THE TRONA GAP
The California desert is huge, and can be a disorienting place to fly. With few distinct landmarks, when flying at low altitudes, it’s not always easy to know your location.
The California desert is huge, and can be a disorienting place to fly a Cessna. The geography is mostly monochrome with few distinct landmarks. It’s not always easy to know your location.
There are a few routes to fly from Los Angeles to the Eastern Sierra and Death Valley: following Highway 395, across Yosemite and the Tioga pass, south toward Vegas, then north, but this day I thought to try a different route: thread the needle between Edwards Air Base and China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. To avoid military conflict, there is, for civilian aircraft, a narrow passage between the two restricted areas: The Trona Gap.
But I would be playing in the fields of the Aerial War Machines.
From Santa Monica, I turn north near Palmdale, skirting Edwards AFB.
This was where Chuck Yeager, in the X-1 rocket plane, first flew faster than the speed of sound, breaking the “sound barrier”.
Later, a playground for pilots with “The Right Stuff”— the first space pioneers. Tom Wolfe wrote the book and there was a subsequent film. More recently, the space shuttles landed there, ironically, on the long unpaved desert sand runway on Rogers Dry Lake.
Today, from my Cessna, I can see the mysterious buildings where cutting edge military aviation weaponry is tested.
I fly low, as I usually like to do. It’s important to maintain contestant communication with air traffic control Joshua Control (High Desert Tracon); who, one hopes, is also talking to the nearby military craft traversing the areas.
Flight Service issues many warnings for this route:
Several low-level routes traverse between R-2515 and the Tehachapi Pass. Military jets using these routes will be at 500 feet AGL minimum and at speeds of 400 to 500 knots
The controllers seem to have a begrudging tone when talking to me. I’m flying at 120 mph. Their concerns are more with the weapon bearing aircraft moving at 600 knots and they speak in rapid-fire alien language.
…the Cords Road weapon test area. Edwards AFB jets use this area from 500 feet AGL and above at speeds of 250 to 600 knots
I opt for a low altitude of 600 feet AGL – thinking that the jets will be somewhat higher. The only visual marker to follow is the railroad track that parallels the Military areas.
In a strange juxtaposition, I see an occasional sailplane, from the nearby Inyokern airport. Sailplanes fly at even slower speeds – 70 mph or so.
Just as I’m close to the north end of the Trona Gap, and think I’m clear of the military operations, out of the corner of my eye I see, BENEATH ME, a Navy jet F35C fighter angling toward me – one of those 600 Knot fighters. He passes 200 feet below in two seconds, I seem to be standing motionless. I wonder if he sees me. I hope so.
The China Lake bombing ranges — the "Echo" bombing range — the Fort Irwin gunnery range
I pass over the Trona airport and the town of Trona. The most visible element is the mile long paved airstrip in the desert sands. The town itself is desolated and dominated by the now defunct borax mills.
Occasionally, the Trona Gap will close and become a controlled firing area; that means missiles are being launched between the two restricted areas
In my youth, I fantasized on a life as a fighter pilot. Guess this is as close as I’ll ever get.