while working at the garage he met frank critzer, an eccentric loner who claimed to be working a mine somewhere near giant rock, a 7-story boulder near landers, california. frank critzer was a german immigrant trying to make a living in the desert as a prospector. during world war ii, critzer was under suspicion as a german spy and died during a police siege at the rock in 1942. upon receiving news of critzer's death, van tassel applied for a lease of the abandoned airport near giant rock from the bureau of land management, who managed the land, and was eventually given a renewable federal government contract to develop the airstrip.