Vol 22 NO 5 The China Laker Business Name Special points of interest:  What Was NOTS - The Early Days  President Jimmy Carter  Holiday Pictures What Was... 1 President’s Message 1 Presidential Timeline 3 Donations/Members 6 Inside this issue: Needed: A Place to Test Aircraft Rockets. How did the Naval Air Facility Inyokern, the original headquarters of the Naval Ordnance Test Station (now the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division) come to exist? The easy answer is that Dr. Charles Lauritsen of the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) Pasadena—who was in charge of an aircraft rocket program for the Navy during World War II—was looking for a remote area in which to test aircraft rockets. The Navy began rocket testing at an Army facility at Goldstone Lake near Barstow, California. The Goldstone site couldn’t accommodate the longer range requirements of improved rockets, and the Navy needed its own facility. While scouting out another location, Lauritsen flew over the remote Indian Wells Valley’s paved airfield with no apparent activity nearby and said “I want it, this is it! Nearby was a railroad, built for construction of the Los Angeles aqueduct, and a nearby Highway 6 (now Highway 14), plus electricity and telephone lines. WHAT WAS: NOTS - The Early Days: Naval Air Facility Inyokern by Jack Latimer, Director Emeritus January 2017 President’s Message by Alice Campbell Best wishes to you all for a happy and prosperous 2017! A special thanks to our Donors of both time and treasure who keep the Museum operating on Base and raise funds to get us moved to Kern Park this coming Spring, a major effort that is finally bearing fruit. Ground- breaking in October was a great event with very inspiring words from How did the airport get there and to whom did it belong? Trans-Sierra Airlines applied to establish a route from Fresno, California to Phoenix, Arizona in the mid 1930s. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) granted the request for an emergency land- ing field would be built in the Mojave Desert. Kern County purchased land and the CAA and the Works Project Agency (WPA) built a paved runway one mile northwest of the small town of Inyokern. Part of a countywide system of airports, the airfield was named Kern County Airfield #8. (cont. page 2) Newsletter Editor - Bettye Moody “I want it, this is it! “ Inyokern Airfield, 1943 NAWCWD speakers Executive Director Joan Johnson. and RADM Brian Corey. (cont. page 7) SAVE THE DATE 17th Annual Dinner Auction May 13, 2017 Important Dates Feb. 23 - IWV Economic Outlook Conference Feb 28 - BOD Meeting Mar 18– 19 Blue Angel’s Airshow Mar 28 - BOD Meeting Apr 25 - BOD Meeting May 13 - 17th Annual Dinner Auction , OCR Text: Vol 22 NO 5 The China Laker Business Name Special points of interest:  What Was NOTS - The Early Days  President Jimmy Carter  Holiday Pictures What Was... 1 President’s Message 1 Presidential Timeline 3 Donations/Members 6 Inside this issue: Needed: A Place to Test Aircraft Rockets. How did the Naval Air Facility Inyokern, the original headquarters of the Naval Ordnance Test Station (now the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division) come to exist? The easy answer is that Dr. Charles Lauritsen of the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) Pasadena—who was in charge of an aircraft rocket program for the Navy during World War II—was looking for a remote area in which to test aircraft rockets. The Navy began rocket testing at an Army facility at Goldstone Lake near Barstow, California. The Goldstone site couldn’t accommodate the longer range requirements of improved rockets, and the Navy needed its own facility. While scouting out another location, Lauritsen flew over the remote Indian Wells Valley’s paved airfield with no apparent activity nearby and said “I want it, this is it! Nearby was a railroad, built for construction of the Los Angeles aqueduct, and a nearby Highway 6 (now Highway 14), plus electricity and telephone lines. WHAT WAS: NOTS - The Early Days: Naval Air Facility Inyokern by Jack Latimer, Director Emeritus January 2017 President’s Message by Alice Campbell Best wishes to you all for a happy and prosperous 2017! A special thanks to our Donors of both time and treasure who keep the Museum operating on Base and raise funds to get us moved to Kern Park this coming Spring, a major effort that is finally bearing fruit. Ground- breaking in October was a great event with very inspiring words from How did the airport get there and to whom did it belong? Trans-Sierra Airlines applied to establish a route from Fresno, California to Phoenix, Arizona in the mid 1930s. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) granted the request for an emergency land- ing field would be built in the Mojave Desert. Kern County purchased land and the CAA and the Works Project Agency (WPA) built a paved runway one mile northwest of the small town of Inyokern. Part of a countywide system of airports, the airfield was named Kern County Airfield #8. (cont. page 2) Newsletter Editor - Bettye Moody “I want it, this is it! “ Inyokern Airfield, 1943 NAWCWD speakers Executive Director Joan Johnson. and RADM Brian Corey. (cont. page 7) SAVE THE DATE 17th Annual Dinner Auction May 13, 2017 Important Dates Feb. 23 - IWV Economic Outlook Conference Feb 28 - BOD Meeting Mar 18– 19 Blue Angel’s Airshow Mar 28 - BOD Meeting Apr 25 - BOD Meeting May 13 - 17th Annual Dinner Auction , China Lake Museum,China Laker - Newsletter,China Laker 2010s,China Laker 2017,Newsletter Jan 2017.pdf,Newsletter Jan 2017.pdf Page 1, Newsletter Jan 2017.pdf Page 1