US "vanished and abandoned airfields" - Aircraft of World War II

syscom3 · 11-14-2005, 04:50 PM

I found this cool site.

"Vanished and abandoned airfields."

Many of the airfields listed were built during WW2 for training reasons, so I listed it under this forum.

http://www.members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/

I was looking at the list of the airfields for Palmdale, California area, called "Gray Butte Airfield", and scrolling down the information, I noticed an important airplane had some testing done on it. http://www.members.tripod.com/airfie....htm#graybutte

Gnomey · 11-14-2005, 05:11 PM

Interesting site syscom. Good find! Some really good stuff on there.

evangilder · 11-14-2005, 05:13 PM

That's an interesting site. I looked up some fields in my area on it.

syscom3 · 11-14-2005, 05:40 PM

Evans, look at the "Boron" airfield.

http://www.members.tripod.com/airfie...jave.htm#boron

It might have been a planned site to produce fuel for the nuclear engined bombers!

evangilder · 11-14-2005, 05:43 PM

I was looking at that some time back when I was looking at the 2 airports in Thousand Oaks. There is some cool info there. One of my museum friends has contributed to that site, Larry Simmer.

FLYBOYJ · 11-14-2005, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syscom3

I found this cool site.

"Vanished and abandoned airfields."

Many of the airfields listed were built during WW2 for training reasons, so I listed it under this forum.

http://www.members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/

I was looking at the list of the airfields for Palmdale, California area, called "Gray Butte Airfield", and scrolling down the information, I noticed an important airplane had some testing done on it. http://www.members.tripod.com/airfie....htm#graybutte

I knew people who flew out of there.

The Polaris Air Academy was a famous training field and many RAF pilots were trained there, today it's a prison but some of the original buildings are still standing. It's even supposed to be haunted...

The guy who owns the salvage company at El Mirage was my first aviation employer.

All over the Antelope Valley there are dozens of abandoned and dirt strips dating back to WW2. I used to live about 5 minutes from the Quartz Hill strip in the article.

That's a great site!

syscom3 · 11-14-2005, 09:53 PM

I think this is the airfield youre referring to, "war eagle" field.

http://www.members.tripod.com/airfie...S.htm#wareagle

The Boron field was well south of their, on the southern boundry of Edwards.

FLYBOYJ · 11-14-2005, 10:32 PM

Yep - I know both of them, I used to live there and flew extensively over the area, including the restricted airspace by Edwards.

War Eagle actually paralleled Fox Field which is a few miles to the north.

syscom3 · 11-16-2005, 06:19 PM

Heres another web site I found regarding abandoned airfields.

http://www.airforcebase.net/aaf/grphtml.html

and

http://www.airforcebase.net

Its amazing the number of training fields that were built by the USAAF/USN in WW2, and then simply abandoned right after the war!

FLYBOYJ · 11-16-2005, 08:15 PM

Barstow Dagget is another old AAF field, P-38s operated out of there in the last years of the war. There's a lot of wrecks in the area....

Down in Burbank you got the old Glendale Terminal, I think it's off San Fernando, the tower building is still standing. Roscoe Turner used to fly out of there...

pbfoot · 11-16-2005, 09:30 PM

we got tons up here also dating back to the bcatp within 30 miles of here theres about 10 which 3 are still used

FLYBOYJ · 11-16-2005, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbfoot

we got tons up here also dating back to the bcatp within 30 miles of here theres about 10 which 3 are still used

I used to visit a company in Amherst NS. Their parking lot was an old hangar that used to house Lancasters during WW2. I was told the site was a depot center. After the war the same aircraft were scrapped there. F-86 mods were completed at the same site in the 1950s. From the air you could make out the old runways

pbfoot · 11-16-2005, 10:04 PM

the guy near me that has the 109 etc managed to locate an aux field that had never been re zoned bought it and tuned into hi own personal ww2 field and they could'nt do squat since it was already zoned

FLYBOYJ · 11-16-2005, 10:11 PM

I love it when that happens.....

In California, because of property values, many small strips been pushed aside by developers.

evangilder · 11-16-2005, 10:23 PM

Sadly so, Joe. Geez, there were 2 in Thousand Oaks at one time.

11-14-2005, 04:50 PM	#1
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,277	US "vanished and abandoned airfields" I found this cool site. "Vanished and abandoned airfields." Many of the airfields listed were built during WW2 for training reasons, so I listed it under this forum. http://www.members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/ I was looking at the list of the airfields for Palmdale, California area, called "Gray Butte Airfield", and scrolling down the information, I noticed an important airplane had some testing done on it. http://www.members.tripod.com/airfie....htm#graybutte __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

11-14-2005, 05:11 PM	#2
Gnomey "World Traveller" Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Royal Deeside/St Andrews, Scotland, UK Posts: 15,218	Interesting site syscom. Good find! Some really good stuff on there. __________________ "Success is not Final, Failure is not Fatal, it is the Courage to Continue that Counts" Sir Winston Churchill "To him the People of the World Largely owe the Freedom and Liberties they Enjoy Today" Enscription on Hugh Dowding's (AOC Fighter Command 1936-40) statue in London WW2 Talk: A WW2 Discussion Forum My Photo Collections on Flickr

11-14-2005, 05:13 PM	#3
evangilder "Shooter" Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA Posts: 14,807	That's an interesting site. I looked up some fields in my area on it. __________________ http://www.vg-photo.com For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci

11-14-2005, 05:40 PM	#4
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,277	Evans, look at the "Boron" airfield. http://www.members.tripod.com/airfie...jave.htm#boron It might have been a planned site to produce fuel for the nuclear engined bombers! __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

11-14-2005, 05:43 PM	#5
evangilder "Shooter" Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA Posts: 14,807	I was looking at that some time back when I was looking at the 2 airports in Thousand Oaks. There is some cool info there. One of my museum friends has contributed to that site, Larry Simmer. __________________ http://www.vg-photo.com For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci

11-14-2005, 09:53 PM	#7
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,277	I think this is the airfield youre referring to, "war eagle" field. http://www.members.tripod.com/airfie...S.htm#wareagle The Boron field was well south of their, on the southern boundry of Edwards. __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

11-14-2005, 10:32 PM	#8
FLYBOYJ IP/Mech THE GREAT GAZOO Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 16,049	Yep - I know both of them, I used to live there and flew extensively over the area, including the restricted airspace by Edwards. War Eagle actually paralleled Fox Field which is a few miles to the north. __________________ "IF ITS RED OR DUSTY, DON'T TOUCH IT"

11-16-2005, 06:19 PM	#9
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,277	Heres another web site I found regarding abandoned airfields. http://www.airforcebase.net/aaf/grphtml.html and http://www.airforcebase.net Its amazing the number of training fields that were built by the USAAF/USN in WW2, and then simply abandoned right after the war! __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

11-16-2005, 08:15 PM	#10
FLYBOYJ IP/Mech THE GREAT GAZOO Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 16,049	Barstow Dagget is another old AAF field, P-38s operated out of there in the last years of the war. There's a lot of wrecks in the area.... Down in Burbank you got the old Glendale Terminal, I think it's off San Fernando, the tower building is still standing. Roscoe Turner used to fly out of there... __________________ "IF ITS RED OR DUSTY, DON'T TOUCH IT"

11-16-2005, 09:30 PM	#11
pbfoot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: niagara falls Posts: 5,585	we got tons up here also dating back to the bcatp within 30 miles of here theres about 10 which 3 are still used

11-16-2005, 10:04 PM	#13
pbfoot Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: niagara falls Posts: 5,585	the guy near me that has the 109 etc managed to locate an aux field that had never been re zoned bought it and tuned into hi own personal ww2 field and they could'nt do squat since it was already zoned

11-16-2005, 10:11 PM	#14
FLYBOYJ IP/Mech THE GREAT GAZOO Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado, USA Posts: 16,049	I love it when that happens..... In California, because of property values, many small strips been pushed aside by developers. __________________ "IF ITS RED OR DUSTY, DON'T TOUCH IT"

11-16-2005, 10:23 PM	#15
evangilder "Shooter" Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA Posts: 14,807	Sadly so, Joe. Geez, there were 2 in Thousand Oaks at one time. __________________ http://www.vg-photo.com For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return. Leonardo Da Vinci

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