The University of California “Radiation” Laboratory was founded in 1952 on the site of a Navy Airman’s Training Center on the East side of the town of Livermore, California. That site had been used prior to World War II for one of the original Airmail Postal airports on the East-West route leading through the Salt Lake City area. Even by the 1920?s, it had been realized that the eastern end of the Livermore Valley had the best weather and provided the most reliable terminus for flights into and out of the often foggy San Francisco Bay area.
The earliest beginnings of the Flying Particles go back to 1957, when the Livermore Airport was located at the site of a present day trailer park at the Portola Avenue exit from Highway 580. The club was founded by five lab employees who wished to share the costs of airplane ownership. The first airplane was a Piper Cub, which rented for $3.00 per hour (fuel included!) Flight instruction was $2.00 per hour. The club expanded over the next few years, with the next major acquisition being a Piper Tri-Pacer (4 seats – the “Queen of the Fleet”.) At some point, a Luscombe was added to the collection. The airplanes were effectively bought by the club, although it is unclear how title was held. In the very early 1960?s, the Flying Particles, Inc. (FPI) was incorporated as a not-for-profit California corporation. This allowed a clear avenue for joint ownership, as well as the usual limitation of liability for club members.
www.flyingparticles.org/