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10 Tanker Air Carrier, N450AX at Victorville, June 17, 2005 |
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10 Tanker Air Carrier, N450AX returned to the Southern California Logisitics Airport at Victorville from its performance at the Paris Air Show on June 17. It is the first DC-10 modified to fight wildfires. It can carry up to 12,000 gallons of water.
This DC-10-10 carries McDonnell-Douglas construction number 46942. It was originally delivered to National Airlines as N69NA Betty on June 25, 1975. When National airlines merged with Pan Am on January 7, 1980, it was renamed Clipper Starlight. American Airlines bought it on November 5, 1983 and re-registered it as N161AA in April 1984. First Security Bank of Utah bought it in September 1984 and leased it back to American airlines. It was withdrawn from use and stored at Marana Airpark on April 11, 1994. Hawaiian airlines leased it on January 9, 1996. Omni Air International bought it on November 8, 1997. It was retired at Tulsa, Oklahoma on November 9, 1997. It arrived at Mojave on October 1, 2002. BC Aircraft Leasing of Las Vegas, Nevada acquired it on March 17, 2004. It demonstrated its water drop capabilities at the Paris Airshow in June.
Air tests of the water drop system were performed on May 6, 2004, September 24, 2004, April 18, 2005 and May 20, 2005.
The Southern California Air Logistics Center was formerly George Air Force Base. It is home to a Boeing test facility, Heavylift Helicopters, and a large number of retired airliners.
You can buy a 2006 calendar featuring my photographs of Special Purpose Airplanes in Southern California.
Photos of a dozen special purpose airplanes taken in southern California in 2005.
Airplanes pictured include:
Department of Homeland Security Lockheed P-3B Airborne Early Warning Orion, N144CS, March Air Reserve Base, March 23, 2005;
NASA Airbus Super Guppy 201, N941NA, Boron, California, April 14, 2005;
Volga-Dnepr Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan, RA82704, Vandenberg Air Force Base, May 20, 2005;
McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX, 10 Tanker Air Carrier, Victorville, June 17, 2005;
Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737-7ES Wedgetail, N378BC, Victorville, July 9, 2005;
Lockheed NP-3D Orion, BuNo 150522, VX-30 Bloodhounds, Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu, July 26, 2005;
Omega Tanker Boeing 707-321C, N707AR, Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu, July 27, 2005;
Scaled Composites Model 318 White Knight, N318SL, Mojave Airport, August 2. 2005;
Boeing 747-Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, N905NA, Space Shuttle Discovery, Edwards Air Force Base, August 19, 2005;
Dornier Do-24ATT, RP-C2403, Santa Barbara Airport, October 10, 2005;
McDonnell-Douglas NF-15B Eagle, NASA 837, Edwards Air Force Base, October 21, 2005;
Scaled Composites Model 281 Proteus, N281PR, Mojave Airport, December 10. 2005.
Put a copy of the Special Purpose Airplanes in Southern California: 2006 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $13.95.
Heavylift Helicopters Sikorsky CH-54A Skycrane, N44094 is parked nearby on the flightline. It is equipped with a snorkel and water drop mechanism for fighting fires. It was built for the U. S. Army as 67-18421.
Heavylift Helicopters Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion, N68HL. It was built for the U. S. Navy as BuNo 156674 in 1969. It was retired to AMARC as 2J0063 on May 17, 1993.
The Victorville Air Logistics Center is home to numerous retired airliners. Those that are not going to return to flight are broken up for scrap.
Former Tower Air 747-131, N608FF is being broken up. It carries Boeing construction number 19672. It was originally delivered to TWA as N93106 on April 3, 1970. It was withdrawn from use on March 24, 1992. Tower Air acquired it on March 25, 1992 and gave it its current registration. Tower retired it on May 18, 1997. It arrived at Victorville on August 25, 2000.
All that is left of former Tower Air 747-282B, N611FF is its tail. It carried Boeing construction number 20502. It was originally delivered to TAP as CS-TJB on May 17, 1972. TWA acquired it on October 30, 1984 and re-registered it as N302TW. It was withdrawn from use at Kansas City on October 24, 1992. Tower Air initially leased it on April 16, 1993 and then bought it and gave it its last registration in October 1996. Tower retired it on May 18, 1997. It arrived at Victorville on September 12, 2000.
Former Delta Airlines L-1011.
Former Tower Air 747-131, N608FF.
Former United Airlines 727-222, N7465U carries Boeing construction number 21919. It was delivered to United airlines on June 27, 1980. United retired it in August 1995. It arrived at Victorville on November 6, 2001.
1947 vintage Cessna 140, N2311N on approach to Runway 17
Boeing modified the prototype 767 as an Airborne Surveillance Testbed (AST) for the Army Airborne Optical Adjunct (AOA) Program in the mid-1980s. The 767-200 AST carries construction number 22233 and is registered as N767BA. It first flew on September 26, 1981. Two large sensors were mounted in the cupola on the top of the fuselage. The cupola is 86 feet long, 8 feet high and 10 feet wide. Hughes Aircraft Company produced the infra-red sensors and Honeywell produced the on-board data processor.
Boeing 767-200 Airborne Surveillance Testbed, N767BA was once used to monitor ICBM launches and Simulated warhead re-entries at Kwajalien Atoll. It has been stored at Victorville since September 20, 2003.
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