What is this?

TexasAviation

TexasAviation

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Mar 9, 2014
Messages
214
Display Name
Display name:
TexasAviation
On a commercial flight from Dallas to L.A., I looked out the window to see this:

http://imgur.com/uFPUxTI

It was what looked to be a very, very long runway in the middle of nowhere, most likely in southeastern New Mexico (I'm not exactly sure where the plane was at the time).

I'm assuming it's a military installation, but there didn't seem to be many buildings around it like I'd expect for a military base. No cities or towns nearby, very few roads, just a gigantic runway in the desert.

The half-circle at the end of the center taxiway seemed weird to me, too. It almost looked like an airport terminal building but without any concrete pads for aircraft to park around it.

I'd love to learn what it is. Just curious.
 
Might be the spaceport....might be close to White Sands restricted area.
 
This guy will tell you:

ancient-aliens.jpg


Mark
 
Zeldman said:
Might be the spaceport....might be close to White Sands restricted area.
Click to expand...

Yep, it is Spaceport America in White Sands. That'll be where we depart from (map link) to take our first low orbit tourist flights. :) Well as long as that little punk, "Just A Beaver" doesn't screw it up for all of us.

I take that back. Unfortunately they're under a lot of heat right now, because of the $220,000,000 taxpayer price tag and the Ideas Visitors experience building that was never built. Well and the fact that it's losing about a half mill a year.
News 13 KRQE Exposé
 
Last edited:
Why don't you look up your flight on Flight Aware and see if you can pinpoint the location?
 
Yep, you were right! I knew the PofA mind hive could figure this mystery out :)

It's definitely Spaceport America. It's got a 12,000-foot runway with a crazy looking terminal building on the center taxiway.

Here's a better aerial photo than my fuzzy iPhone shot:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/41572056

And yes, it's in a restricted area (R-5111, White Sands Missile Range).

Thanks for helping me scratch that mental itch.
 
Yeah, that's Spaceport, however there are a number of long strips in the middle of nowhere out west that IIRC are BLM strips to stage water bombers off during fires.
 
Doesn't look like a very busy place.
 
frfly172 said:
Doesn't look like a very busy place.
Click to expand...

It's not.
You need special permission to use it (just like with military bases).
Basically, it's a toy of Richard Branson. He is "using" it as a base to fly celebrities into suborbital flights for measly 6-digit ticket prices (time TBD) --- and a lot of the hoi palloi have signed up for it already (most from the hills of Hollywood and Malibu)

And it is located INSIDE R-5111A, which is inside R-5111C
((roughly 34:59:30N / 106:58W))
 
Last edited:
oldShar said:
It's not.
You need special permission to use it (just like with military bases).
Basically, it's a toy of Richard Branson. He is "using" it as a base to fly celebrities into suborbital flights for measly 6-digit ticket prices (time TBD) --- and a lot of the hoi palloi have signed up for it already (most from the hills of Hollywood and Malibu)

And it is located INSIDE R-5111A, which is inside R-5111C
((roughly 34:59:30N / 106:58W))
Click to expand...

Haven't heard much out of Virgin Galactic in a while, anyone know what they're up to? Have they put one up since the one that broke apart? Have they learned what they needed to learn and started on a "clean sheet" replacement to actually put in service? :dunno:
 
oldShar said:
...Basically, it's a toy of Richard Branson. He is "using" it as a base to fly celebrities into suborbital flights for measly 6-digit ticket prices
Click to expand...

And the New Mexico taxpayers who are footing a good part of the bill for the "Spaceport" are getting a bit restless.
 
MikeELP said:
And the New Mexico taxpayers who are footing a good part of the bill for the "Spaceport" are getting a bit restless.
Click to expand...

The raging success of this facility was supposed to help the then governor on his certain path to the whitehouse.
 
weilke said:
The raging success of this facility was supposed to help the then governor on his certain path to the whitehouse.
Click to expand...

:lol::lol::lol: Yeah, that certain governor sure didn't got very far....

And yes we taxpaying New Mexicans were very vocal about NOT building the spaceport, but true to a good donkey, he passed it against the will of the voters.

I wrote an email to our current governor asking her to turn it into an aviation community and let people build homes there.

I haven't received a reply yet.
 
Zeldman said:
:lol::lol::lol: Yeah, that certain governor sure didn't got very far....

And yes we taxpaying New Mexicans were very vocal about NOT building the spaceport, but true to a good donkey, he passed it against the will of the voters.
Click to expand...

Did you have any say in pizzing away money on the Eclipse and Adam aircraft factories ?

Was anyone from that administration ever locked up for their misdeeds ? I mean you can be incompetent, but not THAT incompetent.

I wrote an email to our current governor asking her to turn it into an aviation community and let people build homes there.
Click to expand...

The number of people who need an airpark with 12,000ft runway is pretty small. This is in the geographic center of nothing, the next Walmart (just as a proxy for 'civilization') is 1hr19min drive. I doubt there would be any takers, even if you gave away the lots for free.
 
weilke said:
Did you have any say in pizzing away money on the Eclipse and Adam aircraft factories ?

Was anyone from that administration ever locked up for their misdeeds ? I mean you can be incompetent, but not THAT incompetent.



The number of people who need an airpark with 12,000ft runway is pretty small. This is in the geographic center of nothing, the next Walmart (just as a proxy for 'civilization') is 1hr19min drive. I doubt there would be any takers, even if you gave away the lots for free.
Click to expand...


Ya know, I never thought of that.....:rolleyes2:

Don't tell the preppers you want to give away free land out in the middle of nowhere.....

I never knew that a politician could be locked up for dropping out of a primary.

And Bill Gates wouldn't return my call where I would have advised him not to be the major funder of Eclipse. Neither would Citibank or the Russians, or Thomas Hsueh on Adam Aircraft.

(doing my best to keep this outta the Spin Zone)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top