Lakebed creature re-surfaces in time for Halloween Published Oct. 28, 2014 By Rebecca Amber Staff writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Many at Edwards can remember a time when the sunny skies of the High Desert would turn dark with rain. The Rosamond Dry Lakebed would fill with water, and legend has it, that the waters have been inhabited by powerful sea creatures. Some have reported shark sightings; others have claimed to witness the Loch Ness Monster. The tales may seem far-fetched, but the Desert Wings has confirmed, that one lakebed-dweller has survived the drought and made its home outside of the west gate. While origins of the shark and other sea monsters are shrouded in mystery, witnesses have reported sightings as early as the 1970s after a heavy rain. The lakebed shark eventually disappeared and later reappeared until the 1990s, where it was thought to be gone for good. In 2013, the metal fin, which created the illusion of a shark, re-surfaced after being discovered by U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School students. Prior to its discovery, there were rumors of the fin floating through the base housing area and another, previous fin, residing in Rosamond. After locating the fin, the school brought it to the house of Brig. Gen. Michael Brewer, 412th Test Wing commander, where it stayed for a while. TPS Class 14B took the liberty of having the fin fixed-up with the help of the 412th Maintenance Group. The fin now has a new, black paint job and is stenciled with the Class 14B designation on the side. "All those people who had been here during that timeframe [when the shark inhabited the lakebed] had all seen the fin and just had that lingering question, 'where'd the shark fin go?'" said Lt. Col. Scott "Shark" McLaren, USAF Test Pilot School deputy commandant. Brewer, along with Class 14B, returned the fin to its former home on Rosamond Dry Lakebed Oct. 24. "From before 1995 when I was first stationed at Edwards there had been a shark fin on the lakebed; before that we had the Loch Ness Monster, which was a head and a hump and a tail," said Brewer. "Coming into Edwards, when you realized you had 14 miles to drive to the gate, one of the first things you saw was the shark fin in the middle of the lakebed and that was just part of the tradition of coming to Edwards." Over the years, different organizations on base have placed their own variation of the infamous fin out on the lakebed. Whether they have spotted the shark fin or the Loch Ness Monster, the creatures of the lakebed are a cherished memory for many. Thanks to TPS Class 14B, the shark can continue to create memories for many years to come. "We have a lot of things going on, there's a lot of change and sometimes you can very easily get wrapped into, 'we have a budget challenge' or 'we have a lot of work in front of us' - all true. That's why it's especially important to take the opportunity to enjoy things," said Brewer. "This is just one of a thousand things we do all the time to make our work fun and make Edwards a fun place to live as well." Although the shark won't bite (because it's not real), as a reminder, unauthorized access to the lakebeds is prohibited. - The Air Force Test Center History Office contributed to this article - Editor's note: The Desert Wings staff spoke with several people in the process of writing this article, all had varying accounts and stories about the origins of the lakebed shark(s).