The Cessna 120-140 Association Forum

Just when you think you've heard it all, they are doing some lighting improvement here at KVUO Pearson Field/Vancouver WA and lo and behold they find something interesting....

https://www.columbian.com/news/2025/feb ... p-devices/

Needless to say the project is 'delayed' until they figure who pays for some serious archeological study, in the meantime the taxi/runway/vasi lights are out for probably a month. The city leases the ground from the Park Service so ownership of the problem has yet to be determined.

Pearson Field is part of the old Vancouver Barracks from the 1840's and on the site of the old Hudson's Bay fort grounds. WW1 training/recruitment center, Spruce cut-up mill for WW1 aircraft. WW2 recruitment and training center, has a lot of military history. My guess is someone was practicing with the old Stokes mortars and the big open field made a good target. Either these were dummies or duds.

Sounds like they must have been duds, since the UXO was able to detonate them.

Sounds like they must have been duds, since the UXO was able to detonate them.

My thoughts too, the Stokes rounds did not have stabilizing fins so they often tumbled about enroute. The whole design was a wartime expedient, they still find them in farmers fields in France after all these years.

Fascinating. You never know can be "underfoot".

I don’t have anything to add; however, if any of you fellows elect to land on farm fields, grass farms, or old military impact areas for example, well… those usually aren’t currently used airfields, so use at your own risk. Hidden burrowed animal holes, old stumps, and broken up concrete and or asphalt chunks will certainly customize your airplane, and possibly you. Land only on known airfields, and if you want to use a vacant field, suggest you walk it first to check for problems areas.