Welcome to 160knots.com !
           
Flying into Hawthorne Nevada!
           
N4201B Departing Hawthrone Airport
Betty Easley (Airport Greeter) took this picture of us departing Hawthorne Nevada
           
Best time of the year to go? All year, this is more of a mid point stop than a destination.
Flight time in a Super Viking from KAJO? 1.9 or more depending on the status of several restricted areas,
Food on the airport? Courtesy cold drinks and frozen food at the airport provided by Betty the airport greeter.
Fuel on airport? Yes, a on the high side.
Landing or Handling fees? No
Comments about arriving and departing.  The airport is surrounded by high terrain. Leave a way out. Watch the water tower on left base to rwy 10. Who put that there?
Things to do at or near the airport. Betty has crew cars available near the fuel pump for a run to town.
Rate this stop with 10 being best, 5 average. 8.0
           
  
 

Flying over Walker Lake 

 

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Flight Planning at SkyVector.com
 

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The Home of Bellanca N4201B

There are few places to stop between Grants Pass and Las Vegas, I choose Hawthorne Industrial Airpark. Upon landing I was greeted by Betty Easley, the Volunteer Airport Greeter. Betty helped us fuel the plane and offered us cool drinks in the terminal. The refrigerator in the pilots lounge was stocked with about every type of soft drink know to man plus frozen food for the microwave and it's all free! In addition she offered us use of a crew car for a trip to town.


I found out Betty has done all of this out of her own pocket so I assumed she has a gold mine hidden in the hills. No, she's just a retired school teacher with a love for pilots and airplanes. When I called in on 122.8 she was at her friends house with an aviation radio and came to the airport to great us. WOW! Big City FBO's take note!

Anyway, Betty told me about the town but I didn't have time to visit so I asked her for a write up with pictures. Here it is!

Hawthorne was first established in April of 1881 as a railroad town to support the gold mines of Aurora and Bodie.  The town is located in Mineral County which is a correct name because of the variety of minerals produced over the years in this area.  After a major disastrous explosion at Lake Denmark, New Jersey in 1926, the Navy chose Hawthorne, Nevada for construction of the Naval Ammunition Depot to safely produce and store ammunition in a remote area.  It was the largest ammunition depot in the world.  The government built housing for the civilian workers in the community of Babbitt and by 1944 the population was 14,000.  Most of this housing has now been removed.  The current population of Hawthorne is around 3,000.
    The Navy originally built the airport and eventually deeded it over to Mineral County who now operates the airport through their Public Works Department.  There have been upgrades and the major one was an extension to the 10/28 runway to a total of 6,000 ft.  Mineral County is currently beginning a new 10 year Master Plan for the airport.
   The Hawthorne Industrial Airport is a General Aviation Airport with a variety of aircraft ranging from Light Sport, Single Engine personal aircraft, Turbo Props, Business Jets, Helicopters, and various Military aircraft.  At present the traffic is light to moderate and is an excellent facility for flight training landings and takeoffs and is used quite often for that purpose.  A visiting pilot seldom has to worry about heavy traffic in the area.  There are two courtesy vehicles for transportation when needed to town.  The El Capitan Lodge and Casino also has a shuttle that can be called if needed.  Every effort is being made to make HTH a friendly place to visit with pilot's needs a priority.  The lounge is comfortable with a Wall Chart for reference, an Airport Layout drawing for pilot information, a variety of reading materials and local information, contact information is posted for easy reference, a computer is available for pilot usage, and Wi-Fi for pilots with Wi-Fi devices.  A refrigerator is kept stocked with a variety of cold beverages and a microwave for heating hot drinks or other needs.  These are furnished as a service. 
    The fuel is self serve with VISA, Master Card, and Multi-Service cards accepted and is available 24 hours a day.  Runway lights key on from dusk to dawn.  The AWOS is available at 120.225 and can be reached by telephone ahead if needed at:  (775) 945-0727.  The UNICOM frequency is 122.800 for general questions and to alert the volunteer greeter to be at the airport to serve visiting pilots.
There is a wide variety of motels, restaurants, and interesting places to see.  (Click here for listings.)
    The Hawthorne Ordnance Museum is totally done by volunteers and is a constantly expanding inventory of Hawthorne military history and also many other collections connected with the United States military.  The displays are well arranged and very well marked with information about them.  There is usually people there that have worked with the ordnance and can explain and answer questions.
    In 1977 the base was transferred to the Army and it is now called the Hawthorne Army Depot.  Ordnance is no longer produced here, but stored, shipped when needed, and destroyed when no longer usable.  There is further diversification being done including pre-deployment training of specialized units of the military in the surrounding mountains which are identical to Afghanistan. 
    Hawthorne prides itself on being "America's Patriotic Home" and supports the military personnel in every way possible.  One of the most important celebrations in Hawthorne is the Annual Armed Forces Day activities the third weekend of May.  There is something for everyone with a Chili Cook-Off, activities and booths in Lion's Park, water fights between fire departments, a juried art show, outside performances, fireworks at the El Capitan Resort, and most of all, the parade at noon on Saturday.  The parade starts with a military fly over and there is a wide variety of entries that take part.


Welcome to 160knots.com !
Hawthorne Nevada My brother Keith and I enroute from Grants Pass Oregon to Las Vegas making a pit stop in Hawthorne Nevada. Photo by Betty Easley
Betty Easley and I Betty Easley and I. Betty is Hawthorne's Volunteer Airport Greeter.
Takeoff roll from Hawthorne Industrial Airport Departure roll Hawthorne Industrial Airport. Photo by Betty Easley
Hawthorne Nevada Ammo bunkers pretty much surround the city of Hawthorne Nevada.
Terminal at Hawthorne Airport HawthorneTerminal and Mt Grant.  Airport elevation is 4,215 ft and Mt Grant is 11,239 ft. Photo by Betty Easley
Hawthorne Pilots Lounge Pilots Lounge
Photo by Betty Easley
Hawthorne Airport from the air. Hawthorne Airport from left base to runway 28.  Hwy 95 is to the right, Town of Hawthorne showing in left bottom corner.  Dirt runway 33/15 at right angle to right of runway 28.
Photo by Betty Easley
Open pit mine at Rawhide NV Open pit mine at Rawhide, Mineral County, Nevada.  It is no longer mined, but is interesting to fly over.  It is located north east of Hawthorne.  There were other open pit mines of various sizes in Mineral County:  Photo by Betty Easley
Mt Grant on the left and a glimmer from Walker Lake on the right. One of our many beautiful sunsets showing Mt Grant on the left and a glimmer from Walker Lake on the right.
Photo by Betty Easley
Ryan Canyon in the Gillis Range Picture from Ryan Canyon in the Gillis Range east of Hawthorne.  Hawthorne and part of the Army Ammunition Depot can be seen in the valley.  The Wassuk Range with Mt Grant is on the west side of the valley. Photo by Betty Easley
Wild Mustangs Herd of mustangs that are on the Army Ammunition Depot property just south of Walker Lake.  They can often be seen from Hwy 95 on the drive in from the community of Walker Lake on the way into Hawthorne.  Photo by Betty Easley
Mono Lake Mono Lake in California with the Sierra Nevada Mountains reflected in the lake.  This is an easy flight from Hawthorne. Photo by Betty Easley
Gabbs Valley North east of Hawthorne looking out over Gabbs Valley.  At one time there was an active mining town called Scheelite, in the area of the large black dome. Photo by Betty Easley
Ordnance Museum Hawthorne Ordnance Museum is totally done by volunteers and is a constantly expanding inventory of Hawthorne military history and also many other collections connected with the United States military.  The displays are well arranged and very well marked with information about them.  There is usually people there that have worked with the ordnance and can explain and answer questions. Photo by Betty Easley
Remote controlled helicopter used by the Navy in Viet Nam. Remote controlled helicopter used by the Navy in the Viet Nam War. In the background is the control units that were on the deck of the Navy ship.  The military jeep has been completely restored. Photo by Betty Easley
Hawthorne Ordnance Museum Hawthorne Ordnance Museum
Photo by Betty Easley
Hawthorne Ordnance Museum Hawthorne Ordnance Museum
Photo by Betty Easley
Hawthorne Mineral County Museum The Mineral County Museum contains a lot of history of Mineral County.  Summer Hours:  Tuesday - Saturday  11:00 am to 5:00 pm and Winter Hours are Noon - 4:00 pm.
Photo by Betty Easley
Mineral County Museum The mural in the background shows a lot of the history with the railroad and the old Mineral County Courthouse that is in the process of being restored as funds become available.
Photo by Betty Easley
Some of the wheeled vehicle exhibits in the Mineral County Museum Some of the wheeled vehicle exhibits in the Mineral County Museum.
Photo by Betty Easley
Mineral County Memorial Rose Garden Another special place in Hawthorne during the growing season is the Mineral County Memorial Rose Garden with 920 roses.  It has been basically maintained by volunteers and donations. There are paths to wander around in and seating benches to rest and enjoy the beauty.
Photo by Betty Easley
Wassuk Mountain Range The Mineral County Memorial Rose Garden and the Mineral County Library with some of the Wassuk Mountain Range in the background.
Photo by Betty Easley
Cecil the Sea Serpent is a tradition in Hawthorne Cecil the Sea Serpent is a tradition in Hawthorne and is always in the parades and has taken many awards in out of town parades.  Here he is blowing the steam and bellowing.  His colors can change and currently he is the high school colors of gold and black.  The school mascot is the Serpent. Photo by Betty Easley
Hawthorne Parade Float  The Army Base contractor always has an impressive float in the Armed Forces Day Parades.
Photo by Betty Easley
El Capitan Resort and Casino Another popular activity on Armed Forces Day is the Chili Cook-Off held at the El Capitan Resort and Casino.
Photo by Betty Easley

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Last Updated
April 19, 2009

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Frank Holbert
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