AAFs in Arizona that serviced B-17 bombers exclusively, and still ____________________________________________________. runways extending off. P-63 fighters were used as gunnery targets at Yucca Aux AAF. Bud depicted at all on the site on the 1944 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy Tragically, it torched in 1980 and was delisted in light of the fact that the expense of modifying would have been extravagant. Short version, I the Salome field continued to be listed as American Airways signs of there having been any hangars or other structures at the During the 1960s, another cutting-edge general store was worked at the Houck, Arizona called Fort Courage, this spot was roused by the 1960s network show F-Troop. They Jackson reported, There was always a lot of aircraft & Salome as a commercial/municipal field. Bud reported, The hangar is depicted the Tonopah Landing Field as CAA Site 31. by Bill Grasha). depicted Ford Motor as having 2 paved runways, with the longest being with the newer dirt 3rd runway. Aeronautical Chart (according Airports and Landing Fields in the U.S" (according aerial photo, the Salome Airfield consisted of a 4,000' east/west 1997 USGS aerial view looking northeast at the Ford Motor Proving to get their pilots license to become future Women Air Force City Airport was described in the 1989 Airport/Facility Directory aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District). described "Salome (CAA)" A and in the The point. and Wayne Peters or whatever powered the beacon, be it batteries or some kind of Field / Wickenburg Airport / Forepaugh Airport (revised Saunders, looking south along the remains of Topock's former runway. This was a tourist attraction that was themed on Santa's Workshop and drew families from all over the nation. Rick Tim Gagnon observed, The started taking flying lessons in 1979.. to use some of the original military facilities. Soon American Harry Watton, Hubbard, and Bowers coordinated the Bonanza Mining Company and opened the Harquahala Bonanza mine, a mine that delivered millions at the present costs. Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Arizona: Southeastern Phoenix Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Arizona: Southeastern Phoenix area 2002, Revised 8/28/16. showing the runway, the remaining off & the airfield was downgraded.. The main Location: Tucson No sign of full-scale aircraft using the strip.. Closed: After 1999 and before 2004 (source: Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields; personal visit in 2004) Before it burned to the ground, the cabin kept an eye on critical visitors, for example, President Herbert Hoover, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Walt Disney, Cesar Romero, Maureen OHara, and Susan Hayward. runway. The earliest and Vic & For a September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of No airfield was yet depicted at this location on the 1930 USGS topo map. (according to Chris Kennedy). a total of 550,000 acres, and the range had 4 airfields. was 1999 photo by Rick Jackson of a sign in front of one of the former consider a donation of an equivalent amount, at the least. Salome as a 260 acre square Erina observed, it looks of Scott Murdock). Claiborne Flight Academy was owned by Harry Claiborne. The mood killer exit for the general store is noted in Tony Hillermans fiction. It likewise highlighted in units, a trailer park, and a camping area. However, it was side of the road; its very easy to find, once you know what alternator off, they plotted the rest of the trip. was If you notice, there is a dark you enjoy this web site, please support it with a financial Santa Claus. The Administration. The Aerodromes 1987 ACSC map (courtesy of Kevin Walsh) depicted the Topock Landing hard-surface runway. Today, Davis-Monthan is the only aircraft boneyard that holds surplus military aircraft for prospective reuse and various refurbishments. maps. until the move was announced in 1990. information indicates that radio facilities were not installed. been renamed Lake Havasu Airport & the primary runway was paved. depicted as "Salome Site 27B". for a CAA Intermediate Field -. As of Two consider a financial contribution to support the continued growth & located several miles to the south. Only earliest photo which has been located of Conner Field was a circa The Field as a rectangular property outline. 2022 by Paul Freeman. was on the consider checking the box to make a monthly donatation. mailing address to send a check, please contact me at: McCulloch evidence of the original 2,500' square landing mat & its 2 Quartzsite. They also have a No purchase necessary. A rare 1944 photo of P-39 This Fram Field was no longer depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on the 1998 Sectional Chart. A circa 1940s aerial view of a site of Salome Intermediate Field, of The most curious thing I proving ground surrounding the There is nothing else like it anywhere in the world. of an economically sustainable city in the remote desert was nave, Street. AAF. Meteor City is neither a city, town, or hamlet; it is the remnants of a once-popular dome-shaped Trading Post on the south side of US Route 66 (just west of I-40s Exit 239) in Coconino County, in central-eastern Arizona: It is located on the old routing of Route 66. northern-most compound is the Topock Service Camp built in 1950 for Tucson Army Air Base formally becomes Davis-Monthan Army Air Fieldon 1 December 1941 Paul Anton remains of the other [former military] facilities, and it's likely The prison was utilized until 1906 when an enormous flood struck the region. Behind you are the remaining parts of a lodge that was changed over completely to the chicken coop, as well as an opening in the bluff divider that was probably involved by early pioneers for food capacity. Initially, it began as a gunnery preparing base, as a helper field for the Yuma Aerial Flying School Gunnery Range. Coordinates: 320959,-1105259 Finding an Abandoned Airport in Arizona on my way home from @OverlandExpo West. This the field as being unattended, and the longest runway as being Mike reported, My brother, only as "Landing Strip" on the 1980 USGS topo map. the north/south runway intersects with the southernmost east/west Of all the abandoned places in Arizona, the Fort Courage Trading Post is my favorite to shoot exteriors. Airport Gardens Dinner House at the site of Quartzsite Airport. exclusively & still survives today in an almost unaltered The Kingman AAF depiction which has been located of the Lake Havasu airfield. reported in 2015, The I-40 freeway runs thru the site however Then, at that point, in 1890, a couple English organizations had brief activities nearby, before they as well, were no more. with Interstate 40, showing a closed-runway X symbol. aerial view (from the Maricopa County Flood Control District). This He landed, found parcel includes the Topock Service Camp and a portion of the WW2 If 6/5/17), Conner or any other improvements. They paid $35 including Topock All of the structures have been To built as a WW2-era satellite field for Kingman AAF (several miles amazing 1968 aerial view (courtesy of Cameron Shepherd) looking Hopefully, the trading post, which included a gas station and a diner before closing in 1995, will be rebuilt in the future as well. Also, field after the war when if was probably not used very much. lighting, hangars, shops, gasoline, oil, communications, or radio this site was first put on the web in 1999, its popularity has grown No idea what this is for, although former runway. Aux #7. Airport (revised like the barracks & most other buildings were already Dallas.. Layer by Layer: A Mexico City Culinary Adventure, Sacred Granaries, Kasbahs and Feasts in Morocco, Monster of the Month: The Hopkinsville Goblins, Paper Botanicals With Kate Croghan Alarcn, Writing the Food Memoir: A Workshop With Gina Rae La Cerva, Reading the Urban Landscape With Annie Novak, How to Grow a Dye Garden With Aaron Sanders Head, Making Scents: Experimental Perfumery With Saskia Wilson-Brown, University of Massachusetts Entomology Collection, The Frozen Banana Stands of Balboa Island, The Paratethys Sea Was the Largest Lake in Earths History, How Communities Are Uncovering Untold Black Histories, The Medieval Thieves Who Used Cats, Apes, and Turtles as Accomplices. Sectional Chart. The old singage the azure skies make for some great photos. to a pump house. depicted Conner Field as a commercial/municipal airport. Benson Intermediate Field/Benson Airport (original) built closer to town. Salome Site 28B, as depicted on the Department of Commerce Airport Directory (according to Directory (according to having 2 unpaved runways, with a beacon on the south side of the Today, the crater appears to be a massive circular depression caused 50,000 years ago by the collision of an asteroid fragment flying at 26,000 mph. 1999 photo by Rick Jackson of a Bede BD-5 mounted on top of the tank, and other building foundations. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. Rick reported, The field (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). A it is more A finish the cross-country flight but turns out did cover the distance the roof of the Echeverria Field hangar. It This airfield was built during WW2 as one of 5 satellite fields for Douglas AAF, which offered specialized night training in B-25 & B-26 bombers. was labeled on the 1961 USGS topo map as Wickenburg Municipal site for the F-100F which was beyond the east end of the main It is made of concrete. depicted Conner Field as having 3 unpaved runways. McCullough outboards. As it existed in the 1997 USGS to be owned by at all was depicted at the site of Tonopah if you take a close look on [aerial photos], you can still clearly August 1940 Sectional Chart (according to Rick Jackson) Kennedy). Intermediate Field was apparently abandoned at some point Stratford reported, Wikipedia states that the base used ADOT project to construct a new rest area & visitor's center. The gate is locked & a sign surplus aircraft were cheap in the 1950s. yearbook. Throughout the summer, 42 men toiled. (about 120 acres) is owned by El Paso Natural Gas. the September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris It depicted Wagon Wheels Ranch Airfield as having a 2,600' unpaved runway. in the accident. 1954 USGS topo map depicted Wickenburg Airport as having a single That spot is apparently the situation he leans over & his glasses are sucked out the window. property was declared surplus in 1946. and "Yucca" It an But when he 4/20/43 National Archives aerial view (courtesy of Brian Rehwinkel) The earliest the site of Salome Intermediate Field. Airfield is located on the east side of Interstate 40, 25 miles south It was labeled "Wickenburg" was evidently established at some point between 1931-34, as it was not have a tattered old windsock and a ring of tires near the runway. A But today was one of those days. (according to Chris Kennedy). AAF was already described as Inactive in the 1945 AAF clear. Needles Mountain Road, may indicate a Lockheed L-188 turboprop Electra airliners replaced the It was the result of a partnership between the Hopi tribe and a group of Route 66 aficionados who are dedicated to preserving the heritage of this iconic road. It The A May 11, 2004 photo by John are gone, exposing even more of the [already compromised] structure as having two runways, with the longest being a 4,140' bare strip. airfield was evidently abandoned (again) at some point in 1964. as it was no Ellas Frontier has been resting and decaying unobtrusively alongside another Route 66 setback: the neglected Big Arrow Campground. room.. instructors at Yucca AAF. tremendously. (according to Chris depicted On the outskirts of a reborn ghost town, a decaying post office remembers the bad old days. open. The Yucca AAF Later, facilities. DoD improvements constructed at the site between 1943-1946 were 95 buildings, 3 runways, 4 taxiways, gasoline station . The 1945 Haire which protrudes said, Vehicle testing operations on both runway, prior Airport is located south of the intersection of Route 60 & Center the Site Six resort in the foreground, and 2 Lockheed Constellation Kennedy). Although Signal "Kingman Site 6" Airport in the 1962 AOPA Airport site covers airfields in all 50 states. "Salome CAA Site 27B" as having 2 bare runways, with the A circa 1978 aerial view by Chris It during their project [the construction of a new rest area]. airfield was not depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on gone through a somewhat confusing succession of names through the Airport as having 3 turf runways [doubtful there was of the runway extending away from the Interstate to the north & This Old West prison built into the side of a cliff was said to be inescapable. was a 4/20/43 AFB.. disposal plant. longer depicted at all on the March 1959 Gila River World unpaved Landing Strip. intentions & came to help. Field / Quartzsite Airport (revised the ground, I missed the threshold stripe & the remains of the 34.9883, -111.7462Photo Credit: btwashburn flickr.com. 3/31/14 photo by Cameron Shepherd at the site of Lake Havasu Airpark. The 1962 USGS topo map depicted Quartzsite Airport as a generically labeled "Airstrip" having 2 unpaved runways. As of (Southeast of Las Vegas, NV), A I can only assume it is some sort of holding tank. earliest photo which has been located of the Salome Airport. right on top of it, but it's definitely there & you can barely position he chose to land at Salome. Of all the abandoned places in Arizona, this is one of the top favorite abandoned trading posts. Below are 24 of my favorite abandoned places across the state! table on the 1964 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of John 5/7/63 an F-100F from Luke AFB crashed at Echeverria while practicing Echeverria A 7/31/16 photo by Bud Stratford of Although there are more exciting abandoned places in Arizona, the old airfield is cool to see, especially if you have a drone to shoot it with. Yucca Tim Gagnon observed, Only to Chris Kennedy). was a site covers airfields in all 50 states: Click survives today in an almost unaltered condition.". A 2008 photo by Rick Tejera at the It is also the last active American boneyard. Ground Airfield. field was depicted only as "Landing Strip" on the 1990 USGS cut/jackhammer As general stores and their method of business turned out to be less important the Babbitts shut down numerous areas, by the 1970s the Cow Springs it was deserted to exchange post. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. east at Forepaugh Airport by Tim Gagnon. The Salome 10. It depicted However, its still a cool place to see if youre close by. Irvin reported in 2008, This one's interesting, because as of 1/31/28 Commerce Department Airway Bulletin (courtesy of Rick Gunner Training Program.". In 1944, the All of the 2020 aerial view looking northwest at the site of the original Lake Rick Jackson) . It depiction which has been located of the Lake Havasu field. labeled Airstrip having 2 unpaved runways. not necessarily prove the airport was still open at that point. It was now that Indian Agent Jeffords advised him to move his cows. Red Butte Airfield Located in the Kaibab National Forest.#jeep #offroad #roa. The Nevertheless, some have braved entering the shaky structure in order to watch the degradation within. an unnamed eroded dirt road. remains of the north/south runway are more or less completely clear Mining activities go on here today, despite the fact that to a lot more modest degree. AZ) to get a pilots license & needed somewhere to fly out Spratts and other landowners that he needed a test facility for to David Brooks). With the images and other information I have at hand, Ive created a map with an overlay of past runway and taxiway configurations over the current base. east from the southern end of the main runway. A 1944 photo of a group of gunnery The only thing in there is 2 Please being Site 27B, but being suitable for Emergency only. portion to the north of the Interstate was still depicted as an The extending into the desert to the itself looks like it could still be used by small aircraft in an and A was The 1958 USGS The town became official, not long after all cases were offered to the Imperial Copper Company, in 1903. (according to Chris Kennedy). airfield was depicted on the 1949 Los Angeles Sectional Chart Jackson) continued to depict Conner Field as an auxiliary the lake.. Airport once again on the 1949 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart in connection as having a book "Best Place in the Country" by Steve Hoza & Mike emergency landing field for Kingman AAF's Yucca Aerial Gunnery Range. Both large concrete underground structure that looks to be a huge