The airport was founded by the Monrovia Airport Club and Don Robertson on of leased land. The spot was flat, level, and no work was needed to open the airport. The airport had a single north–south runway. The club built a hangar and owned two planes. In November 1930 the Foothill Flying Field became a commercial-municipal airport and three more hangars were built. The airport had a repair shop and by 1932 had flown 12,000 passengers.
Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes, an early movie stunt pilot, pioneer
aviator, member of the Barnes Happy Bottom Riding Club and founder of the movie stunt pilots' union, used the Monrovia Airport. Kalman Irwin, an airshow pilot and
TWA captain, was a frequent guest at the airport. Aviation pioneers the Riley Brothers, Eleanor and Elmer Riley, also used the airport. With
Hollywood only away, Monrovia Airport became a popular spot to shoot movies. The 1935 movie
The Fighting Pilot, directed by
Noel M. Smith and starring
Richard Talmadge,
Gertrude Messinger and
Robert Frazer, was shot at the airport. In 1939 the film
20,000 Men a Year was shot at the airport, directed by
Alfred E. Green, starring
Randolph Scott,
Preston Foster,
Margaret Lindsay,
Mary Healy,
Robert Shaw and
George Ernest. In 1940
The Great Plane Robbery was shot at the airport, directed by
Lewis D. Collins and starring
Jack Holt,
Stanley Fields and
Noel Madison. A review in the book ''VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
gave The Great Plane Robbery
one and a half stars. In 1944 The Big Noise'' starring
Laurel and Hardy was shot at Monrovia Airport. The airport liked to call itself "America's Friendliest Airport" and used the slogan "See the Valley from the Air, Monrovia Airport Inc." In 1934 Don Robertson sold the airport operations to Wymann Ellis and Dan Moran. The first airmail flight at Monrovia Airport was on May 19, 1938, by Moran. About 1941 Al Blackburn became the operator of the airport. Blackburn would do stunt flying in his
Waco Aircraft biplane, NC-11490, at the airport. During World War II the Monrovia
Civil Air Patrol operated out of the airport, and three more hangars were built. The Squadron Commander of the Monrovia Civil Air Patrol was Kenny McComb, who went on to become an instructor for the C.A.A. After the war, the airport incorporated, and Monrovia Aircraft Repair, Reliance Flight Academy, and Riley Flying Service operated out of the airport. Monrovia Airport closed in 1952, and on February 26, 1952, the land was sold by Al Blackburn and Ruth Blackburn to
Consolidated Engineering Corporation for redevelopment. The site now is car dealerships and Pink's Transfer, just north of the
Foothill Freeway (I-210), between Shamrock and Mountain Avenue, south of
Huntington Drive (Route 66), at an altitude of . The hangars, repair shop and office were on Shamrock at Route 66. == First McDonald's ==