Edwards Air Force Base Airshow and Open House
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A quarter of a million people assembled on a hot, cloudless, and windless day at Flight Test Nation 2009, the Edwards Air Force Base open house and airshow. They were treated to performances by the US Army Golden Knights, John Collver, and Julie Clark. The Air Force demonstrated a Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II, Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas C-17A Globemaster 3, and Lockheed-Martin F-22A Raptor. The Tora, Tora, Tora show reenacted the attack on Pearl Harbor. All three of the Air Force heavy bomber types, B-52H Stratofortress, B-1B Lancer, and B-2A Spirit, flew past the crowd. It was the first public appearance of the Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning 2. Orbital Sciences displayed White Knight and White Knight 2. The Flight Test Center assembled a formation of ten airplanes from the 412th Test Wing for the finale.
Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk. IV N4447 was modified to resemble a Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" for the movie Tora, Tora, Tora in 1970.
Dutch manufactured Fokker C-31A Troopship 85-1607 of the U. S. Army Golden Knights parachute demonstration team.
Link to the web site of the U. S. Army Golden Knights.
North American SNJ-5 Texan N1038A War Dog was built in 1944. Its U.S. Navy Bureau Number was 90917 and it still wears that number on its tail. After retirement from the U. S. Navy, it served for many years with the Japanese Air Self Defense Force. It has been a familiar sight on the airshow circuit for many years. It is owned and piloted by John Collver.
Parachutist with a parachute commemorating 50 years of performances by the U. S. Army Golden Knights.
U. S. Army Golden Knights parachutist.
U. S. Army Golden Knights parachutist flares for landing.
Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk. IV N4447
General Dynamics F-16D Fighting Falcons 87-0377 and 87-0391 of the 412th Test Wing taxi in with Chuck Yeager and Joe Engle after opening the show with a pair of sonic booms. Joe Engle piloted the X-15 and the Space Shuttle and was the commander of Edwards Air Force Base.
Fairchild-Republic OA-10A Thunderbolt II 80-0279 of the 355 Fighter Wing based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N9323Z Sentimental Journey runs up its R-1820 radial engines as pyrotechnics from the Thunderbolt demonstration are detonated in the background. It served the Army Air Force as 44-83514 and its construction number is 32155. It was retired to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona on January 27, 1959. Acme Aircraft Parts of Compton, California registered it as N9323Z on July 31, 1959. Western Air Industries of Anderson, California converted it to a fire fighting tanker in November 1960. It flew as Tanker E17. Aero Union Corporation of Chico, California flew it as Tanker C17 and Tanker 17 from June 6, 1962 until 1978. The Confederate Air Force of Midland, Texas acquired it on January 17, 1978. It flies with its original Army Air Force serial, 44-83514.
North American B-25N Mitchell N1024B Pacific Prowler runs up its R-2600 radial engines.
OA-10A 80-0279
B-17G N9323Z Sentimental Journey
North American P-51D Mustang N5428V Gunfighter.
Lockheed P-38J Lightning NL7723C was delivered to the Army Air Force as photo-reconnaissance F-5G 44-26981. Its construction number is 7985. Aero Exploration Company Incorporated of Tulsa, Oklahoma acquired it from the War Assets Administration at Kingman, Arizona for $1,250 on March 22, 1946. It was registered as NX53752 on May 10, 1946 and then as N53752 in 1948. It was withdrawn from service in Tulsa, Oklahoma in July 1949. Spartan Air Services Limited of Ottawa, Ontario registered it as CF-GCH in December 1951. It suffered a landing gear collapse at Duluth, Minnesota on May 3, 1953. Hycon Aerial Surveys of Pasadena, California registered it as N5596V on November 8, 1956. It was retired and stored in the open at Las Vegas in December 1959. Don E. May of Phoenix, Arizona bought it on June 25, 1962 and sold it to Ben W. Widtfeldt and Desert Aviation Incorporated of Phoenix, Arizona on June 19, 1963. Aero Enterprises of La Porte, Indiana acquired it on September 9, 1963 and sold it to Laurel Walsh of Birmingham, Michigan on November 11, 1963. J.W. Bohmier and New London Airport of New London, Pennsylvania bought it on December 6, 1963 and sold it to Jim Cullen and Westair Company of Westminster, Colorado on Nov. 2, 1964. Troy G. Hawkins of Wichita Falls, Texas acquired it on September 9, 1965 and sold it to L. James Ausland and Sports Air of Seattle, Washington on April 20, 1967. William E. Padden of Los Angeles, California bought it on April 20, 1968 and sold it to I.N. "Junior" Burchinal of Paris, Texas on August 19, 1970. It struck a car and trailer while landing and suffered a landing gear collapse at Paris, Texas on May 23, 1971. David M. Boyd and Eagle Aviation of Tulsa, Oklahoma acquired the wreckage on April 2, 1973 and sold it to John P. Silberman of Key West, Florida on January 4, 1979. It was rebuilt at Live Oaks, Florida and made its first flight in September 1985. The Museum Of Flying at Santa Monica, California acquired it in October 1989 and fitted it with a conventional fighter nose in 1990. William Lyons and Martin Aviation of Santa Ana, California bought it on May 20, 1990. It was damaged in a gear up landing at Winslow, Arizona in August 1992. David Price, Liberty Aero Corp, and the Museum Of Flying at Santa Monica, California acquired it on November 6, 1995 and traded it to the Commemorative Air Force in September 2002. Vintage Fighters LLC of Corona del Mar, California registered it as NL7723C on June 10, 2005.
OA-10A 80-0279
B-17G N9323Z Sentimental Journey
B-25N N1024B Pacific Prowler
P-51D N5428V Gunfighter.
B-17G N9323Z Sentimental Journey
B-25N N1024B Pacific Prowler
P-51D N5428V Gunfighter and P-38J NL7723C.
White Knight 2 N348MS was built by Orbital Sciences for Virgin Galactic to launch SpaceShipTwo with passengers to altitudes above 100 kilometers.
White Knight 2 N348MS
White Knight 2 N348MS
White Knight 2 N348MS
White Knight 2 N348MS
White Knight 2 N348MS
General Dynamics F-16D Block 40D Fighting Falcon 88-0533 based at Hill Air Force Base.
F-16D 88-0533
F-16D 88-0533
North American SNJ-5 Texan N1038A War Dog was built in 1944. Its U.S. Navy Bureau Number was 90917 and it still wears that number on its tail. It has been a familiar sight on the airshow circuit for many years. It is owned and piloted by John Collver.
SNJ-5 N1038A War Dog
Boeing-McDonnell-Douglas C-17A Globemaster 3 95-5141 of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing based at March Air Reserve Base.
C-17A 95-5141
Boeing B-52H Stratofortress 60-0050 has been assigned to the 412th Test Wing for many years.
B-52H 60-0050 didn't quite made contact with NKC-135A 55-3128 at the November 9, 1986 Edwards AFB Open House. It still sports SIOP camouflage and a single AGM-86 cruise missile pylon on the left wing.
Julie Clark flies Beech A45 (T-34A), N134JC Free Spirit.
Link to Julie Clark's site.
Beech A45 N134JC Free Spirit at Joshua Tree-top level.
Beech A45 N134JC Free Spirit
Tora, Tora, Tora "Zero" Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk. IV NX15799.
Tora, Tora, Tora "Zero" Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk. IV N9820C.
Tora, Tora, Tora "Zero" Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk. IV N4447.
Tora, Tora, Tora "Zero" North American AT-6B Texan N11171.
Tora, Tora, Tora "Zero" Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk. IV, N7754.
The front end of a North American SNJ-5 Texan and the back end of a Vultee BT-13 were used to construct replica Nakajima B3N "Kate" torpedo bomber, N3725G for Tora, Tora, Tora.
Tora, Tora, Tora "Zero" Canadian Car and Foundry Harvard Mk. IV, NX9097.
Golden Knights C-31A 85-1607
B-2A Block 10 Spirit AV-3 82-1068 Spirit of New York of the 412th Test Wing based at Edwards Air Force Base.
Boeing Rockwell B-1B Lancer 85-0068 of the 412th Test Wing.
B-1B 85-0068
B-52H 60-0050
A long series of explosions rocked the field following the pass by the Stratofortress.
P-51D N5428V Gunfighter
The Tora, Tora, Tora show reenacts the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 with "Zero" fighters, a "Val" torpedo bomber, and a lot of pyrotechnics.
P-51D N5428V Gunfighter bounces the attacking fighters.
P-51D N5428V Gunfighter smokes one of the Zeros.
Audience members could feel the radiant heat of the mass explosion that marked the end of the Tora, Tora, Tora show.
Base Fire Truck #52 rolled out to put out a few brush fires that were ignited by the explosions.
P-51D N5428V Gunfighter
P-38J NL7723C
F-16D 88-0533
Lockheed-Martin F-22A Engineering, Manufacture, and Development (EMD) Raptor 91-4008.
F-22A 91-4008
F-22A 91-4008
F-22A 91-4008
F-22A 91-4008
US Air Force Heritage flight: Lockheed-Martin F-22A Engineering, Manufacture, and Development (EMD) Raptor 91-4008, Lockheed P-38J Lightning N7723C, Lockheed-Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon 80-0553, and Fairchild-Republic OA-10A Thunderbolt II 80-0279.
US Air Force Heritage flight: Lockheed-Martin F-22A Engineering, Manufacture, and Development (EMD) Raptor 91-4008, Lockheed P-38J Lightning N7723C, Lockheed-Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon 80-0553, and Fairchild-Republic OA-10A Thunderbolt II 80-0279.
US Air Force Heritage flight: Lockheed-Martin F-22A Engineering, Manufacture, and Development (EMD) Raptor 91-4008, Lockheed P-38J Lightning N7723C, Lockheed-Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon 80-0553, and Fairchild-Republic OA-10A Thunderbolt II 80-0279.
US Air Force Heritage flight: Lockheed-Martin F-22A Engineering, Manufacture, and Development (EMD) Raptor 91-4008, Lockheed P-38J Lightning N7723C, Lockheed-Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon 80-0553, and Fairchild-Republic OA-10A Thunderbolt II 80-0279.
US Air Force Heritage flight: Lockheed-Martin F-22A Engineering, Manufacture, and Development (EMD) Raptor 91-4008, Lockheed P-38J Lightning N7723C, Lockheed-Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon 80-0553, and Fairchild-Republic OA-10A Thunderbolt II 80-0279.
OA-10A 80-0279
P-38J N7723C
F-16D 80-0553
F-22A 91-4008
Six of the airplanes in the mass flyby of the 412th Test Wing: Northrop T-38A-85 Talon 70-1559, General Dynamics F-16D Block 40K 90-0797, F-16C Block 30B 85-1547, B-52H 60-0050, B-1B 85-0068, and C-17A 07-7188.
T-38A-85 70-1559, F-16D90-0797, and F-16C 85-1547.
B-52H 60-0050, B-1B 85-0068, and B-2A 82-106 Spirit of New York.
B-2A 82-106 Spirit of New York.
Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker 61-0320.
Boeing C-17A Globemaster 3 07-7188 of the 437th Air Mobility Wing based at Charleston, South Carolina.
Lockheed C-130H Hercules
White Kight 2 N348MS
White Kight 2 N348MS taxis out to depart for Mojave.
White Knight N318SL taxis out to depart for Mojave.
White Knight N318SL and White Kight 2 N348MS prepare to take off.
White Kight 2 N348MS took off first.
White Kight 2 N348MS circled around as White Knight accelerated down the runway.
White Knight N318SL climbed steeply from Runway 22.
White Kight 2 N348MS chased White Knight N318SL as it climbed away from the airfield.
It's hard to beat the remarkable variety of airplanes and helicopters displayed at the Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Airshow.
The day before the Edwards Air Force Base Open House, flight crews rehearsed for the airshow.
Edwards AFB displays.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Lockheed-Martin F/A-22A Raptors at Edwards Air Force Base.
A dozen photos of Lockheed-Martin F/A-22A Raptors at Edwards Air Force Base. Raptors pictured include F-22A Engineering, Manufacture Development (EMD) Raptors, 91-4003, 91-4005, 91-4006, 91-4007, and 91-4009 of the 412th Test Wing and F/A-22A Production Representative Test Vehicle (PRTV) Raptor, 99-4010 of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group.
Put a copy of the Lockheed-Martin F/A-22A Raptors at Edwards Air Force Base: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of airworthy Lockheed P-38 Lightnings.
P-38L N25Y White Lightnin, Nellis Air Force Base, April 26, 1997
P-38J NX138AM Joltin Josie, Chino, October 6, 2001
P-38J NX138AM Porky II, Chino, May 22, 2005
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38F NX17630 Glacier Girl, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38L NL7723C, Chino, May 19-20, 2007
P-38L NL7723C, Edwards AFB, October 17, 2009
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Chino, May 15, 2010
P-38L NL7723C, Chino, May 15, 2010
P-38J NX138AM 23 Skidoo, Valle, Arizona, June 25, 2011
Put a copy of the Lockheed P-38 Lightnings: 2020 calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
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