Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Urban exploration in Kansas
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SweetTater78
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Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by SweetTater78 »

Hubby & I visited the abandoned control tower on what was the old US Navy Air Base in Hutchinson, KS. We went on a Saturday afternoon; there was a truck across the old runway from us, but no one said anything to us. Very interesting tower, I must say!
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This is what I saw when i peeked my head through the broken glass of the front door....watch that first step!  It's a doozie!!
This is what I saw when i peeked my head through the broken glass of the front door....watch that first step! It's a doozie!!
This is inside the adjoining building...a lonely chair sits inside...
This is inside the adjoining building...a lonely chair sits inside...
This is the old runway...
This is the old runway...
Another view...
Another view...
You can still read the lettering that says US Navy...
You can still read the lettering that says US Navy...
This is the Control Tower...
This is the Control Tower...
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Re: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by slow_walker »

Nice pics. That place looks awesome.
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Re: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by GlassCurtain »

Wow this place is awesome! Had no idea it was there. I may have to check this one out. Thanks! Great pics.
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SweetTater78
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Re: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by SweetTater78 »

I would like to go back and snoop around a bit more.

Here's a link to a website that has a lot of information on it:
http://members.tripod.com/airfields_fre ... s_KS_C.htm
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Re: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by Maxzillian »

The Wichita SCCA group runs autocross events there every now and then. I've been meaning to go to one to give me an excuse to snoop around. ;)
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Re: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by Maxzillian »

Little bit of an update. This is still technically an active run way... of sorts. A group of gliders uses the site for take offs and landings. This is done on the runway adjacent to the tower. There is a second runway that runs parallel and is further from the tower, but it has served as parking for dirt and rock piles and also happens to be the site we use for autocross racing. Pretty neat site, but be warned that there may be people there.

I know one thing for sure, the glider people don't like us autocross folk. We have to use the main run way to access the second run way. You want to talk about some /dirty/ looks! :lol:
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RE: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by RV driver »

Is this the Sunflower Gliderport? The pics look really familiar. If so, I read a story about a haunting/weird "Twilight Zone" type occurrence at this place.

Apparently, in 1976, Judge Ken Bacon of the Oklahoma State Court of Appeals, a pilot, was flying his open-cockpit plane to Hays, got caught in a freak storm and landed at this abandoned airfield that was labeled on his chart as "Habit Field." (The listing didn't include radio frequencies or any other airport info.) He found an abandoned truck with a sign on it saying, "Hangover Mining Co." He left in a hurry and landed at Lyons. The man at that airport said, "Nobody lands there -- there are strange things that happen there!" Bacon contacted a friend of his who worked at the Tulsa World, who finally got a call through to Habit Field. "This here's an old military base... in private hands now. That's all you need to know." And hung up.
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RE: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by SweetTater78 »

Yeah, RV, that's the Sunflower Aerodrome Gliderport. That's a weird story!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower_ ... Gliderport
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RE: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by Meester Beeg »

How on Earth did the navy get ships to fly???

My dad grew up in Hutch, I never knew there was a military base there.
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Re: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by ropingk »

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RE: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by Meester Beeg »

Why would a navy need planes? And in the middle of a continent?

Just kidding, my son is a retired Navy Airdale.

I've always wanted to visit Hutch, but Dad never wanted to go back.
Since he left this cold, cruel wold a few years back, I have to do it.
Still have relatives out that way on his mother's side.
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RE: Hutchinson Air Base Industrial Tract (HABIT)

Post by SweetTater78 »

We were just out there again a couple of weeks ago. The control tower is in even worse shape than it was a few years ago. It's worth a look if you get up that way.

I have found a few cool new places in Kansas and Oklahoma...need to post some new pics. Haven't done that in a while!
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