# Function of this feature at a US Naval Station **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567 "2008-03-24T18:38:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/1 "2008-03-24T18:38:51Z")
It’s close to Pensacola, I see it dozens of times a year from the air, and can’t figure out what it is. It’s just north and west of the center of this google maps photo.[Link](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&t=k&ll=30.542822,-87.367916&spn=0.023766,0.053988&z=15) . It looks like a target of some sort, but it’s hard to believe the US Navy would be dropping even dummy bombs or shells that close to a residential area, and that’s I-10 just north of there. What is this thing for? ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/2 "2008-03-24T19:17:13Z")
Looks like an antenna installation, or the remnants of one. i’ve seen similar arrays that were used for direction finding. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/3 "2008-03-24T19:29:31Z")
It has what appears to be “8A” cut into the ground and there’s some kind of tower casting a shadow. The X’s and squares are roughly equidistant but not precisely. I think it’s a navigational aide for the Naval Air Station. On an unrelated note, I couldn’t help but notice all the blue rooftops in the area. This pic might have been taken shortly after Ivan visited. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/4 "2008-03-24T20:50:50Z")
Looks to be an old WW2 training field, later used as a helicopter landing field. Here’s some more [info](http://www.airfields-freeman.com/FL/Airfields_FL_Pensacola_NW.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_The\_Younger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d9b06d/32.png) [@Paul\_The\_Younger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_The_Younger)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/5 "2008-03-24T20:58:31Z")
[QUOTE=yoyodyne] Looks to be an old WW2 training field, later used as a helicopter landing field. Here’s some more [info](http://www.airfields-freeman.com/FL/Airfields_FL_Pensacola_NW.htm). [/QUOTE] Zoom in on the square, left of center at the bottom, and you can see a helicopter sitting there. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/6 "2008-03-24T21:32:37Z")
**yoyodyne** and **Paul the Younger** , thanks, that satifies my curiosity. I’ve never seen a helicopter there, so it must see very little use. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/7 "2008-03-24T21:33:27Z")
[QUOTE=Paul The Younger] Zoom in on the square, left of center at the bottom, and you can see a helicopter sitting there. [/QUOTE] Yep, good eye! ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/8 "2008-03-24T21:40:34Z")
There’s another one at the left end of the parallel lines to the NE. ---
**Author:** ![kdeus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@kdeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kdeus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/function-of-this-feature-at-a-us-naval-station/442567/9 "2008-03-25T01:49:10Z")
About 40 miles ENE of the pictured location is Naval Air Station Whiting Field, where most Navy, Marine Corps & Coast Guard helicopter pilots learn to fly helicopters. That whole area is dotted with practice fields (called “Navy Outlying Fields” or “NOLFs”). [Training Air Wing 5, which controls the three Helicopter Training Squadrons based at South Whiting Field.](https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/tw5/index.asp)