FSX Thompson Field / Bear Creek Airport Scenery

Thompson Field / Bear Creek Airport (L86), Murrieta, California (CA), USA. By Michael Mannschreck.

This general aviation airfield was apparently built at some point between 1967-78, as it was not depicted on the 1966 San Diego Sectional Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) nor depicted on a 1967 aerial photo. The earliest reference to the field which has been located was in the 1978 Pilot's Guide to CA Airports (according to Chris Kennedy), which listed it in the "Unattended Airports" section as the "Thompson Transportation Center". It was described as having a single 2,700' dirt Runway 15/33.

According to Bob Butt, "About Thompson Field - It was owned by Curt Thompson a local farmer. Several of the farmers would come & sit in some old couches under the oak trees in the evenings & drink beer. They had a pile about 5' high. The runway was surrounded by the wild wheat that Curt would harvest & bail as feed. I did my early flight training there in a Taylorcraft & a C-140 and we would go to the Temecula airport for fuel. When Skylark airport flooded, the skydiving operation moved there until the waters receded. The DC-3's are still owned & operated by the same person, they are at Skylark (Elsinore). The last one to fly out of there landed at Skylark & has not flown since."

Bob Cannon recalled, "Thompson Field" I did all of my test flying for my banner tow mechanism there. I believe [the owner's] name was Carl. He offered me the entire property for $1M. The new Jack Nicklaus golf course nearby ran a large paved road right up to mid-field where their property ended. I think they fully intended to buy the property eventually. It was a fun place where one could also do some target shooting & have a picnic."