VirtualGlobetrotting: charlene: Maps

VirtualGlobetrotting Live View

Airplane in trouble at JFK
charlene (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: charlene.
Read more...
With over 20 vehicles surrounding it, this aircraft is having some kind of emergency

Grumman-Bethpage Airport (abandoned)
charlene (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: charlene.
Read more...
This is the site of the former Grumman-Bethpage Airport, the test facility for Grumman Aerospace in the Cold War era. It was abandoned in the early 1990s and is now the site of a Home Depot, although part of the 5400 foot runway still remains.
Interestingly, the resolution at which the images of this abandoned airfield (and other airfields in the Long Island area) is rendered at is far lower than that of the surrounding area. One wonders why.

Canadian Pacific Ogden Yards, Calgary
charlene (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: charlene.
Read more...

Flushing Airport (abandoned)
Flushing Airport opened in 1927 as Speed's Airport (named for part-owner Anthony "Speed" Hanzlick). For a time it was the busiest airport in New York. However, two factors combined to take business away. The first was the opening of the North Beach (soon renamed LaGuardia) airport only a few short miles away in 1937, which with its longer runways and more spacious terminal drew away commercial traffic. The second and more serious threat was from Mother Nature. Flushing Airport had been built on a swamp and the centre of its main runway was below sea level, which made drainage difficult if not impossible. However, Flushing Airport did see continuous use until the 1980s, when the neighbourhood's clamors for its shutdown were finally heard.
Part of the airport is now home to the physical plant of the New York Times, but the main runway, puddles and all, is still clearly visible in the satellite image.

United States Military Academy - West Point

Mitchel AFB, Long Island (abandoned)
Mitchel AFB was first established in 1917 as the glamourously named "Aviation Field No. 2". It soon was renamed Mitchel Field and became the base of New York City's air defence during the wars. After World War II, Mitchel AFB was also used as a test field by various manufacturers of defence aviation equipment.
In April 1961 flying was halted and the unit reassigned to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. With the reassignment of the 514th, Mitchel AFB was subsequently closed on 25 June 1961. The property was turned over to Nassau County.
The former base is home to Hofstra University, Nassau Community College, and Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The main runway, however, can still be seen in the northeast and southwest corner of this image.

Boston Metropolitan Airport (abandoned)
Boston Metropolitan Airport was the brainchild of a number of prominent New England businessmen who in 1930 saw a future in transatlantic air travel. Designed as a base for seaplanes, zeppelins and conventional aircraft and sited on ideal airport land, Boston Metropolitan was expected to become one of the country's premier airports. Unfortunately, circumstances such as the Hindenberg disaster, the drawn-out Depression, and the increasing popularity of both Logan and the New York area airfields conspired to make these dreams unattainable.
The airport eventually became the property of the municipality of Canton, MA. Unfortunately, the city's unwillingness to modernize its facilities prevented Canton Airport from landing lucrative federal government contracts, and eventually it closed.
The site was most recently used as a dump for abandoned cars and as a sewer pipe run: a sad ending to a failed dream.

Remains of Richmond Naval Air Station
Richmond NAS was built in 1941-2 as a base for spotter blimps used to protect Florida-area shipping from German U-Boat attacks. It survived the war intact but was destroyed on September 15, 1945, when a suspected Category 4 hurricane hit the airfield directly. One of the enormous blimp hangars caught fire, possibly from a spark, and every building on the field was destroyed, along with all aircraft on the field at the time.
The former airfield is now used as a parking area for the Miami Metro Zoo. The building foundations are long gone, but one of the oblong blimp tiedowns can still be seen at the bottom of this image.

Cessna Aircraft Mid Continent Facility

Hughes Field (abandoned)
In 1940, Howard Hughes decided that his burgeoning aircraft production business required its own airfield. Hughes Field was built on less than desirable land purchased cheaply from the local authorities - the high water table necessitated the diversion of a river and the placement of concrete pilings in order to stabilize the ground - but it became the centre of Hughes's aviation empire during and immediately after the Second World War.
Aircraft developed at Hughes Field include among others the Spruce Goose, the beautiful if unreliable XF-11 reconnaissance plane, and the well-known Hughes Model 300 helicopter. The last aircraft developed at Culver City was the prototype of the Apache attack helicopter, which has seen service in virtually every war since Vietnam.
After Hughes's death in 1978, the estate sold the field to McDonnell Douglas. Its successor corporation, Boeing, is reported to still own the property despite numerous offers. The remaining buildings, including the Spruce Goose hangar in the centre-left of this image, are on the National Historic Register and cannot be torn down or moved. This and the poor drainage conditions at the site make redevelopment unlikely.

Roosevelt Field (abandoned)
Charles Lindbergh's historic solo flight across the Atlantic began at Roosevelt Field on Long Island. The field closed in 1951 and was redeveloped as a shopping mall in the 70s. Although it is labeled on Google Maps as "Roosevelt Field", not one trace of the airport architecture remains.

Official Residence of the Prime Minister (Canada)
24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa

Hub Oil Refinery (destroyed)
On August 9, 1999, a massive explosion at the Hub Oil refinery in southeast Calgary killed two workers, started a fire that burned for ten hours and filled the city's sky with oily black smoke, and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods. The investigation into the accident revealed that a tank holding 30,000 litres of oil was missing a pressure release valve. The owner of the refinery is currently (as of May 2005) defending charges of public endangerment stemming from the incident.
As the land is now contaminated and unfit for residential use, the City is planning to redevelop it as a parking lot for a multimillion dollar arts and cultural centre to be built to the west of the site.

McChord Air Force Base

Floyd Bennett Field (NOP)
Floyd Bennett Field was the major airfield on the New York side of the Hudson before the Second World War, second only to Newark Airport in the amounts of takeoffs and landings. It was used as a naval air station during the war, and was the base for many long-range anti-submarine sorties. It's now the NYPD's heliport.

Belford Airfield (abandoned)
This airfield was built by a fish processing company which used aircraft to spot schools of fish. The land is now used as a mulching area, but the runways are still clearly visible in this image.

Cheyenne Regional Airport (CYS)
AKA Jerry Olsen Field
The last stop in 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff's ill-fated attempt to cross the United States by air. The link given is to A PDF file of the NTSB accident report.

Chinook Centre
Calgary's largest mall and biggest traffic hazard (which is saying a lot).

Moore AAF (abandoned)
This former airfield, part of Fort Devens AAF, was built at some time between 1917, when Fort Devens was first built, and 1929, the first time the field showed up on aeronautical charts. It was turned over by the Army to the Navy in 1944 and used in training operations for a short period of time. The Army regained control of the field after the war.
In 1976, the base was renamed Moore AAF after CWA2 Douglas Moore, a native of Ayer, MA who was killed in action in Vietnam. At the end of the Cold War, the base was downgraded and the airfield closed. The base is still used by the FBI and various other acronym agencies for training purposes, but the field remains abandoned.

Grand Central Air Terminal (abandoned)
The first scheduled air service from Southern California to the East Coast (piloted by Charles Lindbergh) originated at the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale. For many years it was the western terminus for TWA's flights into SoCal. It was closed in 1955; however, the California Art Deco terminal and tower still remain, as does the runway. I wonder if anybody in the area ever wonders why the sparsely used Grand Central Avenue is six lanes wide?

Potosi Mountain
This stunning mountain range southwest of Las Vegas, NV, is a popular climbing destination. It was the site of a tragic air accident in 1942, when TWA Flight 3 crashed about 750 feet short of the crest of the mountain. Wreckage can still be found on the mountain.
AKA Double Up Mountain and Olcott Peak

Bannister Federal Complex

100+ Car Train south of Minneapolis (Gone)

Brand Park and Library
The building housing Brand Library in Glendale, CA was originally the home of early 20th century millionaire Leslie Brand. Named El Miradero, the home was built in 1904. Brand maintained the estate himself, using a horse-drawn mower to keep the grass in control, and flew his biplane right from his front yard. The city received the house after the death of Brand's wife in 1945.

Renton Municipal Airport (RNT)
One of the Seattle area's earliest airports, Renton Municipal was the last stop in the Lower 48 for Will Rogers and Wiley Post during their failed attempt to circumnavigate the world. The airport still features a seaplane base (named in memory of Rogers and Post) to the north of the field.
AKA Clayton Scott Field

Old Man River valley, Lethbridge, Alberta
The Old Man River (no, not after the song) winds its way through Lethbridge, Alberta.

North Las Vegas Airport (VGT)
Las Vegas's premier general aviation airport. Check out the spiffy new paving job on runway 12L/30R.
IATA code matches this site's abbreviation!

Race City Speedway, Calgary

Argonne National Laboratory
The Argonne National Laboratory operated by the University of Chicago is a pioneer in basic nanoscale research.

Downey Studios
Downey Studios is the largest independent film facility in Los Angeles.
The site was previously an airfield and a research facility for North American Rockwell and later Boeing. Google's map feature still refers to it as "Boeing Defence and Space Group".

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
It must be a lovely day in Palm Beach, especially for the tower controllers: not an aircraft (at least not a flying aircraft) in sight.

De Winton South Calgary Airport
This airport does not show up on sectional charts. It was built in the early years of World War II (ca. 1940) as one of many training bases for RCAF and RAF pilots. It is now abandoned and apparently serves as part of a family farm

NIST Radio Station WWV
Shortwave radio fans are familiar with the time stations WWV and WWVH. This is the home of WWV, which broadcasts the exact time on 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Reno-Stead Airport (4SD)
Reno's general aviation airport.

Dupont Complex
Where the streets are paved with.....
Do we even want to know?

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park - Ranch Site
The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park is comprised of two sites. This site, the LBJ Ranch, is located approximately ten miles west of Johnson City, Texas.

Sandia National Laboratories Kauai Test Facility, and NIST Radio Station WWVH
The Sandia National Laboratories rocket test range on the southwest corner of the island of Kauai supports various rocket missions. These include weapons research and development, operational training, test, and evaluation, and technology development.
Also in this image is the NIST radio station WWVH, which broadcasts the exact time on 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 MHz, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Fort Calgary
In the summer of 1875, North West Mounted Police Inspector Ephram Brisebois was sent out in charge of the NWMP's F Troop (yes) to found a fort somewhere in the lawless country between Fort Saskatchewan and Fort MacLeod. Brisebois arrived at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers in September of that year and chose the west bank of the Elbow for his fort. Naturally, following the practice of his superior office, Assistant Commissioner MacLeod, he named the fort after himself.
That lasted about six months. Dissent among his own men and outright hostility from the local Indian bands forced MacLeod to visit Fort Brisebois and to suggest to the arrogant Inspector that a career change might be in order. His next task was to change the name of the fort from that of the hated Brisebois to Calgary, the name of one of MacLeod's family's ancestral homes.
As the settlement became a city, the original Fort Calgary was neglected and finally forgotten. For over 50 years the land was in the hands of the CPR. Finally, with the city's centennial quickly approaching, officials were able to negotiate the purchase of the original land from the railroad. Little or nothing was left of the original fort after all those years, but a replica and an adjoining interpretive centre were built.
The Fort Calgary Interpretive Centre is now a popular tourist attraction, an important historical site, and home to more gophers than some US states.

Airplane approaching Calgary

Airplane approaching Chicago Midway Airport
This small aircraft is on final for runway 31C at Chicago Midway Airport.

Mueller-Harkins Field (abandoned)
The former Mueller-Harkins field is now a parking lot for school buses from the Clover Park School District. The runway markings of Runway 7 can however still be seen in the far left centre of this image

Reid–Hillview Airport of Santa Clara County (RHV)
Reid-Hillview Airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, serving the business titans of the Silicon Valley. It's also one of the friendliest airports around.

Airdrie Aerodrome (CEF4)
The Airdrie Airpark was originally built in 1940 as a RCAF training facility. It saw use after the war as one of Calgary's general aviation airports.
This image shows the early stages of renovations currently under way; the field owners intend to turn Airdrie Airpark into a commercial aviation facility. One wonders if its location (close to the departure path of Calgary International Airport's longest runway) will affect its success.

It's not a sewage lagoon, it's a feature
At least with the prevailing west wind, these homeowners are usually upwind from this lovely amenity.

Eddie Andreini Sr. Airfield (HAF)
A former Army Air Force field, Half Moon Bay Airport was also the originating point for 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff's ill-fated attempt to cross the United States by air.

King County International Airport (BFI)
Boeing Field was Seattle's first municipal airport. It was built after a 1928 referendum overwhelmingly supported the construction of a municipal airport, and named after local aviation pioneer William E. Boeing.

Saint Paul Downtown Holman Field (STP)

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park - City Site
The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park is comprised of two areas. This site is located on East Ladybird Lane in Johnson City, Texas.

56-Car Train
This train appears to be headed north on the Chicago & Northwestern line just south of the Prairie Landing Golf Course in West Chicago, IL.

Patuxent Naval Air Test Centre

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Auburn Municipal Airport (S50)
This municipally owned public general aviation airport is one of the most clearly marked small airports I've seen on Google Maps.

Central Park (Memorial Park), Calgary
Central Park was designed at the turn of the century in imitation of the many parks designed by Frederick Olmstead in the eastern United States. After the First World War (1914-1918), the park was renamed Memorial Park as a tribute to the thousands of Albertans who gave their health or their lives in service to the Empire. The park contains the city's cenotaph as well as the Memorial Park Library. At night it contains a rather different form of entertainment!

Pearson Field (VUO)
It's harder for pilots to become lost when the airport name is painted on the taxiway in ten foot high letters.

Brookhaven Calabro Airport (WSH)
Strange stitching: runway 6/22 is correctly aligned, but runway 15/33 isn't!

Dashmesh Culture Centre
Cultural centre for Calgary's Sikh population.

DuPage Airport (DPA)
Interestingly enough, the closed runway in this image (20L/2R) has been reopened, possibly to handle the extra traffic in the area since Chicago Mayor Daley desecrated and destroyed Meigs Airfield.

Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS)
This close-in image shows the variety of traffic found at Colorado Springs - from the large military aircraft on the apron to the itsy bitsy Cessna on short final to runway 17R.

Airplane approaching Oakland International
On short final for Runway 28, just above the approach lights

Shepherd Field (Abandoned)
This airfield was built sometime in the postwar era, possibly as a commuter strip for the man who then owned the Caterpillar dealership. The runway is clearly visible in this image running from northeast to southwest, just north of the train tracks.
The dealership is still in business at this location, but the airstrip is closed. Good thing, or commuting on the 605 now bordering the strip could get a bit hairy!

Lethbridge Airport (YQL)
FKA Lethbridge County Airport

Range Regional Airport (HIB)
FKA Chisholm-Hibbing Airport or Chisholm-Hibbing Municipal Airport