Quote:
Originally Posted by FredH
I think blimps might have been what was planned for Fletcher Field.
With the other two airfields close by, landing more planes might have been tight.
Abandoned and Little Known Airfields
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FredH, I agree that the designated landing area at
'Fletcher Field' was intended for blimps.
..but I wonder if 'Fletcher Field' was ever actualized? There is almost no documentation on it.
(except for the photograph I found on eBay)
The aerial below was taken sometime between 1925/26 (when
Slate Aircraft Corp. built their dirigible hanger)
and before 1928 (when the
Grand Central Air Terminal was built.
abandonedairfields
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FredH
I read something that a blimp was developed at Grand Central Airport, but before they flew it, a faulty valve stuck open and blew out all the rivets.
The guy went broke and pushed it back into the hanger. There might have been some others though.
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This would have been the Slate Aircraft Corp. It actually predates Glendale's Grand Central Airport by only a few years.
(as shown in the annotated aerial above)
Here is Thomas Benton Slate with his prototype for his rigid dirigible
i.pinimg
And here you see the Slate Aircraft Corp. dirigible hanger under construction. (1925/26)
i.pinimg
Voila! The hanger is finished.
....(I like how D I R I G I B L E is spelled out between the hanger windows)
Slate's prototype appears to be growing.
And, finally, here is a fantastic aerial.
...(I believe this was taken the day Slate's dirigible,
City of Glendale, blew its rivets)
.....Dec. 19, 1929.
tropicostation
The airship hangar with the L.A. River in the background.
Fletcher Field, if it was ever completed, would be at upper left, between the wing of the plane and the river.