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Van Nuys Airport opened on December 17, 1928, the 25th anniversary of the [[Wright Flyer|Wright Brothers' first flight]], as Metropolitan Airport. The airfield was run by a small group of citizens who established a corporation. The airport was spread out on 80 acres, surrounded by trees and farmland. The airport was mostly used for [[general aviation]], but also became popular with Hollywood stars of the era, and notably was the filming location of the iconic airport scene in the 1942 film [[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]].<ref name="History Pt. 1">{{Cite web |title=VNY Airport History, Part 1 |url=https://www.iflyvny.com/news-and-facts/history |access-date=2021-10-15 |website=www.iflyvny.com |archive-date=2020-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921024039/https://www.iflyvny.com/news-and-facts/history |url-status=dead }}</ref> Also notable were the scenes of the reckless flight (and other scenes) of [[Laurel and Hardy]] in the 1939 film [[The Flying Deuces]].
In 1942, after the United States entered [[World War II]], the government purchased Metropolitan Airport and converted it into the Van Nuys Army Airfield. The Army also purchased an additional 163 acres of land to expand the runways and airfield. During the war, the airfield was used by the [[4th Air Force]], which stationed the [[428th Fighter Squadron]] with [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]] aircraft in 1943. In 1944, the 441st Army Air Forces Base Unit was added to train additional pilots for the P-38. Elsewhere on the airfield, the U.S. Navy and [[Lockheed Corporation]] created an aircraft modification facility known as the Navy Lockheed Plant, just one of several
In 1949, after the war, the [[Government of Los Angeles|City of Los Angeles]] purchased the airport from the [[War Assets Administration]] for $1, with the agreement that a [[California Air National Guard]] base continue to operate at the site. The name of the airport, which by then covered 400 acres, was changed to San Fernando Valley Airport.<ref name="History Pt. 1" />
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