New Displays

Click on any picture below to link to the related display.

Airplanes that participated in the Quiet Birdmen Airshow and Barbecue on Monday, June 12, took off and landed at the Camarillo Airport. The vintage warbirds of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force were joined by the Curtiss P-40N Warhawk and Douglas SBD Dauntless of the Planes of Fame Museum at Chino, Wayne Getchell's Hawker Sea Fury, and the sole airworthy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, as well as several aerobatic performers.

The 2006 Van Nuys Rockin' Air Fest marked the end of a forty-six year tradition at the Van Nuys Airport. New hangars will be constructed on the area where the airshows have been held. Several of the aircraft that appeared at the Air Fest departed or were towed to their usual parking places on Monday, June 12.

A Minuteman III missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from LF-04 at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:22 A.M. on Wednesday, June 14. A nearly full moon illuminated the landscape during this 3-minute 10-second exposure.

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver Visits California, June 12, 2006

The only airworthy Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, NX92879 is making its first visit to California in many years. It belongs to the Commemorative Air Force and is based in Texas. It appeared at the Van Nuys Rockin' Air Fest on Sunday June 11. It is currently at the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at the Camarillo Airport. It will be at Fresno this coming weekend.

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. I have pictures of four of them. YP-59A 42-108777 is being restored to airworthy condition at Chino.

Here's a look back seven years at the Chino warbird show of 1999.

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.

The 2006 Chino warbird airshow really stood out for the number of long unseen participants that pushed even the Northrop N9M flying wing off the schedule. It featured flights by the Planes of Fame Boeing P-26 Peashooter, Seversky AT-12 trainer version of the P-35, and Bob Odegaard's Goodyear F2G Corsair with an R-4360 twenty-eight cylinder radial engine. Sunday was overcast and much cooler than last year. The cloud deck descended in the afternoon, so that the Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon frequently disappeared into the clouds during its aerobatic display.

Static Displays

Flying displays page 1: National Anthem Formation, World War I Dog Fight, Goodyear F2G Corsair Aerobatics, and Silver Wings Stearman Biplane Wing Walker.

Flying displays page 2: Pacific Theater Navy Flight

Flying displays page 3: Korean Air War, U.S. Navy F-18 Hornet Tactical Demonstration, and European Theater Flight

Flying displays page 4: Air Power Formation Flight, U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Jet Tactical Demonstration, and Heritage Flight

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.

The Cloudsat and CALIPSO satellites were launched into orbit by a Delta-II rocket at 3:02:16 AM PDT Friday April 28.

The launch of the Cloudsat and CALIPSO satellites was scrubbed again on Tuesday at 2:57 AM PDT due to excessive high-altitude winds. The constellation of Scorpio rose above the Santa Barbara Channel in a sky not split by the fire of the ascending Delta-II rocket.

Novelty Airline Liveries Display Updated

The Novelty Airline Liveries Display has been updated with many new pictures taken at Los Angeles International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

On Saturday, April 16, I visited Falcon Field near Mesa. It is home to the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. North American B-25H Mitchell Barbie III and Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Liberty Belle are visiting Falcon Field.

On Thursday, April 13, I parked on the south bank of the Salt River at the end of 40th Street to photograph the departures from Runway 07L at Sky Harbor International Airport until airport security called the local police to roust me.

On Wednesday, April 12, I visited Luke Air Force Base, Goodyear Airport, and Sky Harbor International Airport. Luke Air Force Base is home to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons of the 56th Fighter Wing and the 499th Fighter Wing. Many retired airliners are stored at the Goodyear Airport.

On Tuesday, April 11, I checked out several photography locations at Sky Harbor International Airport.

On Tuesday, April 11, after I checked out Sky Harbor International Airport, I drove east to the Williams-Gateway Airport.

On Friday, April 7, I spent some time on the south bank of the Salt River at the end of 40th Street taking pictures of the airplanes at Sky Harbor International Airport.

Delta II Launch Scrubbed, April 21, 2006

Due to a failure of the CALIPSO Satellite to communicate with its ground support network in France, a Delta II rocket did not powerfully launch it and the Cloudsat into orbit on Friday, April 21 at 3:02 AM PDT. Residents of the Santa Ynez Valley, obscured by clouds, were not roused from their beds by the roar of the mighty rocket. On Saturday evening, the launch was postponed due to the unavailability of a KC-135 tanker to refuel the NKC-135B Big Crow telemetry relay airplane that will be flying over the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles south of Vandenberg Air Force Base during the launch.

The Experimental Aircraft Association's Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast arrived at the Santa Barbara Airport on Monday, April 17, 2006. On Tuesday and Wednesday Aluminum Overcast carried aviation enthusiasts aloft on nostalgia flights. On Thursday it departed for Riverside.

McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX 10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted flying westbound over Goleta at an altitude of 12,000 feet at 7:56 A.M. on Thursday, March 30.

On Friday, March 24 an Antonov Design Bureau An-124 Ruslan flew from Keflavik, Iceland to NAS Pt. Mugu, California. Flight ADB7836 arrived at 12:51 PM PST.

Three Space Technology 5 satellites were placed in orbit by an Orbital Sciences Pegasus-XL booster launched from Orbital's Lockheed L-1011, N140SC Stargazer at 6:03 A.M. PST on March 22, 2006.

On Wednesday, March 15, 2006 the 737-800 Short Field Prototype paid a short visit to the Santa Barbara Airport. Flight BOE271 departed from Edwards Air Force Base at 11:04 AM PST and arrived at Santa Barbara at 1:21 PM PST.

The failure of a fin securing pin to retract resulted in an abort of the attempt to launch NASA's Space Technology 5 satellite. The next launch attempt will occur no earlier than Wednesday, March 22. Orbital Science's L-1011, N140SC Stargazer is seen returning to Runway 12 at Vandenberg Air Force Base with the Pegasus-XL booster.

On Tuesday, March 14 a pair of Volga-Dnepr An-124 Ruslans flew from Wheeler Sack AAF, New York to the Southern California Air Logistics Center at Victorville, California. Flight VDA3424 arrived at 12:35 PM PST and flight VDA3400 arrived at 2:20 PM.

Here's a display of Boeing jetliner prototypes and testbeds. Several Boeing jetliners have been converted to test engines and to carry radar and infra-red sensors.

On Thursday, March 2, I spent a few hours on the hill above Imperial Highway photographing the traffic on the south runways at LAX.

Air Traffic Page 1

Page 1 of the Air Traffic at Los Angeles International Airport, March 2, 2006 display

Air Traffic Page 2

Page 2 of the Air Traffic at Los Angeles International Airport, March 2, 2006 display

Delta Airlines 767-232, N102DA Spirit of Delta

Delta Airlines 767-232, N102DA Spirit of Delta was the first 767-200 operated by Delta and will be the last to be retired. It made a last tour of the United States before its retirement to a Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. In preparation for its retirement, it has been painted in the livery it wore in 1982. It arrived at Los Angeles International Airport for the last time on February 27 in a major rain storm.

On the morning of February 28 the storm abated. I drove to LAX to photograph Spirit of Delta. N102DA made a local flight around Santa Catalina Island with a load of lucky passengers. It then departed for Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington.

While I was at LAX, I photographed dozens of airliners.

Air Traffic Page 1

Page 1 of the Air Traffic at Los Angeles International Airport, February 28, 2006 display

Air Traffic Page 2

Page 2 of the Air Traffic at Los Angeles International Airport, February 28, 2006 display

It's the time of year when the Anna's Hummingbirds return to Goleta. An assertive male is establishing his territory in the back yard.

A Minuteman III missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from LF-10 at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 12:01 A.M. on Thursday, February 16. The ascent of the missile was monitored by a crew aboard HALO II, a modified Gulfstream IIB with a large infra-red telescope.

Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale is home to two collections of vintage airplanes, Blackbird Airpark and the Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark. Both airparks are located on Avenue P, adjacent to 25th Street East. Blackbird Airpark is the only place where you can see an SR-71A, an A-12, and a D-21 drone together. There will eventually be over 40 airplanes on display at Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark.

Boeing's Canadair T-33, N416X and the first Boeing 757-200, N757A which now serves as the F-22 Avionics testbed, arrived at Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale on the morning of February 13.

Polikarpov I-16 Type 24, N30425 is visiting the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 "Zero", N58245, which has been undergoing long-term restoration at the SoCal Wing, has been sold to the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It will be disassembled and shipped to Hawaii in the near future.

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.

Proteus, N281PR stayed overnight at the Santa Barbara Airport on January 11, 2006. It departed at 6:40 A.M. on January 12, about 25 minutes before sunrise. It flew to Kwajalein Atoll by way of Honolulu.

More DC-3 pictures from 1993 to 1998 have been added and the display has been split into two parts.

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.

Steve and Cori Galeener of Bellflower, California and the Aviation Enthusiast Corner are violating my father's copyright.

They have taken many of the B-52 photos from my web site, cropped off the credits, pasted their own names on the pictures and submitted them to the Aviation Enthusiast Corner as their own. Most of the pictures are public domain, but several were taken by my father. It's lame enough to slap their names on public domain Air Force and NASA photos, but it is plagiarism and a violation of my father's copyright to put their names on his pictures.

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.

In order to combat the threat of Japanese kamikaze pilots in World War II, the R-4360 radial engine was mated to the Vought F4U Corsair to produce a specialized fighter with an extremely high rate of climb.

In 1982 a standard F4U Corsair was modified with an R-4360, clipped wings, and a cut down cockpit canopy to compete at the Reno Air Races as the Super Corsair. It won the 1985 Gold Unlimited Race at Reno, setting a new race record.

In the latter half of 2005, the Pt Mugu Missile Park was extensively refurbished. AMD/IMA Airframes Division repainted all the missiles, installed new curbs around the displays and repaved the walkways.

Saturday, December 17 was the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the Douglas DC-3 at the Santa Monica Airport. To commemorate the event, the Santa Monica Museum of Flying broke ground for a new DC-3 memorial and staged a formation flyover of DC-3s at the Santa Monica Airport. Several vintage airplanes were displayed to the public, including Bob Odegaard's Goodyear F2G-1 Super Corsair.

Proteus returned to the Mojave Airport from a four-day visit to McGhee-Tyson Airport at Knoxville, Tennessee on December 10, 2005.

McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX 10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted flying over Goleta at an altitude of 27,000 feet at 8:48 A.M. on Thursday, December 8. 10 Tanker Air Carrier is based at the Southern California Logistics Airport near Victorville. Its test flights take it over Palmdale and Goleta to a test area off the California coast.

The Air Force Flight Test Center Museum South Base Annex display has been updated with pictures of many of the airplanes on display at the Open House in years gone by.

The Saline Valley is a remote and beautiful part of Death Valley National Park. The primitive roads and utter lack of services make it one of the least visited parts of the park.

I spent four days in November camping in the Saline Valley photographing military jets, mostly Super Hornets and RAF Hercules.

McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX 10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted flying over Goleta at an altitude of 12,000 feet at 7:32 A.M. on Friday, November 4. 10 Tanker Air Carrier is based at the Southern California Logistics Airport near Victorville. Its test flights take it over Palmdale and Goleta to a test area off the California coast.

The Air Force Flight Test Center Museum boasts a collection of airplanes and helicopters that have contributed to the vast history of flight testing that has occurred at Edwards Air Force Base. The AFFTC Museum is part of the tours hosted by Edwards AFB public affairs on the first and third Fridays of each month.

Static Displays and Arrivals

Edwards Air Force Base hosted an Open House over the weekend of October 22-23. During the two-day event, visitors saw new and unique aircraft in the Air Force inventory, and some of the best aerial demonstration pilots performing today. The various demonstrations included Air Force aircraft such as the F/A-22, F-117, F-16, KC-135, C-17, B-1, B-2, several NASA aircraft including the NF-15B, F/A-18A, T-34C and ER-2.

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Airplanes scheduled to perform at the Open House rehearsed their flights on Friday, October 21.

On Tuesday, October 18, the Edward Air Force Base Public Affairs Office provided representatives of the media with a glimpse of some of the equipment to be displayed at the Open House.

The last Lockheed-Martin Titan IVB rocket launched a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload into orbit from Space Launch Complex 4-East at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 11:05 A.M. Thursday morning. Future large payloads will be launched from Space Launch Complex 6 on the Boeing Delta IV Heavy.

The unique Dornier Do-24ATT turbo-prop, tri-motor amphibian, call sign Romeo Papa Charlie two four zero three, recently visited the Santa Barbara Airport. It departed from the Santa Barbara Airport at 11:45 A.M. on Monday, October 10 and flew to the Los Angeles Yacht Club, Cabrillo Beach, where it made a water landing. It was displayed there until October 12. It is continuing on its tour to the San Diego Maritime Museum, San Francisco Bay, and Lake Tahoe. It will return to Santa Barbara on October 24. In coming months, it will be touring Central and South America.

Dornier Do-24 web site

The Santa Barbara Airport is being visited by air tankers and classic tri-motors.

Fifteen years ago, a plume of dense smoke erupted over the Santa Ynez Mountains on the afternoon of July 30, 1990. Several large air tankers fought the fire in the Santa Ynez Valley from the Goleta Tanker Station.

On September 26, I photographed three of the four Constellations and both of the Super Constellations that reside in Arizona.

VC-121A, N9463 Columbine II has been ferried from Santa Fe, New Mexico to the Marana Regional Airport. It is for sale. C-69, N90831 and VC-121, 48-0614 Columbine are displayed at the Pima Air and Space Museum.

C-121G, N105CF sits derelict at the Marana Regional Airport. EC-121T, 53-0554 is displayed at the Pima Air and Space Museum.

In recent years VC-121A N494TW departed the Marana Regional Airport to be put on static display in South Korea, VC-121A N749NL departed the Marana Regional Airport to join the collection of the Aviodome Museum in the Netherlands, and VC-121B N608AS was scrapped in place at Ryan Airfield.

The National Museum of the Air Force is transferring the last B-36 built, B-36J-75(III), 52-22827 from Fort Worth, Texas to the Pima Air Museum near Tucson, Arizona. It was fully restored at the Lockheed-Martin plant in Fort Worth. It will be reassembled and placed on public display.

The Air Force STP-R1 Streak satellite was launched into polar orbit by a Minotaur rocket from Space launch Complex 8 at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 7:24 P.M. PDT on Thursday, September 22, 2005. The rocket climbed in to sunlight about 70 seconds after ignition of its first stage.

Lockheed SP-2H Neptune, N355MA Tanker 55 made a visit to the Santa Barbara Air Attack Station.

The unique Dornier Do-24ATT turbo-prop, tri-motor amphibian is visiting the Santa Barbara Airport. Iren Dornier is taking it on a world tour. It is headed for Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Lake Tahoe. In coming weeks, it will be touring Central and South America.

Dornier Do-24 web site

A Minuteman III missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:01 A.M. on Wednesday, September 14. The launch was triggered by an Air Force launch team aboard a Boeing E-6 Mercury. The ascent of the missile was monitored by a crew aboard HALO II, a modified Gulfstream IIB with a large infra-red telescope.

A Minuteman III missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:53 A.M. on Wednesday, September 7.

North American T-28A Trojan, N81643 is based at the Santa Barbara Airport. It was recently 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 Camarillo Airport hosted an airshow over the weekend of August 27 - 28, 2005. The airshow was sponsored by Chapter 723 of the Experimental Aircraft Association and featured flying performances by the airplanes of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

Once the Oxnard Air Force Base, Camarillo Airport is now the home of over 560 production, homebuilt, and World War II aircraft, as well as active chapters of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) and the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).

“Chapter 723 of EAA is proud to sponsor this annual event,” says Larry Beckett, air show chair. “The Air Show is our way of sharing with Southern California families the fun, diversity, and contribution of aviation.”

Friday, August 26, Arrival day.

Saturday, August 27

Sunday, August 28

A Minuteman III missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:01 A.M. on Thursday, August 25.

Here is a retrospective of the career of the first Space Shuttle, OV-101 Enterprise, which was used for five test flights of the last phases of the approach to landing at Edwards Air Force Base in 1977. It was often displayed at the Edwards Air Force Base open house in the early 1980s.

The Space Shuttle Discovery departed from Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base on 747 Carrier Aircraft NASA Nine Oh Five at 8:31 A.M. PDT Friday, August 19, 2005. It is returning to the Kennedy Space Center. It landed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma at 1:31 P.M. CDT. It arrived at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana at 5:46 P.M. CDT. The shuttle remained at Barksdale Air Force Base on Saturday and continued to the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, arriving at 10:00 A.M. EDT. Discovery is scheduled to perform the next Space Shuttle mission in March.

Early in the morning on Friday August 12, I drove to the top of the Santa Ynez Mountains to observe the Perseid Meteor Shower. I observed for 100 minutes. In that time, I counted 51 Perseid meteors and two erratic meteors (not associated with the Perseid Shower). I shot 94 thirty-second time exposures with a Nikon D70 set to an effective film speed of 1600 ASA. I used an 18mm f3.5 lens. On those 94 exposures I found four meteor streaks.

The Hawthorne Airport hosted an Air Faire on Saturday, August 13. A host of vintage airplanes and warbirds flew in on Friday afternoon to be placed on display.

McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, N450AX 10 Tanker Air Carrier was sighted flying over Goleta at 10:36 A.M. on Thursday, August 11, 2005

The Santa Paula Airport hosted a two day Airfair over the weekend of August 6 - 7, as America's favorite small town airport turned 75. The airport is home to a great variety of vintage airplanes and many more flew in for the airfair.

The International Space Station streaked across the sky as Discovery's double sonic boom rocked the south coast of Santa Barbara County this morning at 5:10 PDT. The space shuttle was not hot enough to be incandescent or high enough to reflect the sun. A few bright Perseid meteors also lit up the sky.

Rutan's White Knight, N318SL returned to the Mojave Airport from display at the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconson on August 2, 2005. It left SpaceShipOne at Dulles International Airport to be put on display in the Milestones of Flight Gallery at the National Air & Space Museum. On its journey it visited Albuquerque, Tulsa, Dane County Regional-Truax Field at Madison, Wisconson, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dulles International, Spirit of St. Louis Airport at St. Louis, Missouri, and Pueblo, Colorado.

Omega Tanker 707-321C, N707AR has returned to Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu. In recent days, it has flown operations at R-2508 in the Mojave Desert, W-291 off the Pacific Coast, and the Chocolate Mountain gunnery range in southeastern California. N707AR flies under the call sign Omega Seven Zero.

Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu is home to four squadrons of Grumman E-2C Hawkeyes, VP-65 Naval Reserve squadron of Lockheed P-3 Orions, NP-3D phased-array radar equipped Orions of VX-30 Bloodhounds, Lockheed C-130T Hercules of VR-55 Minutemen, and Channel Islands Air National Guard C-130 Hercules. It is also visited by numerous civilian airplanes operating under government contracts.

A Minuteman III missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:01 A.M. on Thursday, July 21. The full moon illuminated the landscape and clouds during the 198-scond exposure.

The Royal Australian Air Force Boeing 737-7ES Wedgetail AEW&C prototype, N378BC flew from Boeing Field, Washington to the Boeing's facility at the Southern California Air Logisitics Center at Victorville on Saturday July 9.

In recent years, a fireworks show has appeared in the sky over Goleta on Independence Day.

On Thursday, June 30, the Amtrak Coast Starlight was pulling two vintage rail cars, the Southern Pacific Overland Trail and the Pennsylvania Colonial Crafts.

The Coast Starlight rolling through Goleta.

Way off topic. Goleta is right next to Santa Barbara, where they host the annual Summer Solstice parade.

DC-10 Tanker Air Carrier, N450AX returned to Victorville from its performance at the Paris Air Show on June 17. It can carry up to 12,000 gallons of water.

Omega Tanker 707-321C, N707AR was recently operating at Naval Air Station Pt. Mugu. On Thursday June 16 it made two flights off the coast of southern California. It returned from the first flight shortly before 1:00 PM. N707AR was preceded by a pair of Hawker Hunter F Mk 58s from Hunter Aviation in Wilmington, Delaware. On Friday June 17, N707AR flew to Grant County International Aiprort at Moses Lake, Washington. On Saturday Jun 18, it flew to Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

The 2005 Chino warbird airshow featured five flying Republic P-47 Thundebolts. The airshow was blessed with the bluest skies in years. It was also the hottest it has been in years. Temperatures climbed to over 100 degrees F on the flightline.

Static displays

Flying displays, page 1: P-51D Mustang Rides, Missing Man formation, Tumbling Bear, Silver Wings Wing Walking, Northrop N9MB Flying Wing, Victory Over Japan - Navy Flight, Korean Air War, Tailhook Legacy Flight.

Flying displays, page 2: FIVE P-47 Thunderbolts!, U. S. Air Force Heritage Flight, Victory Over Europe, Doolittle Raiders, Air Power Formation Flight.

A Volga-Dnepr Antonov An-124 Ruslan delivered a large payload to Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday May 20, 2005

The NOAA-18 satellite was launched from Space Launch Complex 2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base on a Delta II booster at 3:22 A.M. PDT, Friday May 20. The Santa Ynez Valley was shrouded in fog and the waxing gibbous moon was hanging over the western horizon. NOAA-18 will replace NOAA-16 later this summer.

Page 1: Static displays and arrivals.

Page 2: Flight performances.

Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation N6937C was displayed at the Rockin' Airfest 2005 at the Van Nuys Airport on Sunday May 15. It arrived on Friday, May 13 at a quarter to one in the afternoon. It is the last airworthy Super Constellation in the United States.

I toured the Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, N224J Witchcraft during their visit to the Santa Maria Airport.

The Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, N224J, which was recently repainted and renamed Witchcraft, are visiting southern California.

The bombers flew from Long Beach to Camarillo on Tuesday, May 3. They will be taking aviation enthusiasts aloft on nostalgia flights at Camarillo until Friday. They will be flying to Hawthorne on May 6, to Santa Maria on May 9, to Paso Robles on May 11, to Shafter on May 13, to Van Nuys on May 14, and to Burbank on May 16. It is reported that they will also visit the Santa Barbara Airport.

The Commemorative Air Force B-17G, Sentimental Journey is also visiting southern California. She flew to Fox Field near Lancaster on May 3. Following the 60th Anniversary of VE-Day on Sunday May 8, Sentimental Journey will fly to Visalia on May 9.

The Experimental Aircraft Association brought Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Fuddy Duddy to the Santa Barbara Airport at 10:30 in the morning on Thursday, April 28. It spent four days taking aviation enthusiasts aloft on nostalgia flights.

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.

Figueroa Mountain in Santa Barbara County is home to a wide variety of wildflowers.

NASA's Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology satellite was launched on an Orbital Sciences' Pegasus-XL booster at 10:27 A.M. PDT this morning. The Pegasus-XL booster was dropped from Orbital Sciences' L-1011 Stargazer N140SC, which took off from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Orbital Sciences' L-1011 Stargazer, N140SC returns to land on Runway 30 at Vandenberg AFB following the launch of the DART mission.

The Air Force Research Laboratory launched its Experimental Satellite System-11 (XSS-11) satellite from Space Launch Complex 8 at Vendenberg Air Foce Base at 6.35 A.M. PDT this morning. The launch vehicle was a Minotaur, a rocket that is part Minuteman and part Orbital Sciences' Pegasus. The micro-satellite is intended to demonstrate autonomous inspection; rendezvous and docking; repositioning; and techniques for maneuvering around other satellites.

The Minotaur launch vehicle reached the desired orbit about 12 minutes after launch. The XSS-11 micro-satellite separated successfully from the booster and is functioning properly.

For the Natural History wing of the museum:

Here's a display of wildflower pictures from a trip to Death Valley during the first weekend in April. Stops along the way include the Antelope Valley, Inyo Mountains, Alabama Hills, Augereberry Point, Wildrose Canyon, and the Padre Crowley Overlook above the Panamint Valley.

The California Poppies are starting to come up in profusion in the Antelope Valley. More pictures, taken on Tuesday March 29, have been added to the 2005 Wildflower display.

I spent Saturday, March 26 at Los Angeles International Airport shooting pictures of the airliners with some of my aviation minded friends.

Part 1: Sepulveda Boulevard

We started the day on Sepulveda Boulevard, under the approach to the north runways, Runway 24L and Runway 24R.

Part 2: Imperial Avenue

We moved to the benches on Imperial Avenue that overlook the south runways, Runway 25L and Runway 25R, for the middle of the day.

Part 3: Vista del Mar Park

We finished our day at LAX by photographing departures from the north runways from Vista del Mar Park, above Dockweiler Beach.

Lockheed P-3B Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Orion, N144CS was one of several airplanes flying at March Air Reserve Base on Wednesday, March 23.

Rutan's Proteus landed at the Mojave Airport on Tuesday, March 15, 2005.

A Volga-Dnepr Antonov An-124 condor landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base on February 8 and February 10. It delivered the first Lockheed-Martin Atlas V booster and its Centaur upper stage to the west coast launch complex.

The An-225 Mriya was photographed at Qandahar Airport, Afghanistan by friends of the museum on February 1, 2005.

Take a detailed look at the NB-52B as it appeared at its retirement ceremony. Read the history of the airplane as revealed by the mission marks running along the side of its fuselage. Illustrations are provided to assist in the construction of a model of the NB-52B.

NASA's Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress Mothership was retired in a ceremony at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base on Friday December 17, 2004. The NB-52B has been a fixture at Edwards AFB for forty-nine years.

Air traffic descending into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport passes over the neighborhood where I grew up. In addition, each day several business jets cruise over at low altitude on their way from Sky Harbor to the Scottsdale Airport. While visiting my family over the holiday weekend I photographed the air traffic overhead.

The third X-43A Hyper-X mission did not go off without a hitch. Problems with the GPS or inertial navigation system of the X-43A resulted in a mission abort on Monday. Here is the story of two days at Edwards Air Force Base covering the final X-43A mission.

The third X-43A Hyper-X demonstrated that an air-breathing engine can propel a vehicle at Mach-10 on the afternoon of November 16, 2004. The Hyper-X flight was conducted out of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.

On Thursday, October 21, I shot a series of panoramas along the length of East Camino Cielo on the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains above Goleta and Santa Barbara. Camino Cielo features many sweeping vistas of the Santa Barbara Channel and the San Rafael Wilderness.

Vandenberg Air Force Base hosted an airshow over Halloween weekend. The weather was sunny, breezy, and cool. The show featured a peformance by the new Raytheon T-6A Texan II.

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The Moon passed through the shadow of the Earth on the evening of October 27.

For the Natural History wing of the Museum:

On Tuesday, October 5, my sister and I drove our Toyota 4Runners to the ghost town of Ballarat in the Panamint Valley with the intent of 4-wheeling up Pleasant Canyon to Rogers Pass.

The Canadian Snowbirds appeared at the Kern County Airshow for the second year in a row. They flew an 8-ship show because the pilot of #5 was under the weather. They fly a show that is distinctly different from the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds with some very complicated formation changes.

Douglas DC-3, N101KC Rose of Dream Flight carried passengers on aerial tours from the Inyokern Airport during the Kern County Airshow on Wednesday, October 6, 2004. The flights provided spectacular views of the China Lake Valley and the Sierra Nevada.

The Kern County Airshow was held at the Inyokern Airport on Wednesday October 6, 2004. It featured several aerobatic performances, visits by an AV-8B Harrier and an F/A-18F Super Hornet of VX-9 based at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, a B-52 Stratofortress from the 412th Test Wing based at Edwards Air Force Base, and an Israeli Aircraft Industries Kfir. The Canadian Snowbirds appeared at the Kern County Airshow for the second year in a row.

Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne won the Ansari X-Prize on October 4, 2004 for making two flights to an altitude of 100 kilometers from the Mojave Airport within two weeks.

On Saturday, September 25 the Santa Barbara Airport hosted the bi-annual "A Day at the Airport." This event offered a host of aviation-related activities for all ages.

Here's a survey of the wide variety of general aviation and regional airline airplanes that flew into the Santa Barbara Airport the day before the event.

Hummingbirds are common in Goleta.

A second movie illustrating the lunar month from August 19 to September 11 has been added to the Moon display.

Humid conditions resulted in impressive vapor condensation in the low pressure around the fast and maneuvering jets at the 2004 Pt Mugu airshow.

Static displays at the 2004 Pt Mugu airshow.

A Minuteman III missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base to the Reagan Test Range at Kwajalein Atoll very shortly after the beginning of the launch window at 1:01 A.M. on Wednesday, September 15.

Retrospective of the 2002 Point Mugu Air Show, which was held on April 19 and 20, 2002. It featured the aircraft of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-30. The next Pt. Mugu Airshow will be held on September 18 and 19.

The annual Camarillo airshow was held on August 28 and 29, 2004. It featured the aircraft of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force and Chapter 723 of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Celebrating its 24th year, the 2004 show pays tribute to more than 60 years of history and growth of the Camarillo Airport.

Warbirds

Transports, Trainers, and Liaison

General Aviation

Alongside Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura County, the Point Mugu Naval Air Station is home to the Pt. Mugu Missile Park. There you can see a wide variety of the missiles and airplanes that have been tested at Point Mugu since World War II.

The Luke Air Force Base Air Park display has been updated with recent photographs.

I drove up to the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara at 3:00 in the morning on Thursday, August 12, 2004 to photograph the Perseid meteor shower.

A variety of vintage airplanes arrived at Hawthorne Municipal Airport on Friday the thirteenth for the Air Faire that was held on Saturday, August 14.

In 1979, Luke Air Force Base hosted a collection of jet fighters, clustered around the main gate. Several of these airplanes are still on display at Luke AFB Airpark.

A Minuteman III missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:37 A.M. on Friday, July 23.

An LGM-118A Peacekeeper missile was launched on a suborbital trajectory toward Kwajalein Atoll from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 1:01 A.M. on Wednesday, July 21.

NASA's AURA satellite was launched from Vandenberg AFB on a Delta II booster at 3:02 A.M on Thursday, July 15.

Douglas DC-3, N101KC Rose of Dream Flight carried passengers on aerial tours from Hawthorne Airport on Friday, July 9. It was built as a DC-3 in 1943 and served the Army Air Force as a C-53D. Its Douglas construction number was 11639. It now carries passengers on nostalgia flights in the Los Angeles area.

In recent years, a fireworks show has appeared in the sky over Goleta on Independence Day.

After nearly seven years, the Cassini-Huygens probe fired its rocket engine for over an hour and half to place it into orbit around Saturn.

Cassini made a close approach to Titan at 3:45 A.M. PDT on Friday July 3. The raw images of Titan made during the flyby revealed unprecedented surface detail. There are fascinating features visible in the images that have yet to be explained.

Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne made the first privately funded manned flight to 100 Kilometers altitude from the Mojave Airport early in the morning on Monday, June 21. Pilot Mike Melvill earned his astronaut's wings and experienced three minutes of weightlessness during the flight into space.

The flight was part of the envelope expansion phase of an attempt to win the $10,000,000 Ansari X-Prize. To win the prize the team must make two flights to 100 Kilometers within two weeks. The public was invited to attend this historic event.

Santa Fe steam locomotive 3751 made an unassisted run from Union Station to San Bernardino to be displayed at the rededication of the depot. It departed Union Station at 8:20 A.M. and arrived at the San Bernardino depot at 10:00 A.M. It will return to Union Station Sunday afternoon.

SpaceShipOne is schedueled to make the first privately funded flight to an altitude of 100 kilometers on Monday, June 21. It was designed by Burt Rutan and constructed by Scaled Composites Incorporated. Funding has been provided by Paul Allen.

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.

Static Displays

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Most of the airplanes that participated in the airshow were parked in two rows along the flightline.

Page 2 is a walk along the airplanes parked in the row on the right.

Page 3 is a walk along the airplanes parked in the row on the left.

Flying Displays

Page 1: Missing Man Formation and Silver Wings Stearman Biplane Wing Walking Act.

Page 2: D-Day Invasion Aircraft Display with Mustangs, Spitfires, P-47 Thunderbolt, Hurricane, and Avenger.

Page 3: Northrop N9M Flying Wing Performance by Ron Hackworth and Korean Air War F-86 Sabre and MiG-15 Tail Chase.

Page 4: Navy Flight SBD Dauntless, FM-2 Wildcat, F4F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F8F Bearcat, A-1 Skyraider, F4U Corsair, and Sea Fury.

Page 5: Pacific Air Battle FM-2 Wildcats, Zeros and P-38 Lightning and British Fighter Aerobatics Display.

Page 6: Air Power Formation Flight - Massive Gaggle of Warbirds and United States Air Force F-16 Viper Tactical Demonstration.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses were once widely used to fight forest fires. In recent years all the surviving B-17 tankers have been restored to stock military configuration. Many of them remain airworthy. This display features photographs of B-17 tankers taken from 1971 to 1984.

The Collings Foundation B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator visited the Santa Maria Airport from May 5 to May 7, 2004.

A variety of airplanes and helicopters helped to extinguish the Cachuma Fire in Santa Barbara County from Tuesday May 4 to Friday May 7.

N73544 took off from the Camarillo Airport for what may have been the last time at 10:00 A.M. on April 26, 2004. The Breitling Super Constellation made one low pass over Runway 26 at the Camarillo Airport and headed away to the north.

It will be flown to Switzerland to fly air tours in Europe. They have a five-year lease with an option to buy.

More photographs of former Camarillo Connie can be seen on the Lockheed Super Constellation Survivors Display.

Camarillo Connie is being test flown by the group that will take her to Switzerland.

Camarillo Connie on approach to Runway 07 at the Santa Barbara Airport on April 22, 2004.

Camarillo Connie makes a high pass over Runway 07 at the Santa Barbara Airport on April 23, 2004.

The Collings Foundation B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator visited the Camarillo Airport from April 20 to April 22, 2004.

The Gravity-B probe was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on April 20, 2004. It will verify whether the magnitude of warping of the space-time continuum caused by the rotation of the Earth is properly predicted by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

The second X-43A Hyper-X mission was launched from NASA's NB-52B mothership on Saturday, March 27. It was dropped from the NB-52B about fifty miles from the coast of Southern California. The mission demonstrated the feasibility of air-breathing powered flight at mach-7.

On Wednesday, March 24 NASA Dryden Flight Research Center hosted a press briefing about the upcoming X-43A Hyper-X mission.

A thundercell drifted down the Santa Barbara Channel on the evening of November 12, 2003. A new display of lightning photos from this and other storms has been added to the Natural History wing of the museum.

The last Atlas II launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base was conducted at 2:04 in the morning on Tuesday, December 2.

There was so much airshow activity in October that it has taken a month to assemble the Miramar Airshow Static Display pages. There were over 160 airplanes and helicopters on static display at Miramar.

Static Displays Page 1 - Combat Aircraft.

Static Displays Page 2 - Transports, Tankers, Helicopters, Trainers, Electronics warfare aircraft.

Static Displays Page 3 - Vintage Aircraft.

Part of the collection of the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum is stored on the old South Base flightline.

On Friday, October 24, I shot the arrival of the U. S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the static display aircraft on the main flightline.

Military Aircraft Static Displays, October 24

NASA and Vintage Aircraft Static Displays, October 24

Thunderbirds Arrival, Friday and Airshow, Saturday.

The Edwards Air Force Base Open House was held the weekend of October 25-26. During the two-day event, visitors saw new and unique aircraft in the Air Force inventory, and some of the best aerial demonstration pilots and teams performing today. The various demonstrations included Air Force aircraft such as the F/A-22, F-117, F-16, KC-135, C-17, B-1, which set 52 official world records, B-2, as well as NASA aircraft among others. This was also a once-a-year opportunity for taxpayers to see the kind of equipment they buy for the Air Force, and the abilities of the people who test, fly and maintain this equipment.

I spent three days shooting at Edwards AFB. On Wednesday, October 22, I shot the military rehearsals from the media site next to the runway.

Rehearsal, October 22, Page 1

Rehearsal, October 22, Page 2

On Saturday, October 25, I shot the airshow from the media site next to the runway.

Airshow, October 25, Page 1

Airshow, October 25, Page 2

Turbulent winds forced tankers to drop their loads of retardent alongside the Fox Field runway on October 26, 2003.

The Miramar MCAS Airshow was held from October 17 to 19, 2003. It featured two Stealth Fighter demonstrations, three VTOL Harrier demonstrations, a MAGTF demonstration, and lots of aerobatic performances, including the Red Baron Pizza team and the U. S. Navy Blue Angels. The Kodachrome slides are back, so the 2003 Miramar MCAS Airshow display has been expanded to two pages.

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The displays featuring Howard Hughes' giant Flying Boat, popularly known as the Spruce Goose, have been revised with additional pictures.

Page 1 illustrates the extraction of the Flying Boat from its hangar in October 1980.