Mountain Valley Airport (FAA LID: L94) is a privately owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southeast of the central business district of Tehachapi, in Kern County, California, United States.[1][2]
Mountain Valley Airport | |||||||||||||||
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 Tow plane and glider taking off | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public use | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Larry G. Barrett | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Tehachapi, California | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4,220 ft / 1,286 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°06′04″N 118°25′23″W / 35.10111°N 118.42306°W | ||||||||||||||
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  L94  L94 | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||
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The airport is used for glider operations and training.[3][4][5] It was established for its close proximity to various advantageous lift effects for soaring where the Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi Mountains and the Mojave Desert meet.
The Skylark North Glider School performs glider flight training for civilians as well as for the US Air Force Test Pilot School (from Edwards AFB), the National Test Pilot School (from the Mojave Air & Space Port), NASA and others. Due to the ongoing training contract with the US Air Force Test Pilot School, most NASA Space Shuttle pilots who came from the Air Force have probably received glider training at Mountain Valley Airport.[6]
Facilities and aircraft
editMountain Valley Airport covers an area of 170 acres (69 ha) at an elevation of 4,220 feet (1,286 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways designated 9L/27R and 9R/27L, each with an asphalt and dirt surface measuring 4,890 by 36 feet (1,490 x 11 m).[1]
For the 12-month period ending May 24, 2023, the airport had 51,570 aircraft operations, an average of 141 per day: 97% general aviation and 2% military. At that time there were 98 aircraft based at this airport: 80 glider and 18 single-engine.[1]
There is a sandwich shop and an RV park & campground on the field. The nearest fuel sales are at Tehachapi Municipal Airport two miles to the north.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for L94 PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Mountain Valley Airport". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- ^ "Mountain Valley Airport". Skylark North Glider School. December 2004. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
- ^ "Where to Fly - Mountain Valley Airport - Tehachapi, CA". Soaring Society of America. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
- ^ "Places to Soar in Southern California". socalsoaring.com (Sean Ford). 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
- ^ Hawkins, Dale. "Mountain Valley Airport – Tehachapi's Soaring Airport". Tehachapi Skywatch column. Tehachapi News. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
External links
edit- "Vintage Charmers" by Chad Slattery, March 2005, Air & Space Magazine, Smithsonian Institution
- Federal contracts by Skylark North Glider School, at fedspending.org
- Aerial image as of 4 October 1995 from USGS The National Map
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for L94
- AirNav airport information for L94
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for L94