A supplementary use of the word panhandle, which does not seem to feature in Wikipedia, is illustrated by the following true story.
Part of my service in the British Royal Air Force, 1952-55 was when I was stationed at RAF Fayid in the Egyptian Canal Zone. I was an Air Wireless Mechanic responsible for the radio etc equipment. One day when I was in a Valetta listening to chat between aircraft and the tower, an enormous plane appeared in the sky. It was an American Globemaster, en route for Vietnam it was believed. Looking down on the runway of the biggest base in the Zone the pilot quipped, "I can see the panhandle but where's the runway!".
Aircraft pans were usually circular areas alongside runways where planes were parked. The two were connected by a 'roadway' so that from above the area looked like a frying pan. Perhaps someone who is interested might investigate including this meaning in Wikipedia.
Alan Merryweather, Cirencester, UK.