Historic California Posts, Camps, Stations and Airfields

Dunlap Auxiliary Field

(Minter Field Auxiliary Field No. 4)

 

A 22 July 1943 aerial view looking north at “Minter Field Auxiliary #4 (Dunlap Field)” from the 1945 Army Air Fields Airfield Directory

 

During World War II, Dunlap Auxiliary Field was one of 6 satellite airfields which served Minter Field (19 miles south-southwest), which conducted basic flight training. The dates of use of Dunlap are unknown, but Minter Field itself was operational from 1941 until being closed soon after World War II. Unlike some of the other Minter auxiliary fields, Dunlap was not depicted on the 1944 LA Sectional Chart, so it may have been abandoned by then. No airfield at the site was depicted on the 1949 Los Angeles Sectional Chart.

 

However, an airfield labeled “Jasmin Landing Field” was still depicted on the 1991 USGS topo map at the same location, so this field may have been reused in the postwar period for civil aviation.The 1994 USGS aerial photo of the site did not show any recognizable remnants of an airfield. The airfield site is located northeast of the intersection of Hart Avenue & Kyte Avenue, one mile east of the town of Jasmin.

 

US Army Corps of Engineers History

 

During World War II, the US Army acquired a total of 210.22 acres in Delano, California, through Declarations of Taking and perpetual easements. By Declarations of Taking, 160 acres were acquired on 5 December 1942, and 40.04 acres were acquired on 9 August 1943. The other 10.18-acres were acquired through perpetual easements by the following dates:28 October 1943 - 0.23 acres; 29 October 1943 - 2.27 acres; 19 November 1943 - 0.45 acres; 23 November 1943 - 2.92 acres; 10 March 1944 - 1.36 acres; 26 April 1944 - 2.95 acres. The site was known as Dunlap Auxiliary Field #4.

Previously used for grazing and dry farming, Dunlap Auxiliary Field #4 was used to support what was then Minter Airfield. Along with other auxiliary airfields surrounding.Minter Airfield, Dunlap Auxiliary Field #4 was used for training pilots in landing and take-off maneuvers and provided an emergency landing airfield. In addition to the asphalt runway, structures constructed at the site were a stagehouse, a crash truck shelter, and a latrine.

On 1 November 1945 the 10. 18-acres' easements were deeded to the county of Kern, though a right-of-way was reserved over the same land by the United States government. On 8 October 1946 the site was declared as surplus. On 15 November 1948, 160-acres were quitclaimed to the County of Kern. The remaining 40.04-acres were quitclaimed to the original owners on 8 December 1949. The site is currently used as a vineyard by Pandol and Sons.

 

Extract of 1945 Army Air Forces Airfield Directory

 

 

 

 

 

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Updated 8 February 2016