Johnson Flying Service Hangar

Johnson Flying Service Hangar
McCall, Valley County

  • Grant: 2021

Location: McCall Municipal Airport, 336 Deinhard Ln, McCall, ID 83638

Johnson Flying Service Hangar, also known as the Pioneer Hangar or the “red hangar” in McCall. It was built in 1932 as the first building for the brand-new McCall airport. This building was significant to the growth of McCall in the early to mid-20th century. While it was used by a number of different organizations, the most influential was the Johnson Flying Service. The aviation industry expanded rapidly through the early 1900’s, and JFS contributed to this growth in McCall, pioneering early backcountry aviation access.
JFS was initially established in 1927 in Missoula, Montana as both a transportation service and pilot school. In McCall and the surrounding area, the service experimented with firefighting, dropping oak water barrels from planes and parachuting people down to the fires. This eventually led to the current practices of the Forest Service, and the significant smokejumper presence in McCall today. JFS was also one of the early aerial mail carriers in the area, contracting with the postal service to help boost commercial aviation. JFS also routinely participated in mountainous missing persons searches due to the difficult terrain.
The Red Barn was donated to The McCall Youth Learning Aviation Fund, a nonprofit organization that helps high school students obtain a pilot’s license. Anyone interested in inquiring about the program or donating to the McCall Youth Learning Aviation Fund may send requests for further information to Po Box 2347, Mccall, ID 83638-2347.
For these reasons, the Johnson Flying Service Hangar was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. The Idaho Heritage Trust helped ensure that the building could be properly repaired and preserved for the benefit of future generations by providing technical assistance to the McCall Historic Preservation Commission, and this support continued with a grant awarded in 2021 to repaint the hangar’s exterior.
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