Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: be
Western Arizona
© 2002, © 2006 by Paul Freeman. Revised 9/30/06.
American Airways Field / Salome CAA Site 27B (revised 9/30/06) - Lake Havasu Aux AAF #6 (revised 9/23/04)
Salome Airport (added 6/12/06) - Signal Aux AAF #7
Topock Aux AAF #5 (revised 7/13/04) - Yucca AAF (revised 9/19/03)
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33.77 North / 113.62 West (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ)
The Salome Airport, as depicted on the September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.
The Salome Airport was a small general aviation field located immediately adjacent to the south side of the town of Salome.
Note that the Salome Airport was a separate & distinct field from the earlier Salome Intermediate Field,
which was located several miles to the south.
The Salome Airport was evidently established at some point before 1941,
as it was not yet depicted at all on the 1935 Phoenix Sectional Chart,
nor listed among active airfields in The Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
The earliest depiction of the Salome Airport which has been located
was on the September 1941 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Salome as a commercial/municipal field.
The 1945 Haire Publishing Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy)
listed Salome Airport as having 3 turf runways,
and described the field as privately owned & operated.
The 1949 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton)
depicted Salome as a public-use airfield having a 4,500' unpaved runway.
The March 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted Salome as a public-use airfield having a 4,500' unpaved runway.
The Salome Airport may have been closed (for reasons unknown) at some point between 1958-59,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the March 1959 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
The Salome Airport continued to be depicted on the 1969 & 1980 USGS topo maps,
but this does not necessarily prove the airport was still open at that point.
A total of 3 unpaved runways were still depicted on the 1990 USGS topo map,
but it was labeled simply as “Landing Strips”, which most likely indicates the field was closed by that point.
As it existed in the 1997 USGS aerial photo,
the 3 unpaved runways of the former Salome Airport still remained clear & distinct.
It is not known if any of the buildings adjacent to the northeast side of the field were related to the former airfield.
The Salome Airport is located south of the intersection of Route 60 & Center Street.
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American Airways Field / Salome CAA Site 27B Airfield, Salome, AZ
33.58 North / 113.59 West (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ)
Salome Site 28B, as depicted on the 1935 Phoenix Sectional Chart.
Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.
This airfield was evidently established at some point between 1931-34,
as it was not yet listed among active airfields
in the 1931 Commerce Department Descriptions of Airports & Landing Fields in U.S. (according to David Brooks).
The earliest reference to this airfield which has been located
was in the 1934 Department of Commerce Airport Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
It described the "American Airways Field" as being located 18 miles south of the town of Salome.
The field was said to be in a "T" shape, with two 2,500' runways, oriented north/south & east/west.
It was also listed as “American Airlines Field” in The Airport Directory Company's 1934 Airport Directory (according to David Brooks).
The 1935 Phoenix Sectional Chart depicted the Salome Landing Field as Site 28B.
This would indicate that it was being used as one of the Civil Aeronautic Administration's network of emergency landing fields,
built across the country to provide alternate landing sites for airmail & airline flights.
However, the Salome field continued to be listed as “American Airways Field”
in the 1936 & 1938 Department of Commerce Airport Directories (according to David Brooks)
and in the The Airport Directory Company's 1939 Airport Directory (according to David Brooks).
The designation of the Salome field had apparently changed somewhat
by the time of the 1941 12M Regional Aeronautical Chart (according to David Brooks),
as it was depicted as "Salome Site 27B".
The April 1944 US Army/Navy Directory of Airfields (courtesy of Ken Mercer)
listed the field as "Salome Site 27B".
It was described as an intermediate field along the Los Angeles - Phoenix airway,
having a 4,100' runway.
The 1949 Gila River World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton)
described "Salome (CAA)" Site 27B as having a 4,100' unpaved runway.
The Aerodromes table on the 1956 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
described "Salome CAA Site 27B" as having 2 bare runways, with the longest being 4,140',
along with the note, "Closed until further notice unsafe".
It was also described as "Closed" on the 1958 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
However, the Salome airfield may have reopened at some point between 1958-60,
as it was listed among active airfields in the 1960 Jeppesen Manual (according to Chris Kennedy).
“Salome (FAA)” was depicted on the March 1962 Phoenix Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
as being Site 27B, but being suitable for “Emergency only”.
The field was depicted as having a 4,100' unpaved runway.
The Aerodromes table on the January 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
described Salome as having two runways, with the longest being a 4,140' bare strip.
It also said "Unsafe for small aircraft. Emergency only."
The Salome airfield was evidently abandoned (again) at some point in 1964,
as it was no longer depicted at all on the July 1964 Phoenix Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
Both runways of the airfield were still depicted on the 1980 USGS topo map, labeled "Landing Field",
while the 1990 USGS topo map labeled the site as "Salome Field".
The Salome Site 27B Airfield was still depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 1998 Sectional Chart.
As it existed in the 1997 USGS aerial photo,
the Salome Airfield consisted of a 4,000' east/west runway,
along with a shorter north/south runway.
It is not apparent whether the field was ever paved, or merely well-graded dirt strips.
There did not appear to be any signs of there having been any hangars or other structures at the airfield.
A September 2006 aerial view by Ken Calman looking south at the former Salome Intermediate Field.
The Salome Airfield is located two miles south of Interstate 10,
ten miles west of Centennial, AZ.
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Yucca Army Airfield (58AZ), Yucca, AZ
34.88 North / 114.12 West (Southeast of Las Vegas, NV)
A rare 1944 photo of P-39 Supercobras & P-63 Kingcobras at Yucca AAF.
The photo is courtesy of Steve Hoza, from the book "Best Place in the Country", by Mike & Steve Hoza.
A 1944 photo of a group of gunnery instructors at Yucca AAF.
A B-26 Marauder, used to tow target sleeves, is in the background.
The photo is courtesy of Steve Hoza, from the book "Best Place in the Country", by Mike & Steve Hoza.
In 1943-44, the US Army Air Forces acquired 2,284 acres
to build a satellite airfield for the use of Kingman AAF & its Gunnery School.
The facility consisted of two 6,000' asphalt runways, taxiways, control tower, a total of 45 buildings,
roads, a railroad spur, electrical utilities, water utilities, and a sewage disposal plant.
The adjoining Yucca Air to Air Gunnery Range was located to the southwest of Yucca AAF.
It consisted of a total of 550,000 acres, and the range had four runways,
including Topock Aux #5, Lake Havasu Aux #6, and Signal Aux #7.
Bell P-39 & P-63 fighters were used as gunnery targets at Yucca Aux AAF.
According to the book "Best Place in the Country" by Steve Hoza & Mike Hoza,
B-26 bombers were also used as target tugs at Yucca AAF.
"Yucca AAF (Aux)", as depicted on the August 1945 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The property was declared surplus in 1946
and responsibility for it was given to the War Assets Administration.
"Yucca" airfield was depicted on the 1949 Los Angeles Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),
and described as having a 6,000' hard-surface runway.
In 1954 the Ford Motor Company acquired the airport facility.
They began using the runways for automobile testing,
and eventually built an extensive automotive proving ground surrounding the airfield.
USGS aerial photo 1997.
As of 2002, the airfield itself was still operated by Ford as a private airfield,
known as the Arizona Proving Ground Airport.
As described in the FAA Airport/Facility Directory data,
Ford maintained two 6,000' asphalt runways (14/32 & 18/36).
The remarks said, “Vehicle testing operations on both runway, prior arrangement needed for airport use.”
Ford continued to use some of the original military facilities,
including the control tower, runways, taxiways, parking aprons.
All of the original military buildings (except for the control tower) had been removed.
Dan Falkerson reported in 2006, “I used to work as a service electrician
and have done some work at the Proving Grounds at Yucca.
The main garage/repair facility apparently sits on an old hangar foundation.
The concrete is incredibly hard, and anyone who has ever had to
cut/jackhammer through it for repairs or renovations learns to hate it.
There appears to be a high metal content in the concrete, perhaps contributing to it's toughness.
There are many places on the shop floor where a magnet will stick to it pretty good.”
The Yucca airfield was evidently closed by Ford (for reasons unknown) at some point between 2002-2006,
as it was depicted as an abandoned airfield on the 2006 Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy).
In November 2007, Chrysler bought the Yucca Proving Grounds from Ford.
They paid $35 million for the 3,840 acre site, including 50 miles of test roads & 109,000 square feet of building space.
Chrysler planned to put in another $10 million including a 70' high test grade.
The Yucca Airfield is located on the east side of Interstate 40, 25 miles south of Kingman.
A 1993 Army Corps of Engineers report gave more details about Yucca AAF.
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Topock Army Auxiliary Airfield #5, Topock, AZ
34.72 North / 114.44 West (West of Phoenix, AZ)
"Kingman #5", as depicted on the August 1945 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.
This field was built as a WW2-era satellite field for Kingman AAF (several miles northeast),
which conducted training for the 70,000 Pilot Training Program.
According to Jeff Johnson (an archaeologist with EcoPlan Associates, Inc.,
charged with the task of documenting the history of Topock AAAF #5
pursuant to an ADOT project to construct a new rest area & visitor's center
at the Needles Mountain Traffic Interchange on I-40),
"Topock AAF was constructed in late 1942 or early 1943.
The Kingman AAF Museum in has a photo of 'Kingman Airfield S5, Ariz.' taken sometime between 1943-47.
They also have a 'Location Map, Auxiliary Landing Fields & Gunnery Ranges, KAAF-YAAF', dated October 1943,
showing 'Topock Field #5', among others.
The single runway was 6,000' of oil-hardened pavement & 300' wide."
"Kingman #5" was depicted as an auxiliary airfield
on the August 1945 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Topock was listed in a directory of AZ Airports
in the 5/47 issue of Arizona Highways (courtesy of George Miller),
which described the field as being unattended, and the longest runway as being 6,000'.
It was labeled "Kingman #5" on the 1949 Los Angeles Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy),
and described as having a 6,000' hard-surface runway.
As seen in the 1994 UGS aerial photo,
the remains of a single north/south runway (6,100’ long) were barely visible in the above 1994 photo,
bisected by Interstate 40.
According to Jeff Johnson, "There are portions of the runway that still exhibit the original pavement.
There are two concrete slabs near the southern end of the runway.
One is just to the west of the end of the runway, roughly square & unlevel.
The second concrete slab is located just to the east of the runway.
It is rectangular, level and was constructed with a form.
It may have been associated with a small shed."
"The 1994 aerial photo also shows two rectangular compounds enclosing various buildings & structures.
The smaller & northern-most compound is the Topock Service Camp built in 1950 for El Paso Natural Gas.
The larger & southern-most compound is the Topock ADOT Maintenance Yard built about 1991.
The Topock AAAF is almost totally on BLM and Arizona State Trust Lands.
The remainder (about 120 acres) is owned by El Paso Natural Gas.
This 120-acre parcel includes the Topock Service Camp and a portion of the WW2 Topock runway."
"The southern portion of the Topock runway was bisected by construction of I-40 years ago.
That portion of the runway south of I-40 & two associated concrete slabs
may be destroyed during their project [the construction of a new rest area].
I am documenting this AAAF to determine if it is significant enough to warrant government protection.
It seems that Topock is one of only two AAFs in Arizona that serviced B-17 bombers exclusively
and still survives today in an almost unaltered condition.
The other seems to be Signal AAAF #7.
The remainder of the AAAFs seem to have been altered for other uses,
destroyed by development or originally built for non-bombers,
i.e. multiple runways measuring approximately 4,000' or less for attack aircraft
versus single or double runways measuring 6,000' or greater for heavy bombers.
Although Signal AAAF seems to be in more pristine condition than Topock AAAF,
it is more remote & does not lend itself well to historical interpretation.
In contrast, the Topock AAAF has had a limited amount of impact.
The runway has been impacted by two small paved service roads across the northern portion
and I-40 across the southern portion.
The portion of the runway between these two areas is untouched.
The portion north of the two service roads is also untouched,
while the area south of I-40 seems to have lost some integrity.
The fact that that a large portion of the untouched runway is visible from I-40 & Needles Mountain Road
may indicate a unique opportunity for the interpretation of this AAAF, the associated Kingman AAF
and the 70,000 Gunner Training Program."
The Topock airfield was not depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on 1998 World Aeronautical Chart.
A May 11, 2004 photo by John Saunders, looking north across I-40 along the remains of Topock's former runway.
A May 11, 2004 photo by John Saunders, looking south along the remains of Topock's former runway.
A May 11, 2004 photo by John Saunders of remaining tarmac along Topock's former runway.
Charles Irvin reported in 2008, “This one's interesting, because as of present-day,
the remains of the north/south runway are more or less completely clear of debris!
I mean, it's as if somebody has been keeping the remains of the runway clear.
There are 5 or 6 tractor-trailers parked at the northernmost end, on either sides of the runway,
and if you take a close look on [aerial photos], you can still clearly see a closed 'X' symbol at the end of the runway nearest I-40,
and you can see that the pavement is still there on the entire runway length - even south of I-40.
Also, I'm not sure, but I'm assuming that there were originally 2 runways at this site -
the other running east/west at the northern end of the field, which is now used as a road,
though it appears that the pavement has been removed from this one.
I could be wrong, but if you look closely at it, it does look kind of like a runway to a point in each direction, then it seems to narrow out.
On the other hand, it's odd that there are no taxiways whatsoever.”
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Lake Havasu Auxiliary Army Airfield #6 (LHU), Lake Havasu City, AZ
34.46 North / 114.36 West (West of Phoenix, AZ)
"Kingman #6", as depicted on the August 1945 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The original airfield for the town of Lake Havasu is located on a peninsula
which protrudes from the east bank of the Colorado River.
The military acquired a 1,030 acre site
to build an emergency landing field for Kingman AAF's Yucca Aerial Gunnery Range.
The emergency field was established in 1943 & consisted of two runways.
No facilities were associated with the landing field other than the runways,
there were no lighting, hangars, shops, gasoline, oil, communications, or radio facilities.
An auxiliary radio station was originally proposed for this field,
but historical information indicates that radio facilities were not installed.
According to the book "Best Place in the Country" by Steve Hoza & Mike Hoza,
the Lake Havasu base was also known as the Site Six Rest Camp,
as it served as a rest & recreation center for AAF personnel.
In 1944, the site remodeled & improved for use as a rest & convalescent camp for Kingman AAF.
The structures installed were temporary in nature,
and provisions were made for swimming, fishing, skeet shooting, motor boating, & hiking activities.
"Kingman #6" was depicted as an auxiliary airfield on the August 1945 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
The installation was declared surplus in 1945,
and the field was reused as a civil airport.
It was listed as "Kingman Site Six" Airport in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory,
with two 6,000' oiled & gravel runways,
and the operator listed as Site Six Resort.
By 1964, it had been renamed Lake Havasu Airport & the primary runway was paved.
The Aerodromes table on the 1964 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss)
described Lake Havasu as having three runways, with the longest being a 4,300' bituminous strip.
Wayne Peters recalled that his father Ron Peters “took a job in 1975 at Lake Havasu City Airport.
Dad worked at the original site on the island & worked through the ranks becoming Airport Manager.”
An undated aerial view by Chris Kennedy looking west at Lake Havasu City Airport while it was still open.
The Lake Havasu City Airport was described in the 1989 Airport/Facility Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
as having a 6,167' asphalt Runway 5/23 & a 5,504' gravel Runway 2/20.
Wayne Peters recalled that his father Ron Peters worked as the Airport Manager “until the move was announced in 1990.
He decided to retire then.”
The original Lake Havasu Airport closed in 1991
when it was replaced by a more modern airport on higher ground just North of the town.
Aerial photo circa 2000, after the field's closure.
Two paved 5,500' runways still exist,
along with the slightest trace of the former north/south runway.
Other portions of the property have been reused as a trailer park, an RV resort,
condominiums, a hotel & golf course, and a sewage disposal facility.
A 2003 aerial view of the former Lake Havasu Airport by Eric James.
A 2004 aerial view looking north at the former Lake Havasu Airport by Paul Freeman.
A September 2004 photo by Chris Kennedy of a hangar which remains at the site of the old Lake Havasu Airport.
A September 2004 photo by Chris Kennedy of what appears to be a control tower cab
on top of one of the buildings at the former Lake Havasu Airport.
Chris Kennedy visited the site of the old Lake Havasu Airport in September 2004.
His report: "The buildings at the Lake Havasu site are obviously from its days as the city airport, not from WW2.
I wasn't able to see the runway because the road around the airport is lower than runway level."
Dan Falkerson reported in 2006, “The bunker for the skeet range still exists on the island -
I stumbled upon it several years ago.
Nothing else remains of the other [former military] facilities,
and it's likely that even the remaining buildings & runway will soon vanish as they occupy prime resort real estate.”
See also: http://pirs.mvr.usace.army.mil/fuds/I-l/lkehav6/preasses/inpr/inpr.htm
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Signal Auxiliary AAF #7, Signal, AZ
34.37 North / 113.91 West (Northwest of Phoenix, AZ)
"Kingman #7", as depicted on the March 1945 Prescott Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
Photo of the airfield while in use has not been located.
This airfield was also known as Kingman Auxiliary AAF #7.
The military acquired a total of 800 acres in 1942,
to construct an emergency landing strip to be used as a satellite field by Kingman AAF,
in connection with the Yucca Air to Air Gunnery Range.
According to Jeff Johnson (an archaeologist with EcoPlan Associates, Inc.,
charged with the task of documenting the history of Topock AAAF #5),
Topock AAAF & Signal AAAF were "two AAFs in Arizona that serviced B-17 bombers exclusively
and still survives today in an almost unaltered condition."
No airfield was depicted at all on the site on the 1944 LA Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
The earliest depiction of the airfield which has been located
was on the March 1945 Prescott Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted "Kingman #7" as an auxiliary airfield.
The field was declared surplus in 1945,
and the property was transferred to the Department of Interior in 1946.
It was apparently reused at least for some period as a civil airfield,
as Kingman Aux #7 was listed in a directory of AZ Airports
in the 5/47 issue of Arizona Highways (courtesy of George Miller),
which described it as having a 6,000' runway, and being unattended.
"Kingman #7" was described on the 1949 Prescott Sectional Chart (according to Chris Kennedy)
as having a 6,000' unpaved runway.
However, it was apparently closed again by 1956,
as no airfield was depicted at all on the site on the 1956 Prescott Sectional Chart (courtesy of John Voss).
The property is currently under the control of the Bureau of Land Management,
but is not used by the BLM.
As seen in the 1997 USGS aerial photo, the airfield consisted of a single 6,000' graded earth runway,
which paralleled the east side of an unnamed eroded dirt road.
There did not appear to have been any buildings at the site.
It is depicted as "Landing Strip" on the 1979 & 1990 USGS topo maps.
A 1992 Army Corps of Engineers report provides more details about Signal Aux #7.
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