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Vintage Airplanes in the Antelope Valley |
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The Antelope Valley has a rich aviation heritage. Air Force Plant 42 has been the site of the first flights of many important and novel aircraft. Aircraft flying out of Edwards Air Force Base are often seen in the skies overhead. There are several places where you can see vintage airplanes displayed in the Antelope Valley.
Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale is home to Blackbird Airpark and the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42. 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 the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark. Blackbird Airpark recently received another black bird, Lockheed F-117A Stealth Fighter 79-0783. The Boeing B-52F Stratofortress 57-0038 that was delivered to the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark has been almost fully reassembled. Their Curtiss C-46 Commando is undergoing restoration.
The Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress mothership has been placed on display outside the north gate of Edwards Air Force Base, just off Highway 58 between Mojave and Boron.
There are currently four airplanes displayed in front of the Lockheed Skunk Works, at the intersection of Lockheed Way and Blackbird Drive.
NASA General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon 816 at the Skunk Works used to be on display at
the intersection leading to NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
Lockheed F-104G Starfighter at the Skunk Works was recently restored as NASA NF-104A 812.
A Rockwell B-1B makes a pass over Runway 25 in the background.
A Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star and F-117A Nighthawk are displayed on poles inside the fenced compound. The P-80 is just visible next to the tail of the F-104G in the picture above.
The third Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket BuNo 37975 is mounted on a pole at Antelope Valley College, at the intersection of Avenue K and 30th Street West.
D-558-II BuNo 37975 is the only Skyrocket that still has the jet engine inlets. The ventral jet exhaust has been faired over.
McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II, 64-0952 is mounted on a plinth at Boeing Plaza at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Sierra Highway.
F-4D 64-0952 formerly flew for the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base.
NASA McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A Hornet, N842NA is mounted on a plinth in front of the Jet Hawks Stadium on Avenue I, just west of the Antelope Valley Freeway.
The Milestones of Aviation Museum has a collection of large vintage airplanes at Fox Field, north of Avenue G.
Armstrong Whitworth Argosy N1430Z flew for the Royal air Force as XP447.
Argosy N1430Z belongs
to the Santa Monica Museum of Flying. Its Armstrong Whitworth construction number is 6779.
Fairchild C-119B Flying Boxcar, N13745 flew for the Air Force as 48-322. Its construction number is 10304. It fought fires as Hemet Valley Flying Service Tanker 82.
Boeing KC-97G Stratotanker 53-0272 served the California Air National Guard. Its Boeing construction number is 17054.
KC-97G 53-0272.
North American B-25C Mitchell N3968C at Fox Field on November 16, 2004. It flew for the Army Air Corps as 41-13251. Its North American construction number is 82-5886. It entered the civil registry as N75635 in 1947. It was operated by the Dominican Air Force from 1949 to 1952. Hughes Tool Company owned it from 1954 to 1972 and performed an executive conversion on it. It arrived at Fox Field from the Antelope Valley Air Museum in 1974.
North American B-25C Mitchell N3968C at Fox Field on October 25, 2006.
Sikorsky UH-19D Chickasaw, 55-4943 flew for the U.S. Forest Service.
Convair B-58A Hustler, 55-0665 Snoopy was used to test the AN/ASG-18 fire control system of the Lockheed YF-12A. It sits on the Edwards Air Force Base photo test range on the south side of Rogers Dry Lake, 0.6 miles north of East Avenue B and 1 mile east of 140th Street East.
McDonnell-Douglas F-4D-31-MC Phantom II 66-7716 of the 412th Test Wing based at Edwards Air Froce Base is displayed in front of the Saxon Aerospace Museum in Boron.
McDonnell-Douglas F-4D-31-MC Phantom II 66-7716
Tour the vintage airplanes of the Antelope Valley on Google Earth.
Go to the Airshow Page of the Goleta Air and Space Museum.
Send a message to Brian.