Norton Air Force Base
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📍 Place
Contents 6
| Type | Place |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Norton AFB |
| On the Timeline | 4 events, 1988–2014 |
Norton Air Force Base was a U.S. Air Force base in San Bernardino, California, from 1942 to 1994. Besides its roles in aircraft maintenance, missiles and airlift, it housed the Air Force's audiovisual centre, and it features in UFO lore as one of the places linked to the origins of the 1974 documentary UFOs: Past, Present, and Future.[1][2]
History
The base began as San Bernardino's municipal airport and was taken over by the Army Air Corps, becoming San Bernardino Army Air Field with an air depot in 1942. It was later named after Captain Leland Norton, a San Bernardino native killed when his A-20 Havoc bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire over France in May 1944.[1]
Roles
- Maintenance (1946–1966): the base overhauled jet engines and maintained aircraft and, later, Atlas and Titan missiles; Air Force space and missile organisations were also based there.[1]
- Air defence: it hosted the 27th Air Division and a SAGE air-defence computer centre until 1966.[1]
- Airlift (1966–1994): under Military Airlift Command it was home to the 63rd Military Airlift Wing and its C-141 transports.[1]
- Audiovisual (1969–1994): the Air Force Audio-Visual Center, later the Air Force Audiovisual Service, was based there.[1]
Closure
Norton was chosen for closure in the 1988 base-closure round and closed in 1994. Its airfield became San Bernardino International Airport, used by cargo firms, and much of the land became distribution centres.[1]
UFO lore
Writer Robert Emenegger said that in 1971 he was asked to make a documentary using Defense Department and NASA material; accounts differ on whether the request came from officials at Norton Air Force Base, the Defense Department or the Republican Party. He also said he was promised military film of a UFO landing at Holloman Air Force Base, which never arrived. The resulting film, UFOs: Past, Present, and Future, was released in 1974.[2]
On the UAP Timeline
- Norton AFB diamond-shaped craft claim (1988) (12 November 1988) — A researcher claims a diamond-shaped craft was tested at Norton AFB.
- Mark McCandlish and the Alien Reproduction Vehicle (9 May 2001) — Illustrator Mark McCandlish says gravity propulsion was reverse-engineered from recovered craft.
- Norton AFB UFO files claim (1 September 2002) — A couple tells Vallée they saw a large collection of UFO files at Norton AFB in 1985.
- McCandlish documentary account (2014) (December 2014) — Mark McCandlish says a friend saw a man-made disc at Norton AFB.
References
- Norton Air Force Base — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
- UFOs: Past, Present, and Future — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org · archived copy
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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