38°36′13″N119°00′11″W / 38.60361°N 119.00306°W /38.60361; -119.00306
TheFlying-M Ranch (sometimes referred to as theHilton Ranch) is aranch andairfield located inLyon County, Nevada.[1] The land, which was previously owned by hotel magnateBarron Hilton, was the base for many world-famousgliding competitions, including the biennialBarron Hilton Cup.[2] The Ranch covers about 7,139 acres of land; it is located between theWassuk Range and theSweetwater Mountains, west ofHawthorne and about 75 mi (121 km) south ofReno, Nevada,United States.[1] The ranch was named the Flying-M by its previous owner, Stanfield Murphy. Barron Hilton said he did not change the name because his wife, who died in 2004, was named Marilyn.[3]
The ranch contains an airfield with a runway that is 5,500 by 50 feet (1,676 m × 15 m). A hangar on the airfield contains about a dozen historic aircraft, which are still airworthy. Because the surrounding desert offers goodthermalsoaring conditions, the airfield on the ranch was often used forgliding.
On September 3, 2007, aviator and adventurerSteve Fossett took off alone from the Flying-M Ranch in aBellanca Super Decathlon, a single-engine two-seater airplane and never returned. An extensive search was launched but nothing was found for almost one year. On September 29, 2008, a hiker found Fossett's identification cards in theAnsel Adams Wilderness nearMammoth Mountain, at a height of 10,100 feet (3,100 m). The identification cards led to the discovery of airplane wreckage and human remains; the remains were subsequently identified byDNA analysis as belonging to Fossett.
In 2016, the ranch was sold to theNational Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The purchase price was $19.4 million. The purpose of the sale was to acquire water rights to supply water toWalker Lake.[1] The deal also included alife estate for Barron Hilton.[1]