The tour of airports in Twin Peaks continues with a look at the Twin Peaks Airport from Episode 2020 in Season 2. According to the “Twin Peaks Access Guide to the Town,” Old Unguin’s Field airport is located at the end of Lakeside Drive on the outskirts of Twin Peaks. In reality, the scenes were shot at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, California.
Unguin Packard (1878-1974) was the wife of James Packard who settled in the region around the spring of 1890. The series never mentions the airfield by the name used in the Access Guide, so this has to be the one.
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.
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 2020 was aired.
Wheeler’s Up
There is a short transition scene in Episode 2020 that shows John Justice Wheeler preparing his jet to leave Twin Peaks. The scene opens with a flight mechanic removing wheel chocks.
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.
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.
Pete passes a number of parked aircraft. I have identified several of them but that’s for another time. 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.
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.
Audrey and Jack embrace beside his jet.
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.
The whole scene moves Pete to tears until that odd hand shaking thing happens to him.
Say Goodbye to Jack
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.
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