08/world-war-ii-lockheed-burbank-aircraft.html | archive-date = December 27, 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref> Hundreds of fake trees and shrubs were positioned to give the entire area a three-dimensional appearance. The fake trees and shrubs were created to provide a leafy texture. Air ducts disguised as fire hydrants made it possible for the Lockheed-Vega employees to continue working underneath the huge camouflage umbrella designed to conceal their factory.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/flying/the_disguise_of_california.htm | title = California Becomes a Giant Movie Set | work = Flat Rock | date = July 16, 2009 | access-date = January 4, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081028191127/http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/flying/the_disguise_of_california.htm | archive-date = October 28, 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref>

The growth of companies such as Lockheed, and the burgeoning entertainment industry drew more people to the area, and Burbank's population doubled between 1930 and 1940 to 34,337. Burbank saw its greatest growth during [[World War II]] due to [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed's]] presence, employing some 80,800 men and women producing aircraft such as the [[Lockheed Hudson]], [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]], [[Lockheed Ventura|Lockheed PV-1 Ventura]], [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]], and America's first [[Jet engine|jet]] fighter, the [[Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star]].<ref>Herman, Arthur. ''Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II,'' pp. 85, 203, 287, Random House, New York, NY, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6964-4}}.</ref><ref>Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' pp. 59–76, Cypress, CA, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-9897906-0-4}}.</ref> Lockheed later created the [[Lockheed U-2|U2]], [[Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird|SR-71 Blackbird]] and the [[Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk|F-117 Nighthawk]] at its Burbank-based "[[Skunk Works]]". The name came from a secret, ill-smelling backwoods distillery called "Skonk Works" in cartoonist [[Al Capp]]'s ''[[Li'l Abner]]'' comic strip.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hennigan|first1=W. J.|title=Skunk Works: Developing top-secret weapons in SoCal for 70 years|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2013-jun-20-la-fi-mo-lockheed-skunk-works-20130619-story.html|access-date=December 31, 2015|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102200054/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jun/20/business/la-fi-mo-lockheed-skunk-works-20130619|archive-date=January 2, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dozens of hamburger stands, restaurants,  and shops appeared around Lockheed to accommodate the employees. Some of the restaurants operated 24 hours a day. At one time, Lockheed paid utility rates representing 25% of the city's total utilities revenue, making Lockheed the city's cash cow. When Lockheed left, the economic loss was huge. At its height during [[World War II]], the Lockheed facility employed up to 98,000 people.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.burbankchamber.org/html/demographics.asp | title = Demographics | publisher = The Burbank Chamber of Commerce | access-date = January 4, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090110184240/http://www.burbankchamber.org/html/demographics.asp | archive-date = January 10, 2009 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Between the Lockheed and Vega plants, some {{convert|7700000|sqft|m2}} of manufacturing space was located in Burbank at the peak in 1943. Burbank's growth did not slow as war production ceased, and over 7,000 new residents created a postwar real estate boom. Real estate values soared as housing tracts appeared in the Magnolia Park area of Burbank between 1945 and 1950. More than 62% of the city's housing stock was built before 1970.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Profile of the City of Burbank|url=http://www.scag.ca.gov/Documents/Burbank.pdf|page=16|access-date=January 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122202328/http://www.scag.ca.gov/Documents/Burbank.pdf|archive-date=January 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following [[World War II]], homeless veterans lived in tent camps in Burbank, in Big Tujunga Canyon and at a decommissioned National Guard base in [[Griffith Park]]. The government also set up trailer camps at Hollywood Way and Winona Avenue in Burbank and in nearby [[Sun Valley, California|Sun Valley]]. But new homes were built, the economy improved, and the military presence in Burbank continued to expand. Lockheed employees numbered 66,500 and expanded from aircraft to include spacecraft, missiles, electronics and shipbuilding.

Burbank was also where the prototypes for the JetStar corporate transport and [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]] cargo carrier first took flight, and where the concepts for the [[Lockheed L-1011 TriStar]] jetliner and [[Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk]] stealth fighter were developed.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://digital-collections.csun.edu/digital/collection/SFVH/id/4095/rec/53 | title = A Lockheed Farewell to Burbank | work = The Lockheed Star | first = Sol | last = London | date = October 30, 2024 | access-date = October 30, 2024 | publisher = CSUN Digital Collection }}</ref>

Lockheed's presence in Burbank attracted dozens of firms making aircraft parts. One of them was [[Weber Aircraft LLC|Weber Aircraft Corporation]], an aircraft interior manufacturer situated adjacent to Lockheed at the edge of the airport. Throughout the 1950s and into the late 1960s, Weber Aircraft became a leading supplier of seats for a variety of aircraft, including the [[Boeing 707]], the [[Douglas DC-8]], and the [[Lockheed L-1011]]. In 1988, Weber closed its Burbank manufacturing plant, which then employed 1,000 people. Weber produced seats, galleys, lavatories and other equipment for commercial and military aircraft. Weber had been in Burbank for 36 years.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-15-fi-8025-story.html | title = Airport's fares are 3rd-lowest Wage Cut or Doors Shut: Burbank's Weber Aircraft Factory Issues an Ultimatum to Hundreds of Union Workers| work = Los Angeles Times | first = James | last = Peltz | date = September 15, 1987 | access-date = January 16, 2023 }}</ref>

[[File:bobhope airport 09.jpg|thumb|right|Front of [[Bob Hope Airport]], 2009]]

In 1987, Burbank's airport became the first to require flight carriers to fly quieter "Stage 3" jets. By 2010, Burbank's [[Bob Hope Airport]] had 4.5 million passengers annually. The airport also was a major facility for [[FedEx]] and [[United Parcel Service|UPS]], with 96.2 million pounds of cargo that year.<ref>[http://www.burbankairport.com/airportauthority/about-airport/airport-facts.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403072220/http://www.burbankairport.com/airportauthority/about-airport/airport-facts.html|date=April 3, 2012}}</ref>