Naval Air Station Los Alamitos Naval Outlying Landing Fields facts for kids
During World War II, the United States Navy needed many new pilots. To help train them, several smaller airfields were set up around Naval Air Station Los Alamitos in California. These were called Naval Outlying Landing Fields (NOLF). Think of them as practice areas where pilots could safely learn to take off and land without a lot of other planes around. This helped new pilots get ready for combat, especially in the Pacific War.
These outlying fields usually had very few buildings or support staff. They were mostly just runways. To open them quickly, the Navy often took over existing local airfields that were used for things like crop dusting or stunt flying. Naval Air Station Los Alamitos itself opened in 1942. Most of these smaller fields closed in 1945 once the war ended and fewer new pilots were needed. The Timm N2T Tutor was a common training plane used at these fields.
The Naval Air Station Los Alamitos Outlying Fields included:
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Naval Outlying Landing Field Anaheim started as a private airport called Luebkeman Airport. It was located in Buena Park, California, and opened in 1937 on 240 acres of land. The Luebkeman family, who had moved from Germany, bought the land and built hangars. They rented these hangars to people who did exciting air shows (barnstorming), crop dusting, and even to famous wealthy people like Howard Hughes.
The airport's first runway was a grass strip about 2,200 feet long. Before the war, it also became a training center for civilian pilots. In 1940, a movie called The Great American Broadcast was even filmed there!
When World War II began, the US Navy leased Luebkeman Airport. It became a training field for pilots from the main base at Los Alamitos. After the war, the Luebkeman family did not reopen the airport. The old hangars were used as barns on their farm. Today, this area is covered with houses, just west of Knott's Berry Farm.
Palisades NOLF: A Simple Runway
Naval Outlying Field Palisades was a very basic training site. It had just one runway, about 2,500 feet long, built by the Navy in Newport Beach, California. There were no buildings or other facilities at all. Today, this land is home to Eastbluff Elementary School and houses.
Mile Square Farm NOLF: A Park Today
Mile Square Farm Naval Outlying Field opened in 1942 in Fountain Valley, California. The Navy bought 21 different pieces of farmland to create this 640-acre site. They built three asphalt runways, each about 2,500 feet long, arranged in a triangle shape. The field was named "Mile Square Farm" because the land was almost exactly one square mile.
Unlike most other outlying fields, Mile Square Farm did not close right after the war. In 1955, it was given to the United States Marine Corps. They renamed it Marine Corps Outlying Field Mile Square (MCOLF). The Marines used it for practicing helicopter landings, especially a special kind of landing called "autorotation."
Since the Marines didn't need all the land for training, some of it was released to the public. In 1970, Mile Square Regional Park was built on part of the former airfield. The Marines finally closed the airfield in 1972. Over the years, more of the land was turned into public spaces. By 2004, all the old runways were gone, replaced by things like ball fields, picnic areas, bike trails, and an 18-hole golf course.
Haster Farm NOLF: Now a School and Park
Haster Farm Naval Outlying Landing Field had a unique landing area. The Navy built a 1,500-foot wide asphalt landing mat shaped like a hexagon (a six-sided figure). This field was located in Garden Grove, California. It closed after the war. Today, the site is home to Bolsa Grande High School and Garden Grove Park.
Horse Farm NOLF: Now Commercial Land
Horse Farm Naval Outlying Landing Field also had a 1,500-foot wide paved hexagonal landing mat. It was built by the Navy on 288 acres of land in Garden Grove, California. After the war, this site was closed. Today, part of the land is a US Army and Army Reserve center, and the rest is used for businesses.
Seal Beach Naval Outlying Landing Field began as Crawford Airport in 1917. It was built by L.R. Crawford in Seal Beach, California. This airport became famous for its exciting stunt shows performed over the Seal Beach "Joy Zone" between 1916 and 1919. It was also used by private pilots, for flying lessons, and even by police planes patrolling the beach.
Famous pilots like C.O. Prest and Earl S. Daugherty used Crawford Airport. L.R. Crawford even started a company there in 1927 to build airplanes and gliders. He also created Southern California's first air speed course, where planes could race along a straight path. The airport had a single dirt runway.
In 1932, Crawford sold the airport, and it was renamed Seal Beach Airport. It became a private airport offering charter flights and flying lessons. In 1939, two pilots set a flight endurance record there, flying a seaplane for over 30 hours!
In 1942, the US Navy bought Seal Beach Airport. It became a Naval Outlying Air Field to help train pilots from Los Alamitos and El Toro. After the war in 1945, the Navy closed the runway. They built new buildings on the site to support the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, which is still there today.
