The tour of airports in Twin Peaks continues with a look at the Twin Peaks Airport from episode 2.020 in season two. While the “Twin Peaks Access Guide to the Town” calls the airpot Old Unguin’s Field, it is called Blake Lake Airport in the script. In reality, the scenes were shot at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, California.
WHERE IS BLACK LAKE AIRPORT LOCATED IN TWIN PEAKS?
According to the “Access Guide,” the airport is located at the end of Lakeside Drive on the outskirts of Twin Peaks. It was originally named for Unguin Packard (1878-1974) who was was the wife of James Packard. They settled in the region around the spring of 1890.
Between January 30 through February 15, 1991, Harley Peyton and Bob Engles drafted the script for episode 2.020. At the beginning of Act Four, the name of the airport is identified as Black Lake Airport. This scene featuring Tim and Tom’s Taxi-Dermy was revised on February 15 and was ultimately deleted. I wrote about this Missing Piece in this article for Twin Peaks Blog.
Through the years, several websites have identified this California airport as a Twin Peaks film location. I’ve divided this story into three sections as there are three distinct times the airport is used in the episode. But first, a history lesson.
HISTORY OF WHITEMAN AIRPORT IN PACOIMA, CALIFORNIA
Whiteman Airport (Airport Code WHP) is located at 12653 Osborne Street in Pacoima, California. According to the Los Angeles County Airports website:
“Originally established in 1946 by Marvin E. Whiteman Sr. as a private general aviation airport, the airport, now owned and operated by the County of Los Angeles, is publicly available to general aviation aircraft 24-hours a day seven days a week and is home to over 600 based aircraft, a restaurant, and numerous aviation-related businesses.”
Here’s a Google Earth image of the airport from May 1994, just a few short years after episode 2.020 was aired.
JOHN JUSTICE WHEELER PREPARING AIRPLANE
There is a short transition scene in episode 2.020 that shows John Justice Wheeler preparing his jet to leave Twin Peaks. The scene opens with a flight mechanic removing wheel chocks.
EXT. BLACK LAKE AIRPORT – DAY
Sunset. An attendant kicks the wheel blocks from Wheeler’s jet. Portable stairs fold upward, closing Wheeler inside.
As he stands, we see a first clue as to where exactly this scene was shot. Notice the square building in the distance.
Compare that building to the one in this image from Google Maps. Wheeler’s jet was most likely parked in this spot off the runway.
Wheeler boards his 1968 Leerjet and closes the door.
This aerial view gives a better idea where this short scene was filmed.
AUDREY HORNE TELLS WHEELER “IT’S YOUR JET”
Audrey Horne convinces Pete Martell to drive her to the airport so she can see John Justice Wheeler one more time. Pete flies down a dirt road near the runway with Audrey in his baby blue Dodge D-100 truck. This is the same truck (with 12 Rainbow Trout in the truck bed) that Windom Earle will steal while dressed as the Log Lady.
This aerial view shows the progression of Pete’s truck toward Wheeler’s plane. Today, the paved area houses helicopter landing pads. You may notice it was originally unpaved as seen in the 1994 image above.
The episode script continues.
EXT. BLACK LAKE AIRPORT – DAY
Audrey points ahead to the airstrip and jet.
AUDREY
There he is. Step on it!!
Pete lets out a war whoop, they barrel forward.
Pete passes a number of parked aircraft which you can see the details about them in this Twin Peaks Blog article. My favorite detail in this scene is the “Packard Mill” logo on the side of the truck.
Wheeler begins taxing his jet. Notice the rectangular sign just above the airplane.
The sign and trees were the identifying clues to determine where the scene took place.
Pete stop in front of Wheeler, blocking him from continuing his take off preparations.
Dressed in a Houndstooth jacket, Audrey leaps from Pete’s truck and stands in front of the jet.
EXT. BLACK LAKE AIRPORT – DAY
The truck careens onto the tarmac. The jet pauses. Audrey leaps out of the truck, runs to the jet, shouts up at the cockpit.
AUDREY
HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!
This image from Google Maps shows what was behind Audrey as she exited the truck.
Desperately, Audrey motions Jack to stop the plane. He can’t believe what he is seeing.
Jack Wheeler’s face appears in the cockpit window, grinning from ear to ear. He vanishes. Audrey races around to the exit door. It opens, the stairs unfold. Wheeler appears in the open doorway.
WHEELER
(as the stairs touch ground)
I should have known a simple goodbye was out of the question.
Audrey runs up the stairs into his arms. They kiss for a very long beat. Finally, Audrey looks into his eyes.
No quips, no flirtation, no barrier between. Just the simple truth.
Confessions of love are shared between the love-struck couple. Audrey asks Jack to make love to her in his jet.
The two kiss again before they enter the jet for some afternoon delight.
Meanwhile, Pete watches this exchange from afar. This shot gives another great look at the film location.
This aerial view gives approximate locations for action. It appears the shell of the rectangular sign is still at the airport today.
Pete watches them with a happy tear in his eye.
There is no mention of Pete’s hand shaking in the script by Peyton and Engles. It was clearly something added on set.
JOHN JUSTICE WHEELER TAKES OFF IN JET
Night has fallen in Twin Peaks and the sound of Wheeler’s jet taking off wakes a sleeping Pete Martell.
Interestingly, the scene of Wheeler’s plane was taken from the opposite side of the runway. Pete would not have seen this image from the position of his truck.
This aerial map gives a better approximation of where the take off scene was shot versus where Pete used his truck to stop Wheeler.
The mountains in the distance where the key to identifying this approximate location. I love using mountains and other landscape or architectural features to identify locations. They don’t change all that often as notated in the Google Street View image above. Compare the circled image with the mountain peak from the episode.
Pete exists his truck which has now been parked along a row of tall trees.
My guess is the row of trees in the Google Maps image above is where the truck was parked. The crew could have lit the trees from behind along the access road.
Wheeler’s plane climbs into the sky.
I’ve mentioned in the other airport articles that my new favorite thing is watching take off and landing videos on YouTube. I found this one from NarbonneGauchoBoingo that shows what John Justice Wheeler would have seen during his flight.
After a beat, Audrey shows up next to Pete who is surprised to see her.
Most likely they moved this plane to provide great framing for the scene.
Pete offers to cure brokenhearted Audrey by taking her night fishing.
One last look as Wheeler flies away. This scene gives another clue as to the direction of his flight. Notice the utility pole in the bottom left corner.
The utility pole appears to match one of the wooden poles along San Fernando Road just next to the airport. Wheeler appears to be flying west toward Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean.
Pete and Audrey leave the airport together in a scene that reminded me of the ending to “Casablanca.” The beginning of a beautiful friendship until the Twin Peaks Savings and Loan explodes a short while later.
