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EspañolMOFFETT FEDERAL AIRFIELD
(Redirected from Moffett Field)
'Moffett Federal Airfield' , also known as 'Moffett Field', is an airport located 3 miles (5 km) north of Mountain View, in Santa Clara County, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, north of San Jose. This former United States Navy base is now owned and operated by the NASA Ames Research Center.
By far the most famous and visible sites are Hangars #1, #2, and #3, which dwarf the surrounding buildings. Hangar One is truly one of the most unique hangars in the world. Hangars #2 and #3 are significant more for their size than their unique styling or design. Hangar One is a Naval Historical Monument and the entire airfield is a United States Registered Historic District.
The Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, a National Historic Landmark, is located at the AMES Research Center in Moffett Field.
In 1931, Mountain View and Sunnyvale acquired a 1,000 acre (4 km²) parcel of land bordering San Francisco Bay, then "sold" the parcel for $1 to the US government as a home base for the Navy airship USS ''Macon''.
The location proved to be ideal for an airport. Through a quirk of geography, the area is often clear while the rest of the San Francisco Bay is covered in fog. This is due to a gap in the Coast Range to the west which funnels the prevailing winds into the area, dispersing the fog.
The base, originally named 'Airbase Sunnyvale CAL', was accepted by the U.S. Navy on February 12, 1931 and dedicated 'NAS Sunnyvale' on April 12, 1933. After the death of Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, who is credited with the creation of the airfield,[1] in the loss of the USS ''Akron'' on April 4, 1933, the Naval Air Station was renamed 'NAS Moffett Field' on September 1, 1933.
After the ditching of the ''Macon'' on February 12, 1935, and until 1941, Moffett Field was under the control of the U.S. Army Air Corps.
From the end of World War II until its close, NAS Moffett Field saw the development and use of several generations of anti-submarine warfare aircraft, including the Lockheed P2V Neptune and P-3 Orion. Until the demise of the USSR and for some time thereafter, daily anti-submarine sorties flew out from Moffett Field to patrol along the Pacific coastline.
In 1960, the nearby Air Force Satellite Test Center was created adjacent to Moffett. It is operational today as Onizuka Air Force Station.
On July 1, 1994, Moffett Field was closed as a military base and turned over to NASA Ames Research Center. NASA Ames now operates the facility as 'Moffett Federal Airfield'. Since being decommissioned as an active military installation, part of Moffett has been made accessible to the public, including a cordoned portion of the interior of the massive Hangar One. There were once balloon rides given on show days, and incidents of weather inside.
Moffett Airfield has seen very light air traffic, especially since the turn of the millennium. This might be due to its relative proximity to Travis Air Force Base. Moffett is regularly used to land Air Force One during presidential visits to the Bay Area.
Moffett Field's "Hangar One" (built during the Depression era for the USS ''Macon'') and the row of World War II blimp hangars are still some of the largest unsupported structures in the country. The hangar is constructed on a network of steel girders sheathed with galvanized steel. It rests firmly upon a reinforced pad anchored to concrete pilings. The floor covers eight acres (32,000 m²) and can accommodate 10 football fields. The hangar measures 1,133 feet (343 m) long and 308 feet (93 m) wide. The building has aerodynamic architecture. Its walls curve upward and inward, to form an elongated dome 198 feet (60 m) high. The clam-shell doors were designed to reduce turbulence when the ''Macon'' moved in and out on windy days. The "orange peel" doors, weighing 500 tons (204.75 tonnes) each, are moved by their own 150 horsepower motors operated via an electrical control panel.
The hangar's interior is so large that fog sometimes forms near the ceiling. A person unaccustomed to its vastness is susceptible to optical disorientation. Looking across its deck, planes and tractors look like toys. Along its length maintenance shops, inspection laboratories and offices help keep the hangar busy. Looking up, a network of catwalks for access to all parts of the structure can be seen. Two elevators meet near the top, allowing maintenance personnel to get to the top quickly and easily.
Narrow gauge tracks run through the length of the hangar. During the lighter-than-air period of dirigibles and non-rigid aircraft, the rails extended across the apron and into the fields at each end of the hangar. This tramway facilitated the transportation of an airship on the mooring mast to the hangar interior or to the flight position. During the brief period that the ''Macon'' was based at Moffett, Hangar One not only accommodated the giant airship but several smaller non-rigid lighter-than-air craft simultaneously.
Plans to convert it to a space and science center have been put on hold with the discovery in 2003 that the paint on the outside is leaching toxic chemicals. There are also concerns about substantial amounts of asbestos in the structure. The hangar has been closed ever since and is now threatened with demolition, although various concerned groups are fighting to save it.
Hangar One today is the center of a spirited debate over its own future. The hangar is leaking toxic chemicals into the groundwater of the San Francisco bay. The cause of the chemicals stem from the lead paint and toxic metals used in the creation of the hangar. The debate is occurring over whether to spend an approximate cost of $12 million to tear down the hangar and reuse the land, or approximately $12 million [2] to clean the toxic waste from the site and refurbish the hangar for future preservation.
The US Navy and NASA, the current co-proprietors of the hangar, would prefer to tear down the hangar as they do not want to pay the costs associated with maintaining it. However, each agency is battling each other over who should foot the cost of destruction.
Some historic and nonprofit groups would like the hangar preserved as a historic landmark, however, as the hangar is a major bay area landmark and historic site. Any person in the South Bay area under the age of 70 has never lived without the massive structure dominating the area skyline, and many people have become attached to it.
In 2006, an offer to clean the hangar and coat its outsides with solar panels to recoup the costs of cleaning was floated by a private company, but the plan never saw fruition.
An episode of the Discovery Channel TV show "Mythbusters" utilized one of the smaller hangars to disprove the myth that it is not possible to fold a sheet of paper in half more than seven times. The sheet of paper covered nearly the full width of the hangar. Other episodes of Mythbusters have utilized the hangar to test myths such as "Inflating a football with helium allows longer kick distances", and "Airworthy aircraft can be constructed of concrete"
Despite its closure as an active military base, Moffett Field still has many active facilities and residents. Active military families still live on Moffett Community Housing, and the former base has several lodges which primarily house academics and students associated with the Ames Research Center. Moffett Field's facilities available to residents include a pool, post office, golf course, tennis courts, gas station, and several small shops and restaurants.
Many of the buildings at Moffett Field which once supported its active military presence have been abandoned and left standing due to asbestos contamination within the structures.
Moffett Field is an active airfield, and has two active runways:
★ Runway 14L/32R: 9,202 x 200 ft. (2,805 x 61 m), Surface: Concrete
★ Runway 14R/32L: 8,127 x 200 ft. (2,477 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt
Moffett Field also hosts three (3) university branch campuses: San Jose State University's (SJSU) Metropolitan Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon West, and UC Santa Cruz. These are within the base primarily to support the academic research and collaboration that these three (3) schools perform with NASA Ames.
★ 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard
★ 7th Psychological Operations Group Headquarters, United States Army Reserve
1. US Naval Air Station Sunnyvale, CA Historic District (Moffett Field)
2. http://www.theregister.com/2007/07/13/hanger_one_progress_report/
★ Moffett Field page at ''GlobalSecurity.org''
★ NASA Ames Research Center
★ Moffett Field Museum
★
'Moffett Federal Airfield' , also known as 'Moffett Field', is an airport located 3 miles (5 km) north of Mountain View, in Santa Clara County, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, north of San Jose. This former United States Navy base is now owned and operated by the NASA Ames Research Center.
By far the most famous and visible sites are Hangars #1, #2, and #3, which dwarf the surrounding buildings. Hangar One is truly one of the most unique hangars in the world. Hangars #2 and #3 are significant more for their size than their unique styling or design. Hangar One is a Naval Historical Monument and the entire airfield is a United States Registered Historic District.
The Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel, a National Historic Landmark, is located at the AMES Research Center in Moffett Field.
| Contents |
| History |
| Hangar One |
| Facilities |
| Status of former military buildings |
| Airfield |
| University facilities |
| Assigned units |
| References |
| External links |
History
In 1931, Mountain View and Sunnyvale acquired a 1,000 acre (4 km²) parcel of land bordering San Francisco Bay, then "sold" the parcel for $1 to the US government as a home base for the Navy airship USS ''Macon''.
The location proved to be ideal for an airport. Through a quirk of geography, the area is often clear while the rest of the San Francisco Bay is covered in fog. This is due to a gap in the Coast Range to the west which funnels the prevailing winds into the area, dispersing the fog.
The base, originally named 'Airbase Sunnyvale CAL', was accepted by the U.S. Navy on February 12, 1931 and dedicated 'NAS Sunnyvale' on April 12, 1933. After the death of Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, who is credited with the creation of the airfield,[1] in the loss of the USS ''Akron'' on April 4, 1933, the Naval Air Station was renamed 'NAS Moffett Field' on September 1, 1933.
After the ditching of the ''Macon'' on February 12, 1935, and until 1941, Moffett Field was under the control of the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Aerial View of Moffett Field and NASA Ames Research Center.
From the end of World War II until its close, NAS Moffett Field saw the development and use of several generations of anti-submarine warfare aircraft, including the Lockheed P2V Neptune and P-3 Orion. Until the demise of the USSR and for some time thereafter, daily anti-submarine sorties flew out from Moffett Field to patrol along the Pacific coastline.
In 1960, the nearby Air Force Satellite Test Center was created adjacent to Moffett. It is operational today as Onizuka Air Force Station.
On July 1, 1994, Moffett Field was closed as a military base and turned over to NASA Ames Research Center. NASA Ames now operates the facility as 'Moffett Federal Airfield'. Since being decommissioned as an active military installation, part of Moffett has been made accessible to the public, including a cordoned portion of the interior of the massive Hangar One. There were once balloon rides given on show days, and incidents of weather inside.
Moffett Airfield has seen very light air traffic, especially since the turn of the millennium. This might be due to its relative proximity to Travis Air Force Base. Moffett is regularly used to land Air Force One during presidential visits to the Bay Area.
Hangar One
View of Hangar One, the huge dirigible hangar, with doors open at both ends.
Moffett Field's "Hangar One" (built during the Depression era for the USS ''Macon'') and the row of World War II blimp hangars are still some of the largest unsupported structures in the country. The hangar is constructed on a network of steel girders sheathed with galvanized steel. It rests firmly upon a reinforced pad anchored to concrete pilings. The floor covers eight acres (32,000 m²) and can accommodate 10 football fields. The hangar measures 1,133 feet (343 m) long and 308 feet (93 m) wide. The building has aerodynamic architecture. Its walls curve upward and inward, to form an elongated dome 198 feet (60 m) high. The clam-shell doors were designed to reduce turbulence when the ''Macon'' moved in and out on windy days. The "orange peel" doors, weighing 500 tons (204.75 tonnes) each, are moved by their own 150 horsepower motors operated via an electrical control panel.
The hangar's interior is so large that fog sometimes forms near the ceiling. A person unaccustomed to its vastness is susceptible to optical disorientation. Looking across its deck, planes and tractors look like toys. Along its length maintenance shops, inspection laboratories and offices help keep the hangar busy. Looking up, a network of catwalks for access to all parts of the structure can be seen. Two elevators meet near the top, allowing maintenance personnel to get to the top quickly and easily.
Narrow gauge tracks run through the length of the hangar. During the lighter-than-air period of dirigibles and non-rigid aircraft, the rails extended across the apron and into the fields at each end of the hangar. This tramway facilitated the transportation of an airship on the mooring mast to the hangar interior or to the flight position. During the brief period that the ''Macon'' was based at Moffett, Hangar One not only accommodated the giant airship but several smaller non-rigid lighter-than-air craft simultaneously.
Plans to convert it to a space and science center have been put on hold with the discovery in 2003 that the paint on the outside is leaching toxic chemicals. There are also concerns about substantial amounts of asbestos in the structure. The hangar has been closed ever since and is now threatened with demolition, although various concerned groups are fighting to save it.
Hangar One today is the center of a spirited debate over its own future. The hangar is leaking toxic chemicals into the groundwater of the San Francisco bay. The cause of the chemicals stem from the lead paint and toxic metals used in the creation of the hangar. The debate is occurring over whether to spend an approximate cost of $12 million to tear down the hangar and reuse the land, or approximately $12 million [2] to clean the toxic waste from the site and refurbish the hangar for future preservation.
The US Navy and NASA, the current co-proprietors of the hangar, would prefer to tear down the hangar as they do not want to pay the costs associated with maintaining it. However, each agency is battling each other over who should foot the cost of destruction.
Some historic and nonprofit groups would like the hangar preserved as a historic landmark, however, as the hangar is a major bay area landmark and historic site. Any person in the South Bay area under the age of 70 has never lived without the massive structure dominating the area skyline, and many people have become attached to it.
In 2006, an offer to clean the hangar and coat its outsides with solar panels to recoup the costs of cleaning was floated by a private company, but the plan never saw fruition.
An episode of the Discovery Channel TV show "Mythbusters" utilized one of the smaller hangars to disprove the myth that it is not possible to fold a sheet of paper in half more than seven times. The sheet of paper covered nearly the full width of the hangar. Other episodes of Mythbusters have utilized the hangar to test myths such as "Inflating a football with helium allows longer kick distances", and "Airworthy aircraft can be constructed of concrete"
Facilities
Despite its closure as an active military base, Moffett Field still has many active facilities and residents. Active military families still live on Moffett Community Housing, and the former base has several lodges which primarily house academics and students associated with the Ames Research Center. Moffett Field's facilities available to residents include a pool, post office, golf course, tennis courts, gas station, and several small shops and restaurants.
Status of former military buildings
Many of the buildings at Moffett Field which once supported its active military presence have been abandoned and left standing due to asbestos contamination within the structures.
Airfield
Moffett Field is an active airfield, and has two active runways:
★ Runway 14L/32R: 9,202 x 200 ft. (2,805 x 61 m), Surface: Concrete
★ Runway 14R/32L: 8,127 x 200 ft. (2,477 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt
University facilities
Moffett Field also hosts three (3) university branch campuses: San Jose State University's (SJSU) Metropolitan Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon West, and UC Santa Cruz. These are within the base primarily to support the academic research and collaboration that these three (3) schools perform with NASA Ames.
Assigned units
★ 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard
★ 7th Psychological Operations Group Headquarters, United States Army Reserve
References
1. US Naval Air Station Sunnyvale, CA Historic District (Moffett Field)
2. http://www.theregister.com/2007/07/13/hanger_one_progress_report/
External links
★ Moffett Field page at ''GlobalSecurity.org''
★ NASA Ames Research Center
★ Moffett Field Museum
★
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