49 B SF-SL Shafter DOCILF

Location / Airway

Location / Name

NEVADA: Elko County

49 B SF-SL Shafter DOCILF, site No. 49B, Department of Commerce Intermediate Field on the San Francisco-Salt Lake airway

GPS: 40.851696, -114.440217

Transcontinental Airway

Route established September 8, 1920

Pilots Log February 21, 1921
SLC + 130. Shafter. — At the junction of the Nevada Northern and Western Pacific Railroads. Opposite the Western Pacific station at Shafter there is a stretch of ground 1,200 feet wide and unlimited in extent the long way, that may be used for emergency landings. There is a scattering of sagebrush on this field.
U. S. Post Office pilots

Night Airmail

Flights started on July 1, 1924

Contract Air Mail

CAM #18 San Francisco CA-Chicago IL
Route established July 1, 1927
San Francisco-Salt Lake airway
Elko-Salt Lake City section
Boeing Air Transport awarded CAM #18 on January 28, 1927

Drone Photos

Click on small photo to see large version

Observations and Notes

The Shafter Arrow is located approx 7 miles south of I-80 in another large open plain.  The road out to it is a level dirt road.  Parts of the road have an extreme ‘washboard’ effect, so very slow going was an absolute must.  Other parts we had to drive around large potholes, but could do so without problems.  The worst problem is that the road consisted of fine dust.  Even though we had all our windows closed, by the time were got back to I-80 dust covered ‘everything’ inside the car. 

The arrow is basically complete, except the pad where the generator shed sat.  All that remains of the pad is the outside foundation.  The total length is 58 feet.

The pilot would approach the tail of the arrow on a compass heading of 78° (E-NE), and then exit the arrow on a compass heading of 45° (NE).
(All measurements and compass headings are approximate).

The Silverzone Arrow is 10 miles north of the Shafter Arrow, as shown in the drone photo.

Contributors Photos

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