Battle Mountain Airport , also known as Lander County Airport, is 3 miles (5 km) southeast of Battle Mountain,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States. This

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airport is owned by

Lander County Lander County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,734. Its county seat is Battle Mountain. History Lander County was created in 1862 as the result of a mining boom on the Reese River along the ...

and operated by the Battle Mountain Airport Authority.

History

The airport was built by the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

about 1942, and was known as Battle Mountain Flight Strip. It was an emergency landing airfield by the

Reno Army Air Base Amedee Army Airfield is a military use airport located nine nautical miles (17 km) north of the central business district of Herlong, in Lassen County, California, United States. It is owned by the United States Army and located at the Si ...

for military aircraft on training flights. It was also designated as a CAA Intermediate Field for civil aircraft emergency use. It was closed after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and was turned over for local government use by the War Assets Administration (WAA).

Facilities

The airport covers and has two runways and two

helipad A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...

s: * 3/21: 7,299 x 150 ft (2,225 x 46 m), surface:

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

* 12/30: 7,300 x 100 ft (2,225 x 30 m), surface: asphalt * Helipad H1: 60 x 60 ft (18 x 18 m), surface:

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

* Helipad H2: 60 x 60 ft (18 x 18 m), surface: concrete

Organizations

BAM is home to the Battle Mountain Air Attack Base, which is run by the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...

. The

Air Attack Base The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

provides

air tanker The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

support for fire suppression in northern Nevada. The Nevada Division of Forestry also operates an air tanker base at BAM.

Displays

Several aerospace exhibits are available at the airport.

Popular culture

The airstrip at Battle Mountain was used as a setting by novelist Dale Brown in his techno-thriller novel ''Battle Born''.

References

Other sources

* * Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History's Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004. * Brown, Dale (1999) Battle Born, 416 pp.(hardcover). Bantam Books, New York, NY, 1999.

External links

* from

Nevada DOT The Nevada Department of Transportation (Nevada DOT or NDOT) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways within ...

* * {{authority control Airports in Nevada Buildings and structures in Lander County, Nevada Flight Strips of the United States Army Air Forces Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Nevada World War II airfields in the United States Transportation in Lander County, Nevada Airports established in 1942 1942 establishments in Nevada