Flying over an abandoned WWII Army Airforces Base!!!

[@gregsteele806]

Dude! My Grandfather was a flight instructor on that base during WWII. My dad was born in a nearby hospital.

[@WhiffleWaffles]

That's so cool!

[@Lumineer_Cars]

@@WhiffleWaffles yeah

[@357Dejavu]

That’s awesome! It’s cool that you know that!

[@clr4tko1]

Wonderful Video, Tucker! Looks like you are on a Bee-line to Southern California. I've mentioned this before, but I will remind you of an incredible area to explore as you enter California on I-8, west of El Centro. Google Carizzo Gorge and the Goat Canyon Trestle, both of which are part of the old San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railroad. It is also known as the "Impossible Railroad" as it hugs the canyon walls of the Carizzo Gorge. It was an amazing engineering feat when it was built in the early 1900's. The Goat Canyon Trestle is the largest free-standing wooden trestle in the world. I discovered it while flying into San Diego from the east. It looks incredible from 16,000 feet and I imagine it to be even more spectacular from a lower altitude. Over a dozen tunnels are on the route as well. I sincerely hope you take the time to fly over it. To access the rail route, take Exit 73 off of I-8. Ask at the Shell or Chevron Gas stations how to access the Nudist Camp which allows you to park and walk to the tracks.

[@thundermarmot7423]

Nice, a history lesson to go along with the adventure. Good job.

[@johndale5907]

My dad was based there. He fly B-29’s. He met my mother and then married her there. This is a quote from my dad's war journal. "June 17, 45. Guess what? yours truly got married today 7:30 Post Chapel, Pyote AAF. To the most beautiful girl this side of heaven. "

[@emilgrantcharov3317]

John Dale wow! Very cool!

[@smgsmg]

it's good that you've combined sightseeing with history

[@ncdean62]

So great to just pull off the road and go flying, or take a nap!

[@Graybear78]

Those hanger doors were individual sectioned sliding doors that had to be opened mostly by manpower. Some were powered. Each door was extremely heavy, and took several men to push open. each section was pushed individually, and took several men to push. Only one base where I had been stationed had powered doors. What fun. Brings back memories.

[@Kitfoxj]

The "go kart track" looks like a Police driving training track. I noticed a precision backing course along with the high speed oval track.

[@MX304]

That's exactly what it is. Texas DPS used it for a while, but I don't think it has been used in recent years.

[@lockedin60]

That "prison" you flew close to was closed in 2010. It housed West Texas State School for juveniles.

[@DAS-Videos]

The guys working there in the 40's in their wildest imagination would never think that a guy with a butt fan would be flying around the place.

[@mekkler]

LOL butt fan

[@Imabadfisherman]

@@mekkler that's funny as all hell

[@jamesstumpf75]

Dude you combined two of my favorite things!!! History and PPG!!!

[@davidbryant85]

The idea of doing aerial archeology is perfectly presented here. You stop and fly quickly and safely even after a long days driving. The footage is perfect because you have long experience and you talk us through as you explore. I fly a Titanium Airfair 185cc since 2006 so am used to the idea of just going flying even in the lunch hour but have never seen it so well portrayed on film before. It answers perfectly why you can explore a place by paramotor but cannot do the same thing using a drone.

[@davidfstanford]

I'd love to see more videos like this. It was very enjoyable.

[@Kidousproatlife]

it's such beautiful views, freedom is gorgeous

[@TheGreatPurpleFerret]

You should check out Lock Picking Lawyer and probably change the locks on the trailer and hitch.

[@cowetareserve]

Thank you for sharing this! My favorite KZbin content creator and my favorite interest Historical Aviation in one video. Sweet crossover!

[@chasetonga]

Cool! I’m reading through 2 boxes of love letters between my Grandma and Grandpa during WWII. My grandma was English and mechanic for the WAAF - Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. My grandpa was an engineer in the Army. Unfortunately there weren’t many details about the war because letters were censored.

[@metalNmetal93]

Awesome I drive by this place almost everyday. Cool to see a bird's eye view of it. 🤘

[@sr71afan]

My Dad was stationed there Dec 1942 - Feb '43. He was bombardier on B-17E "Crock O' Crap". Miss You Dad!

[@sr71afan]

Thanks for the tour, Tucker!

[@dad_sandals269]

my dad use to live on that base as a child!

[@john5311]

lol no

[@dad_sandals269]

o how so?

[@MrCPPG]

Pretty cool. I love flying over former WWII bases. If you ever get to the wet side of Washington, check out Naval Auxiliary Air Station Quillayute. They had blimps out there as well as planes. Totally legal to fly out of there and enough room you could boondock overnight as well.

[@jrzerelocatedpatriots3862]

I'm impressed Tucker. Very good video.

[@donshields4470]

thanks again for the trip and making these cool videos!! We love the old air force base aerial examination that only you could give us. You and Jaclyn are turning out to be a national treasure!

[@TonyEssig]

Did learn something! Thank you! Nice flight.

[@clippedwing-bensmith1614]

On the scale of One to Ten "Not very" 😂😂😂❤️

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

How do you not love that?

[@Psi105]

She was supposed to say 69

[@MegaTriumph1]

I can tell Tuckers brain shut down under the, "that is illogical" mode.

[@scottreuse1487]

My Grandfather was a B-17 Pilot in WW2 and was shot down and a POW. He had a map on his wall with all the areas he flew marked with pins and string. I imagine this was one of his stops during training for the War. Thanks for sharing this footage. Very cool.

[@wwilliam50]

Helpful tip when getting fuel. If you don’t want to hold the nozzle, a chap stick fits nicely under the handle to hold it on, so you don’t have to.

[@billthomas6296]

As an old Air Force Veteran I really liked this video. The WWll veterans were and are the greatest generation of this country. those men and women are true heroes and the reason we are not speaking German or Japanese in this country as our primary language if you know what I mean. Great video Tucker. "Right Jacqueline "

[@mtnride4930]

That was a poster of the US Marines raising the flag on Mt Surabachi, Iwo Jima.

[@572Btriode]

Yep, I knew that immediately and I'm not American, the poster is of the "re-enactment" 90 minutes after the original flag and smaller flag raising because the original wasn't thought big enough for good PR and so the larger one raised under the orders of Col. Chandler Johnson.

[@mtnride4930]

You are correct! I was not going to go that far. Thanks for the comment

[@ImACarbonCopy]

SemperFi VMA-214

[@mtnride4930]

My Dad was USMC 1st Marine Division the old breed. Missed Iwo due to injuries from Solomon islands Guadalcanal. I would probably not be here if he deployed to Iwo Jima. Much respect to all vets of which I am proud to say I am one to.

[@572Btriode]

@@mtnride4930 Brit who lives in France. . . . . .

[@SmittySmithsonite]

GREAT vid, Tucker! I can only imagine the sounds of many radials at full throttle there, 75 or so years ago. Goosebump city! Plus all of the Greatest Generation that spent time there. REAL heroes! Some great history! I wasn't familiar with that base prior to this! Thanks, Tucker! We also thank Jaclyn for her in-depth food reviews.😁👍🍻

[@grputtputt]

Entertainment flying with a history lesson, very cool!

[@digitaldefection]

Awesome video! I’m a master plumber in Texas and I am working on an RV park west of Odessa and one of the properties the owners of my company are looking to develop is that Air Force Base in peyote. The property does include that abandoned prison. The only critique I have is that you cannot say that you were in the middle of Texas! You were definitely in West Texas, almost all desert! Thanks for the video

[@NewtonWashinton]

This was your best video ever for me, Thanks Tucker, You were correct about the hangar door tracks in the concrete, February 23, 1945 which depicts six United States Marines raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.

[@24KProspecting]

I am also an Air Force veteran, so this video really hits home

[@24KProspecting]

@@SmittySmithsonite thank you!! i dig all of tuckers videos!

[@johnfrey-ps8kn]

Fun flight. Be safe in your travels.

[@thomashowlett8295]

I got to tour that base from the ground about ten years ago. Those paintings on the inside walls of the main hanger were done for the movie "Fandango" with Kevin Costner back in 1985. That building you said looked like toothpicks, is very interesting. The center part is concrete, and has bank-vault doors. It was where they stored the Norden bombsights between training missions. The bombsights were top secret technology during the war. Someone's comment about the markings on the concrete apron is correct, the State Troopers and Sheriff Dept did drivers training there years ago. Local pilots used to do touch and go landings on the runways too, until they got too grown over with scrub brush.

[@MX304]

The prison was a youth correctional facility from the late 90s until 2007.

[@garywheeler2055]

Nice to see lots of maturity in your vlogs, you guys do an amazing job creating and providing info. Keep up the good job 👍

[@Aelaid]

that "barracks" or "prison" area used to be a juvenile detention facility that closed in 2010

[@jimmynoname4089]

That is a huge juvenile detention center!

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

Cool flight, Tucker. You are fortunate that the site is located in the West Texas National Forest. Few parts of Texas have so many beautiful trees. I am a native, so I can say that. The "basketball court" was almost certainly the Army drill field. The circular structures may have been compass roses--concrete pads built without ferrous reinforcing so they could be accurately marked to position aircraft to magnetic headings and calibrate the compasses. The Iwo Jima mural probably went up soon after the battle. Iwo Jima was taken at a cost of 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead, for two reasons: to remove the threat of Japanese fighters flying from Iwo to attack B-29 bomber streams traveling from the Marianas to bomb Japan, and back; and to use Iwo as a landing place to save bombers and crew too shot up or low on fuel to make it back to the Marianas. No doubt many of the crews trained at Rattlesnake eventually owed their lives to the sacrifices made at Iwo Jima. Semper Fi.

[@angelreading5098]

That was epic Tucker,do more historic fly overs like this please.

[@canamm]

I love this "History Channel" episode! This was great!

[@barrywebber100]

Very interesting location, thanks for posting.

[@JacoGous-d2h]

Hi Tukker I don't know if you will ever see this but THANK you for sharing all of this it is really interesting and I would never be able to experience this in person it is awesome to be able to see this on you channel. I am a huge fan of your work. Please never stop shearing this content. I really love it. Thanks brother for sharing.

[@bradbechlyb9273]

my new favorite flight. Love the added history

[@Spyder76137]

Nice taste of history and sweet footage that you wouldn’t get to see on foot! Hopefully you all get a chance to visit and fly with Anthony Vella on the way through El Paso. That should be some entertaining shenanigans.

[@swampfox9526]

Being a patron is great! As the great KyleO would say much love man!

[@PPGGrandpa]

One of my fav. Love the history

[@chrisgourdine3823]

Looked like you came in pretty hot on the landing. Good job not biting it!

[@WernerHF]

Awesome dude!

[@nswsparky]

check out the Green River Launch Complex near Moab by green river utah. It is just like this but super cool

[@bsmurf12]

Awesome video. I for one would like to see some more content like this. Anyone else?

[@cyh4031]

Thanks for the tour? Can you visit any other aviation History related places?

[@mingusbreeze]

Thanks, cool flyover.

[@rayc1503]

Amazing wow, so wish I could do this.

[@dannoquin7322]

Incredible video, thanks for bringing us along.

[@briansimmons9349]

Good Job Tucker. Really liked the history adventure.

[@adaltianno]

LOL, Taki's are extremely popular here in the southwest.

[@Fightre_Flighte]

Great vid. Excellent mashing of PPG and history. Fly safe.

[@maidengems304]

Thanks for the tour! I loved it!

[@L2FlyMN]

That was really cool!!! Sad to realize that many WWII service members are no longer with us.

[@talkoverabeerlive3313]

Very nice video. I love getting the history of the place your flying. Good job! How about an abandoned missile silos base.

[@cw2gtc]

So glad I stumbled across your channel (@0400HRS) when I fired up my phone after getting back into my nice warm👍🏼bed after getting up to scratch the sandbox. I first saw your Bermuda deserted island flight vid. Your vids are like eating potato chips! This vid of Rattlesnake Bomber Field was fascinating to me. I’m always hungry for more WW-II history. I’m sure I would have run out of fuel flying over the airbase. No self control to fly away. LOL 😂 Watching your vids is nice. I wish these contraptions were around when I was yer age. I’m 60 now and not in good health, so I wouldn’t try it now. So I’ll be satisfied watching you. Go get ‘em Tucker. CHEERS!

[@sandorrendeczky8549]

That was awesome! Too cool that you were able to fly in an area that you cannot gain access by ground! I loved the added vintage photos and history! And, I have to say I'm really impressed that both of you try to often eat healthy. That in itself is inspiration to anyone that watches your videos! I hope everyone has an awesome Christmas! Blue Skies! 🤙

[@cyh4031]

I could not help but wonder what would happen if he had an engine out and had to land on base.

[@PPGGrandpa]

This vid should go in wiki

[@bobmiller1973]

Very interesting bit of history.

[@pixelpeter3883]

Interesting flight Tucker! Really enjoyed this episode :-) Really looking forwards to the aerial shananigans of the 2 of you over de Desert Southwest!

[@WilliamHamilton29464]

Thanks for the video

[@ddove60]

Great video. Texas has quite a few interesting old bases, including 12 old missile silos around Abilene, and Vietnam era helicopter training bases between Mineral Wells and Ranger laid out to match bases in Vietnam. Several sites like the one you saw were used as correctional facilities after the military abandoned them also. You probably already passed it by now, but you should stop by to see el Capitan sometime. It is an amazing view after all the flatland that you went through.

[@mikehikes3902]

Great video as always, you're fun to watch Tucker! I grew up in Texas. Definitely a GE wind turbine at the 3 min mark. 1.5MW by the looks, maybe a 1.85MW, If I knew the location, I could name the wind farm project. I worked on a GE wind farm in Amarillo! Also, My grandfather was a pilot during WWII and flew the B-17 "Flying Fortress" You and @probablyjaclyn should check out the W.A.S.P. museum in Sweetwater on your way back taking I20 it's about all of the first female pilots in WWII. Also, you need to go to Palo Duro Canyon, (Canyon, TX) or the southeast corner called Caprock Canyon (near Turkey, TX) sometime! It's the 2nd largest canyon in the US. It looks sick from the air, and just comes outta nowhere with how flat and barren the surrounding expanse is.

[@patrickbasin9389]

That’s where my grandparents met. They were both in the army air corps. My grandmother was a nurse and my grandfather was a weatherman.

[@spartangoku7610]

It was the Army Air Corp until 1947. Then it became the Air Force.

[@HawkKI4HEE]

If you're heading west, plan on making it up to Marysville CA. It's well worth the trip. You can fly around the Sutter Buttes... the Worlds smallest Mountain Range... and see about getting a VIP tour of Beale AFB, home of the U-2 spy plane. There might be a viewer who's stationed there who could get you permission. The base also has remaining ruins of a German POW camp.

[@lukemaddisonmitchell4525]

Tucker I go metal detecting and I absolutely love it I have found some great items especially with our history in England I was thinking maybe you should invest in a metal detector especially when you visit sites like World War 2 camps and interesting places with history you will be surprised what you may find and also worth a lot of money

[@williambyrnes4198]

The circle pads were most likely what are called compass row. The compass row is a spot where they would calibrate the compass on the aircraft.

[@thehornet6933]

Very informative video, keep up the great adventures!

[@jamesbyrne2767]

You are not far from The McDonald Observatory,on SR 118 NW of Fort Davis, Texas. The area is in the middle of some low mountains, and is really dark at night. The observatory will make an interesting side trip. It may even be possible to fly near it during the day. It is east of the Valentine MOA, so is unregulated airspace. It is just way out in the boonies. Fort Davis is the closest town. If you are close, at night you may be able to see the lasers used by the observatory to improve imaging shining up from the dome.

[@MikeDTrucking]

Hey man, rad videos. Keep up the great content

[@conwayfiddy4908]

Awesome video. If you’re into old WWII aviation history and the like and if the ban life ever brings you out by Savannah Georgia be sure to stop at the Museum of The Mighty Eighth Air Force. It is seriously one of the coolest museums I’ve ever been to.

[@joegarret6598]

If you get back down that way look up the old BF good wrench test track near pecos. Largest continuous circle track in the world. It’s on my to do list.

[@RizeTB1]

You should stop by in las cruces NM. It’s after El Paso if you are on I10. You could fly by or over the Organ Mountains, and can even see White Sands Monument. White sands would be awesome to fly over too...OMG! Just got to the end of the video. You are going to White Sands!🎉

[@williamlawrence5455]

Amarillo Army Air Base 28th Place my dad built it and 1942 43 for Debbie Webb Construction Company cool place close it 1968 but it's awesome the see it memories after that we left there and went to Fort Ord and we built it I'm going to enjoy watching this

[@MrIdasam]

This is where parts of the 1985 film, "Fandango" were filmed.

[@dave93x]

Crazy to think how things change. Those pictures of the entire base in front of the plane in the hangar, relationships/friendships formed there, jokes were cracked, people wiping their oily hands off - now look at it 😔

[@angelreading5098]

Yes people make a place special,you are spot on Dave,kind of sad really.

[@ynoT_46]

Back in the late 90s I got to meet Maj. Charles Sweeney, who piloted the B-29 Bockscar, which dropped the second atomic bomb on Japan in August of 1945. Maj. Sweeney was signing autographs at a local airshow I was working at in Morris, IL.

[@mjxdrones7123]

BRILLIANT

[@davew5383]

That was very interesting, especially with the pictures and info that you found about it. Definitely a magical moment with your Paramotor, Staying South sounds like a good idea. Jaclyn is definitely a tough woman, choosing the snack because it looked spicy with the spicy pepper on it and suggesting eating armadillos, I hope that you both don't get hungry enough to actually have to eat roadkill, that would definitely be a cringe worthy episode lol😉 Totally Awesome Video👍

[@jasonstriker5975]

6 dislikes,what's not to like? Tucker,pay them no mind,I find ur videos to be fun, interesting, and informative. Showing places where u eat are also cool. Plze keep making vids and stay safe.

[@joegarret6598]

Damn, this is my neck of the woods. Couple of other old random things in the area you missed...

[@kberry3065]

Great video.

[@lorenmars8181]

Good freestylin' for content along the Van Journey. Aviation related. History related. a little Vanlife Related.

[@r.c.714]

there are huge underground facilities there as well......

[@roadkillwhistler9215]

Very cool !!

[@mishawakapost2681]

Pyote Air Force Base. I'm going to have to ready a little bit about this now.

[@justinfike3928]

Love your videos

[@colinfischer3628]

7:05 - Iwo Jima

[@cosmicbongwater]

Ayyyyy I work over by the base and always wondered about it. Pretty sure I see my car at 4:44 as you're flying over I-20

[@Kubicus24]

Really great video. I spend hours on Google Earth 'flying' over similar things. Your videos help me live vicariously through you doing a sport I definitely am not brave enough to do myself. I know your destination is Phoenix, but if you ever need a place to crash in Tucson, our house is just off I-10. Keep up the great videos bro!

[@ianrjackson1]

Happy Christmas guys.

[@1falconron]

Following the deactivation of the site in 1963, the facilities were disposed of by the GSA. Government Surplus Auction. The land and remaining buildings were turned over to the University of Texas at Austin. The Base was operated as Pyote Dragstrip in the late 1960s, think maybe u could land there? Make me want to research more as my Dad was in the 101 first army air-born. He survived a glider crash in WW2. He was one of 4 out of a group of 17 who survived the crash. 13 died 4 lived. There were 17 men to each glider. He said they ran into a heavy fog as they were landing somewhere in England. The death rate was too high in the air born glider group and the Army abandoned it soon after. He had a broken back and taken a while to recover. He has seen a lot of death and destruction lost a lot of friends and associates. My Dad was 35 when he joined. WoW if u tried to join at 35 now you would be the laughing stock.

[@XILEAYY]

Dude you need to go to West Virginia mountains, absolutely beautiful