Edwards Air Force Base, North Base, North Base Road, Boron, Kern County, CA

Significance: North Base originated as a remote, secret facility to test the United States' first jet-propelled military aircraft, the Bell XP-59A Airacomet. During World War II, facilities grew to accommodate more than 400 personnel and four active hangars. After the war, North Base remained a test facility which supported the testing and development of advanced aircraft. Such planes as the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing, XP-80 Shooting Star, North American F-86 Sabre, North American Aviation XB-45 Tornado, Douglas XB-43 Versatile II, Convair XB-46, North American Aviation F-100 Super Sabre, McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, Lockheed XFV-1 Pogo, Lockheed U-2, and many others.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N709

Survey number: HAER CA-170

Building/structure dates: 1942 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1943-1945 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1947 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1953 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1967-1970 Subsequent Work

air bases military aircraft war world war ii cold war flight testing boron edwards air force base north base north base road kern county air force california historic american engineering record us army corps of engineers us department of the air force ultra high resolution high resolution air force base airstrip aircraft airport 1940s aircrafts wwii aircraft 1940 s library of congress

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html