Mountain Valley Airport
Encyclopedia
Mountain Valley Airport is a privately-owned public-use airport
located two nautical mile
s (4 km
) southeast of the central business district
of Tehachapi
, in Kern County
, California
, United States
.
The airport is used for glider
operations and training. It was established for its close proximity to various advantageous lift
effects for soaring
where the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Tehachapi Mountains
and the Mojave Desert
meet.
The Skylark North Glider School performs glider flight training for civilians as well as for the US Air Force Test Pilot School
(from Edwards AFB), the National Test Pilot School
(from the Mojave Air & Space Port), NASA and others. Due to the ongoing training contract with the US Air Force Test Pilot School, probably most or nearly all NASA Space Shuttle
pilots who came from the Air Force have received glider training at Mountain Valley Airport.
s (69 ha
) at an elevation
of 4,220 feet (1,286 m) above mean sea level. It has two runway
s designated 9L/27R and 9R/27L, each with an asphalt
and dirt
surface measuring 4,890 by 36 feet (1,490 x 11 m).
For the 12-month period ending May 2, 2011, the airport had 50,000 aircraft operations, an average of 136 per day: 98% general aviation
and 2% military
. At that time there were 98 aircraft based at this airport: 82% glider
and 18% single-engine
.
There are a sandwich shop and an RV park & campground on field. The nearest fuel sales are at Tehachapi Municipal Airport
2 miles to the north.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located two nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (4 km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
) southeast of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Tehachapi
Tehachapi, California
Tehachapi is a city incorporated in 1909 located in the Tehachapi Mountains between Bakersfield and Mojave in Kern County, California. Tehachapi is located east-southeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of...
, in Kern County
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The airport is used for glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
operations and training. It was established for its close proximity to various advantageous lift
Lift (soaring)
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. The most common human application of gliding flight is in sport and recreation using aircraft designed for this purpose...
effects for soaring
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
where the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
and the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
meet.
The Skylark North Glider School performs glider flight training for civilians as well as for the US Air Force Test Pilot School
U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School
The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School is the Air Force's very advanced flight training school that trains experimental test pilots, flight test engineers, and flight test navigators to carry out tests and evaluations of new aerospace weapon systems and also other aircraft of the U.S. Air Force...
(from Edwards AFB), the National Test Pilot School
National Test Pilot School
The National Test Pilot School is a civilian test pilot school located at the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California. The school attracts students primarily from commercial aircraft manufacturers and military air forces...
(from the Mojave Air & Space Port), NASA and others. Due to the ongoing training contract with the US Air Force Test Pilot School, probably most or nearly all NASA Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
pilots who came from the Air Force have received glider training at Mountain Valley Airport.
Facilities and aircraft
Mountain Valley Airport covers an area of 170 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (69 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
) at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 4,220 feet (1,286 m) above mean sea level. It has two runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s designated 9L/27R and 9R/27L, each with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
and dirt
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
surface measuring 4,890 by 36 feet (1,490 x 11 m).
For the 12-month period ending May 2, 2011, the airport had 50,000 aircraft operations, an average of 136 per day: 98% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
and 2% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
. At that time there were 98 aircraft based at this airport: 82% glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
and 18% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
.
There are a sandwich shop and an RV park & campground on field. The nearest fuel sales are at Tehachapi Municipal Airport
Tehachapi Municipal Airport
Tehachapi Municipal Airport is a public airport located in Tehachapi, serving Kern County, California, USA. This general aviation airport covers and has one runway....
2 miles to the north.
External links
- "Vintage Charmers" by Chad Slattery, March 2005, Air & Space Magazine, Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
- Federal contracts by Skylark North Glider School, at fedspending.org
- Aerial image as of 4 October 1995 from USGS The National Map