Page 4 - Come Fly with me-In progress

Flabob Airport

The airport called Flabob, founded in 1943 by my grandpa Flavio

Madariaga and partner Bob Bogen is the fifth oldest surviving civil airport
in California and the seventh oldest surviving airport of any kind. The

privately owned, public-use airport is without a control tower and contains

a rather bumpy 3,200-foot long asphalt runway. There were not a lot of
rules at the airport at the time except a warning to keep dogs leashed so
they wouldn’t wander onto the runway.

When I was growing up I knew Flabob as home and a bigger playground

then any of my friends had. My grandpa Flavio and Bob created the
unusual name using the first three initials of their first names, and believe it

or not the name stuck.

The history of the airport and how it came to be, happened way before I

was born. Since it was family history, the story was often recounted as we

sat around the dinner table during Sunday dinner.