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Aircraft Types:Displays about specific aircraft types arranged roughtly in order of the dates of their first flights.
Airships, blimps, and Zeppelins are the biggest flying things of all.
Aluminum Overcast, a Boeing B-17G, visited the Santa Barbara Airport in May 1988.
Aluminum Overcast, a Boeing B-17G, visited the Santa Barbara Airport in April 2001.
Pictures of Boeing B-17G Sentimental Journey taken over the last couple of decades.
The Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, The Dragon and His Tail visited the Santa Barbara Airport on May 16 and 17, 2002.
Boeing 307 Stratoliner, N19903 Clipper Flying Cloud has recently been restored by a Boeing crew in Seattle. In the 1970s it was sitting nearly forgotten in the Arizona sun.
The Douglas XB-19, carrying Army serial number 38-451, was the largest airplane in the United States when it first flew in 1941. Only the Maxxim Gorky of the Tupolev design bureau in the Soviet Union had been larger. These illustrations of the XB-19 appeared in magazines in the 1940s.
Curtiss C-46 Commando survivors.
There are nine surviving Lockheed Constellations in the United States.
Hawkins & Powers of Greybull, Wyoming maintained five P4Y-2 Privateer tankers in airworthy condition until recently. Tragically, tanker #123 shed a wing and crashed near Estes Park, Colorado on July 18, 2002, killing its crew of two. Hawkins-Powers has four remaining airworthy Privateers.
The Republic XF-12 Rainbow was a high speed, high altitude reconnaissance airplane powered by four 3,000 horsepower R-4360 radial engines that first flew in 1946. It was able to cruise at over 450 miles per hour with a service ceiling of 45,000 feet.
The Douglas C-74 Globemaster was the largest U. S. landplane next to the Douglas XB-19 when it flew for the first time on September 5, 1945.
The Lockheed R6V Constitution was a giant transport airplane that was built for the U. S. Navy.
Howard Hughes' giant flying boat, also known as the Spruce Goose, was moved from its hangar to a temporary onshore site in October 1980.
Howard Hughes' giant flying boat, was then moved to its former display location on Pier J in Long Beach in February 1982.
The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was the big stick of the Strategic Air Command in the early fifities.
Castle Air Museum hosted Open Cockpit Days over the weekend of May 25-26, 2002. I took the opportunity to climb inside the forward crew compartment of their Convair RB-36H, 51-13730 and photograph the various crew stations.
Convair's XC-99, 43-52436 is a double deck transport variant of the B-36.
The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin was intended to fit inside the bomb bay of the Convair B-36 bomber to serve as a self contained escort fighter. In 1948-49, a pair of XF-85 Goblins were test flown from a Boeing EB-29B at Edwards Air Force Base.
There are twenty surviving Lockheed Super Constellations in the United States.
The YB-60 page shows the all-jet competitor to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress.
Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses of the sixties and seventies.
Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses of the eighties.
Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses of the nineties.
oeing B-52 Stratofortresses in the Boneyard.
The fastest airplanes ever flown, the X-15s, were launched from a pair of NB-52 Stratofortresses.
One of these B-52s, the NB-52B, 52-0008 went on to launch the HL-10, M2-F2/F3 and X-24A/B lifting bodies.
After the last flight of the X-24B in 1975, the NB-52B launched 3/8 scale F-15 remotely piloted research vehicles, Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology drones, Drones for Aeroelastic Structures Testing, the parachute recovery system for the Space Shuttle solid fuel boosters, the parachute recovery system for the F-111 crew escape module, and satellites into orbit on Orbital Sciences' Pegasus boosters.
The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior was a giant among the airplanes deployed on aircraft carriers. It was the largest airplane ever designed to operate from an aircraft carrier. After being retired from their primary role of nuclear bomber, the large airframes lent themselves to a variety of missions.
Douglas built 50 turboprop powered C-133 Cargomasters from 1956 to 1961. They were superceded fairly quickly by the faster Lockheed C-141 Starlifter and Lockheed C-5 Galaxy.
The Convair 880 was produced as a faster, smaller jet airliner in competition with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8. Seating 88 to 110 passengers, only 65 Cv-880s were manufactured from 1959 to 1962. TWA and Delta Airlines were the primary U.S. customers for the Cv-880.
The Convair 990 was a stretched version of the Convair 880 with room for 139 passengers. Only 37 Cv-990s were manufactured from 1961 to 1963.
Lockheed A-12, YF-12, and SR-71 Blackbirds are still the fastest airplanes ever made.
The Santa Barbara airport, not far from the Goleta Air & Space Museum, is the birthplace of the airplanes which were once the airplanes with the largest volume in the world, the Pregnant and Super Guppies.
The Antonov An-22 Antheus was the largest production airplane in the world from 1965 until the introduction of the Lockheed C-5A Galaxy in 1969.
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy was the largest airplane in the world from its debut in 1968 until the Antonov 124 took to the air in 1984.
Conroy Aircraft of Santa Barbara, the developer of the Aero Spacelines Guppy oversized cargo planes, also produced a series of turboprop DC-3 conversions.
On January 6 and 7, 2000, I shot pictures of the operations at Los Angeles International Airport. Here, in ascending gross weight, are representatives of the widebody airliners that frequent LAX.
The space shuttle orbiter Columbia, OV-102 was delivered to Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on Saturday, September 25 on the back of a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).
The Space Shuttle Discovery departed Edwards AFB on November 2, 2000 to return to the Kennedy Space Center. The X-38 Space Station Lifeboat parachute recovery system was also tested the same morning.
Boeing Helicopter at Mesa, Arizona treated the second annual International Symposium of Aviation Photographers to an AH-64D Longbow Apache photo session in the foothills of the Mazatzal Mountains on March 1, 2002.
Several of the largest airplanes in the world were designed by the Antonov Design Bureau of Ukraine. The An-22 Antheus, An-124 Ruslan, and An 225 Mryia were each the largest airplane in the world at the time of their first flights.
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is the largest production airplane in the world.
Designed specifically to carry oversized cargo externally, the fuselage of the An-225 Mriya has been stretched fifty feet compared to the An-124. The An-225 Mryia has started flying again after a hiatus af about seven years.
The NB-52B is still operating at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert of California. It is currently used to launch the X-38, a lifting body test vehicle for the International Space Station Crew Return Vehicle (CRV). The CRV will be used to provide a means of returning from the space station to Earth without the need for a Space Shuttle launch.
The NB-52B launched the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle on its sixth free flight on November 2, 2000
The NB-52B carried the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle aloft on Friday, June 29 in an attempt to launch the seventh mission of the test program.
The NB-52B launched the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle on its seventh mission on Tuesday, July 10, 2001.
The Lockheed-Martin X-35 Joint Strike Fighter took off on its first flight from Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on the morning of October 24, 2000. It returned to Palmdale on November 22, a little after three in the afternoon. It made a series of touch-and-go landings. It will be equipped with a lift fan and vectored thrust nozzle for short take-off/vertical landing tests next year.
The Lockheed-Martin X-35B vertical take-off prototype of the Joint Strike Fighter candidate flew from Palmdale to Edwards AFB on July 3, 2001.
The NB-52B is currently launching a series of tests of the 6,000 mile per hour supersonic combustion ramjet test drone called the X-43 Hyper-X.
The X-43A Hyper-X supersonic combustion ramjet testbed was launched on its first free flight on Saturday, June 2, 2001.
Displays of specific events in reverse chronological order.
Tankers fought the Wolf Fire from the Santa Barbara Airport during the first half of June 2002.
The Ramona Air Fair was held over the weekend of June 1-2, 2002
Castle Air Museum hosted Open Cockpit Days over the weekend of May 25-26, 2002. I took the opportunity to climb inside the forward crew compartment of their Convair RB-36H, 51-13730 and photograph the various crew stations.
The Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, The Dragon and His Tail visited the Santa Barbara Airport on May 16 and 17, 2002.
Tankers that were assigned to fight the Bouquet Canyon Fire from the Santa Barbara Airport on Saturday, May 11.
A wildfire broke out in Bouquet Canyon, near Santa Clarita, California on May 11, 2002. A dozen tankers fought the fire out of the tanker station at the Santa Barbara Airport on May 11 and 12. This page features the tankers that were assigned to fight the Bouquet Canyon Fire from the Santa Barbara Airport on Sunday, May 12.
The AQUA spacecraft, part of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS), was launched from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base by a Delta-II at 2:54 A.M. on May 4, 2002.
A Minuteman III was launched from Vandenberg AFB at sunset on March 15, 2002. Its exhaust trail was illuminated by the sun for a long while.
McDonnell-Douglas QF-4S+ Phantom II, 155749 crashed at Pt Mugu on April 20, 2002, killing its crew of two.
I spent a week in early April 2002 camping in the Saline Valley photographing military jets, mostly Hornets.
Boeing Helicopter at Mesa, Arizona treated the second annual International Symposium of Aviation Photographers to an AH-64D Longbow Apache photo session in the foothills of the Mazatzal Mountains on March 1, 2002.
A Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas Delta-II launched another constellation of Iridium satellites from Vandenberg AFB at 9:44 A.M. P.S.T. on February 11, 2002.
The Orbital Sciences Corporation L-1011, Stargazer, carried the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, February 1.
A Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas Delta-II launched the Jason and TIMED satellites from Vandenberg AFB at 7:07 A.M. P.S.T. on December 7, 2001.
In November 2001, I spent a few days camping in the Mojave Desert where military jets fly at low altitude.
Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum, October 6, 2001 warbird special event. Airplanes flown included several Mustangs, two Corsairs, a pair of Thunderbolts, two Mitchells, two Hellcats, a Bearcat, two Warhawks, a Zero, a Northrop flying wing, a Super Hornet and the rest.
More pictures from the Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum, October 6, 2001 warbird special event.
Combat aircraft at the Camarillo Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in on August 25, 2001.
Training aircraft at the Camarillo Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in on August 25, 2001.
Transports, airliners and general aviation aircraft at the Camarillo Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in on August 25, 2001.
A Minuteman-II was launched from Vandenberg AFB at 7:40 P.M. PDT on Saturday, July 14, 2001.
The NB-52B launched the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle on its seventh mission on Tuesday, July 10, 2001.
The Lockheed-Martin X-35B vertical take-off prototype of the Joint Strike Fighter candidate flew from Palmdale to Edwards AFB on July 3, 2001.
The NB-52B carried the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle aloft on Friday, June 29, 2001 in an attempt to launch the seventh mission of the test program.
2001 Van Nuys departure day, Monday June 25.
2001 Van Nuys arrival day, Friday June 22.
The X-43A Hyper-X supersonic combustion ramjet testbed was launched on its first free flight on Saturday, June 2, 2001.
Sentimental Journey, a Boeing B-17G, paid a visit to the Santa Barbara Airport in May 2001. Here is a display of pictures of Sentimental Journey taken over the last couple of decades.
Aluminum Overcast, a Boeing B-17G, visited the Santa Barbara Airport in April 2001.
The NB-52B launched the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle on its sixth free flight on November 2, 2000.
The Space Shuttle Discovery departed Edwards AFB on November 2, 2000 to return to the Kennedy Space Center. The X-38 Space Station Lifeboat parachute recovery system was also tested the same morning.
The Lockheed-Martin X-35 Joint Strike Fighter took off on its first flight from Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on the morning of October 24, 2000. It returned to Palmdale on November 22, a little after three in the afternoon. It made a series of touch-and-go landings. It will be equipped with a lift fan and vectored thrust nozzle for short take-off/vertical landing tests next year.
The Edwards Air Force Base 2000 Open House was held on October 21, 2000.
Planes of Fame Air Museum 2000 warbird special event at Chino, California on October 8. Airplanes flown included Mustangs, a Corsair, a pair of Thunderbolts, two Mitchells, a Hellcat, a Bearcat, four Warhawks, a Zero, a Northrop flying wing, and the rest.
On August 20, 2000, I chased the Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985 from Pomona to Yermo, California.
Van Nuys 2000 arrival day, Friday June 23
I spent the first three days of February, 2000 sitting off the north end of Nellis Air Force Base shooting photos of the participants in the Red Flag 00-02 exercise. The Royal Air Force and the Turkish Air Force were there. The first page of pictures from the February 2000 Red Flag exercise features McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagles and Lockheed-Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons.
The second page of pictures from the Red Flag 00-02 exercise shows the variety of other aircraft that participated.
I spent the morning of Friday, November 5, 1999 parked off the departure end of Runway 03 Right at Nellis Air Force Base to take photos of the participants of the Red Flag 00-01 exercise. This exercise marked the introduction of German MiG-29 Fulcrums to Red Flag.
A second page of pictures from the November 1999 Red Flag 00-01 exercise.
Static displays of the Edwards AFB 1999 open house on October 9 and 10.
Saturday flight demonstrations of the Edwards AFB 1999 open house on October 9 and 10.
Sunday flight demonstrations of the Edwards AFB 1999 open house on October 9 and 10.
The space shuttle orbiter Columbia, OV-102 was delivered to Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on Saturday, September 25, 1999 on the back of a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).
Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale hosts a number of aircraft and spacecraft manufacturing and modification operations. It also serves as a convenient location for test aircraft from Edwards Air Force Base and other Southern California airfields to shoot touch-and-go landings. These photographs were taken on September 24, 1999.
Airplanes flown at the Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum 1999 special event on April 24 included Mustangs, Corsairs, a Kingcobra, a Thunderbolt, three Mitchells, an Invader, a Hellcat, a Tigercat, a Bearcat, a Warhawk, a Zero, a Northrop flying wing, and a host of Stearmans, Trojans, and Texans.
The pictures of the static displays at the October 3, 1998 Edwards AFB Open House Display can be viewed in 3-D.
The flying displays at the 1998 Edwards AFB Open House Display included the usual assortment of novel formation fly-bys.
Aluminum Overcast, a Boeing B-17G, visited the Santa Barbara Airport in May 1998.
Tankers fought the Azalea Fire at Vandenberg Air Force Base on September 27, 1997.
Tankers fought the Cuyama Fire on July 3 and 4, 1996.
The 1988 China Lake Naval Weapons Center airshow was held on April 16.
My father attended the 1959, 1960 and 1961 Edwards AFB open house displays when bare metal and dayglo was all the rage.
Displays organized by location.
Luke Air Force Base in Arizona is near the place that I grew up. I have made a habit of photographing the fighters flying in the vicinity of the base. The first page of this series features pictures that I shot in the 1970s, when U.S.A.F. pilots were training in McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom IIs against aggressor pilots in Northrop F-5E Tiger IIs. Luftwaffe pilots in Lockheed F-104G Starfighters flew more hours at Luke AFB than any other Luftwaffe base. The first McDonnell-Douglas F-15A Eagles were being introduced into service.
Pictures of fighters and trainers in the pattern at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix, Arizona from the 1980s. During that decade, the Century Series fighters were retired; the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II was phased out; the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and the McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle entered service in the squadrons based at Luke.
Combat aircraft at the Camarillo Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in on August 25, 2001.
Training aircraft at the Camarillo Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in on August 25, 2001.
Transports, airliners and general aviation aircraft at the Camarillo Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in on August 25, 2001.
The 1988 China Lake Naval Weapons Center airshow was held on April 16.
China Lake NAWS is home to a variety of vintage aircraft. The U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology has assembled a very interesting collection with some types not found elsewhere. The Weapons Survivability Laboratory (WSL) evaluates the damage done to airframes by different types of weapons.
Explosive Ordnance Disposal team demonstration of several types of explosives, including an anti-car-bomb blast.
China Lake NAWS is home to the U.S. Naval Museum of Armament & Technology. It houses an extensive collection of missiles and weapons delivery systems.
Airplanes flown at the Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum 1999 warbird special event on April 24 included Mustangs, Corsairs, a Kingcobra, a Thunderbolt, three Mitchells, an Invader, a Hellcat, a Tigercat, a Bearcat, a Warhawk, a Zero, a Northrop flying wing, and a host of Stearmans, Trojans, and Texans.
Planes of Fame Air Museum 2000 warbird special event at Chino, California on October 8. Airplanes flown included Mustangs, a Corsair, a pair of Thunderbolts, two Mitchells, a Hellcat, a Bearcat, four Warhawks, a Zero, a Northrop flying wing, and the rest.
Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum, October 6, 2001 warbird special event. Airplanes flown included several Mustangs, two Corsairs, a pair of Thunderbolts, two Mitchells, two Hellcats, a Bearcat, two Warhawks, a Zero, a Northrop flying wing, a Super Hornet and the rest.
More pictures from the Chino Planes of Fame Air Museum, October 6, 2001 warbird special event.
My father attended the 1959, 1960 and 1961 Edwards AFB open house displays when bare metal and dayglo was all the rage.
The pictures of the static displays at the Edwards AFB 1998 open house display on October 3 can be viewed in 3-D.
The flying displays at the 1998 Edwards AFB 1998 open house display included the usual assortment of novel formation fly-bys.
Static displays of the Edwards AFB 1999 open house display on October 9 and 10.
Saturday flight demonstrations of the Edwards AFB 1999 open house display on October 9 and 10.
Sunday flight demonstrations of the Edwards AFB 1999 open house display on October 9 and 10.
The Edwards Air Force Base 2000 open house display was held on October 21, 2000.
The NB-52B launched the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle on its sixth free flight on November 2, 2000
The X-43A Hyper-X supersonic combustion ramjet testbed was launched on its first free flight on Saturday, June 2, 2001.
The NB-52B carried the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle aloft on Friday, June 29 in an attempt to launch the seventh mission of the test program.
The NB-52B launched the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle on its seventh mission on Tuesday, July 10, 2001.
Retired airliners at the Mojave Airport.
Former military aircraft at Mojave.
I know some places where military jets fly at low altitude in the wild. These photographs were taken at various locations in the Mojave Desert between 1988 and 1997.
These pictures of jets flying at low altitude in the desert were taken on camping trips in 1999.
In November 2001, I spent a few days camping in the Mojave Desert where military jets fly at low altitude.
I spent a week in early April 2002 camping in the Saline Valley photographing military jets, mostly Hornets.
I drove up the Swansea-Cerro Gordo Road to the Burgess Mine at the crest of the Inyo Mountains just before sunset on the longest day of 2002.
Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale hosts a number of aircraft and spacecraft manufacturing and modification operations. It also serves as a convenient location for test aircraft from Edwards Air Force Base and other Southern California airfields to shoot touch-and-go landings. These photographs were taken on September 24, 1999.
The space shuttle orbiter Columbia, OV-102 was delivered to Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on Saturday, September 25, 1999 on the back of a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA).
The Lockheed-Martin X-35 Joint Strike Fighter took off on its first flight from Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on the morning of October 24, 2000. It returned to Palmdale on November 22, a little after three in the afternoon. It made a series of touch-and-go landings. It will be equipped with a lift fan and vectored thrust nozzle for short take-off/vertical landing tests next year.
The Lockheed-Martin X-35B vertical take-off prototype of the Joint Strike Fighter candidate flew from Palmdale to Edwards AFB on July 3, 2001.
McDonnell-Douglas QF-4S+ Phantom II, 155749 crashed at Pt Mugu on April 20, 2002, killing its crew of two.
The Ramona Air Fair was held over the weekend of June 1-2, 2002
Aluminum Overcast, a Boeing B-17G, visited the Santa Barbara Airport in May 1998.
Aluminum Overcast, a Boeing B-17G, visited the Santa Barbara Airport in April 2001.
Sentimental Journey, a Boeing B-17G, paid a visit to the Santa Barbara Airport in May 2001. Here is a display of pictures of Sentimental Journey taken over the last couple of decades.
A wildfire broke out in Bouquet Canyon, near Santa Clarita, California on May 11, 2002. A dozen tankers fought the fire out of the tanker station at the Santa Barbara Airport on May 11 and 12. This page features the tankers that were assigned to fight the Bouquet Canyon Fire from the Santa Barbara Airport on Sunday, May 12.
Tankers that were assigned to fight the Bouquet Canyon Fire from the Santa Barbara Airport on Saturday, May 11.
The Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, The Dragon and His Tail visited the Santa Barbara Airport on May 16 and 17, 2002.
Tankers fought the Wolf Fire from the Santa Barbara Airport during the first half of June 2002.
Van Nuys 2000 arrival day, Friday June 23.
Van Nuys 2001 arrival day, Friday June 22.
Van Nuys 2001 departure day, Monday June 25.
Rocket and Missile launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Tankers fought the Azalea Fire at Vandenberg Air Force Base on September 27, 1997.
A Minuteman-II was launched from Vandenberg AFB at 7:40 P.M. PDT on Saturday, July 14, 2001.
The Orbital Sciences Corporation L-1011, Stargazer, carried the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, February 1.
A Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas Delta-II launched another constellation of Iridium satellites from Vandenberg AFB at 9:44 A.M. P.S.T. on February 11, 2002.
A Minuteman III was launched from Vandenberg AFB at sunset on March 15, 2002. Its exhaust trail was illuminated by the sun for a long while.
The AQUA spacecraft, part of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS), was launched from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base by a Delta-II at 2:54 A.M. on May 4, 2002.
I spent the morning of Friday, November 5, 1999 parked off the departure end of Runway 03 Right at Nellis Air Force Base to take photos of the participants of the Red Flag 00-01 exercise. This exercise marked the introduction of German MiG-29 Fulcrums to Red Flag.
A second page of pictures from the November 1999 Red Flag 00-01 exercise.
I spent the first three days of February, 2000 sitting off the north end of Nellis Air Force Base shooting photos of the participants in the Red Flag 00-02 exercise. The Royal Air Force and the Turkish Air Force were there. The first page of pictures from the February 2000 Red Flag exercise features McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagles and Lockheed-Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons.
The second page of pictures from the Red Flag 00-02 exercise shows the variety of other aircraft that participated.
Displays that don't fit the above categories.
From 1952 to 1956, the Fighter Conveyer (FICON) program investigated the potential of carrying various models of the Republic F-84 in the bomb bay of a Peacemaker to perform reconnaissance missions into areas that were too heavily defended for the RB-36 to penetrate.
A number of airlines use novelty paint schemes on their airplanes to attract extra attention.
On August 20, 2000, I chased the Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985 from Pomona to Yermo, California.
I have photographed a number of other steam locomotives over the years.
1959 - January 1960, a series of three flights were made with the X-15-1 captive on the wing of the NB-52A. The X-15-2 was first displayed to the public at the 1959 Air Force Flight Test Center Open House Display alongside the NB-52A. Scott Crossfield made the first glide flight in the X-15-1. He then made three powered flights testing the pair of XLR-11 rocket engines in the X-15-2. An engine explosion cut the third powered flight short, and the fuselage of the X-15 broke when it landed heavy.
January - April 1960, Scott Crossfield made the first powered flight of the X-15-1, after which it was transferred to NASA. He expanded the flight envelope of the X-15-2 following its return to Edwards Air Force Base. Joe Walker and Bob White made the first NASA flights of the X-15-1.
April - May 1960, reaction control thrusters were installed in the X-15-2. Joe Walker exceeded Mach 3 in the X-15-1. The X-15-1 and X-15-2 were displayed at the 1960 Air Force Flight Test Center Open House Display with the NB-52B.
June - August 1960, a series of attempts were made to launch Joe Walker in the X-15-1 to make an assault on Mel Apt's speed record. The X-15-3 arrived at Edwards Air Force Base with the XLR-99 engine. The engine exploded during a ground test run, nearly destroying the X-15-3. After a two month hiatus, Joe Walker set a new speed record in the X-15-1, and Bob White set a new altitude record.
August - October 1960, The X-15-2 was out of service until the installation of its XLR-99 engine in September. Walker and White collected control and performance data and new pilots Commander Forrest Petersen and NASA pilot Jack McKay were checked out in the X-15-1. A series of technical difficulties postponed Crossfield's first flight with the XLR-99 installed in the X-15-2.
November 1960, Captain Robert Rushworth and Neil Armstrong made their first flights in the X-15-1, and Scott Crossfield piloted the first X-15 flight powered by the XLR-99 engine.
November 1960 - January 1961, Scott Crossfield concluded the North American contractor demonstration of the X-15 equipped with the XLR-99 rocket engine.
February - March 1961, Major Robert White flew the last X-15 mission powered by the XLR-11 twin pack of rocket engines. NASA conducted its first operations with the X-15-2 which had received a new nose. The X-15 made the first mach-4 flight and set a new altitude record.
April - June 1961, Joe Walker and Major Bob White set three new speed records in the X-15-2, including the first flight faster than Mach 5. Frank Sinatra's Essex Productions filmed scenes for the movie X-15 at the Air Force Flight Test Center.
1959 - January 1960, a series of three flights were made with the X-15-1 captive on the wing of the NB-52A. The X-15-2 was first displayed to the public at the 1959 Air Force Flight Test Center Open House Display alongside the NB-52A. Scott Crossfield made the first glide flight in the X-15-1. He then made three powered flights testing the pair of XLR-11 rocket engines in the X-15-2. An engine explosion cut the third powered flight short, and the fuselage of the X-15 broke when it landed heavy.
January - April 1960, Scott Crossfield made the first powered flight of the X-15-1, after which it was transferred to NASA. He expanded the flight envelope of the X-15-2 following its return to Edwards Air Force Base. Joe Walker and Bob White made the first NASA flights of the X-15-1.
April - May 1960, reaction control thrusters were installed in the X-15-2. Joe Walker exceeded Mach 3 in the X-15-1. The X-15-1 and X-15-2 were displayed at the 1960 Air Force Flight Test Center Open House Display with the NB-52B.
June - August 1960, a series of attempts were made to launch Joe Walker in the X-15-1 to make an assault on Mel Apt's speed record. The X-15-3 arrived at Edwards Air Force Base with the XLR-99 engine. The engine exploded during a ground test run, nearly destroying the X-15-3. After a two month hiatus, Joe Walker set a new speed record in the X-15-1, and Bob White set a new altitude record.
August - October 1960, The X-15-2 was out of service until the installation of its XLR-99 engine in September. Walker and White collected control and performance data and new pilots Commander Forrest Petersen and NASA pilot Jack McKay were checked out in the X-15-1. A series of technical difficulties postponed Crossfield's first flight with the XLR-99 installed in the X-15-2.
November 1960, Captain Robert Rushworth and Neil Armstrong made their first flights in the X-15-1, and Scott Crossfield piloted the first X-15 flight powered by the XLR-99 engine.
November 1960 - January 1961, Scott Crossfield concluded the North American contractor demonstration of the X-15 equipped with the XLR-99 rocket engine.
February - March 1961, Major Robert White flew the last X-15 mission powered by the XLR-11 twin pack of rocket engines. NASA conducted its first operations with the X-15-2 which had received a new nose. The X-15 made the first mach-4 flight and set a new altitude record.
April - June 1961, Joe Walker and Major Bob White set three new speed records in the X-15-2, including the first flight faster than Mach 5. Frank Sinatra's Essex Productions filmed scenes for the movie X-15 at the Air Force Flight Test Center.
July - August 1961, Commander Forrest Petersen made the first flight of the X-15-1 with the XLR-99 engine.
September - November 1961, Four pilots made six X-15 flights. The maximum Mach number attained by the X-15 was increased on three occasions and the altitude record was increased from 169,600 to 217,000 feet. The X-15 attained Mach 6, the goal originally established for the program. On two occasions, one of the panes of the windshield broke as the X-15-2 was decelerating after setting a new speed record. Major Robert Rushworth made one flight with the lower ventral removed to evaluate the stability of the X-15 in that configuration.
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