Kanaga was called for military duty during the Korean War, and the duo offered to sell the airport to the city.

In the late 1950s, Roy Haskins and Alexander Theos purchased the turkey ranch, and began to refurbish the buildings to restore it as an aviation facility.

The beacon and the adjacent hangar (now operated by Blue Raven Aviation) is a prominent landmark for Redlands airport.

The tower was initially installed as part of the US Airway Beacon system and was originally located approximately three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Beaumont.

The airport has a fixed-base operator with a fueling station, flight training schools, and various aircraft repair and refurbishing establishments.