Blimp Hanger in Orange County catches fire!

[GrauGeist]

The landing mat, which was 2,000' in diameter, was used for aircraft on occasion.

WWII USN Carrier deck lengths varied between 800' and 924' so with that in mind, 2,000' *should* be long enough for F6Fs and F4Us...

 

[GreenKnight121]

The landing mat, which was 2,000' in diameter, was used for aircraft on occasion.

WWII USN Carrier deck lengths varied between 800' and 924' so with that in mind, 2,000' *should* be long enough for F6Fs and F4Us...

Yes... on occasion.

That photo of all the Corsairs and Hellcats in the hangar would NOT be part of an "occasional" use.

Note the nearby airfields in this Aug. 1945 sectional chart... the El Toro base, some 5 miles away, was the Navy fixed-wing field in that area.

 

[GrauGeist]

And that photo posted above shows aircraft stored in the hangar, not active.

My Dad had several photos taken by a cousin of ours during the war (about 1944/45), showing PBJs and other aircraft stored in one of the hangars.

Just after the war ended, they held a "Victory Over Japan Day" exposition at the hangars, with numerous Japanese and Allied aircraft on display.

The aircraft had to get there somehow...

 

[echo1]

They could have lit them anywhere, but my vote is for Moffet only because I'm from that part of the country. PAX