Moffett Field is a Naval Air Station at the south end of San Francisco Bay, in what is now Silicon Valley. It hosted a sports car road race in August, 1953. Bill Stroppe won the 2.5 hour feature in his Mercury-powered Kurtis. Ken Miles (of Ford vs Ferrari fame) took third in his MG Special , without a clutch. Here’s some video: Here’s Moffett in the 80’s with P-3C Orions parked on the ramps. I was stationed there in 1988-93. Hangar 1 (the one with round ends) is a historic site and its sheet metal exterior was recently re-skinned. That row of buildings between Hangar 1 and the bay are part of Nasa Ames Research Center: https://www.nasa.gov/ames/
My dad was a Flight engineer and flightline mechanic there. My brother and I had the run of the base swimming pool, bowling alley and movie theatre. Movies were 25 cents. Visited the paint shop on the east side of hangar one frequently. Saw many air shows there. Didn't know they held races there. Very cool.
Wow, never knew of the races held there. I used to drive by the exit in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Side question, didn’t Myth Busters use a hanger there for some episodes as well?
Thanks for the history! Assuming Hangar 1 goes back to the Airship days or is it a Giant piece of art deco architecture?
Wow! Too bad SCTA can’t get the use of it once or twice a year. Just think, running towards the bay, if all else fails, you go swimming…
Yes, and some at the old Hamilton AFB in Novato. A close friend was their lead fabricator. I used their shop a whole lot.
Hello, Every time I drove by on the Bayshore Freeway, I could not help but be admired by those tall blimp hangars. They were unusual. College life allowed road trips to S.F. and all over the Bay Area. After many trips to the big city and the bay waters, a neighbor college girl asked if I could take her to see the latest Beatles movie that just came out. It was called “HELP.” There were three cars loaded with our apartment friends and we were the last to commit. It was not playing in the local walk in theaters nearby, so we all drove to Mountain View to see the latest new film. The outdoor theater was in the same location as the large blimp hangars. There were several college students who never saw those before and they were impressed at the sight of the large unusual hangars. But, we all knew it was for the large blimps we all knew about. In the Los Angeles communities that are near the San Diego Freeway or 405 as noted, in the city of Carson, near the old Lion’s Dragstrip was the So Cal version of Goodyear blimp landings and take off area. It was a huge field next to the freeways and many times, folks would see the blimp landing or taking off. From the pits and spectator seating area of Lion’s Dragstrip, one could see the blimp rising and landing, as it was so close to the action. If the professional or college football team was playing in the Los Angeles Coliseum in Downtown Los Angeles, the blimp was used to show aerial shots from high above. Jnaki It wasn’t until many years later that I came upon the So Cal version at the Tustin Air Base in the big OC. (recently #1 burned down) but, those blimp hangars are super large. Most folks drive by and are impressed by the hangar structures. But, since they are far from the freeways, they look normal in size. If one were to take a photo with a regular size car next to them, then the actual comparisons could be made. So, from afar, they look like normal sized units. For So Cal enthusiasts: A 1950 drag race held at the Tustin Air Base landing strip. Comparing the 1950 photo to a 2021 photo. Since then, the Tustin Air Base Hangar 1, has burned down. The fire is in the North hangar that once housed blimps used in WW 2. They both stand 17 stories high, are over 1,000 feet long and 300 feet wide. They were, and still are, two (one remaining)of the largest wooden structures ever built. The closest public access with a clear site/vision is the winding road to the left of the photo. The yellow lines to the right are where the old listed drag race event was held. Remnants of Hangar one…2023 For those that still like large format, not your everyday structures, Hangar 2 still close by a public street for viewing. Hangar 2 still close by a public street for viewing.
Hello, You mean, the "chronicles of Nakia?" Ha! It is a long process, but I admit, trying to organize the information is a start. My wife and I have always had this quote in the back or our heads and it comes to light frequently... "What else are we doing?" Then we go ahead and do it from new cars to new home improvements on our 40 year old house. So, thanks for reminding me to move along and get to those files... Jnaki The old photos are getting to the end of identification of each racer in the films. But, the HAMB files are almost a history in itself. Those help me organize what I have and some of it makes sense. YRMV More added responsibilities are upon us as our granddaughter is now in her 2nd year of college. So, we try to keep the pressure off of her, so she can concentrate on finishing her school year and vast projects. But, we remember when both of us were in college. It was a great time to learn about oneself and the other sitting across from you, staring at you when talking about life in general. ... now back to the files and journals... ha!
Since 2014 GOOGLE leases Moffet Field. They have a 60-year lease for roughly 1.6 billion dollars. Google flies' private jets in and out of Moffet every day. They are restoring Hanger One which has a very large blimp in it right now. There is a trail behind the airfield and the Bay water where you can walk or ride your bike to get a close-up view jeff
The 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett is a sister unit of 106th rescue wing, where I served out my 20 years in the USAF/USANG. Sometimes we would see those guys during a deployment. One of us was finishing our tour and the other was providing relief. Good bunch of guys.
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