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Marine Corps Air Station El Toro

Airports disestablished in 1999Airports established in 1942Airports in Orange County, CaliforniaBuildings and structures in Orange County, CaliforniaDefunct airports in California
Formerly Used Defense Sites in CaliforniaHistory of Irvine, CaliforniaHistory of Orange County, CaliforniaMilitary Superfund sitesMilitary facilities in Greater Los AngelesMilitary installations closed in 1999Superfund sites in CaliforniaUnited States Marine Corps air stationsUse American English from March 2024World War II airfields in the United States
El Toro Marine base 2011 Photo D Ramey Logan (cropped)
El Toro Marine base 2011 Photo D Ramey Logan (cropped)

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro (ICAO: KNZJ, FAA LID: NZJ) was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California. Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the 4,682-acre (19 km2) home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast. Designated as a Master Jet Base, its four runways (two of 8,000 feet (2,400 m) and two of 10,000 feet (3,000 m)) could handle the largest aircraft in the U.S. military inventory. While it was active, all U.S. Presidents in the post-World War II era landed in Air Force One at this airfield. The El Toro "Flying Bull" patch was designed by Walt Disney Studios in 1944. It survived virtually unchanged until the close of the Air Station. Following its decommissioning the site was used as a filming location, including the test track for the United States version of the BBC's Top Gear franchise. About 1,300 acres (530 ha) of land originally taken by the air station was converted into a large recreational center, the Orange County Great Park, while the rest was re-zoned for residential and commercial development.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Marine Corps Air Station El Toro (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro
Great Park Boulevard, Irvine Great Park (Orange County Great Park)

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Latitude Longitude
N 33.676111111111 ° E -117.73111111111 °
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Great Park Boulevard

Great Park Boulevard
92618 Irvine, Great Park (Orange County Great Park)
California, United States
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El Toro Marine base 2011 Photo D Ramey Logan (cropped)
El Toro Marine base 2011 Photo D Ramey Logan (cropped)
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