Desert Center Airport Desert Center Airport is a private - use airport located five nautical miles ( 6 mile , 9 km ) northeast of the central business district of Desert Center , in Riverside County , California , United States . The airport located at the end of an unnamed road , one mile ( 1 . 6 km ) east of CA Route 177 ( Desert Center - Rice Road ) , northeast of San Diego . History . World War II use . Desert Center Army Air Field ( AAF ) was built in the early 1940s was a subbase of Thermal Army Air Field and served as a support base for the Air Technical Service Command . The airfield was located within the Desert Center Division Camp , which encompassed over . Desert Center was one of the areas included in the California Arizona Maneuver Area , used during 1942 - 44 to train General Patton ' s armored forces for desert combat prior to it deploying to North Africa . Desert Center AAF was first known as the Desert Center Airdrome . According to a history of the 1st , 2nd , and 3rd Airdrome Detachments , a detachment of the 475th Base Headquarters & Air Base Squadron was the first administrative unit stationed at Desert Center , arriving in 15 January 1943 . It was described as having 5 , 500 ' runways . The field also had taxiways & a parking apron . More than 40 buildings were constructed at the airfield , including an operations building , power house , Link Trainer building , hangar and various supply buildings . The 74th Reconnaissance Group was the first flying unit at the field , arriving in December 1942 while the facility was under construction . It was variously equipped with O - 52s , L - 1s , L - 4s , B - 25s , P - 39s and P - 40s and trained to provide air support and reconnaissance to the Army ground forces training at the desert combat training facility . Desert Center AAF was officially opened in April 1943 . The 3d Airdrome Detachment was activated on 1 August to maintain the installation and assist in the administration and training of tactical organizations stationed at the airfield for training and maneuvers . When the training area closed in 1944 , the airfield was assigned to the Fourth Air Force , and operational activities decreased greatly . The airfield remained open , however , and was used by B - 24 Liberator crews flying training missions from March Field . Civil use . In 1946 , following the end of World War II , the airfield was turned over to the Army Corps of Engineers , and the buildings were auctioned off to the public . It was listed as " Desert Center CAA Site 17 " in the " Aerodromes " table on the 1955 San Diego Sectional Aeronautical Chart . It described the field as having two 5 , 000 ' bituminous runways . The airfield was listed among active airports in the 1962 AOPA Airport Directory , under the name of " FAA Site 17 " . It was described as having two 5 , 000 ft bituminous runways : 13 / 31 & 4 / 22 , and the operator was listed as the FAA . It was closed in the mid - 1960s , but listed as an emergency airfield . The airport was reopened as a civil airport ( owned by Riverside County ) at some point between 1966 - 2002 . However , as of 2002 it was all but abandoned . There were no aircraft based at the field , and the Airport Facility Directory data listed a mere 150 takeoffs & landings per year . The sole remaining maintained runway is 5 / 23 , which consists of a 4 , 200 ft asphalt strip which was overlaid over remains of the original military runway . Two buildings were still standing . Recent history . Today , there are remains of Patton ’ s army all around the airport including foundations from the old buildings and pieces of discarded equipment mixed in with the remains of old agriculture & vandalism . The abandoned Runway 13 / 31 is barely discernible , covered with sand & bushes . There are no historic buildings left , although there are numerous foundations & a concrete parking ramp . In 2003 , the airfield was being used to fly unmanned aircraft . The hangar had been converted to a workshop & an inclined launching ramp was constructed . In 2004 the airfield was again put up for sale by Riverside County and bought by Chuckwalla Valley Associates , LLC , to service the new Chuckwalla Valley Raceway . Facilities and aircraft . Desert Center Airport covers an area of 1 , 129 acres ( 457 hectare ) at an elevation of 559 feet ( 170 m ) above mean sea level . It has one runway designated 5 / 23 with an asphalt surface measuring 4 , 200 by 50 feet ( 1 , 280 x 15 m ) . For the 12 - month period ending December 31 , 2006 , the airport had 150 general aviation aircraft operations .