Editorial from the San Jose Mercury News, May 25th 2012

President Obama --save Moffett Field

Welcome to Silicon Valley, Mr. President. Hey, look at the great Moffett Field landing strip that Air Force One just glided onto -- isn't Hangar One spectacular, even with its skeleton exposed like some giant extraterrestrial metal sculpture? And check out the runway -- 9,200 feet, long enough for just about anything that flies. Can you imagine building one like it today anywhere in America, let alone in the Bay Area?

Oh, wait. Moffett Field. Ahem. Your federal government, under your watch, is threatening to destroy it. Really.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration doesn't want it and plans to hand it over to the General Services Administration -- an agency that throws great parties in Vegas but has bizarre methods of disposing of property. And we do mean disposing.

So we have a simple request: Stop it. Just stop it.

The "excess property" stunner from NASA came just as U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo was working with Google on a deal to -- get this -- pay the estimated $15 million cost of re-cladding historic Hangar One in exchange for being able to rent space in it. What a gift -- the ideal public private partnership. But even more important, people here rely on Moffett as their emergency lifeline, as Air National Guard as the 129th Rescue Wing has saved a LOTS of people.

(You may have heard, we have earthquakes.)

And then there are the cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View, with a direct interest in this huge property on their borders. They thought a plan was in place to utilize the field while protecting their interests. We all did.

Well, good luck with your fundraising and photo ops in the valley. Enjoy the weather. But leave us something in return.

****Save Hanger one*****

I agree with the Mercury News editorial posted above. Hangar One should be saved. NASA and the Navy need to stop the decade-long buck passing exercise and listen to the community and its congressional delegation. Take advantage of the generous private offer to re-skin the Hangar before it goes away.

Oh please.. here we go again.

Move the 129th to the airports in San Jose or San Francisco.

LOTS of National Guard units use civilian runways in this country. It's silly to keep up an entire airfield for a tiny unit like the 129th.

Once we get the military moved we can finally shutdown Moffett and then watch the remains of Hangar One rust and fall to the ground.

The only truly unique item left in Mtn View that helped make it what it is today.