KNUQ Moffett Federal Airfield

USA / California / Sunnyvale /
 airport, runway, NASA, closed / former military, historic landmark
www.airnav.com/airport/KNUQ
skyvector.com/airport/NUQ/Moffett-Federal-Afld-Airport

Established 12 December 1930 as Sunnyvale Naval Air Station. Redesignated in honor of Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, Chief of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, who was killed 4 April 1933 in the crash of the dirigible U.S.S. Akron. Airfield transferred from the US Navy to the US Army on 25 October 1935.

Moffett Federal Airfield (IATA: NUQ, ICAO: KNUQ), also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located 3 miles (5 km) north of downtown Mountain View, in Santa Clara County, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, north of San Jose. Formerly a United States Navy facility, the former naval air station is now owned and operated by the NASA Ames Research Center. Tenant military activities include the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard, operating the HC-130 Hercules, MC-130 Combat Shadow and HH-60 Pave Hawk aircraft, as well as the adjacent Onizuka Air Force Station and Headquarters for the 7th Psychological Operations Group of the U.S. Army Reserve. NASA also operates several aircraft from Moffett.

By far the most famous and visible sites are hangars #1, #2, and #3, which dwarf the surrounding buildings. Hangar One is one of the most remarkable hangars in the world[citation needed]. Hangars #2 and #3 are significant more for their size than their unique styling or design. Hangar One is a Naval Historical Monument and the entire airfield is a United States Registered Historic District.

In May 2008, The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed Hangar One on their list of America's Most Endangered Places.

The NASA Ames site is home to several wind tunnels, including the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (a National Historic Landmark), and the National Full-Scale Aerodynamic Complex (NFAC).

Formerly home to the Headquarters, 20th Pursuit Group from 1939 to 1940, the Headquarters, 28th Bombardment Group from 1940 to 1941, the Headquarters, 35th Pursuit Group from 1940 to 1941, the Headquarters and 9th Air Base Squadron from 1936 to 1940, the 18th Pursuit Squadron in 1940, the 20th Pursuit Squadron in 1940, the 21st Pursuit Squadron from 1940 to 1941, the 55th Pursuit Squadron from 1939 to 1940, the 77th Pursuit Squadron from 1939 to 1940, the 79th Pursuit Squadron from 1939 to 1940, the 82nd Observation Squadron from 1937 to 1940, and the 19th Airship Squadron from 1936 to 1937.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffett_Federal_Airfield
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   37°25'7"N   122°2'59"W

Comments

  • Hangar One, the large metal hangar that housed the USS Macon is in a fight for its survival currently. Asbestos is not the issue, groundwater contamination via the pcb laden outter skin of the hangar. There is legitimate debate with this claim however, as the ground contamination from the old Fairchild semiconductor site (on nearby Ellis Street) has been shown to be the responsible contaminating culprit. There is a large goup of local people and companies that are efforting to save the hangar, they have formed the "Save Hangar One" committee and organization. You can subscribe to this group on Yahoo. Unfortunately. Hangars 2 and 3 are indeed scheduled for demolition. The reason is not contamination from asbestos or other chemicals, but their unsound structural state (siezemically) This seems strange, as the made it through the 1989 Loma Prieta quake without issue.
  • Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin is paying NASA $1.3 million dollars a year so they can land and take their Boeing 767 for the airport. Google headquarters is only located a few minutes from the airport.
This article was last modified 5 years ago