While working on the project last week, I had a lot of time to think about many topics. As I sat in the beautiful, sparkling new building, my thoughts began to grow in my mind and I began to wonder how a simple structure could be so neglected when it plays such an important role in the world of aviation. Time.
My home at Aerotech is known as “Hangar History in the High Desert”. The term “hangar” originated in France many years ago when aviation pioneer Louis Blériot crashed his plane near a farm and carried away the wreckage. weather while he works. He soon contacted a company that built him three steel sheds, as he was impressed with the functionality and durability of the first.
Of course, the Wright brothers had stationed their planes before, but they were just wooden sheds—more weatherproof than storage space. Thus, Louis used the word hangar because he used and matched the French word Hangart or Haimgard which means “courtyard near the house”. It stuck, and over 100 years later the word became synonymous with aviation.
In the Antelope Valley, aviation history is largely dependent on these fences near our home, because the harsh conditions of our desert home are not optimal for aircraft life. Related to this is a unique aspect of the industry, which is to create, test and support various aviation operations, from civil to military and space.
Flying in the Antelope Valley for many years, we have seen old hangars come and go, but some of those early hangars still exist today. Surprisingly, all the survivors could fit in Lockheed’s hangar at Factory 42!
Recall that when the first Jenny landed on Palm Valley farmland, there was little demand for aircraft storage. For decades, visiting aircraft were tied together almost like horses outside of sedans, but over time, some early hangars emerged.
Many believe that the first hangars may have appeared in Murok, but in the 1930s, the dry lakebed in Dongying consisted mainly of sticks and tents. These early birds live tied to the bottom of the lake.
In hindsight, I’m sure there may have been buildings around the valley that could have housed planes. In my opinion, the first metal building hangers that actually lived in the valley were at Carter Field, later known as Lancaster Field, on the northwest corner of 10th Street and Avenue I in Lancaster.
Soon, flying conditions here in the Antelope Valley were filled with small airfields, and these hangars became a common sight in the valley. The aviation world was in full swing as the 1930s and 1940s rolled on. Industry grows and expands at an alarming rate, the construction of airports and ancillary facilities spreads throughout the valley, and war looms in the distance.
From the Happy Bottom Riding Club and its hangar in Pancho Barnes to the construction of War Eagle Field in Lancaster, the future of Antelope Valley is being built. Palmdale Airport, Mojave Airport, and the first major buildings at Muroc North Base have defined us as Aerospace Valley for generations.
When the big aircraft companies saw the benefits of flight testing and building, our valleys soon had large hangars and operations that became as commonplace as the skyline of any American city.
Not to be overlooked are small businesses that are also growing and hangars have been a common sight over the years, much like the somewhat famous and beloved Quartz Hill facility that operated from the 1940s until its demise in the 1980s. years. This hanger, left over from World War II, is the heart and soul of Quartz Mountain, and many people use it as a guide when they show the way.
At Mulrock (Edwards Base), the arrival of these two priceless hangars, set up at South Base around all World War II support facilities, allowed NACA and Douglas to really get into air operations on this lakebed. Hangars began to appear quickly as aircraft manufacturers came up with new aircraft designs and designs. The hangars at Edwards are now as legendary and famous as the planes that house them, walk inside them, or just watch from a distance, and you can only imagine the thousands of stories that played out as aircraft history took shape.
In Lancaster at the Old War Eagle Stadium at 60th Street and 1st Avenue, where three coat racks from World War II are still preserved, I was fortunate enough to visit and appreciate the spiritual warfare they witnessed when America was completely betrayed. the world and how hundreds of Cadets from here and all over the world used it as a stepping stone in their battle as they fought for the freedom of the world. Standing in the silence of one of the old survivors, you can almost hear the sound of pneumatic tools as the civilian crew, working all night, work tirelessly to make sure the plane crashes at dawn for the never-ending cadet training mission.
Editorial restrictions prevent me from sharing other stories about the place, and I haven’t even touched on the amazing operations of Factory 42 and how a simple 1930s hangar remains the cornerstone of aircraft generations and keeps the story alive.
So, today we face many different problems when it comes to those “fences near the house” that were known in the early days. Airplanes need a safe haven, and this applies to all generations of aircraft. If you don’t take care of your planes all the time, they will eventually become unusable.
Of course, this is also a problem – hangars are needed for housing in hangars, they are not small and not cheap. While the current generation of aircraft are properly housed, historic aircraft struggle to find the love they need in a closed, safe environment that is unbearable for a historian.
We love to keep our winged story, but I also feel like we need to find ways to keep the binding structure that surrounds the story. It’s heartbreaking just to think that those old National Aviation Advisory Council (NACA) and Douglas hangers couldn’t be used for the whole story that happened to them due to bureaucracy and cost. I have always felt that finding paths and answers is no more difficult than starting over, and when it comes to history, you shouldn’t start over. “Where there is will, deeds are done.”
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