Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: California: Tulare County

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:to you: my write

California: Tulare County

Alta Airport (revised 6/4/08) - Dunlap Aux AAF #4 / Jasmin Landing Field (revised 3/11/07)

Green Acres Airport (revised 6/1/08) - Pixley Airport / Harmon Field (revised 4/21/07)

Rankin Field (revised 11/9/07) - Tunnel Meadows Airport (revised 12/10/06) - Wonder Valley Airport (revised 4/2/05)

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Pixley Airport / Harmon Field, Pixley, CA

35.96 North / 119.31 West (Southeast of Fresno, CA)

Pixley Airport, as depicted on the September 1954 LA Sectional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

Photo of the airport while in use has not been located.

There was no indication of any airfield at this location on WW2-era aeronautical charts,

and it was not yet depicted at all on the February 1949 LA Sectional Aeronautical Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

Pixel Airport was evidently established as a general aviation airport in 1949,

as its 2007 FAA Airport/Facility Directory data lists an “Activation date: 02/1949”.

The earliest depiction of Pixley Airport which has been located

was on the September 1954 LA Sectional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted the field as having a 2,000' hard-surface runway.

The July 1989 LA Sectional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

continued to depict Pixley as an active public-use airport with a 2,000' hard-surface runway.

According to the California Pilots Association, Pixley Airport was closed in 1989.

The reason for the closure has not been determined.

The airfield was also apparently known as Harmon Field,

as that is how it was labeled on the 1991 USGS topo map.

It depicted the field as having a paved northwest/southeast runway, along with a parallel taxiway,

and a single building on the east side of the field.

The 1994 USGS aerial photo showed Harmon Field as abandoned,

with a closed-runway “X” symbol visible on the southern end of the runway.

A 2004 aerial photo showed Pixley Airport as remaining intact yet deteriorated,

with the paved runway, taxiways, and ramps remaining intact.

A single arched-roof hangar appeared to remain on the east side of the field..

Strangely, Pixley Airport remained depicted on the 2007 Sectional Chart as an active public-use airport,

with a single 2,000' paved runway.

Inexplicably, Pixley Airport remained listed in the FAA's Airport/Facility Directory in 2007 as an active-public use airport,

although with the remark “Airport closed indefinitely”

(even though other information indicates it has been closed for 18 years).

It was described as having a single 2,050' asphalt Runway 13/31, “in fair condition.”

The field was said to be owned by Tulare County, with the manager being Steven Larson.

Pixley Airport was said to have 7 aircraft based on the field, including 1 multi-engine aircraft,

and was said to conduct an average of 23 takeoffs or landings per day.

A 2007 photo by Charles Irvin of the sign for Harmon Field.

Charles reported, “The field is still there,

but story has it that a crop duster service operated out of there for many years,

and they were dumping their chemicals onto/into the ground there,

so while the runway is still intact, the field is off limits because of the levels of toxicity.”

A 2007 photo by Charles Irvin of the remains of the runway at Harmon Field.

Charles reported, “Ironically, the runway is still marked,

though the numbers aren't clear and there are no X's on it,

but you can tell that no aviation activity has been going on there for a very long time.

There are berms around the borders of the place & I think an irrigation ditch on the east border,

so it can't be seen too well from the streets that surround it.

The hangar is gone!

It was demolished by Tulare County as part of the hazardous material cleanup of the site.

Upon seeing this, I'd assume that the runway/taxiway are next.

The street that runs along the east border (where the entrance is), is appropriately called Airport Road.”

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Tunnel Meadows Airport, Tunnel Meadows, CA

36.38 North / 118.26 West (Southeast of Fresno, CA)

A 1931 photo of Pat Decano at in front of 2 Army Air Corps biplanes

which brought Col. “Hap” Arnold from March Field to Tunnel Meadows.

This extremely high-elevation backcountry strip

was located just south of Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the 48 United States.

According to Pat Decano, “The airfield was created by my uncle, Leonard Shellenbarger,

at the request of a Dr. Shook in 1931.

Dr. Shook was a friend of Bert Johnson, a cattleman, and he wanted to fly in so he could fish there.

He drug the field with a Fresno scraper pulled by a mule & was paid $40 by Dr. Shook for the job.

The Fresno scraper was packed in on a mule.

In 1931, then Col. 'Hap' Arnold & a buddy flew in from March Air Force Base to fish.

When they were ready to leave in the afternoon, my grandfather said that they could not make it out.

Arnold's plane crashed & my son has the cigar-sized box that was made from scraps of the plane.

It is olive drab painted aluminum.

My grandfather, Everett Shellenbarger, was the ranger there at the time.”

However, the Tunnel Meadows airfield was not yet depicted at all

on the August 1943 Mt. Whitney Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

The earliest aeronautical chart depiction of the Tunnel Meadows Airport which has been located

was on the August 1945 Mt. Whitney World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted Tunnel Meadows as an auxiliary airfield, at an elevation of 9,100'.

The 1955 USGS topo map (courtesy of Ted Sarbin) depicted the “Tunnel Air Camp” as having a single runway.

The last aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of the Tunnel Meadows Airport

was on the May 1957 Mt. Whitney Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted “Tunnel (USFS)” as having only an 1,800' unpaved runway.

Tunnel Meadows Airport was evidently no longer charted at some point between 1957-59,

as it was no longer depicted at all on the March 1959 Mt. Whitney Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

A series of photos by Ted Sarbin of a Cessna 180 landing at Tunnel Meadows in 1972.

Ted Sarbin recalled, “It was around 1,800' long.

I flew in there twice, both times as a passenger of Bob White's flying service.

I had flown to Lone Pine but I didn't have the skill or a suitable plane for Tunnel Meadows.

There were a number of accidents there.

There was a single-wire (the other half of the circuit was ground) party line Forest Service magneto-crank phone.

Cranking long-short-short would get Bob White to answer in Lone Pine & come and pick us up.

If one were landing to the west, a go around was possible, the other direction was marginal.”

Ted continued, “When it was operating, Bob White had guides, pack horses for rent,

and tents, tables and refrigerators (no electricity, they were used as ice boxes).

Also, there was a tractor for moving planes & taking the passengers' gear to their campsite.”

Ted continued, “An interesting anecdote I heard from an FAA Operations Inspector:

The FAA made a movie, later transferred to VHS, on mountain flying.

In it, a pilot in a Bonanza tries to land at Tunnel Meadows

but changes his mind when he sees the field so he lands at Lone Pine.

There he encounters a cheerful, friendly older flight instructor

who gives him some mountain flying dual instruction & then he lands at Tunnel Meadows.

I've seen the film & it is well done; both interesting & instructive.

The problem was that pilots would see the film & then show up at Lone Pine expecting to find that instructor.

Of course, the instructor was an actor & the real airport manager, Bob White,

was in the business of flying people in & out of Tunnel Meadows

and not especially interested in helping pilots to fly in & out themselves.”

A series of photos by Ted Sarbin of a Cessna 206 landing at Tunnel Meadows in 1985.

According to Ted Sarbin, “The airport was closed when the Wilderness areas was established.”

A circa 20012005 aerial photo showed the outline of Tunnel Meadows' runway to still remain recognizable.

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Wonder Valley Airport, Squaw Valley, CA

36.8 North / 119.31 West (East of Fresno, CA)

Wonder Valley Airport, as depicted on the June 1963 Mt. Whitney Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

Photo of the airport while open has not been located.

This former small airport was evidently constructed at some point between 1960-63,

as it was not yet listed among active airfields in the 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (according to Chris Kennedy).

The earliest depiction of Wonder Valley Airport which has been located

was on the June 1963 Mt. Whitney Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted Wonder Valley as a public-use airport having a 2,600' unpaved runway.

The 1965 USGS topo map depicted a single unpaved runway, labeled simply as “Landing Strip”,

with a complex of buildings to the east.

The January 1967 Mt. Whitney Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)

still depicted Wonder Valley as having an unpaved runway.

Wonder Valley apparently gained a paved runway at some point between 1967-72,

as the 1972 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy) depicted Wonder Valley as having a 2,310' paved runway.

According to Jonathan Westerling, “Apparently FedEx used to land there when Fresno was socked in.”

The 1974 Flight Guide (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)

depicted Wonder Valley Airport as having a single 2,465' paved Runway 12/30,

with a ramp on the east side.

The field was noted to conduct glider operations.

The 1977 Sectional Chart (courtesy of Jonathan Westerling)

depicted Wonder Valley Airport as having a single 2,3,00 paved runway.

Wonder Valley Airport was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1977-78,

as it was no longer listed among active airfields in the 1978 Flight Guide (according to Chris Kennedy).

The 1979 USGS topo map still depicted a single runway,

but it was labeled merely as “Landing Strip”,

which typically indicated that the airport was closed by that point.

Wonder Valley Airport apparently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1977-2002,

as the 2002 USGS aerial photo showed the runway to be clearly marked with closed-runway “X” symbols.

Otherwise, the field remained completely intact.

Jonathan Westerling reported in 2005, “The place is now a summer camp / retreat center.”

The site of Wonder Valley Airport is located north of the intersection of Palomino Drive & Elwood Road.

Thanks to Jonathan Westerling for pointing out this field.

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Alta Airport (O10), Dinuba, CA

36.54 North / 119.32 West (Southeast of Fresno, CA)

A 1946 aerial view of the Alta Airport (from the Alexandria Digital Library, courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The date of construction of this airport is unknown.

It may have been built originally as one of the numerous WW2-era auxiliary airfields

which surrounded the nearby Visalia Primary Flying School,

a contractor-operated USAAF training base.

However, no airfield at this location was depicted on the 1943 Mt Whitney Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),

or listed among active airfields in the 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer).

The earliest depiction of Alta Airport which has been located

was a 1946 aerial view (from the Alexandria Digital Library, courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

It depicted the field as having a single northwest/southeast runway with a parallel taxiway.

The earliest aeronautical chart depiction which has been located of Alta Airport

was on the 1949 Mt Whitney Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

It described Alta as having a 2,300' unpaved runway.

The 1962 AOPA Airport Directory described Alta as having a single 3,300' oiled Runway 15/33,

and listed the operator as Budd Aero, Inc.

Alta Airport evidently gained a paved runway at some point between 1962-81,

as the 1981 DoD VFR Supplement (courtesy of John Clifford) depicted Alta as having a 3,365' asphalt Runway 15/33.

The diagram depicted a ramp on the east side of the runway with a few small hangars.

Alta Airport was still listed as an active civil airfield in the 1989 Airport/Facility Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).

It was described as having a single 3,365' asphalt Runway 15/33.

Todd Peasley recalled, “I used Alta Airport in 1992 at least once a week

to transport a business owner from Healdsburg to his Vegetable Packaging plant in Visalia.

At the time, there were half a dozen airplanes based there with shelters for at least a dozen but the airport was on it's last legs.

Weeds starting to grow up through the cracks in the concrete were always apparent.”

Alta Airport apparently closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1992-98,

as it was depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 1998 World Aeronautical Chart.

As of the 1998 USGS aerial photo,

the airfield consisted of a single 3,300' paved runway & parallel taxiway,

along with a ramp area east of the runway, with what looks like a single long, narrow hangar.

But there was no indication of any aircraft on the field.

The Alta Airport appeared to remain completely intact in the 2004 USGS aerial photo.

A 2006 aerial view by Todd Peasley, looking southwest at the remains of Alta Airport.

A 2006 aerial view by Todd Peasley, looking north at the remains of the hangars at Alta Airport,

with the former runway pavement visible at left.

Todd observed, “The ramp area has dirt piles all over with bulldozers & what appears to be freshly-grated dirt.

The hangars / shelters are still intact.

There are dirt piles on the western middle portion of the runway.

The centerline is deteriorating but still visible.

The concrete is intact but rough & chunked in some areas.”

A 2007 photo by Charles Irvin looking southeast along the remains of the runway at Alta Airport.

Charles reported “The body shop appears to be gone now, and the hangars look vacant.

No sign of runway lights or a beacon, so it was most likely a VFR-only airfield.”

Two 2007 photos by Charles Irvin of the “Rainbow Aviation” legend still visible on a former hangar at the site of Alta Airport.

Alta Airport is located south of the intersection of Avenue 416 & Road 114,

one mile west of Orosi, CA.

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Rankin Field, Tulare, CA

36.15 North / 119.25 West (Southeast of Fresno, CA)

Rankin Field, as pictured on the back cover of "Rank'n'File",

"A high lift, double-exhaust, 1,000 hosspressure magazine published in the interest

of the Aviation Cadets of the Rankin, Aeronautical Academy, Tulare, CA.", Christmas 1941.

The photo is courtesy of Pat Thomas, whose father, Howard R. McCullough, was a flight instructor during WW2.

Tex Rankin was president of the Hollywood Motion Picture Pilots Association in 1940

when he signed a War Department contract to open a school to train U.S. Army pilots.

First flights began the following February at Mefford Field, on the outskirts of Tulare, CA.

Construction work on Rankin Field, 6 miles east, began the same month & finished in late spring.

To build the school the residents of the city of Tulare raised $300,000

to help defray the costs of procuring the land & initial construction of the buildings.

A circa 1941 photo by Loraine Bohnert (courtesy of Eloise Bohnert) of an AT-6 Texan, Vultee, and Stearman biplanes at Rankin Field.

The Rankin Aeronautical Academy accepted its first class of cadets in 1941.

Rankin Field became one of the 62 civilian owned flying schools in the US,

which collectively taught 1.4 million WW2 Army pilots to fly.

A circa 1941 photo by Loraine Bohnert (courtesy of Eloise Bohnert) of aircraft maintenance being performed on a Stearman biplane at Rankin Field.

Rankin Field had 140 instructors.

The cadets, or "dodos" as they were called when they arrived at flight school,

were trained in the air at a ratio of one instructor to each cadet.

That instructor would be the cadet's own personal teacher for the entire nine-week training period.

On the ground, cadets had aerobic training & went to aeronautic classes taught by civilians.

The training was very rigorous & the cadets were subjected to a quiz during class almost every day.

The cadets who trained at Rankin Field were taught to fly in one of 200 Stearman Biplanes.

A circa 1941 photo by Loraine Bohnert (courtesy of Eloise Bohnert) of a pilot in the cockpit of a Stearman biplane at Rankin Field.

A circa 1941 photo by Loraine Bohnert (courtesy of Eloise Bohnert) of the large numbers of Stearman biplanes on the ramp at Rankin Field.

Eloise Bohnert recalled, "my husband, "Rainey" (Loraine) Bohnert was crew, or line chief

for Tex at the academy until he was drafted into the Air Force in 1941.

Tex not only trained first-rate pilots but aircraft mechanics as well.

My husband went on to win awards for his ability as an aircraft mechanic - learned from Tex himself."

The logo of the Rankin Aeronautical Academy.

Rankin Field, as depicted on the August 1943 Mt. Whitney Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

Note that this chart evidently had a slight error in its depiction of the field's location -

Rankin was shown to be slightly to the west of where it was depicted on all later charts.

A 1944 USAAF diagram of Rankin Field (courtesy of John Voss)

depicted the airfield as consisting of a 2,300' x 1,800' rectangular "New Mat",

which was set at a diagonal angle over a previous landing area which was oriented east/west.

The ramp & buildings were adjacent to the west side of the landing area.

A 1944 USAAF map of Rankin Field (labeled "Tulare Primary Flying School") & its satellite airfields (courtesy of John Voss).

Rankin Field had a total of five auxiliary airfields during WW2.

A-1 Exeter, located 8 miles northeast of Rankin Field, is still open as a civil airport, Exeter Airport.

A-2 Tipton was located 10 miles south - it has no remains which have been identified.

A-3 Strathmore was located 8 miles east-southeast - it has no remains which have been identified.

A-4 Tulare Airport, located 6 miles west, is still open as a civil airport, Tulare Airport.

A-5 Trauger, located 12 miles east, is still open as a civil airport - Eckert Field.

The Rankin Aeronautical Academy was in operation until 1945,

having trained a total of 10,000 pilots.

Among those trained was Richard Bong, who later went on to become one of America's highest scoring aces,

and earned a Congressional Medal of Honor.

Curiously, Rankin Field was labeled as “Defense Plant Corporation”

on the February 1946 Mt. Whitney Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

The reason for this is not known.

The Defense Plant Corporation was responsible for financing & building many defense industrial facilities during WW2,

so it is possible the field may have (briefly) reverted to their control after the war.

The field went back to being labeled “Rankin Field” on the 1949 Mt Whitney Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).

It was described as having a 2,400' unpaved runway.

Rankin Field was still depicted as an active airfield

on the 1954 Mojave Desert World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).

Note that the runway was described as a 2,500' hard-surfaced strip.

Rankin Field was evidently abandoned at some point between 1954-91.

On the 1991 USGS topo map,

“Rankin Airfield” was depicted as a 2,500' L-shaped landing area.

The buildings along the west side of the airfield were labeled "Old People's Home".

One of the former hangars was still depicted,

whereas the southern hangar had apparently been removed.

As seen in the 1994 USGS aerial photo, the landing area at Rankin has been returned to farmland,

but the faint diagonal outlines of the runway was still perceptible in the middle & southeast corner of the photo.

A print designed & produced by Patrick Barszcz for the 60^th Anniversary of Sequoia Field & Rankind Field on September 27-30, 2001.

A recent photo by Dan MacPherson of the entrance sign at Rankin Field.

Dan reported that 1 hangar, a guard shack, administration building, and flagpole still existed at the site of Rankin Field.

Two recent views by Dan MacPherson of a remaining WW2-era hangar which still stands at Rankin Field.

The Rankin Field property is used as a shooting range today.

A event is being planned to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Rankin Field.

A 2004 aerial photo shows that one of Rankin Field's former hangars still remains,

as well as some smaller buildings.

A complex of buildings had been added on the northeast side of the former landing mat at some point between 1994-2004.

The site of Rankin Field is located east of the intersection of Avenue 200 & Road 140,

four miles east of Tulare Airport.

Thanks to Scott Anger (whose grandfather was a WW2 trainer at Rankin Field) for pointing out this airfield.