Yucca Airstrip

Yucca Airstrip
Summary
OperatorDepartment of Energy
LocationNevada Test Site, Nevada, United States
Elevation AMSL3,919 ft / 1,195 m
Coordinates36°56′45″N 116°02′16″W / 36.94583°N 116.03778°W / 36.94583; -116.03778
Map
KUCC is located in Nevada
KUCC
KUCC
Location of the airport in Nevada
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
01/19 4,990 1,521 Asphalt
14/32 9,000 2,743 Salt

Yucca Airstrip (IATA: UCC, ICAO: KUCC, FAA LID: NV11) is a private-use airport located 17 miles (27 km) north of the central business district of Mercury, in Nye County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located on the Nevada Test Site[1] and is owned by the United States Department of Energy. On the sectional chart it is depicted as an unverified airstrip.

Many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA. However, this airport is assigned NV11 by the FAA but has been assigned UCC from the IATA. [2]

History

The airport was the staging area for Shot Badger, a test of the Upshot–Knothole Series of nuclear test shots on April 18, 1953.[3]

Facilities

Yucca Airstrip Airport covers an area of 41 acres (17 ha) and has two runways, one located on the salt flat and a shorter, more recently constructed asphalt runway just east of the salt flat:

  • Runway 01/19: 4,990 x 75 ft (1,521 x 23 m), surface: asphalt
  • Runway 14/32: 9,000 x 200 ft (2,743 x 61 m), surface: salt

The asphalt runway was constructed in 2002 as part of an unmanned aerial vehicle test facility.[4]

References

  1. ^ United States Geological Survey. Nevada Test Site. Geologic Surface Effects of Underground Nuclear Testing. Accessed on April 18, 2009.
  2. ^ Airport information for KUCC at Great Circle Mapper.
  3. ^ United States Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Tests[dead link‍]
  4. ^ Rosenberg, Zach (December 7, 2011). "Satellite images reveal secret Nevada UAV site". Flightglobal. Retrieved March 10, 2013.


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