Van's Air Force
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mystery photo #10
- Thread starter turbo
- Start date
wildblue37
Member
Can you be a little more specific on where you've seen it? There's a lot of stuff east of Orlando.
Attakpilot
Member
Hey Ed, isn't that where disney lands the UFO they use for space mountain?
TX7A
Well Known Member
wildblue37
Member
yeah I found it now. It's shown as "test strip" on the sectional chart in that area. Pretty weird though
Mike S
Senior Curmudgeon
There are a couple of similar setups close to Edwards, I have been told they have something to do with navigation when the space shuttle comes in.
I suspect Rosie knows something about them.
From Rosie: This is Northop's Radar site just south of Tehachapi (TSP) and this is Lockheed's Test Site located east of Edwards Air Force Base (EDW) called Helendale
I suspect Rosie knows something about them.
From Rosie: This is Northop's Radar site just south of Tehachapi (TSP) and this is Lockheed's Test Site located east of Edwards Air Force Base (EDW) called Helendale
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az_gila
Well Known Member
Radar testing
I don't think they are navigation facilities.
They are testing ranges for radar cross-section testing of various aircraft/UAV/missile shapes - aka stealth testing.
Several in the Mojave desert, with the original ones being converted WWII training bases. This one is typical and just North of Helendale.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=34.924645,-118.526258&spn=0.024068,0.055404&t=h&z=15
IIRC, they started coming into being in the 80's and the gliding community lost several good landing spots...
How it works is described by the company that runs it -
http://www.thehowlandcompany.com/RCS-ranges.htm
The place mapped was originally Helendale Auxiliary Army Airfield #2, an auxiliary field for Victorville AAF - which became George AFB.
I don't think they are navigation facilities.
They are testing ranges for radar cross-section testing of various aircraft/UAV/missile shapes - aka stealth testing.
Several in the Mojave desert, with the original ones being converted WWII training bases. This one is typical and just North of Helendale.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=34.924645,-118.526258&spn=0.024068,0.055404&t=h&z=15
IIRC, they started coming into being in the 80's and the gliding community lost several good landing spots...
How it works is described by the company that runs it -
http://www.thehowlandcompany.com/RCS-ranges.htm
The place mapped was originally Helendale Auxiliary Army Airfield #2, an auxiliary field for Victorville AAF - which became George AFB.
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dmaib
Well Known Member
A friend of mine who has lived and flown in the Orlando area for 50+ years says it belongs to a major defense contractor and is used to test avionics/radar/super-duper secret stuff that will require a decoder ring to figure out.
The first time I flew over it at about 1000', I looked at the chart about ten times to make sure I wasn't in a restricted or prohibited area!
The first time I flew over it at about 1000', I looked at the chart about ten times to make sure I wasn't in a restricted or prohibited area!
islandmonkey
Well Known Member
Martin Marietta have something to do with this facility. So I was told about 15 years ago when I first flew by it.
Dave Dollarhide
Active Member
Lockheed Martin
According to county records, it is a Lockheed Martin Remote Site. My cousin, who is a retired NASA engineer says it's probably an RF test range for some of the their missile projects out of the Orlando division.
According to county records, it is a Lockheed Martin Remote Site. My cousin, who is a retired NASA engineer says it's probably an RF test range for some of the their missile projects out of the Orlando division.
I've never flown over the Helendale facitlity but have driven past the east
end of it for years. I have a dairy customer less than a mile east of the
buildings. Several years ago, I drove up to the east perimeter fence
to check it out. Couldn't see the paved range from the fence and didn't know
it was there until this thread. It is just outside of Edwards airspace.
lockheed martin's
We used to buzz it with ultralights years ago. Friend of mine had the hunting lease that joined this property. You'll notice about 500 cleared acres southwest of the strip. At the North end of the cleared area they would park tanks under small overhangs. They used that area to fire rockets or lasers or something at varying targets scattered in the cleared areas. There also was a Giant Rolling overhang that would move up and down the paved area to conceal the big tanks underneath. This area is just south of the BeachLine expressway ( formerly Bee-Line expressway) I believe the area is actually owned by the Mormons but leased to Lockmart.
Bill
rv-4
We used to buzz it with ultralights years ago. Friend of mine had the hunting lease that joined this property. You'll notice about 500 cleared acres southwest of the strip. At the North end of the cleared area they would park tanks under small overhangs. They used that area to fire rockets or lasers or something at varying targets scattered in the cleared areas. There also was a Giant Rolling overhang that would move up and down the paved area to conceal the big tanks underneath. This area is just south of the BeachLine expressway ( formerly Bee-Line expressway) I believe the area is actually owned by the Mormons but leased to Lockmart.
Bill
rv-4
