The pictures below link to displays
describing each type of aircraft.
Aircraft Types |
The pictures below link to displays
describing each type of aircraft.
The unique Dornier Do-24ATT turbo-prop, tri-motor amphibian visited the Santa Barbara Airport in September 2005.
Airships, blimps, and Zeppelins are the
biggest flying things of all.
Douglas DC-2-118B NC1934D is one of two airworthy DC-2s in the United States.
December 17, 2005 was the 70th Anniversary of the first flight of the Douglas DC-3 at the Santa Monica Airport. Here's a collection of photos of DC-2 and DC-3 variants spanning the years 1972 to 1989.
Here's a collection of photos of DC-2 and DC-3 variants taken since 1990.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortresses were used to fight fires until the 1980s. Subsequently, the tankers were restored to stock configuration. The restored Flying Fortresses tour the country, taking aviation enthusiasts aloft on nostalgia flights.
In the 1970s Boeing 307 Stratoliner,
N19903 Clipper Flying Cloud was sitting nearly forgotten under
the Arizona sun. Over seven years, it was restored by a Boeing
crew in Seattle. It flew for several months, but on March 28,
2002 the sole surviving Boeing 307 was severely damaged when it
was ditched near Seattle. The Stratoliner was carefully hoisted
from the water on March 29. On June 14, 2002 Boeing announced
that they intend to restore the Stratoliner to flightworthy
condition within a year. Boeing rolled out the restored
Stratoliner on June 13, 2003.
Lockheed P-38 and F-5 Lightnings are relatively uncommon warbirds. Over the years I have photographed only 10.
During World War II and again in the 1980s, engineers sought to increase the performance of the Vought F4U Corsair by installing a 4,360-cubic-inch, 28-cylinder engine in place of the standard 2,800-cubic-inch, 18-cylinder engine. The Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engine generated nearly twice the horsepower of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 that equipped the standard Corsair. The R-4360 is the most powerful reciprocating engine ever installed in a single engine airplane.
There is one airworthy Consolidated B-24 Liberator. B-24J, N224J Witchcraft is operated by the Collings Foundation. It tours the country with Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-o-Nine.
North American B-25J Mitchell, N30801 Executive Sweet has been a regular participant at airshows around southern California for over thirty years.
I flew aboard North American B-25J Mitchell, N30801 Executive Sweet from Camarillo to Santa Barbara and back on Sunday, October 28.
The North American A-36 Apache and early model P-51 Mustangs had a very different profile from the familiar P-51D. Here's a retrospective gallery of some surviving A-36A Apaches and P-51A, P-51B, and P-51C Mustangs.
The only airworthy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, NX92879 belongs to the Commemorative Air Force and is based in Texas.
The Douglas XB-19, carrying Army
serial number 38-471, 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.
Coulson Flying Tankers sent Martin JRM C-FLYL Hawaii Mars to California on October 24, 2007 to help fight the numerous wildfires. It was temporarily based at Lake Elsinore.
Curtiss C-46 Commando
survivors.
The Bell P-59 Airacomet was the first jet fighter to be put into production in the United States. Sixty-six were built. Six Airacomets survive. YP-59A 42-108777 is being restored to airworthy condition at Chino.
Lockheed designed the Model L-049 Constellation as an airliner
for Transcontinental and Western Air and Pan American Airlines.
The L-049 featured a pressurized fuselage and four Wright R-3350
eighteen-cylinder radial engines. The initial production run was
requisitioned by the Army Air Corps in 1942 and designated C-69.
After World War II, Lockheed produced the L-649, and L-749
Constellations for the airlines and the C-121A for the Air Force.
There are ten seven surviving Lockheed
Constellations in the United States. Six
four of them can be found in Arizona. I have
photographed all of the Constellations currently residing in
Arizona. Two of them are potentially airworthy.
Hawkins & Powers of Greybull, Wyoming
maintained five 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.
Numerous DC-6s and DC-7s have been converted to fight wild fires
over the years.
Boeing C-97 Stratofreighters and Stratotankers were still flying with the Arizona Air Guard when I was growing up in Phoenix in the 1970s. There were many C-97s stored at the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Several examples were retired to museums in the 1980s.
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 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
Lockheed R6V
Constitution was a giant transport airplane that was built
for the U. S. Navy.
Howard Hughes' giant flying boat, the HK-1
Hercules, also known as the Spruce Goose,
was moved from its hangar to a temporary onshore site in October
1980,
It 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.
The XC-99 Transport and Model 37 Airliner
Display. The XC-99, serial 43-52436 was the double deck
transport variant of the B-36. The Model 37 was a proposed
204-seat transatlantic airliner version of the XC-99.
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.
North American T-28A Trojan, N81643 is based at the Santa Barbara Airport. Over the summer of 2005, it was restored in the colors of a T-28A that was flown by the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in the 1950s. It will appear at the upcoming Edwards Air Force Base Open house in late October.
The Douglas A2D Skyshark evolved from the AD (A-1) Skyraider. The airframe was enlarged to accept a 5,100 shaft-horsepower Allison XT40-A-2 turbo-prop engine. Douglas A2D Skyshark, BuNo 125485 is the sole survivor of the type.
Lockheed introduced the Model 1049 Super Constellation in 1951.
The fuselage was stretched 21 feet over the length of the
original Constellation. More powerful R-3350-34 and -91
turbo-compound engines were installed. There are twenty nineteen surviving Lockheed
Super Constellations in the United States. I have photographed nine eight of them. Three One of them is currently airworthy.
The YB-60 page
shows Convair's all-jet competitor to the Boeing B-52
Stratofortress.
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.
A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the
first flight of the Douglas XA3D-1 Skywarrior was held at the Van
Nuys Airport in October 2002. Check out the announcement of the event on the A-3 Skywarrior
Association web site. 
For over two decades, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Lockheed C-130 Hecules have fought wildfires with the Mobile Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS). In the late 1980s, former Air Force C-130As were transferred to civilian owners and modified with tanks to carry 3,000 gallons of fire retardent slurry. On June 17, 2002, Hawkins Powers C-130A N130HP, Tanker 130 suffered a main wing box failure and crashed as it was fighting a fire near Walker, California. The civilian C-130A tanker fleet was immediately grounded. Only military C-130s continue to be used in the role of firefighting tanker.
Since 1988, the 146th Airlift Wing has been located at the Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, across the runway from Naval Air Station Pt Mugu. The 146th AW operates Lockheed C-130E and C-130J Hercules. In addition to cargo operations, the wing's C-130s fight wildfires with the Mobile Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS).
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.
Boeing jetliner prototypes and testbeds. Several Boeing jetliners have been converted to test engines and to carry radar and infra-red sensors.
Early Boeing four-engine jet airliners, beginning with the 367-80 prototype, shared a 130-foot 10-inch wingspan. Boeing's first production jet airliner, the 707-120, was 144 feet 6 inches long. To suit QANTAS need for a longer range, the 707-138 was ten feet shorter than the standard 707-120 but kept the same take-off weight. Boeing built the 720 with a shorter, lighter fuselage for short range operations.
The Boeing 707 has been adapted to many military functions. The United States Air Force and Navy operate 707s under the designations C-137, C-18, E-3 Sentry, E-6 Mercury, and E-8 J-STARS. The E-3 Sentry is also operated by NATO and the Royal Air Force. Several other nations operate 707s as VIP transports and tankers.
Omega Tanker 707-321C, N707AR was at Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu in June and July 2005.
Honeywell's Boeing 720-051B engine testbed is the oldest Boeing jet airliner that still flies in the United States. Here's a collection of pictures of some of the oldest examples of Boeing jet airliners that still fly.
Raytheon's Convair 580 N580HH arrived at Naval Air Station Pt Mugu From Tucson, Arizona on February 25, 2008.
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.
A variety of vintage aircraft are used as aerial tankers for fighting wildfires.
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
Short Brothers and Harland Limited introduced the Skyvan Turboprop STOL light transport in 1963. Short Brothers PLC stretched the Skyvan by 12 feet 5 inches to create the Model 330 in 1974. The cabin of the 330 was stretched an additional seven feet to create the Model 360 in 1981. The 360 is easily distinguished by its single vertical stabilizer.
Until Airbus developed the Beluga, the Pregnant and Super Guppies were the airplanes with the largest volume in the world.
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 Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737-7ES Wedgetail AEW&C prototype flew from Boeing Field, Washington to the Boeing's facility at the Southern California Air Logisitics Center at Victorville on Saturday July 9, 2005.
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.
DC-10 Tanker Air Carrier, N450AX is the first DC-10 modified to fight wildfires. It can carry up to 12,000 gallons of water.
The Orbital Sciences Corporation L-1011, N140SC Stargazer launches satelites into orbit on Pegasus-XL boosters.
On Wednesday May 31, the Evergreen International 747-273C Supertanker flew from Boise, Idaho to the San Bernardino Airport with a load of 20,000 gallons of water that it dropped in a demonstration of its potential as a firefighter. This was the final demonstration in a tour that took the Supertanker to Sacramento California, the Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland, Scott Air Force Base Illinois, Tallahassee Florida, and Boise.
NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a Boeing 747SP modified to carry a 2.5 meter diameter infra-red telescope, arrived at Edwards Air Force Base early in the afternoon on May 31, 2007. It will conduct infra-red astronomical observations above most of the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere.
North American Rockwell Space Shuttle.
Burt
Rutan and Scale Composites have been responsible for
producing many novel and innovative aircraft. This display features
several of his designs and
products of Scale Composites.
The Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk fleet is being retired. Here's a retrospective of photos of the Stealth Fighter.
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.
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan is the largest production airplane in the world. It was introduced to the west at the Paris Airshow of 1985. It succeeded the C-5A Galaxy in the role of world's biggest airplane. Construction continues in Kiev, Ukraine and Ulyanovsk, Russia.
Designed specifically to carry oversized cargo externally, the fuselage of the An-225 Mriya has been stretched fifty feet compared to the An-124. An entirely new wing root was designed to add fifty feet to the span of the smaller giant.
Most of the pre-production Lockheed-Martin F-22 Engineering, Manufacture, and Development Raptors have appeared at the Edwards Air Force Base Open House. Production Representative Test Vehicle F/A-22A Raptors and early production F/A-22A Raptors were first assigned to Nellis Air Force Base in 2003.
Stealth Bombers have been regular participants at the Edwards Air Force Base Open House and other airshows since 1992. They are sometimes seen in the pattern at Air Force Plant 42 and other remote locations in the Mojave Desert.
B-2A Spirit photos from 1992 to 1997.
B-2A Spirit photos from 1998 to the present.
The Air Force CV-22 Osprey flight test program at Edwards Air Force Base is coming to a conclusion. For seven years, CV-22s have plied the skies over the Mojave Desert, testing the Forward Looking Infra-red and Terrain Following Radar that will be used for nap of the earth flying in bad weather and at night. The final flight of the test program was flown on Wednesday, September 26.
The
X-38 was a lifting body test vehicle
for the International Space Station Crew Return Vehicle (CRV).
The CRV was intended to be used to provide a means of returning from the
space station to Earth without the need for a Space Shuttle
launch.
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. It was then equipped with a lift fan and vectored thrust nozzle for short take-off/vertical landing tests as the X-35B.
The X-43A Hyper-X
supersonic combustion ramjet testbed was launched three times. It successfully demonstrated Scramjet operation at Mach 7 and Mach 9.6
The Boeing T-43A Radar Test Bed
(RTB) was sighted over Death Valley in January 2003.
The F-5 Shaped Sonic Boom
Demonstrator (SSBD) has been conducting tests aimed at reducing
the impact of sonic booms. It made a series of flights from Air
Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California during the week of August
25 - 29, 2003.
Airbus A380s visited Los Angeles International Airport twice in 2007.
Send a message to Brian.
Go to home page of the Goleta Air and
Space Museum.
