"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 06:40:14 GMT, "Eric Fletcher S.O.C."
wrote in ::

On 10/9/04 6:39 PM, in article
,
"Larry Dighera" wrote:

Have you ever explored the remains of General Patton's WW-II Desert
Training Center in the Mojave?


Where might that be and what is their to see there?


The DTC was created in April 1942 shortly after the seven simultaneous
Japanese attacks against Pearl Harbor, Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam,
Philippines, Wake Island, and Midway Island. This is where the first
US troops to fight in WW-II were trained to invade North Africa to
prevent Rommel from reaching the oilfields of Arabia. It covered the
western desert from Yuma to Searchlight and Pomona to Prescott, 12
million acres in all. In the desert climate the evidence of the
divisional campsites still remains today.

Here's a link with pictures of the DTC today, and a Sky Trail (similar
to a nature trail) that the Bureau of Land Management is creating for
GA pilots:
http://home.worldnet.att.net/~SkyTra...disclaimer.htm
. The username is: dtc, and the password is: blm. Click 'Pilots
Guide' on the right of the banner to see the sky trail. There is also
information he http://www.pilotgetaways.com/skytours/index.html


Holy Cow, Larry!! I've landed at Chiriaco Summit (L77) a few times and
flown over some of the DTC. I knew it was extensive, but I didn't know
anything about the Sky Trail scheme. I'll have to plan the whole shebang
next time I head for Bullhead City.
Some words of caution worth reiterating for those who haven't flown over
the desert. The first two are Density Altitude. Don't expect typical
performance on a warm day. Like the narrative said, it does get bumpy. I've
never experienced moderate turbulence along that route, but sometimes
passengers react poorly to constant light bumps. When that happens, I
usually climb up a couple thousand feet and it is generally much smoother.
And drink lots of water, the air out here is very dry all year long. Well,
except near the river where the humidity can stay over the 90% mark at
midnight.
Great information, Larry. What can the GA community do to help push the
Sky Trail scheme along? Seems I remember someone plotting the Chisolm and
Oregon Trails not long ago.

How about starting a new thread on that subject line.

Casey