Something from the Twilight Zone

[roadman65]

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Orlando,+FL&hl=en&ll=28.371012,-81.074595&spn=0.01922,0.042272&sll=27.698638,-83.804601&sspn=9.892242,21.643066&oq=Or&t=h&hnear=Orlando,+Orange,+Florida&z=15

I was noticing this once after taking off from MCO once.  I thought it is something definitely alien as the long strip of pavement seems like a runway, but its width changes from one end to the other if it is one, it would have to be something out of Rod Sterling.

I know that Lockheed Martin owns a lot of property south of the Beachline Expressway, and this might be on their land.  Lockheed Martin did develop the SCUD Missile and other warfare contraptions for our defense, so this must be their doing.  Anyway, does this not look cool, whatever it is?  If it is theirs, then it must be secret, and we can only imagine what new inventions out of the fictional books could be reality as we speak.  Cool areal find or what?

[agentsteel53]

just clicking on that, it is tough to believe that it is a straight-down view.  definitely screwing with my perspective.

I wonder if that was its intent?  to appear to be a much longer runway, in perspective?  it looks to be about 1.2 miles long, and military runways can get up to 4-5 easily. 

[Alps]

It seems like a drag racer test strip. They're built to go 1/4 mile, so you have the remaining distance to slow to a stop. It fans out so that if the racer is a little off, it doesn't plunge into the swamp. The reason I say this is that there's a constant-width road down the middle with Xs painted, something that you would probably see easily from a driver's perspective.

[Brian556]

Quote from Steve:

The reason I say this is that there's a constant-width road down the middle with Xs painted, something that you would probably see easily from a driver's perspective.

I'm thinking the X's could possibly be to tell pilots "hey don't land here". X's are commonly painted on abandoned runways to alert pilots that they are out of service. Those, however, are typically yellow.

I'm really not sure about these since they are white and evenly spaced.

[NE2]

http://www.ocpafl.org/searches/ParcelSearch.aspx?pid=322413000000001

In 2008 Lockheed Martin requested a "Special Exception in A-2 (agricultural) zone to construct a 128 ft. high tower to be used for testing military defense systems."
http://apps.ocfl.net/eAgenda/archive/Agenda_06-24-08/css/Agenda_06-24-08_415.htm (more on subsequent pages)