Forum: Off-topic

I'm starting planning on another manuscript right now, I'm scouting locations on Google Maps and Wikimapia for the places in the book (don't ask, unless you want a really dumb answer) Smile

One of the locations I was looking at was Cuddleback Dry Lake Airfield. Is it within the R-2508 Restricted Area.

And if anyone has been there, I'd love to know about the accomodations--or lack thereof--because a good part of the book will probably deal with the airfield--it gets bought up in a post-BRAC acquisition and the guy gets his hands on some old warbirds. It also will get used as a little training site for his own private militia. The aerial maps show some detail, but I need just a little bit more.

I'm asking now, because I have the entire story laid out, and thusly I can start writing any part--and I'm in the mood to write this.

Any help you can lend will help.

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ptplauthor wrote:

I'm starting planning on another manuscript right now, I'm scouting locations on Google Maps and Wikimapia for the places in the book (don't ask, unless you want a really dumb answer) Smile

One of the locations I was looking at was Cuddleback Dry Lake Airfield. Is it within the R-2508 Restricted Area.

And if anyone has been there, I'd love to know about the accomodations--or lack thereof--because a good part of the book will probably deal with the airfield--it gets bought up in a post-BRAC acquisition and the guy gets his hands on some old warbirds. It also will get used as a little training site for his own private militia. The aerial maps show some detail, but I need just a little bit more.

I'm asking now, because I have the entire story laid out, and thusly I can start writing any part--and I'm in the mood to write this.

Any help you can lend will help.

That's where Mike Adams got killed in 1967 when the X15-3 crashed.

Edit:

If you want an airfield with some "mystery" attached to it, take a look at the nearby old Harper Dry Lake site. This is where Howard Hughes did the flight tests of the Hughes DX-2 and Northrop flew the MX-324.

Throw in some of their ideas and your guy might have some interesting airframes - and ghosts.

Join the Yahoo group; Georgeafbca (George AFB, CA).

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/georgeafb ... &slk=1

A lot of discussion in the past, and many members did time at Cuddleback. Most were flown in by UH-1s from George to work the range. Join the group and ask away! There are even pictures from there as it looks today.

*not an endorsement for Yahoo, but this is a very knowledegable group who worked there*

thx, I'll look them up, if any1 here is a member, if you'd vouch that i'm not a troll or anything like that, that'd be a help.

Weasel_Keeper wrote:

Join the Yahoo group; Georgeafbca (George AFB, CA).

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/georgeafb ... &slk=1

A lot of discussion in the past, and many members did time at Cuddleback. Most were flown in by UH-1s from George to work the range. Join the group and ask away! There are even pictures from there as it looks today.

*not an endorsement for Yahoo, but this is a very knowledegable group who worked there*

Weasel_Keeper was that back in the 1970's when it was a bombing/gunnery range?

Thanks, I've joined the group, and I'll try and locate the other airfield.

On further review, I can't use Harper in the story, it has to be secluded--the Main Character raises his own little militia there, the big @$$ solar farm right south of the airstrip kinda defeats the purpose. Thanks for the tip though! Smile

asiatrails, same place.

Harper ain't that far from Cuddeback...just as secluded I would think

the Google Map satellite pic shows a big ole solar farm right on the final approach line, there's no way I can use it in the book, I need a place where the guy can base planes and have it serve as a hideout and train his own little militia.

I now have two possibilities, Cuddleback and a place east of Riverside, CA called Camp Essex. If you have pics from either please post them.

ptplauthor wrote:

the Google Map satellite pic shows a big ole solar farm right on the final approach line, there's no way I can use it in the book, I need a place where the guy can base planes and have it serve as a hideout and train his own little militia.

I now have two possibilities, Cuddleback and a place east of Riverside, CA called Camp Essex. If you have pics from either please post them.

Have you looked at Rice AAF, very futeristic (space ship shaped) lots of evidence of removed duildings, abandoned field located just outside Rice, California at N34 Degrees 03'21", W114 degrees 48'45"?

Rice itself is a burnt down town about halfway between 29 Stumps (twentynine palms) and the Arizona/California border.

I checked it out, and although there's noting wrong with the place, I think Essex is the best of all of them. For the sake of the book the parallel runways at Essex fit with the storyline--I'm actually writing it based on a video game (I'll drop a few more hints later and see who can guess it!)--yes I am aware that it is corny to novelize a VG, but I want to do it so I can get some practice, and who knows, it may end up getting published and having a big following.

J.K. Rowling never intended the Harry Potter books to be published when she started, and now look at her! Same here.

A couple here

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/CA/Air ... mdaleN.htm

Thank you guys for your suggestions, but after asking on the George AFB group, I have decided to use Cuddeback, it has all the amenities I need in the book and it has room to grow.

The only thing that remains is if it is in the restricted airspace? and if it is what are the rules...the other sites I've found info on have been confusing to me, so if one of you in the know could please enlighten me, that would be good. I'm not quite sure on the altitude restrictions.

Best of luck mate ... this one may be restricted now. Kid used it for a party place until the murders

http://community.livejournal.com/abando ... 05893.html

That would have been a nice place to party...wonder if they ever found the guy.

On another tack: the story takes place in 1992

Forum: Off-topic

Abandoned Airfield Question