IYK - Inyokern Airport Inyokern Airport Album

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Pilots: Jim and Tom Payne.

Sailplane: Schleicher ASH-25E

Together brothers Jim and Tom Payne have set several world and national records, many from
Inyokern. Jim has also set many single place records.

Jim is a retired Air Force pilot who was stationed for several years at Edwards AFB. He is a Director for Region 12 for the Soaring Society of America. He is the first pilot anywhere to be officially recognized for qualifying for the Word Distance Award for having completed cumulative sailplane cross country distance in excess of 40,000 km (24,850 mi) -- approximate circumference of the Earth.

Jim enjoys flying from Inyokern and often comes here for record attempts. He currently holds the world record of 135 mph for speed around a triangular course of 100 km. Other records capture by Jim from Inyokern include the U.S. record of 84 mph around a 1000-km (631-mile) triangular course and the U.S. two place record, made with his brother Tom, around a 1000 km triangular at a speed of 78 mph. Other records, both single place and multi place, have been made by the Payne brothers (and Jim alone or with his son Jason) from near-by California City, Tehachapi, and Bishop.

Photograph by Bertha Ryan 

A rare World War II vintage B-29 Superfortress bomber sits patiently just after sunset, awaiting the promise of a new dawn...

Inyokern had the honor of being the home of this rare piece of American history. This amazingly intact aircraft was rescued from near certain destruction by Tony Mazzolini, an experienced restorer of vintage aircraft, and a group of dedicated volunteers. The B-29, named "Doc" by its original crew, was brought to the remote Naval Ordnance Test Station at China Lake, California, soon after the Second World War. There it joined many other World War II vintage aircraft to be used as bombing and gunnery targets at the China Lake test range. Over four decades later this long-forgotten survivor of a bygone era was acquired from the Navy by Mr. Mazzolini and towed to a site adjacent to Inyokern Airport.

In May 2000 the B-29 returned to its birthplace in Wichita, Kansas, where it will be resorted to like-new condition by a group of group of volunteers under the sponsorship The Boeing Company, its original manufacture. If all goes well, "Doc" take to the skies again, one of the few remaining examples of the thousands of B-29 bombers that played such a crucial role in the allied victory in the WW-II Pacific theater.

Photograph courtesy of the United States Aviation Museum