Dec. 20, 2011 This month in Edwards history: January 2012 January 12, 1936 - A delegation of officers from Headquarters, Pacific Coast Air Force, inspected the Muroc Field Bombing and Gunnery Range. At that time, the housing facilities consisted of tents for up to 65 men and a permanent kitchen building. The bombing range west of the lake bed included
Sept. 22, 2016 This week in Edwards flight test history On Sep. 24, 2010 at Edwards AFB - The 418 Flight Test Squadron concluded flight testing to evaluate modifications of the C-17 “Globemaster III” formation flight system. The system enabled pilots to monitor and fly the large transport with other C-17s at the same altitude and distance in any weather
Sept. 29, 2016 This week in Edwards flight test history This week we remember Air Force test pilot Capt. Milburn “Mel” Apt who lost his life during a flight test mission Sept. 27, 1956 at Edwards. Apt was making his first flight in the Bell X-2 and flew it to an unofficial record speed of Mach 3.196, thus becoming the first person to exceed Mach 3. It is
Aug. 18, 2016 This week in Edwards flight test history On Aug. 16, 1948 the XF-89 Scorpion made its first flight, flown by Northrop test pilot Fred C. Bretcher. The twin-jet night fighter was selected by the Air Force after a fly-off with the XF-87 and the Navy’s Douglas XF3D-1 Skyknight because of its potential for development.
Oct. 4, 2016 This week in Edwards flight test history On Oct. 3, 1967 Maj. William J. “Pete” Knight flew the modified X-15A-2 to a speed of Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph). The aircraft was flown with its full ablative coating and external fuel tanks. A dummy ramjet mounted on the lower ventral stub stabilizer fell away during the flight as a result of severe
Nov. 16, 2016 This week in Edwards flight test history On Nov. 15, 1941, the U.S. Army's first test of a General Motors A-1 "flying bomb" took place. The unmanned monoplane, to be guided by either a preset flight program or radio control, reached a speed of 97 mph on its rail launch track but settled to the ground and crashed soon after takeoff. The
Jan. 11, 2017 This week in Edwards flight test history On Jan. 11, 1941, the Army Air Corps announced that radio control of robot airplanes, from the ground or from another aircraft, had been tested successfully.
Jan. 4, 2017 This week in Edwards flight test history On Jan. 2, 1968, two pilots assigned to Edwards escaped serious injury after they abandoned their F-111A some 25 miles southeast of the base due to an in-flight fire. They were the first aircrew to use the F-111’s emergency escape module.
Dec. 13, 2016 This week in Edwards flight test history On Dec. 15, 1944, Bell test pilot Jack Woolams established an unofficial U.S. altitude record when he climbed to 47,600 feet in a YP-59A Airacomet.
Dec. 8, 2016 This week in Edwards flight test history On Dec. 5, 1963, U.S. Air Force pilot Maj. Bob Rushworth flew an X-15 to Mach 6.06 which, at the time, was the highest speed achieved by a winged aircraft. During his time with the program, Rushworth completed 34 X-15 flights, more than any other pilot.