AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2024 - 44

MOJAVE AIR AND SPACE PORT
BRIEFING
A IRPORTS /
Mojave Air and Space Port, California
Not just for spaceships
BY DENNIS K. JOHNSON
YOU DON'T NEED A SPACESHIP to land at Mojave Air and Space Port (MHV), but if
you have one, you're cleared to land. A " spaceport " is a site approved for launching
or landing spacecraft, and they may be further designated as vertical or horizontal
sites. A vertical launch is the traditional rocket type, such as the Saturn V lifting
men to the moon from the Kennedy Space Center. Horizontal launches are when
a spacecraft is launched from a mother ship, such as the X-15 flights dropped from
a B-52. When SpaceShipOne completed the first crewed private spaceflight from
Mojave, that was a horizontal launch. Edwards Air Force Base and Mojave are
currently the only two sites that have completed successful horizontal launches.
When landing, look down for a view of hundreds of airliners stored on the airport
grounds. Perhaps, if Richard Branson gets things moving, you might be able to see
a Virgin Galactic suborbital launch. Mojave is a convenient base for visiting the Air
Force Flight Test Museum, to see an auto race at the fabled Willow Springs Raceway,
or even for access to Sequoia National Park or Death Valley National Park.
Mojave is home to the
National Test Pilot School,
the only civilian test pilot
school in the world.
Various aerospace companies were attracted
to Mojave because of its wide-open spaces and
proximity to Edwards Air Force Base, which
provides restricted airspace from the surface to
outer space and areas reserved for supersonic
flight. Companies such as Scaled Composites
and Virgin Galactic are tenants. Several teams
that competed for the Ansari X Prize-a $10 million
prize for the first private company to put a
spacecraft into space-were based there.
The first flights of many of Burt Rutan's
designs, such as the VariEze and Long-EZ,
took place at Mojave. Rutan's Voyager, the first
aircraft to fly around the world without stopping
or refueling, was built at Mojave, although
it departed for its record-setting flight from
Edwards AFB.
Mojave is also home to the National Test
Pilot School, the only civilian test pilot school in
the world. Try to plan your visit to coincide with
the airport's monthly " Plane Crazy Saturdays, "
during which tours are organized and some hangars
open to visit.
HISTORY
Situated in the high desert of southern California, Mojave is 78 miles north of Los
Angeles, 17 miles west of Edwards Air Force Base, and, for those who need to invest
the mortgage money, Las Vegas is 183 miles east. The airport opened in 1935 with
dirt runways, but no fuel or amenities. In 1941, two paved runways were built and,
after America's entry into World War II, the airport became Marine Corps Auxiliary
Air Station Mojave. At the end of the war, the airport was used by the U.S. Navy
before closing until the Korean War reopened it as an auxiliary landing field for the
U.S. Marines. In 1961, the airport was deeded to the county and grew briskly as private
aerospace companies settled there. In 2013, the name was changed to Mojave
Air and Space Port. " Rutan Field " was added to the airport's name to honor of the
Rutan brothers in 2022.
44
AOPA PILOT / July 2024
MOJAVE AIR AND SPACE PORT (MHV)
If you can't land at Mojave, you shouldn't be flying,
as the longest runway (12/30) is 12,503 feet
by 200 feet. Two additional runways are 7,049
feet and 4,747 feet. Transient parking is adjacent
the airport terminal building where you'll
find a pilot's lounge with flight planning computers,
Wi-Fi, and vending machines. But why dine
from a machine when you can enjoy the Voyager
Airport Restaurant's dishes in the same building.
Order the " Touch & Go " (chorizo sausage
and eggs) or the " F-22 " (the astronaut's breakfast,
steak and eggs). The restaurant has views
of the flight line, and you can listen to the tower
frequency at each table.
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2024

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