Aug. 15, 2018 This week in Edwards history On Aug. 16, 1970, a Lockheed C-5A completed an unrefueled flight of 20 hours and 29 minutes. The lengthy flight, which began and ended at Edwards, covered much of the perimeter of the continental United States.
Sept. 21, 2017 This week in Edwards history On Sept. 21, 1964, North American Rockwell’s XB-70 Valkyrie experimental aircraft made its first flight from Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, to Edwards. It was flown by North American test pilot Alvin S. White and Col. Joseph F. Cotton. Originally conceived as a strategic bomber with the ability
Sept. 28, 2017 This week in Edwards history On Sept. 25, 1974, Northrop’s F-5F made its first flight, piloted by Hank Chouteau. The F-5F was the two-seat trainer version of the company’s F-5E Tiger II and featured a completely new fuselage.
Aug. 24, 2017 This week in Edwards history On Aug. 23, 1991, the Flags of Honor memorial was dedicated to the men and women of Edwards AFB who had come together from every state in the nation to serve their country. This memorial was donated by the Edwards AFB Civilian-Military Affairs Support Group.
Aug. 30, 2017 This week in Edwards history On Aug. 29, 1947, Capt. Chuck Yeager made his first powered flight in the Bell X-1, taking the compact orange aircraft to Mach 0.85.
Aug. 17, 2017 This week in Edwards 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.
Jan. 31, 2018 This week in Edwards history On Jan. 30, 1968, a new project directive from the Air Force chief of staff directed the then Air Force Flight Test Center to continue support of the North American XB-70A Valkyrie Flight Research Program.
Jan. 23, 2018 This week in Edwards history On Jan. 27, 1950, a ceremony was held in connection with Armed Forces Day to rename the base in honor of Capt. Glen W. Edwards. Edwards’ father, family members and dignitaries were in attendance at the ceremony. One interesting fact is that the original plaque had a misspelling of Capt. Edwards'
Feb. 15, 2018 This week in Edwards history On Feb. 15, 1958, the first Convair B-58 Hustler (55-665) arrived at the Air Force Flight Test Center for Phase IV testing, concluding a combined delivery and test flight. The four-engine delta winged aircraft was the world’s first bomber designed to sustain supersonic speeds during its mission
Feb. 28, 2018 This week in Edwards history On Feb. 28, 2007, a film crew arrived to film scenes of the blockbuster movie, "Transformers." In the scene, one of the characters transformed himself into an F-22A Raptor, another "first" for the advanced fighter, and the first time a real (versus computer-generated) Raptor was used on film.