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80-576: In 1935, Kern County opened the Mojave Airport 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of Mojave, California to serve the gold and silver mining industry in the area. The airport had two dirt runways, one oiled, but no fueling or servicing facilities. In 1941, the Civil Aeronautics Board began improvements to the airport for national defense purposes that included two 4,500 by 150 feet (1,372 m × 46 m) asphalt runways and

160-623: A Douglas DC-7 , with one aircraft completing the circuit. In 2003, Red Bull created a series called the Red Bull Air Race World Championship , in which competitors flew individually between pairs of pylons, while performing prescribed manoeuvres. Usually held over water near large cities, the sport has attracted large crowds and renewed media interest in air racing. The inaugural season had stops in Austria and Hungary. In 2019, Red Bull decided not to continue

240-502: A $ 1.307 million contract for the extension and strengthening of the runway at the Marine Corps auxiliary airfield. The airport was recommissioned as a MCAAS on December 31, 1953. Squadrons used Mojave for ordnance training when El Toro had bad weather. Marine Corps reserve units were temporarily deployed to Mojave for two-week periods. MCAAS Mojave personnel peaked at 400 military and 200 civilians during this period. In 1961, after

320-507: A household in the county was $ 35,446, and the median income for a family was $ 39,403. Males had a median income of $ 38,097 versus $ 25,876 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 15,760. About 16.8% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.8% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over. Kern County is associated with the Bakersfield sound . The Buck Owens Crystal Palace

400-531: A key role in the evolution of the aerospace industry and the success of the Mojave Air & Space Port organization." Besides being a general-use public airport, Mojave has three main areas of activity: flight testing, space industry development, and aircraft heavy maintenance and storage. The airport has a rich history in air racing . In 1970, a 1,000-mile (1,600 km) Unlimited race was held—the first closed-course pylon race to include pit stops. The race

480-889: A large static aircraft display. Other promoters have run pylon racing events across the US and Canada, including races in Las Vegas, NV in 1965 , Lancaster, CA in 1965 and 1966, Mojave, California in 1970-71, and 1973–79; at Cape May, NJ in 1971, San Diego, CA in 1971, Miami, FL in 1973 and 1979, Moose Jaw , Saskatchewan in 1984; Hamilton Field, California , in 1988; at Dallas, TX in 1990, in Denver, CO in 1990 and 1992, in Kansas City in 1993, in Phoenix, Arizona in 1994 and 1995; and in Tunica, Mississippi in 2005. Numerous other venues across

560-406: A maximum perceived intensity of VIII (Severe) and resulted in two additional deaths and an additional $ 10 million in property damage. Repercussions of the sequence of earthquakes were still being felt in the heavily damaged downtown area of Bakersfield well into the 1990s as city leaders attempted to improve safety of the surviving non-reinforced masonry buildings. Following the event, a field survey

640-567: A pursuit and negotiation in which many were allowed to keep their arms for the return march over the mountains. In the beginning, what was to become Kern County was dominated by mining in the mountains and in the desert. In 1855 the California legislature attempted to form a county in the area by giving the southeastern territory of Tulare County on the west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Buena Vista County . However, it

720-416: A series of Reno-syle races at Mojave featuring Unlimiteds, T-6's, Formula-1's , and Biplanes. In 1973 and '74, the program also included jet races. Unlimited winners at Mojave included Lyle Shelton in 1973, Mac McClain in 1974 and 1976, Dr. Cliff Cummins in 1975, and Steve Hinton in 1978 and '79. The races at Mojave were hampered by constant winds, and extreme temperatures. In the 2000s, California HWY 58

800-651: A taxiway. Kern County agreed the airport could be taken over by the military in the event of war. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the United States Marine Corps took over the airport and expanded it into Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Station ( MCAAS ) Mojave . The two runways were extended and a third one added. Barracks were constructed to house 2,734 male and 376 female military personnel. The expansion of MCAAS Mojave

880-835: A test site for several teams in the Ansari X Prize , most notably the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne , which conducted the first privately funded human sub-orbital flight on June 21, 2004. Other groups based at the Mojave Spaceport include or have included XCOR Aerospace , Masten Space Systems , Virgin Galactic , The Spaceship Company , Stratolaunch Systems , and Firestar Technologies . Other companies with operations at Mojave include or have included Orbital Sciences Corporation , Vector Launch and Interorbital Systems . The East Kern Airport District

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960-588: A whole is seen as being competitive with a Republican lean. The remainder of the unincorporated areas of Kern County are seen as strongly Republican. In the United States House of Representatives , Kern County is split between California's 20th congressional district , represented by Republican Vince Fong , California's 22nd congressional district , represented by Republican David Valadao , and California's 23rd congressional district , represented by Republican Jay Obernolte . In

1040-424: Is a California Constitution -defined general law county and is governed by an elected Board of Supervisors. The Board consists of five members, elected by districts, who serve four-year staggered terms. The county government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, some law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, public health, and social services. In addition,

1120-649: Is a non-attainment area for particulates. Air pollution caused by particulates is "in the unhealthy range an average of 40 days a year, according to the American Lung Association 's (ALA) 2018 State of the Air Report. Chaparral comprises a considerable portion of the natural area within Kern County; the species diversity within these chaparral habitats, however, is considerably less than in many other regions of California. Whitethorn

1200-579: Is a prominent example of chaparral species on the rocky slopes of the Sierra Nevada as well as the Inner Coastal Ranges. California Buckeye is a notable tree found in both chaparral and forests and whose southern range terminates in Kern County. According to the 2020 United States Census , Kern County's population was 909,235. It was the eleventh-largest county by population in California. The center of population of California

1280-620: Is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and congressional elections. The last Democratic candidate for president to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964 . The county is also a Republican stronghold at the state level, with Jerry Brown being the last Democrat to win the county in a gubernatorial election in 1978. Kern remains the only county in Southern California that consistently votes Republican in recent elections. However, Republican margins in

1360-585: Is also a strong aviation, space, and military presence, such as Edwards Air Force Base , the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station , and the Mojave Air and Space Port . With a population that is 54.9% Hispanic as of 2020, Kern is California's third-most populous majority-Hispanic county and the sixth-largest nationwide . Native Americans lived in this region for hundreds of years: Chumash , tribes grouped together under

1440-416: Is among the most prolific with the death penalty, assigning death penalty sentences in 26 cases since 1976. In 2015 Kern County policemen from all departments killed more people per capita than any other American county. Because of the very harsh local criminal justice system, Kern County has been dubbed "the most punitive authoritarian jurisdiction on the west coast" and " Oklahoma of the west". In 2015, it

1520-635: Is contracted to provide dispatch services for the California City Fire Department. Over 546 uniformed firefighters are stationed in 46 fire stations throughout the county. The Kern County Sheriff's Department is the agency responsible for law enforcement within the county of Kern. The department provides law enforcement within the county, maintains the jails used by both the county and municipal cities, and provides search and rescue. The department contains over 1,200 sworn deputies and civilian employees. Its jurisdiction contains all of

1600-443: Is found in the foothill, mountain and high desert communities of the county. The cities of Maricopa, Ridgecrest, Taft and Tehachapi are Republican strongholds. Along with the northern parts of Bakersfield, the wealthy unincorporated area of Rosedale and working-class Oildale are also seen as being strongly Republican. Cities like California City and the western areas of Bakersfield are seen as competitive in most elections. Bakersfield as

1680-585: Is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors . Jeff Flores of District 3 currently serves as chairman. As of August 2, 2024, they are: Fire protection within the county is provided by the Kern County Fire Department . Law enforcement within the county is provided by the Kern County Sheriff's Department . The Kern County Fire Department (KCFD) is an agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for

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1760-644: Is home to the Tehachapi Energy Storage Project , which was commissioned in 2014. Department of Defense facilities include Edwards Air Force Base and China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station . As home to Edwards Air Force Base the Air Force's main flight test facility, Kern has been the site of many milestones, including the first supersonic flight and the first landing of the Space Shuttle . The base has brought prosperity to

1840-552: Is located in Bakersfield. The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Kern County as the Bakersfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area . The United States Census Bureau ranked the Bakersfield, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 63rd most populous metropolitan statistical area and the 68th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012. Kern County

1920-717: Is located in Kern County, in the town of Buttonwillow . According to the 2020 United States Census : (Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics may be counted in any race.) The 2010 United States Census reported that Kern County had a population of 839,631. The racial makeup of Kern County was 499,766 (59.5%) White, 48,921 (5.8%) African American, 12,676 (1.5%) Native American, 34,846 (4.2%) Asian, 1,252 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 204,314 (24.3%) from other races, and 37,856 (4.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 413,033 persons (49.2%); 43.4% of Kern County residents are of Mexican heritage, 1.0% Salvadoran, 0.5% Colombian, and 0.4% Guatemalan. According to

2000-463: The 1857 Fort Tejon earthquake . On July 21, 1952, an earthquake occurred with the epicenter about 23 miles (37 km) south of Bakersfield. It measured 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale and killed 12 people. In addition to the deaths, it was responsible for hundreds of injuries and more than $ 60 million in property damage. The main shock was felt over much of California and as far away as Phoenix, Arizona and Reno, Nevada. The earthquake occurred on

2080-612: The 1911 Circuit of Europe race, the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Air Race , and the Aerial Derby . In 1913 , the first Schneider Trophy seaplane race was held. When the competition was resumed after the war, it was significant in advancing aeroplane design , particularly in the fields of aerodynamics and engine design, and would show its results in the best fighters of World War II. On 19 October 1919 ,

2160-518: The 2000 United States Census of 2000, there were 661,645 people, 208,652 households, and 156,489 families residing in the county. The population density was 81 people per square mile (31 people/km ). There were 231,564 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 61.6% White, 6.0% Black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 1.5% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 23.2% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. 38.4% of

2240-588: The Army Transcontinental Air Race began along a 2,700 mi (2,346 nmi; 4,345 km) route from Long Island, New York to San Francisco, California , and back, which would see widespread carnage; including seven fatalities (two en route to the race). Of the 48 aircraft that started, 33 would complete the double crossing of the continent. In 1921 , the United States instituted the National Air Meets, which became

2320-795: The National Air Races in 1924 . In 1929 , the Women's Air Derby , nicknamed the 'Powder Puff Derby', became a part of the National Air Races circuit. The National Air Races lasted until 1949 . The Cleveland Air Races was another important event. In 1947 , an All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race, also dubbed the Powder Puff Derby was established, running until 1977 . In 1934 , the MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia took place, with

2400-542: The Prix de Lagatinerie , at the Port-Aviation airport south of Paris , France. Four pilots entered the race, two started, but nobody completed the full race distance; though this was not unexpected, as the rules specified that whoever travelled furthest would be the winner if no-one completed the race. Léon Delagrange , who covered slightly more than half of the ten 1.2- kilometre (0.75  mi ; 0.65  nmi ) laps

2480-663: The State Assembly , Kern County is split between the following four Assembly districts: In the State Senate , Kern County is split between the 14th Senate District , represented by Democrat Anna Caballero , and the 16th Senate District , represented by Democrat Melissa Hurtado . On November 4, 2008, Kern County voted 75.29% in favor of Proposition 8 , which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Kern County

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2560-651: The County serves as the local government for all unincorporated areas. The Kern County Fire Department (KCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of the county, as well as the cities of Arvin , Delano , Maricopa , McFarland , Ridgecrest , Shafter , Taft , Tehachapi and Wasco . Bakersfield has its own fire department, the Bakersfield Fire Department . The Kern County Sheriff provides court protection, jail administration, and coroner services for

2640-576: The EKAD Board of Directors voted to change the name of the district to the Mojave Air and Space Port. Officials said that the spaceport name is well known around the world, but EKAD is not. The change took effect on January 1, 2013. In 2022, "Rutan Field" was added to the airport's name in honor of the Rutan brothers ( Burt and Dick ), its board stating that the Rutans' aviation achievements "have played

2720-453: The GT500, both were designed and built at Mojave (the GT500 spent its early life at Camarillo ). The GT 400 Quicksilver ultralight program is also based out of Mojave. Flight testing activities have been centered at Mojave since the early 1970s, due to the lack of populated areas surrounding the airport. It is also favored for this purpose due to its proximity to Edwards Air Force Base , where

2800-717: The Marine Corps transferred operations to MCAS El Centro , Kern County obtained title to the airport. In February 1972, the East Kern Airport District ( EKAD ) was formed to administer the airport; EKAD maintains the airport to this day. To a great extent EKAD was the brainchild of Kern County rancher and aviator Dan Sabovich, who heavily lobbied the state for the airport district's creation and ran EKAD until 2002. From 1974 to 1979, Golden West Airlines scheduled flights on de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters direct to Los Angeles ( LAX ). On November 20, 2012,

2880-547: The Mojave Air & Space Port, where the test flight originated. Kern County, California Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California . As of the 2020 census , the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield . Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area . The county spans the southern end of the Central Valley . Covering 8,161.42 square miles (21,138.0 km ), it ranges west to

2960-808: The Red Bull Air Race World Championship. Aero GP has multiple aircraft racing together pik around pylons, and is based in Europe where it has held an air race each year since 2005 . In June of 2005 against all odds and extreme pressure from the Reno Air Race Association not to start another race, entrepreneur Jeff Landers, a Memphis native, organized the Tunica Air Races in Tunica, Mississippi with Unlimited, T-6, and Sport classes represented. After

3040-464: The United States, Canada, and Mexico have also hosted events featuring the smaller Formula One and Biplane classes. In 1970 , American Formula One racing was exported to Europe (Great Britain, and then to France), where almost as many races have been held as in the U.S.A. Also in 1970, the California 1000 Air Race started at the Mojave Airport with a 66 lap unlimited air race that featured

3120-479: The White Wolf Fault and was the strongest to occur in California since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . Tehachapi suffered the greatest damage and loss of life from the earthquake, though its effects were widely felt throughout central and southern California. The event had a significant aftershock sequence that persisted into July and August with the strongest coming on August 22, an M5.8 event with

3200-419: The air station had 145 training and other aircraft. Mojave also had a 75 x 156 foot swimming pool that was used to train aviators in emergency water egress and for recreation. The base's 900-seat auditorium hosted several USO shows that featured Bob Hope , Frances Langford and Marilyn Maxwell . With the end of World War II, MCAAS was disestablished on February 7, 1946; a United States Navy Air Station (NAS)

3280-547: The airspace is restricted from ground level to an unlimited height, and where there is a supersonic corridor. Mojave is also the home of the National Test Pilot School , Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic / The Spaceship Company . Beginning with the Rotary Rocket program, Mojave became a focus for small companies seeking a place to develop space access technologies. Mojave Spaceport has been

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3360-572: The audience can see the pilots up close as they carry out spectacular manoeuvres swooping close to the ground-pylons during the race. In November 2021, the first remotely-piloted eVTOL drag race between two Airspeeder craft took place. In 2022 , The remotely-piloted racing series (Airspeeder EXA Series) began in 2022 with Zephatali Walsh named as the inaugural season champion. The aircraft, built by Alauda Aeronautics, use electric vertical take-off and landing ( eVTOL ) technology and are designed to be crewed by human pilots. Restricting aircraft to

3440-603: The base, at several points flying at speed through an open-ended hangar. The control tower shown on the RHS of this article was featured at the climax of the chase. According to the American Film Institute (AFI), the "location shooting took place ..., at the Moroc Naval Air Base near Mojave, CA, ...". On 22 August 1951, the 11th Naval District announced the award to R. R. Hensler, of Sun Valley, of

3520-415: The county have shrunk recently, with Donald Trump's 10.2% margin of victory in 2020 being the smallest since Gerald Ford's 6.7% majority in 1976 . This makes constituencies in Kern County in particular some of the most widely contested in California, and the United States as of the early 2020s, with the 2022 race for the 22nd US House district being close, and the 26th Senate District having one of

3600-497: The county is Sawmill Mountain with an elevation of 8822 ft. Its area is nearly the size of the state of New Hampshire ; it extends: Kern County suffers from severe air pollution. Particulates cause poor visibility, especially in the winter. Western Kern County lies in the San Joaquin Valley and the topography traps pollutants. Although the topography is not as unfavorable in eastern Kern County, eastern Kern County

3680-412: The county of Kern, California, USA. Over 625 permanent employees and 100 extra help employees protect an area which spans over 8,000 square miles (21,000 km ). KCFD provides fire protection services for over 500,000 citizens living in the unincorporated areas of Kern County and the cities of Arvin , Delano , Maricopa , McFarland , Ridgecrest , Shafter , Taft , Tehachapi and Wasco . This agency

3760-463: The date of publication of the article, there have been 13 deaths by police shootings in a county of less than 875,000 population, or 0.016 per thousand persons. By comparison, during the same period of time in New York City, a population 10 times the size with a police force more than 20 times the size, there were 9 such deaths. The following table includes the number of incidents reported and

3840-632: The end of their useful lifetime and are scrapped at the Mojave aircraft boneyard , while others are refurbished and returned to active service. The airport refurbished an old United States Marine Corps hangar from the World War II era into a modern event center. It was previously used for water survival training then transformed into the Stuart O. Witt Event Center with over 23,000 square feet (2,100 m) of multi-use space. On July 26, 2007, there

3920-402: The entire United States), hay is 4%, and cotton and potatoes are both 2%, of that. This is one of the highest-producing locations in the United States for vegetables , and also for watermelons . Vegetables are estimated to total $ 320 million every year. There are about 1,938 farms, at an average size of 1,202 acres (486 ha) (however 41% are smaller than 50 acres (20 ha)), being

4000-647: The entire county of approximately 900,000 in population. It provides patrol and detective services for the unincorporated areas of the county and by contract to certain municipalities. The main Sheriff's office and station is at Bakersfield. There are 15 sheriff substations for the widespread county. Municipal police departments in the county are: Bakersfield, population 384,000; Delano, 54,000; Ridgecrest, 29,000; Wasco, 28,000; Arvin, 21,000; Shafter, 20,000; McFarland, 15,000; California City, 14,671; Tehachapi, 13,000; Taft, 9,327; Maricopa (sheriff contract city), 1,200. Kern

4080-484: The event in his Los Angeles Examiner , and hired a hot air balloon with a promotional parse touting his newspaper. The event attracted 43 entrants, of which 16 appeared. It was there that aviation pioneer and military pilot Jimmy Doolittle , then thirteen, saw his first airplane. In the years before the First World War , popular interest in aviation led to a large number of air races in Europe; including

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4160-429: The event were significant, and a reconnaissance report was recognized for its coverage of the event, and its setting a standard for similar engineering or scientific papers. Between 1983 and 1986, several ritual sex ring child abuse cases occurred in Kern County, resulting in numerous long prison sentences, all of which were overturned—some of them decades later, because the prosecutors had coerced false testimonies from

4240-553: The natives. The battle occurred in the canyon where San Emigdio Creek flows down San Emigdio Mountain and the Blue Ridge, south of Bakersfield near today's Highway 166. Mexican forces from Monterey were commanded by Carlos Carrillo and the conflict was a low-casualty encounter, with only four Native Americans being killed and no Mexicans. The surviving Native Americans were pacified and brought back to Santa Barbara in June 1824 after

4320-538: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.4% were of German, 7.2% American and 5.7% Irish ancestry, according to the census. 66.8% spoke English, 29.1% Spanish and 1.0% Tagalog as their first language. There were 208,652 households, out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who

4400-413: The primary employment of 63% of operators. Air racing Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a previously estimated time. The first 'heavier-than-air' air race was held on 23 May 1909 -

4480-535: The purported child victims. The details of these false accusations are covered extensively in the 2008 documentary Witch Hunt , narrated by Sean Penn . According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 8,163 square miles (21,140 km ), of which 8,132 square miles (21,060 km ) is land and 31 square miles (80 km ) (0.4%) is water. It is the third-largest county by area in California. The tallest peak in

4560-620: The radical Pond Racer , built and tested on-site. In the mid-1990s, the Museum of Flying based its two racers Dago Red and Stiletto out of Mojave as well. Since the early 1980s, the Wildfire (a custom-built Unlimited based around a T-6 airframe designed by William H. Statler) has slowly been developed in a Mojave hangar. Ralph Wise's many air racing projects, including the Sport Class Legal GT400 and his V-8 powered unlimited,

4640-543: The railroad towns of Mojave and Rosamond . Kern County is also the home of the first inland spaceport in the United States, the Mojave Spaceport . This has long been one of the county's biggest industries. Between 2012 and 2013 the produced value of ag products increased 6%, to a total of $ 6.8 billion. Grape is 31%, almond is 17%, milk is 13%, citrus is 11%, cattle + calves and pistachio are both 7%, carrots are only 6% (but that's 80% of carrots for

4720-558: The rate per 1,000 persons for each type of offense. The county has a large agricultural base and is a significant producer of oil , natural gas , hydro-electric power , Biomass , solar power , and wind power . Kern is noted for minerals , including gold , borate , and kernite . The largest open pit mine in California, which mines borax , is at Boron . As of October 1, 2016, Kern County contains nearly 25% of California's in-state renewable energy production, including 1,785 MW of solar power and 3,310 MW of wind power. Kern County

4800-531: The settler name Yokuts , and others. Spain claimed the area in 1769. Entering from Grapevine Canyon to the south in 1772, Commander Don Pedro Fages became the first European to set foot in the area. The Battle of San Emigdio took place in Kern County in March 1824. The Chumash Native Americans of Mission Santa Barbara rebelled against the Mexican government and its taking over mission property and ejecting

4880-534: The southern slope of the Coast Ranges , and east beyond the southern slope of the eastern Sierra Nevada into the Mojave Desert , at the city of Ridgecrest . Its northernmost city is Delano , and its southern reach extends to just beyond Frazier Park , and the northern extremity of the parallel Antelope Valley . The county's economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction. There

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4960-743: The successful and safe race in 2005 RARA fought any and all efforts for the growth of this motorsport and any effort for a 2006 race there and one in Tucson Arizona. Powered paragliding or paramotor races have been organised by the Parabatix Sky Racers made up of the world's top paramotor pilots. The first occurring on 4 September 2010 in an airfield in Montauban , Southern France. These are foot-launched ram-air wings powered by small two-stroke engines , and allow for much smaller race venues such as city parks or beaches, where

5040-621: The tightest margins in electoral history, with incumbent Democrat Melissa Hurtado retaining her seat by 13 votes. Democratic strength is concentrated in the small agricultural towns in the San Joaquin Valley portion of the county, such as Arvin, Delano, McFarland, Shafter and Wasco. Unincorporated communities close to agricultural areas, such as Lamont and Lost Hills, are Democratic strongholds. The eastern and southern parts of Bakersfield, along with unincorporated East Bakersfield have also become reliably Democratic. Republican strength

5120-495: The time due to swamps, lakes, tule reeds and diseases such as malaria. This changed when residents started draining land for farming and constructing canals, most dug by hired Chinese laborers. Within 10 years the valley surpassed the mining areas as the economic power of the county, and as a result the county seat was moved from Havilah to Bakersfield in 1874. In 1899, the discovery well of the Kern River Oil Field

5200-536: The unincorporated areas of Kern County, approximately 8,000 square miles (21,000 km ). The department headquarters is located at 1350 Norris Road in Bakersfield. There are 15 additional substations located throughout the county. The metro patrol area is divided into four regions: north, south, east, and west. In 2009, the district attorney claimed "the highest per capita prison commitment rate of any major California county." Kern County contains multiple state and federal prisons, including two private prisons. The county

5280-853: The winning de Havilland Comet flown by C. W. A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black . In 1964 , Bill Stead , a Nevada rancher, pilot, and unlimited hydroplane racing champion, organised the first Reno Air Races at a small dirt strip called the Sky Ranch, located between Sparks, Nevada , and Pyramid Lake . The National Championship Air Races were soon moved to the Reno Stead Airport , and have been held there every September since 1966 . The five-day event attracts around 200,000 people, and includes racing around courses marked out by pylons for six classes of aircraft: Unlimited, Formula One , Sport Biplane, AT-6, Sport, and Jet. It also features civil airshow acts, military flight demonstrations, and

5360-462: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.50. In the county, the age distribution of the population shows 31.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males. The median income for

5440-434: Was a test stand accident at Scaled Composites that killed three employees and injured three others. The accident occurred during work on Virgin Galactic 's SpaceShipTwo . On February 4, 2009, Douglas DC-3-65/AR N834TP of the National Test Pilot School was substantially damaged in a take-off accident. Both sets of undercarriage and the port engine were ripped off. The aircraft was on a local training flight. The accident

5520-503: Was caused by an incorrectly set rudder trim. On Oct. 31, 2014, the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft VSS Enterprise broke up during a test flight after being dropped from the WhiteKnightTwo VMS Eve carrier aircraft. Scaled Composites co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed. Scaled Composites pilot Peter Siebold parachuted to safety. SpaceShipTwo was being developed by Scaled Composites for Sir Richard Branson 's Virgin Galactic company. The accident occurred about 20 miles (32 km) north of

5600-411: Was conducted along the fault zone with the goal of estimating the peak ground acceleration of the shock based on visually evaluating rock formations and other indicators. Ground disturbances that were created by the earthquakes were also surveyed, both in the valley and in the foothills, with both vertical and horizontal displacements present in the epicenter area. The motion records that were acquired from

5680-485: Was declared the winner. Some other minor events were held before the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne in 22–29 August 1909 at Reims, France . This was the first major international flying event, drawing the most important aircraft makers and pilots of the era, as well as celebrities and royalty. The premier event — the first Gordon Bennett Trophy competition — was won by Glenn Curtiss , who beat second-place finisher Louis Blériot by five seconds. Curtiss

5760-542: Was done by Vinson & Pringle and Del E. Webb Construction Company out of Phoenix, Arizona . Civilian employment at the base would peak at 176. The Marines would eventually spend more than $ 7 million on the base, which totaled 2,312 acres (936 ha). Many of the Corps' World War II aces received their gunnery training at Mojave. During World War II, Mojave hosted 29 aircraft squadrons, four Carrier Aircraft Service Detachments, and three Air Warning Squadrons. At its peak,

5840-547: Was dug by hand and soon the towns of Oil City , Oil Center and Oildale came into existence. The county derives its name from the Kern River , which was named for Edward Kern , cartographer for General John C. Frémont 's 1845 expedition, which crossed Walker Pass . The Kern River was originally named Rio Bravo de San Felipe by Father Francisco Garcés when he explored the area in 1776. Throughout recorded history, severe earthquakes have struck Kern County, including

5920-465: Was established the same day. The Navy used the airport for drone operations for less than a year, closing it on January 1, 1947. The base remained closed for four years until the outbreak of the Korean War. Mojave was reactivated as an auxiliary landing field to MCAS El Toro . In 1951, scenes from the movie The Las Vegas Story were filmed at the deserted airport. A helicopter chased a car around

6000-466: Was extended to bypass the town of Mojave, which cut directly across the race course—thus precluding any future racing events on the site. In 1983, Frank Taylor set the 15 kilometer (9.3 mile) closed-course speed record at 517 miles per hour (832 km/h) at Mojave in the P-51 Dago Red . Over the years, several notable teams have been based out of Mojave. In 1990 Scaled Composites rolled out

6080-567: Was given spaceport status by the Federal Aviation Administration for the Mojave Air and Spaceport through June 16, 2019. The Mojave airport is also known as a storage location for commercial airliners, due to the vast area and dry desert conditions. Numerous Boeing , McDonnell Douglas , Lockheed , and Airbus jetliners, including wide-body aircraft previously or currently owned by major domestic and international airlines, are stored at Mojave. Some aircraft reach

6160-582: Was named 'Champion Air Racer of the World'. The first air race in the United States was the 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Field , just south of Los Angeles, from 10 to 20 January 1910 . The event was organised by pilots A. Roy Knabenshue and Charles Willard, who raised funding from railroad magnate Henry Huntington , and the Los Angeles Merchants and Manufacturers Association. William Randolph Hearst carried coverage of

6240-421: Was never officially organized prior to 1859, when the enabling legislation expired. The south of Tulare County was later organized as Kern County in 1866, with additions from Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties . Its first county seat was the mining town of Havilah , in the mountains east of Bakersfield and north of Tehachapi . Settlers considered the flat land of the valley inhospitable and impassable at

6320-458: Was notable in that it featured a DC-7 that flew non-stop and finished sixth out of twenty aircraft. The race was won by Sherm Cooper in a highly modified Hawker Sea Fury which also flew non-stop. The following year the race was shortened to 1,000 kilometres (620 mi), and was again won by a Hawker Sea Fury, this time flown by Frank Sanders. From 1973 to 1979 Air Race Management (run by famed race pilots Clay Lacy and Lyle Shelton ) organized

6400-603: Was revealed that the Kern County Sheriff's office engaged in a longstanding program of attempted cash payoffs to women who had accused deputies of sexual assault. In the same year, a civil lawsuit filed by a survivor of a sexual assault committed by Kern County Sheriff's deputy Gabriel Lopez was settled for $ 1 million. Kern County had the most deaths per capita in the US by police shooting per an article published in The Guardian on December 1, 2015. In 2015 to

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