Why are lake beds best for testing aircraft?

Question

This may or may not be true.

Answer 1

other than the flatness and large areas, the other good reason is that you do not have to land in any specific direction like you do at conventional air bases where the runways are numbered in the direction of travel. If you are having controllability problems with the test aircraft, you can land in any direction on the lake bed and roll to a safe stop

Answer 2

They are often preferred by the U.S. Military to test aircrafts because dry lakebeds are large areas that have been flattened by the long time presence of water. Erosion over time allows for long strips of flat ground, an absolute necessity when testing aviation vehicles that need large runways. Also, many of these lake beds are deserted and far from civilization, a definite plus when testing anything top secret. The most famous of these lake bed air strips is the Dry Groom Lake where Area 51 is located in the Nevada Desert. Another would be the Dugway Proving Grounds located in the more remote section of the Great Salt Lake Desert.

Answer 3

There are loads of dry lake beds that could never be used. The ones you hear about happen to be nice and flat and in the middle of the desert away from populated areas.