The Flying-M Ranch (sometimes referred to as the Hilton Ranch) is a ranch and airfield located in Lyon County, Nevada. The land, which was previously owned by hotel magnate

Barron Hilton William Barron Hilton (October 23, 1927 – September 19, 2019) was an American business magnate, philanthropist and sportsman. The second son and successor of hotelier Conrad Hilton, he was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of ...

, was the base for many world-famous gliding competitions, including the biennial

Barron Hilton Cup The Barron Hilton Cup (BHC) was a worldwide soaring contest, founded by the late ex-chairman, president and chief executive officer of Hilton Hotels Corporation, Barron Hilton, and the late Prof. Dr. Helmut Reichmann. The European Aeronautic Defence ...

. The Ranch covers about 7,139 acres of land; it is located between the

Wassuk Range The Wassuk Range is located in west-central Nevada in the United States. It is found to the west of Walker Lake in Mineral County. The mountains reach an elevation of 11,239 feet (3,425 m) at Mount Grant, approximately eight miles northwest of ...

and the

Sweetwater Mountains The Sweetwater Mountains (highest peak: Mount Patterson ) are a small mountain range in northern Mono County, California and western Lyon County, Nevada, separating the West Walker River from the East Walker River. Most of the range is only acce ...

, west of

Hawthorne Hawthorne often refers to the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne may also refer to: Places Australia *Hawthorne, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane Canada * Hawthorne Village, Ontario, a suburb of Milton, Ontario United States * Hawt ...

and about 75 mi (121 km) south of Reno, Nevada, United States. The ranch was named the Flying-M by its previous owner, Stanfield Murphy. Barron Hilton said he did not change the name because his wife, who died in 2004, was named Marilyn. The ranch contains an airfield with a runway that is . A hangar on the airfield contains about a dozen historic aircraft, which are still airworthy. Because the surrounding desert offers good thermal

soaring Soaring may refer to: * Gliding, in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes * Lift (soaring), a meteorological phenomenon used as an energy source by some aircraft and birds * ''Soaring'' (magazine), a magazine produced ...

conditions, the airfield on the ranch was often used for

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...

. On September 3, 2007, aviator and adventurer Steve Fossett took off alone from the Flying-M Ranch in a

Bellanca Super Decathlon The American Champion 8KCAB Decathlon and Super Decathlon are two-seat fixed conventional gear light airplanes designed for flight training and personal use and capable of sustaining aerobatic stresses between +6g and −5 ''g''. The Decathlo ...

, a single-engine two-seater airplane and never returned. An extensive search was launched but nothing was found for almost one year. On September 29, 2008, a hiker found Fossett's identification cards in the Ansel Adams Wilderness near Mammoth Mountain, at a height of 10,100 feet (3,100 m). The identification cards led to the discovery of airplane wreckage and human remains; the remains were subsequently identified by

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

as belonging to Fossett. In 2016, the ranch was sold to the

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is an American foundation that was chartered by Congress in 1984 to increase the resources available for the conservation of the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Authority The Natio ...

. The purchase price was $19.4 million. The purpose of the sale was to acquire water rights to supply water to

Walker Lake Several lakes are known as Walker Lake: Canada *Lake Walker in Quebec, Canada, the largest (by depth) lake in the province. United States

*Walker Lake (Haines, Alaska) *Walker Lake (Northwest Arctic, Alaska) *Walker Lake (Prince of Wales-Outer ...

. The deal also included a life estate for Barron Hilton.

References

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External links

Barron Hilton CupDigital Journal article
Airports in Nevada Buildings and structures in Lyon County, Nevada Transportation in Lyon County, Nevada