Daggett Airport, California

Barstow Daggett Airport is located on a major aircraft travel corridor and is an important weather station and communication relay site. Most commercial aircraft flying in to Los Angeles begin to line up over Daggett, after homing in on the Daggett VOR antenna, located twelve miles away. From here, pilots approaching LA communicate with LA traffic control, based out of the FAA station at Plant 42, in Palmdale. The Airport has both civilian and military users, but is heavily used by the Army in association with exercises at nearby Fort Irwin, and a new operations building for Army helicopters was built in 2000. The airport started out in the 1930's as an emergency landing strip and a weather observation station, with a navigational aircraft beacon and radio link. During WWII, Douglas Aircraft and the Army took over the field to modify bombers, most of which were destined to help the Russians defend their homeland. P-38 aircraft and armaments were also tested here, and the Marine Corps has used the facility for storage and logistics. A few industries have been located at the airport, utilizing some of the hangars and long shed structures, including a kitchen cabinet factory, and, in the 1960's, a mobile home manufacturer. The airport is officially operated by San Bernardino County.