Trying to find out more about an old, no-longer-existing airport in California

[[email protected]]

I recently bought a 1-year subscription to http://www.keyhole.com - it's
a service that lets you browse aerial and satellite photo imagery,
world-wide. I have spent more than a few hours perusing the aerial views
of current and abandoned airstrips. (and by the way, Fallujah, Iraq is
depicted in very fine detail - jeez I wonder why? But that's another
topic...)

I am pretty familiar with the airports surrounding my location (San
Jose, CA) but Keyhole shows what it calls "historical" airports, and one
of them has me stumped in terms of finding out more data about it -
"Hilton Airport", located southeast of San Jose. I have done a pretty
thorough web search looking for its history, and unlike most other
abandoned/old airports that I've web-researched, I have come up with
only one link on that site - which doesn't tell me anything more than
its GPS coordinates.

I have taken a screenshot of the Keyhole view of this area, and it's
found here:

http://blave.smugmug.com/photos/15627055-L.jpg

Using Keyhole to zoom in on the area of the supposed airport shows
nothing to indicate that an airstrip was ever there...

BTW as an "abandoned airport enthusiast/mourner", I have found this site
to be very interesting: http://www.airfields-freeman.com/. But I can't
find anything there that mentions this particular location. Can anyone
help?

Thanks,

Dave Blevins

[Gene Seibel]

Anything here?
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

[Steven P. McNicoll]

> wrote in message
...
>
> I recently bought a 1-year subscription to http://www.keyhole.com - it's
> a service that lets you browse aerial and satellite photo imagery,
> world-wide. I have spent more than a few hours perusing the aerial views
> of current and abandoned airstrips. (and by the way, Fallujah, Iraq is
> depicted in very fine detail - jeez I wonder why? But that's another
> topic...)
>
> I am pretty familiar with the airports surrounding my location (San
> Jose, CA) but Keyhole shows what it calls "historical" airports, and one
> of them has me stumped in terms of finding out more data about it -
> "Hilton Airport", located southeast of San Jose. I have done a pretty
> thorough web search looking for its history, and unlike most other
> abandoned/old airports that I've web-researched, I have come up with
> only one link on that site - which doesn't tell me anything more than
> its GPS coordinates.
>
> I have taken a screenshot of the Keyhole view of this area, and it's
> found here:
>
> http://blave.smugmug.com/photos/15627055-L.jpg
>
> Using Keyhole to zoom in on the area of the supposed airport shows
> nothing to indicate that an airstrip was ever there...
>
> BTW as an "abandoned airport enthusiast/mourner", I have found this site
> to be very interesting: http://www.airfields-freeman.com/. But I can't
> find anything there that mentions this particular location. Can anyone
> help?
>

I have a fairly good collection of old sectional charts. I can't find a
"Hilton Airport" in this area but I do find a "Boulder Creek Airport" in the
location specified in your screenshot. Boulder Creek Airport appears on
sectionals dated August 1943, August 1947, April 1958, and January 1965. It
is not on the April 1972 chart. The coordinates given for it are 37 09 N,
122 10 W.

[[email protected]]

Thanks so much for your help, Steven. I have a 1949 sectional that I had
previously not thought about checking, but the airfield is on it.

It is *not* on my 1967 one, so presumably it was a short-lived landing
site.

cheers,

Dave Blevins

On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 16:45:11 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
>
>I have a fairly good collection of old sectional charts. I can't find a
>"Hilton Airport" in this area but I do find a "Boulder Creek Airport" in the
>location specified in your screenshot. Boulder Creek Airport appears on
>sectionals dated August 1943, August 1947, April 1958, and January 1965. It
>is not on the April 1972 chart. The coordinates given for it are 37 09 N,
>122 10 W.
>

[George Patterson]

wrote:
>
> It is *not* on my 1967 one, so presumably it was a short-lived landing
> site.

Early forties (or earlier) through 1965 is not "short-lived", IMO.

George Patterson
He who would distinguish what is true from what is false must have an
adequate understanding of truth and falsehood.

[Steven P. McNicoll]

> wrote in message
...
>
> Thanks so much for your help, Steven. I have a 1949 sectional that I had
> previously not thought about checking, but the airfield is on it.
>
> It is *not* on my 1967 one, so presumably it was a short-lived landing
> site.
>

Do you mean you found a "Hilton Airport" on the 1949 sectional?

[BTIZ]

http://members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/index.htm

did you try looking here?

BT

> wrote in message
...
> Thanks so much for your help, Steven. I have a 1949 sectional that I had
> previously not thought about checking, but the airfield is on it.
>
> It is *not* on my 1967 one, so presumably it was a short-lived landing
> site.
>
> cheers,
>
> Dave Blevins
>
> On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 16:45:11 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
>>
>>I have a fairly good collection of old sectional charts. I can't find a
>>"Hilton Airport" in this area but I do find a "Boulder Creek Airport" in
>>the
>>location specified in your screenshot. Boulder Creek Airport appears on
>>sectionals dated August 1943, August 1947, April 1958, and January 1965.
>>It
>>is not on the April 1972 chart. The coordinates given for it are 37 09 N,
>>122 10 W.
>>
>

[[email protected]]

Yes. AAMOF I have been in contact with the webmaster (made a donation,
etc. etc.) and sent him the info I have on the field.

BTW it is listed as "Boulder Creek" on my 1949 sectional.

Dave Blevins


On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 19:11:34 -0800, "BTIZ" >
wrote:

>http://members.tripod.com/airfields_freeman/index.htm
>
>did you try looking here?

[Don Tuite]

I wonder if the guy who owns CL77 knows.

Don

[Steven P. McNicoll]

> wrote in message
...
>
> BTW it is listed as "Boulder Creek" on my 1949 sectional.
>

How did you verify that "Boulder Creek Airport" and "Hilton Airport" are the
same field?