War Eagle Field facts for kids
Quick facts for kids War Eagle Field |
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| Part of Army Air Forces Training Command | |
| Lancaster, California | |
2006 USGS airphoto
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 War Eagle Field
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| Coordinates | 34°41′48″N 118°13′38″W / 34.69667°N 118.22722°W |
| Type | Basic flying training airfield |
| Site information | |
| Owner | United States Army Air Forces |
| Controlled by | USAAF West Coast Training Center |
| Condition | Non-Aviation use |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| In use | 1941–1945 |
| Events | World War II |
War Eagle Field was once a busy airfield in the Mojave Desert, near Lancaster, California. It played an important role during World War II. Today, this old airfield is used as a detention facility.
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A Look Back at War Eagle Field
War Eagle Field started as the Polaris Flight Academy. It opened on July 15, 1941. This school trained young pilots for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force. These were air forces from other countries. The school also used two smaller fields nearby. They were called Liberty Field and Victory Field.
The airfield had two main runways. These were hard surfaces for planes to take off and land. One runway was about 3,100 feet long. The other was about 2,950 feet long.
After the Attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the United States joined World War II. The flight school then began training pilots for the United States Army Air Forces. This started on July 28, 1942. The Polaris Flight Academy continued to run the school.
The main plane used for training was the BT-13 Valiant. It was a basic trainer aircraft. The school also used its two auxiliary fields. These were:
- Liberty (Lancaster) Auxiliary Field (No. 1) 34°48′10″N 118°09′35″W / 34.80278°N 118.15972°W
- Victory Field Auxiliary Field (No. 2) 34°46′48″N 118°16′12″W / 34.78000°N 118.27000°W
In 1944, the flight school changed its name. It became the Mira Loma Flight Academy. The airfield stopped its flight training on October 1, 1945. It was no longer needed for military use in 1946.
What War Eagle Field Is Like Today
The land where War Eagle Field once stood was bought by Los Angeles County. The old airfield was turned into a detention facility. It is still used for this purpose today.
Many of the buildings from World War II are still there. This includes two large hangars where planes were kept. You can still faintly see the name "War Eagle" on the roof of one hangar. Helicopters from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department still use a landing pad at the site.
Liberty Auxiliary Field
Liberty Auxiliary Field was another training area. It had two hard-surface runways, each about 3,900 feet long. These runways were just north of Lancaster. The airfield closed in 1947.
Later, in 1950, a company built a large circular track around the old runways. This track was used to test tires for cars. It was later owned by Uniroyal. In the 1960s, Dodge bought the test track and used it for ten years. You can still see faint traces of the runways and the track from the air. A water treatment plant was built on part of the south runway in 2010.
Victory Field Auxiliary
Victory Field Auxiliary also had hard-surface runways. There were four runways, each about 3,900 feet long. They were set up in an unusual way. These runways were big enough to help train pilots for bomber planes. The runways closed in 1945. You can still see faint traces of these four runways from the air. Some homes have been built on the western part of the old runways.
