Airplane displays in the Antelope Valley
“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.” (via Air and Space)
NASA’s shuttle carrier aircraft settles down in Palmdale
by Rebecca Amber
Staff writer
9/17/2014 – PALMDALE, Calif. — Retired NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 911, one of two modified Boeing 747 jetliners that ferried NASA’s space shuttles for decades, moved to its new home at Joe Davies Heritage Airpark, Sept.12. The 747’s final journey was a ground tow from the NASA Armstrong aircraft operations facility less than a mile away on U.S. Air Force Plant 42. While NASA will retain ownership of the aircraft, it is on loan to the City of Palmdale for long-term public display in the park.
According to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center director, David McBride, SCA 911’s primary purpose for NASA is a parts repository to support the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy – SOFIA. Over the course of SOFIA’s 20-year life span, NASA will continue to use flightworthy parts from the SCA 911 in Palmdale as well as SCA 905, which is on display at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Continue Reading →