Low Flight Strip
Encyclopedia
Low Flight Strip is an abandoned military airfield located approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) west of Low, Utah.
for the emergency use of military aircraft. Used by Wendover Army Airfield as an Axillary operating P-47 Thunderbolt
s and B-29 Superfortress
es for the 509th Composite Group
.
The Low Flight Strip constructed in 1943 by Second Air Force
. The strip consisted of a 7,130 foot paved runway, with a total graded length of 9,130 feet, consisting of single north/south runway, which was built on top of a dirt road which led north from US Highway 40.
The paved runway surface had apparently been extended at some point after the runway's initial construction, as the length of the runway pavement is 9,300 feet in aerial imagery of the site. There is also what appears to be a small square paved ramp area along the west side of the northern end of the runway; however there are no buildings at the site.
It was used by the United States Air Force as an axillary field for the Hill AFB range until about 1965. It is not known whether the Low Flight Strip was ever reused as a civilian airfield. Today the airfield is abandoned, its hard surface deteriorating in the harsh, arid environment.
History
This was one of the many Flight Strips which were built by the USAAF during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for the emergency use of military aircraft. Used by Wendover Army Airfield as an Axillary operating P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s and B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es for the 509th Composite Group
509th Composite Group
The 509th Composite Group was a United States Army Air Forces unit created during World War II, and tasked with operational deployment of nuclear weapons...
.
The Low Flight Strip constructed in 1943 by Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
. The strip consisted of a 7,130 foot paved runway, with a total graded length of 9,130 feet, consisting of single north/south runway, which was built on top of a dirt road which led north from US Highway 40.
The paved runway surface had apparently been extended at some point after the runway's initial construction, as the length of the runway pavement is 9,300 feet in aerial imagery of the site. There is also what appears to be a small square paved ramp area along the west side of the northern end of the runway; however there are no buildings at the site.
It was used by the United States Air Force as an axillary field for the Hill AFB range until about 1965. It is not known whether the Low Flight Strip was ever reused as a civilian airfield. Today the airfield is abandoned, its hard surface deteriorating in the harsh, arid environment.