2003 Edwards AFB Open House
Static Displays, October 24

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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.

The static display aircraft were arrayed on the flightline Friday afternoon as the United States Air Force Thunderbirds arrived.

Vintage Aircraft:

Wright Flyer replica. It doesn't get more vintage than that.

Douglas DC-3C, N34 is registered to the FAA. Its Douglas construction number is 33359. Sadly, the Smithsonian Institution will soon ground this beautifully restored airplane.

Link to the DC-3/Dakota Historical Society Page about N34.

Curtiss C-46F Commando, N53594 China Doll of the Southern California Wing of the CAF.

Link to the web site of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

North American B-25J Mitchell, N30801 Executive Sweet . It has been registered to the American Aeronautical Foundation of Thousand Oaks since 1985. Its Army Air Force serial number was 44-30801 and its North American construction number is 108-35126. It was converted to the TB-25N configuration before its retirement by the Air Force. It was registered as N3699G by Avery Aviation of Greybull, Wyoming in 1963. Filmways Inc. of Hollywood acquired it in 1968 for use in the movie Catch-22. Challenge Publications bought it in 1972 and changed its registration to N30801 in 1978.

Link to the web site of the American Aeronautical Foundation.

North American B-25J Mitchell, N30801 Executive Sweet.

Mitsubishi A6M Zero, NX712Z of the Southern California Wing of the CAF.

Grumman F6F-5 Helcat, N1978Z Minsi III of the Southern California Wing of the CAF.

Northrop N-9MB Flying Wing, N9MB from the Planes of Fame Museum at Chino.

Link to the web site of the Planes of Fame Air Museum.

North American SNJ-5 Texan, N89014 carries Navy BuNo 84865. It was built in 1943.

Beech T-34A Mentor, N12253 was built in 1955.

North American T-28C Trojan, N653DB flew for the Navy as BuNo 140653. It was built in 1957. It entered the civil register as N10260.

Canadair Sabre Mk.6, N38453 is owned by Al Hansen. It flew for the South African Air Force as #378. It was registered by Flight Systems in October 1983 and then to Global Aerospace of Newport Beach, California in September 1992.

Link to Duncan's F-86 Sabre web site page about Flight Systems Sabres.

There were several jet trainers manufactured in other countries on the flightline.

Canadair CT-133A Silver Star, N306CW is owned by Wallasch Aviation, Inc of Acton, California. It was built in 1955.

Russian MiG-15 UTI Mongol, N41125 has been owned by Thomas Smith of Granada Hills, California since 1996. It was built in 1954.

Polish WA PZL/WSK MIELEC TS-11 Iskra.

German Dornier Alpha Jet, N46XA is owned by Richard Sugden of Wilson, Wyoming.

Czech Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatross.

NASA Aircraft:

NASA's Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress mothership, 52-0008 was displayed on the flightline while their new blue and white NB-52H was tucked away behind the big hangar.

The old X-15 pylon and the X-43A Hyper-X adapter on NASA's Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress mothership, 52-0008. The history of the mothership's launches is recorded in symbols on the side of the fuselage. The NB-52B is still needed for the X-43A program. The wing of NASA's NB-52H will have to be modified before it can support the weight of the Hyper-X launch vehicle.

The old X-15 pylon and the X-43A Hyper-X adapter on NASA's Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress mothership, 52-0008. The next launch of the X-43A is anticipated in a few months. The first X-43A tumbled out of control shortly after launch in June 2001 "because the vehicle's control system design was deficient in several analytical modeling areas, which overestimated the system's margins". In other words, project management neglected to fully model the control system's response to the increase in dynamic pressure resulting from launch of the Orbital Sciences booster at half the usual altitude.

Link to the Goleta Air & Space Museum's display about the first mission of the X-43A Hyper-X .

Link to the NASA Dryden page of NB-52 Mothership photos.

Link to the NASA Dryden fact sheet about the NB-52 Mothership.

Link to the NASA Dryden page of X-43A Hyper-X photos.

Link to the NASA Dryden news release about the cause of the loss of the first X-43A Hyper-X.

NASA Boeing 747-Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, N905NA and a Beech T-34 Mentor. The 747-SCA may see more frequent use if NASA decides to land the Space Shuttle at Edwards AFB when they return to flight.

NASA Boeing 747-Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, N905NA.

Link to the NASA Dryden page of Space Shuttle (STS) SCA Ferry Photos.

NASA McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A Hornet N853NA Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW). It carries Navy BuNo 161744.

Link to the NASA Dryden fact sheet about the F/A-18A Active Aeroelastic Wing.

Link to the NASA Dryden page of F/A-18A Active Aeroelastic Wing Photos.

Link to the NASA Dryden press release about the first flight of the F/A-18A Active Aeroelastic Wing

NASA McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A Hornet N847NA is used to research Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) methods for unmanned air vehicles. It carries Navy BuNo 161520.

Link to the NASA Dryden research update about Automated Aerial Refueling.

Link to the NASA Dryden page of Automated Aerial Refueling Photos.

Link to the NASA Dryden press release about Automated Aerial Refueling.

Orbital Sciences X-34 Reusable Rocket Technology Demonstrator.

"The X-34 is one of NASA's new technology demonstrator programs that will pave the way to lower launch costs." Why doesn't it say NASA on the rocket?

The planned capabilities of the X-34:

Readily enable integration of new technologies

Capable of 25 test flights over a period of one year

Capable of autonomous flight operations

Capable of demonstrating safe abort

Demonstrate technologies throughout flight profile

Subsonic and hypersonic flight

Capable of powered flight to at least 250 kft

Capable of eventually attaining Mach 8

Demonstrate or be upgradable to advanced RLV technologies

Incorporate some composite structures (aero, prime airframe and thrust structures)

Composite propellant tanks and cryo insulation

Composite lines, ducts, valves

Advanced operable TPS including leading edge materials

Advanced low cost avionics (GPS/INS)

Rapid low cost flight software development tools

Integrated vehicle health monitoring

Capable of attaining average recurring flight cost

Adaptable as a low Mach number test bed (embedded, attached, or deployed) e.g.., RBCC; Plug Nozzle; Pulse detonation wave; dual expansion engine

The X-34 Reusable Rocket program was cancelled along with the X-33 Single-Stage-To-Orbit demonstrator in March 2001. Perhaps NASA should have displayed a model of the X-33, the X-30 National AeroSpace Plane and the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle along with the X-34. The X-30 had depended on undeveloped SCRamjet technology. The X-33 had depended on undeveloped composite structures technology. The X-34 had depended on the undeveloped LOX / kerosene fueled Fastrac rocket engine. It was decided that the X-38 cost too much, limiting the crew of the ISS to the two people that can be carried in the Soyuz lifeboat.

Link to the Federation of American Scientists page about the X-34.

Link to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Fact Sheet about the X-34.

Link to the Space.com article about the cancellation of the X-33 and X-34.

X-45A Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV).