Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields:
Southwestern Utah
© 2002, © 2007 by Paul Freeman. Revised 7/29/07.
Hurricane Mesa Airport (revised 7/29/07) - St. George FAA Airport (revised 1/19/06)
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Hurricane Mesa Airport, (UT27), Hurricane Mesa, UT
37.25 North / 113.21 West (Northeast of Las Vegas, NV)
An undated photo of a prototype of a Stanley supersonic escape capsule,
being loaded into what appears to be an F-102 Delta Dagger nose section, presumably at Hurricane Mesa.
After the end of WW2, the advent of jet propulsion in military aircraft
dictated the need for more sophisticated escape systems,
capable of safely extracting a pilot from high-speed aircraft.
In 1953 the Air Force awarded a $2 million contract to the Coleman Engineering Company of Torrance, CA,
to construct the Supersonic Military Air Research Track to test ejection seat systems.
The Air Force selected the flat, arid Hurricane Mesa in southern Utah as the location for the facility.
The location proved to be ideal.
The region's mild weather allowed year-round testing,
the mesa's flat bedrock provided a secure anchor for the track,
its 1,500' drop into the Virgin River Valley was perfect for the planned tests
(in which test items would be propelled off the edge of the mesa),
and the Virgin River supplied all the necessary water.
Coleman Engineering began construction of the facility during the summer of 1954.
The track consisted of 12,000' of continuously welded, heavy-duty rails
that formed the longest rocket research track in the United States to that date.
The entire facility included the track, launching pad, crew shelters, camera towers,
rocket storage depots, water system, power system,
communication system, security facilities, administration building, and a shop building.
Coleman had completed the base by 1955, when the first test took place.
Testing at the site typically involved hurling a rocket sled,
carrying a seat with a dummy known as "Hurricane Sam" strapped to it,
along the track at a speed of 1,050 mph (Mach 1.3).
"Sam", in actuality, was a highly instrumented anthropoid simulator
with electronic equipment & a radio connected to it.
Just before reaching the edge of the cliff the ejection mechanism fired,
flinging the dummy over the precipice where its parachute opened & it floated to the valley floor.
In one series of tests "Hurricane Sam" was replaced by apes to determine the effects of ejection on live beings.
By 1958 Coleman Engineering had begun using the track for other tests,
including the launching of missiles from the rocket sled at targets 75 miles away.
At one point Coleman even set a world land speed record
when the 9,400-pound sled reached a speed of 1,800 mph.
Eventually the Air Force allowed different aircraft companies to test their equipment at the Hurricane Mesa site,
and many of Coleman Engineering's innovations were adopted by various industries.
In the six years of Hurricane Mesa's early operation some 334 tests helped the Air Force to standardize its ejection systems
and perfect a seat that made emergency escapes much safer for American pilots.
With this original purpose accomplished,
the facility began a gradual phaseout that ended with the closure of the southern Utah facility in 1961.
Tom Kramer noted, “In the June 2003 edition of Wings Magazine
is the full story on Project SMART (Supersonic Military Air Research Track) at Hurricane, Utah.
The article pretty much ends with the abandonment by the Air Force in 1961.”
No airfield was yet listed at the Hurricane Mesa site in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory.
According to Tom Beamer, one of the other companies which conducted tests at Hurricane Mesa was Stanley Aviation.
Stanley Aviation Inc. was founded in 1948 by Robert Stanley, a former Naval Aviator.
Bob Stanley had been the Vice President of Engineering at Bell Aircraft,
participating in many flight test & engineering programs including the Bell X-1 & X-2 aircraft.
The Stanley company designed & built many diverse products prior to entering into the escape & egress engineering field.
Stanley Aviation created many innovations in the egress field,
including Automatic Gas-Operated Safety belts, canopy jettisoning systems,
downward ejection seats, upward ejection seats, supersonic ejection capsules, and prototype ejection systems.
Aircraft fitted with Stanley egress equipment included the B-47, RB-47, XB-52, RB-66,
XF-104, F-104, YB-47, FJ-2, F-106A, F4H, P6M, B-58, and other prototypes.
One particularly advanced Stanley design was the Stanley Supersonic Capsule,
originally developed for the Convair B-58 Hustler, but also tested for adaptation to other aircraft (including the F-4).
At some point between 1962-65, Stanley developed an airfield at the Hurricane Mesa site.
The earliest reference to an airfield at the site came from John Lowry.
He recalled, “I had the opportunity to land & take off from that airport with Bob Stanley in July 1965.
Bob Stanley was a river rat and he & my father ran many of the rivers of the Southwest during the 1960s.
My father loved the outdoors & because he was an excellent outdoor cook Bob wanted him on the trips.
In July we had just finished riding the Colorado through the Grand Canyon
and Bob stopped at Hurricane Mesa to pick up a camera & equipment to take back to Denver.
I remember the runway as unpaved with a road barrier at the end.
We had a great time looking around the mesa & its rocket sled track.
Bob used old jet engines to propel the sled.
I would like to have seen a test, but I don’t think anything was planned.
He only had one maintenance man on the mesa at the time.
Bob had the Aerocommander fully loaded & I didn’t think we were going to get off the ground before hitting the barrier.
The neat aspect of the takeoff was as soon as you left the ground
you passed over the edge of the mesa & were immediately 1,500 feet in the air.”
Hank Pesch recalled, “I worked for Stanley Aviation from 1966-79.
When the Air force was ready to mothball the site in the early 1960s
Stanley Aviation leased the site from the government.
Stanley used the site from the mid 1960's to the late 1970's
to test & qualify the Yankee Escape Systems & its various derivatives.
The Yankee Escape System was used primarily on A-1E, A-1H/J and T-28 Trojan aircraft during the Vietnam conflict.
Stanley also developed prototype Yankee Escape Systems
for the Navy's A3B & EA-6B aircraft & the Army's Mohawk aircraft.
Stanley also developed a derivative of the Yankee Escape System
called the Away Escape System which was installed on the original Airbus test aircraft
for a method of crew escape if something went wrong during deep stall test.
The Away System provided a means of escape for up to 6 people on the test aircraft.
The Away System was also proposed for the Space Shuttle
by the company that bought the rights to all of Stanley's escape systems after his untimely death.
Unfortunately the system not accepted by NASA
which instead opted for the extendable barber pole which is on the Space Shuttle today.
All high speed testing for these systems was done at Hurricane Mesa.”
Hank Pesch recalled, “As for the development of the airfield at Hurricane Mesa,
Stanley had a fleet of company aircraft that were flown from Denver to the test site on a regular basis.
The aircraft shuttled personnel & equipment to support test operations.
The airfield was created so that the aircraft could land directly at the site
rather than having to land at Saint George or the local airport at the town of Hurricane.
Stanley aircraft included a Aerocommander 500 nicknamed the Blue Goose because of it's unique color,
two T-6 Texans, a T-28A and a Douglas A-26.”
The earliest depiction which has been located of the Hurricane Mesa airfield
was on the 1965 Grand Canyon Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy).
It depicted Hurricane Mesa as a private airfield having a 4,000' unpaved runway.
The 1971 Las Vegas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Vince Granato)
depicted Hurricane Mesa as a private airfield with a 4,000' unpaved runway.
Hank Pesch recalled, “The airfield started out as unpaved
but was paved in 1975 to accommodate the A-26 which Stanley bought that year.”
USGS topo map 1980.
The 1982 AOPA Airport Directory (courtesy of Ed Drury)
described Hurricane Mesa Airport as having a single 5,000' asphalt Runway 15/33.
The remarks said, "Private. Use at own risk."
Tom Kramer recalled, “I used to fly from Fullerton, CA up to Cedar City, UT
and would cruise right by the mesa & the track at about 7,500+ feet.
Seeing only occasional lights up there but no apparent life,
one time I decided to fly over the several miles off of the airway
and do a few low passes over the facility down to a few hundred feet off the top.
I saw that even though the track was there, it was unusable due to a huge pile of earth mounded up in the middle.
I thought of touching down on the airstrip but since I was uncertain it was totally abandoned, I passed.”
Tom continued, “On one later trip, when we drove over to Zion,
I found the 2-lane entry road & drove up to the top of the mesa.
Even though the road looks nice, paved & passable from the bottom, part way up,
sections of it are missing from landslides & it is down to one lane (or less).
I was able to squeeze by in my Toyota Celica with my wife commenting on my sanity.
At the top, you drive a few hundred yards into a pine forest & there is a huge gate,
which was locked with a chain & huge rusted padlock.
At one time, it was an automatic gate as evident by the power gate swing mechanism.
Barbed wire topped fencing goes off in each direction. It looked maintained.”
An undated view of the gate to the Hurricane Mesa Test Track.
An undated aerial photo of the Hurricane Mesa Test Track & Airport.
At some point between 1961-2003,
the Hurricane Mesa test facility was apparently reactivated,
after being acquired by the Universal Propulsion Company, a subsidiary of Goodrich.
Universal Propulsion describes itself as "the only US ejection seat manufacturer offering complete aircrew escape systems,
including canopy removal, sequencing systems & the ejection seat."
An undated photo of a test article being retarded by a parachute at the Hurricane Mesa Test Track.
The Universal Propulsion web site describes the track as "fully capable of handling propulsion velocities exceeding supersonic.
No other domestic track can equal HMTT for remoteness, privacy, security & on site facilities.”
Test cockpit sections which have been seen at Hurricane Mesa include cockpits
of an F-15 Eagle, A-4 Skyhawk, and F-102 Delta Dagger.
In the 1993 USGS aerial photo, the single runway appeared to be the only aviation infrastructure at the site.
There did not appear to be any ramp or hangars.
the "R & D Range" (blue), and "OB / OD Range" (pink).
As of 2003, the Airport/Facility Directory data for Hurricane Mesa Airport
described it as a private airfield consisting of a single 5,000' gravel Runway 15/33.
The owner was listed as Universal Propulsion Company,
and the remarks said, "Airport hazardous due to winds."
A January 22, 2006 view along the Hurricane Mesa test track.
As of 2007, the owner of the Hurricane Mesa Test Facility, formerly known as Universal Propulsion Company,
is now known as Aircraft Interior Products Propulsion Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Goodrich Corporation.
Hurricane Mesa is described by the company as “The nation's only privately-owned supersonic test track.
Located atop Hurricane Mesa, the 12,000' track is fully capable of handling propulsion velocities up to supersonic.
The track level is at 5,100' MSL with the muzzle terminating at a 500' vertical cliff.
The sloping terrain of the mesa provides an additional drop of 1,000' to the valley floor below.
Hurricane Mesa Test Facility has been used as a shooting location for several motion pictures.
The rugged & picturesque locale has provided a backdrop for scenes from 'The Car', 'Octopussy', and 'The Electric Horseman'.”
The Hurricane Mesa facility is located five miles north-northwest of Virgin, UT.
See also: http://historytogo.utah.gov/hurricsam.html
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St. George FAA Airport, St. George, UT
37.04 North / 113.51 West (Northeast of Las Vegas, NV)
"St. George (CAA)" Airport, as depicted southeast of the town of St. George
on the September 1949 Great Salt Lake World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton).
Photo of the airfield while open has not been located.
A considerable amount of historical material about the St. George CAA Airfield was sent in by David Ulane,
the present-day (2003) manager of the current St. George Municipal Airport.
This is an odd story, about an airport which was built & then abandoned,
but has now been selected as the site for a new airport to be built upon the site of the abandoned airfield!
The town of St. George has had a municipal airport,
adjacent to the southwest side of the town, dating back to before 1938
according to The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airports Directory (according to Chris Kennedy).
However, the federal government decided to build an additional airport, 5 miles southeast of the town, in 1944.
In Dave Ulane's words, "The old St. George FAA airport was actually built
as a Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) Intermediate Airfield, apparently sometime in 1944.
It’s original purpose was to provide an adequate alternate landing site along the Los Angeles to Denver airway."
The September 1949 Great Salt Lake World Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Donald Felton)
depicted the "St. George (CAA)" Airport as having a 5,000' hard-surface runway.
Dave Ulane continued, "By 1950, the 5,000’ long runway at the CAA field was resurfaced & lighted,
and a 5,000' crosswind runway was improved.
The airways communication station was moved from the present St. George Airport to the CAA field about this time.
A local news article from the period notes that the station was staffed 24 hours per day with new state of the art equipment."
"In 1955 the airways communication station was deactivated & closed
under a cost reduction & non-essential needs classification.
The runway remained available for emergency use."
The 1959 Grand Canyon Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the "St. George (FAA)" Airport as having a single 5,000' paved runway.
The 1960 Jeppesen Airway Manual (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)
depicted the "St. George (FAA)" Airport as having a single 5,000' paved Runway 2/20
and a 5,000' unpaved Runway 11/29,
along with a small ramp on the northwest side with a single small building.
David Ulane continued, "In 1961, the FAA closed the runway & officially abandoned the intermediate landing field,
and the site was purchased by the City of St. George."
The original Saint George Airport (southwest of the town) was listed in the 1962 AOPA Airport directory,
but not the FAA Airport.
According to drag racing historian Bret Kepner,
the former St. George FAA Airport was reused starting in the 1960s as a racetrack,
known as the High Country Raceway.
By 1971, the Las Vegas Sectional Chart (courtesy of Vince Granato)
depicted the former St. George FAA Airport as an abandoned airfield.
The 1971 USGS topo map labeled the airfield as "St George (FAA)".
On the 1986 USGS topo map, the FAA Airport's former paved runway was labeled "racetrack".
In the 1993 USGS aerial photo, the former airport consisted of a 5,000' paved northeast/southwest runway,
along with a 5,000' unpaved northwest/southeast runway.
A small paved ramp still existed west of the paved runway's midpoint,
but there does not appear to be any trace of any buildings at the site.
The FAA Airport site was no longer depicted at all (even as an abandoned airfield) on 1998 aeronautical charts.
The last of the buildings was torn down in the late 1990s,
and all that remains of any structure are concrete foundations.
Today [2003], the old runway is used as an informal drag-strip
and field for the local radio controlled aircraft club."
Drag racing historian Bret Kepner reported in 2003 that the racetrack at the former St. George Airport
may not open for 2003 due to the roughness of the ever-deteriorating surface.
As described on the web site of the City of St. George, things have come full circle,
and the town plans to replace the airport next to the town by building a new field on the site of the abandoned FAA Airport:
"The existing site is too small: Space limitations at the current mesa-top location
prohibit needed expansion to accommodate large commercial service & commercial jets.
The Solution: The old CAA Airport site has been selected by the City of St. George
as the preferred site for a replacement airport."
David Ulane continued, "The City of St. George is indeed pursuing the construction of a new airport.
Our existing airport sits on top of the West Black Mesa right in town,
and is severely constrained by the geography of the mesa.
Our runway is too short, our taxiway & runway are too close together,
and we have virtually no room left for additional hangars or development.
We cannot accommodate regional jet airline service or larger general aviation jets at our present airport,
which is now surrounded by the City of St. George.
In 1998, the City selected the old CAA site as the most suitable for a replacement airport,
with the new Runway 4/22 planned to begin at the north end of the old CAA runway.
Too bad our City didn’t turn it into an airport back in 1961!"
A 2003 plan of the proposed replacement St. George Airport runway,
to be built over the site of the former CAA airport.
"We are presently undergoing an extensive environmental study of the new airport,
which is expected to be operational in 2010.
At that time, the present airport will be redeveloped into residential use,
consistent with the surrounding area."
A 2003 aerial view looking south at the runway of the former St. George CAA Airfield, by Dave Ulane.
David Ulane reported in 2003 that at the current St. George Municipal Airport,
"In our airport terminal here, we have an excellent display about our area’s aviation history,
including the old 'FAA airport'."
An October 2005 photo by Keith Wood, looking northeast along the former St George runway from about the midpoint.
“The pavement has been ripped. Note the pavement markings from the mid-runway crossover.”
An October 2005 photo by Keith Wood, looking southwest over the portion used for radio-controlled model aircraft.
“The remaining runway is a couple of hundred yards long, more than plenty for ultralights & Light Sport Aircraft.
The runway past this is ripped up.
As you can see, there is no development near this airport, and plenty of room for expansion in all directions.”
The FAA Airport site is located southeast of the intersection
of Airport Road & Old FAA Airport Road, appropriately enough. ____________________________________________________