Edwards AFB, California |
My father attended the Edwards
AFB airshows in 1959, 1960 and 1961, when bare metal and
dayglo was all the rage.
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.
Edwards AFB Open House, November 8, 1987 - Thunderbirds Arrival: The USAF Thunderbirds perform a short show as they arrive at the Edwards Air Force Base Open House on November 8, 1987.
Edwards AFB Open House, November 8, 1987 - Static Displays part 1 : Edwards AFB hosted an Open House on November 8, 1987. The static displays featured many aircraft not seen at other airshows.
Edwards AFB Open House, November 8, 1987 - Static Displays part 2 : Edwards AFB hosted an Open House on November 8, 1987. The static displays featured many aircraft not seen at other airshows.
1987 Edwards AFB Open House Flying Displays Part 1: A wide variety of military aircraft are showcased at the Edwards Air Force Base Open house on November 8, 1987. Part one of two.
1987 Edwards AFB Open House Flying Displays Part 2: A wide variety of military aircraft are showcased at the Edwards Air Force Base Open house on November 8, 1987. Part two of two.
U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds at Edwards, November 8, 1987: The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform at the Edwards Air Force Base open house in six General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons on November 8, 1987.
STS-42 Landing at Edwards AFB, January 30, 1992: The Space Shuttle Discovery landed at Edwards AFB at the conclusion of STS-42.
Edwards AFB Open House, October 23, 1993 part 1 - Static Displays: Edwards Air Force Base hosted an Open House on October 23, 1993.
Edwards AFB Open House, October 23, 1993 part 2 - Static Displays: Edwards Air Force Base hosted an Open House on October 23, 1993.
Edwards AFB Open House, October 23, 1993 part 3 - Flying Displays: Edwards Air Force Base hosted an Open House on October 23, 1993. The flying displays featured McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagles, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons, a Northrop T-38 Talon and a Cessna A-37 Dragonfly.
Edwards AFB Open House October 22, 1994 part 1: Edwards AFB Open House hosted an open house on October 22, 1994. Static displays included most types in the Air Force inventory.
Edwards AFB Open House October 22, 1994 part 2: Edwards AFB Open House hosted an open house on October 22, 1994. Static displays in the main hangar included NASA testbeds, a stealth bomber, and a flock of Rutan Long EZEs. A McDonnell-Douglas C-17A Globemaster III dropped a group of parachutists. A McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon, and Lockheed-Martin F-117 Nighthawks conducted attack demonstrations.
Edwards AFB Open House October 22, 1994 part 3: Edwards AFB Open House hosted an open house on October 22, 1994. The show concluded with flight demonstrations by a Lockheed C-141A Starlifter, Short C-23A Sherpa, McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon, McDonnell-Douglas F-15B Eagle, Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker, McDonnell-Douglas C-17A Globermaster III, and Northrop-Grumman B-2A Spirit.
Edwards AFB Open House, October 21, 1995 part 1: Edwards AFB hosted an open house on October 21, 1995. The show featured performances by Lockheed-Martin F-117 Nighthawks, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons, McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagles, a McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, a Northrop T-38A Talon, A Lockheed C-141A Starlifter, and a Short, C-23A Sherpa.
Edwards AFB Open House, October 21, 1995 part 2: Edwards AFB hosted an open house on October 21, 1995. The show featured performances by General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons, McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagles, a McDonnell-Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, a Northrop T-38A Talon, A Lockheed C-141A Starlifter, and a Short, C-23A Sherpa.
Edwards AFB Open House, October 19, 1996 : Edwards AFB hosted an open house on October 19, 1996. High winds curtailed much of the flying activity. By the end of the day, wind-blown sand infiltrated my camcorder and ended its career.
The pictures of the static
displays at the 1998 Edwards AFB Open House Display can be
viewed in 3-D.
The flying displays
included the usual assortment of novel formation fly-bys.
Go to static displays
of the Edwards AFB 1999 Airshow.
Go to Saturday
flight demonstrations of the Edwards AFB 1999 Airshow.
Go to Sunday
flight demonstrations of the Edwards AFB 1999 Airshow.
The Edwards
Air Force Base 2000 Open House was held on October 21.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions in Florida, the Space Shuttle Discovery was diverted to Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of mission STS-92 on Tuesday, October 24. It departed for the Kennedy Space Center on a 747 Shuttle Carrier on November 2.
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.
After a one year hiatus, the Edwards AFB Open House returned on October 26, 2002 with several novel aircraft making their first public appearance and an action packed flying display.
Static
Displays of the 2002 Edwards Air Force Base Open House.
Flying
Displays of the 2002 Edwards Air Force Base Open House.
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.
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
On Saturday, October 25, I shot the airshow from the media site next to the runway.
Thunderbirds
Arrival, Friday and Airshow, Saturday.
Following the airshow at Edwards
AFB on October 25, 2003, I photographed part of the collection of
the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum that is stored on the old
South Base flightline.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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. Airplanes scheduled to perform at the Open House rehearsed their flights on Friday, October 21.
Static Displays and Arrivals
Airshow Page 1
Airshow Page 2
A media contingent spent several hours photographing the air traffic on the main runway at Edwards Air Force Base on Wednesday, October 25. The air temperature was in the 70s. The wind was blowing 17 miles per hour, gusting to 23 miles per hour.
The Edwards Air Force Base Open House was held over the weekend of October 28-29.
I photographed the static displays at the Edwards Air Force Base Open House with two cameras to create stereoscopic pairs. To see the airplanes and helicopters in 3-D, cross your eyes until the two images line up.
The USAF Thunderbirds put on their usual precision flying performance each day of the airshow.
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.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis departed from Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base on 747 Carrier Aircraft NASA Nine Zero Five at 6:04 A.M. PDT Sunday, July 1, 2007. It was returning to the Kennedy Space Center.
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.
Century Circle, a display of Century-series fighters has been installed just outside the Rosamond Boulevard gate into Edwards Air Force Base. It is open to the public. Just pull into the parking lot before you reach the guard house.
