Verdant Meadows

For the mission, see Verdant Meadows (mission).

Verdant Meadows

Verdant Meadows is an abandoned take-off and landing airstrip and aircraft graveyard in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, located in Bone County, San Andreas that is used from time to time for "Black Budget" operations by different factions of the U.S. Government.

Description

While working for undercover government agent Michael "Mike" Toreno who has promised his brother Sean "Sweet" Johnson's freedom and release from a supposedly insurmountable life sentence in prison, protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson is instructed to purchase the airfield for $80,000 during "Verdant Meadows", after which point it serves as the player's Pilot School - in which participation is a compulsory part of the core storyline - and savepoint. An abandoned AC tower acts as a safe house for the player, while a small garage on-site and a large hangar on the southern side of the airfield which acts as a garage to save an aircraft in are also provided. While the hangar is very large, it can only store four vehicles. Both sides of Verdant Meadows' airstrip are flanked by aircraft boneyards bearing a likeness to desert-based boneyards in the United States such as Pinal Airpark and the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.

The landing strip can be used to land aircraft like the other airports, and when acquired it shows up as a landing strip. However, there is Area 69, a no-fly zone, to the south, and flying over the area will result in a five-star wanted level and surface to air missiles being fired at your aircraft.

Vehicles

Before and after purchase of the airfield, a PCJ-600 regularly spawns next to the water tower near the AC tower. However, in the event that side missions are played after Vertical Bird, it may not spawn.

In addition, new aircraft will also begin to spawn on the helipads and in the open hangers on the northern side of the airstrip upon completion of specific missions or Flight School. They include:

• Hydra (after completing the mission "Vertical Bird")
• Leviathan (after completing the mission "Up, Up and Away!")
• Rustler (after completion of the Flight School with all bronze medals or higher achieved)
• Stunt Plane (after completion of the Flight School with all silver medals or higher achieved)
• Hunter (after completion of the Flight School with all gold medals achieved)

Note: When both the Hunter and Leviathan are unlocked, only one of them can spawn at a time. Arrive from the west to spawn the Hunter and arrive from the east to spawn the Leviathan.

A Jetpack will also spawn next to the garage next to the AC tower after the player completes "Green Goo".

Weapons and pickups

• Body Armor: Located inside one of the aircraft fuselages on the north-central portion of the meadows
• Knife: Located near the Snake Farm
• Micro Uzi: Inside one of the aircraft fuselages near the south-westernmost aircraft

Collectibles

• One Unique stunt jump

Trivia

• The name "Verdant Meadows" means "full of green vegetation" but the airstrip is the opposite, implying that the name is a joke.
• Toreno claims it previously belonged to Russians, implying that it might have been used as a place for spies of the former Soviet Union to spy on Area 69.
• During development of GTA San Andreas, Verdant Meadows did not exist in initial design plans for San Andreas.
• Verdant Meadows makes an appearance on CNT in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Gallery

• 

  Closeup of the AC tower and its garage.

• 

  The massive hangar which the player can use to store road vehicles or aircraft (a Shamal and FBI Rancher pictured for comparison in size).