Barstow – Daggett Airport: An Old Army Airbase Finds New Life…
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Nevertheless, there is still an Army presence at DAG in the form of a battalion of Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopters. The Army has also been conducting
intensive training in the area, in preparation for operations in Iraq. This probably explained the machine-gun equipped Hummers that were cruising
around the flight line during my visit.
As I stood in the air-conditioned office (a visiting Highway Patrol officer had snagged the only seat), three soldiers came in, looking to buy cold drinks.
The temperature had already hit the 100 degree mark. One of the soldiers was a young woman, who smiled warmly as I glanced in her direction.
My eyes were drawn to the holster on her waist - it seemed to house an automatic pistol of some kind. I was glad that she was smiling. I was tempted to
ask them about the operations being conducted at and near the airport, but I figured that that information was secret. Well, not really.
The truth is that the gentleman behind the counter was busy telling me everything he knew (and that I already knew) about the Douglas A-20. I didn’t really
get much of a chance to speak with the soldiers, but they seemed like very nice young people.
Politely extricating myself from the one-way conversation, I used the office telephone to obtain a weather briefing and file a flight plan. The proprietor
warned me to watch out for sidewinders as I walked out to my airplane. I’m sure he wasn’t talking about missiles.
My pre-flight inspection complete, I fired up the big Lycoming engine and taxied out. A four cylinder engine that displaces 360 cubic inches is “big” to me.
The ASOS confirmed that the wind was still favoring Runway 26. Being extra vigilant for any Army Hummers, I taxied slowly. Even though aircraft have the
“right of way” on taxi ways, I figured that being “right” wouldn’t be much consolation if an incident occurred.
I taxied without encountering any vehicles, and since there were no other aircraft taxiing, I stopped on the North side of the runway and leaned through the
open window to take a quick photograph of the World War Two-era gunnery target back drop situated nearby.
My run-up completed, I departed and headed for home. Passing over Apple Valley, I requested and received permission from Air Traffic Control to switch over
to the Flight Watch frequency, so that I could give a pilot report. I was experiencing some light turbulence, and I figured that this information would be
useful to other pilots obtaining weather briefings.
Given that my ground speed was 92 knots (for I was now facing a headwind); the trip home would be a little longer. That was ok, though, because I was in no hurry.
Beginning my descent on the South side of the Cajon Pass, I began my descent for Riverside Municipal Airport. I hit a few jolts, which are common on this side of the mountains.
The ride smoothed out as I flew over the city of Rialto, and got closer to Riverside.
The winds at Riverside were blowing straight down the runway at 12 knots when I landed. It was one of my better landings, if I say so myself.
Driving home, drinking the cold soft drink that I’d bought at an ARCO station, and thinking about my flight, life felt good.
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