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.
Feb. 21, 2018 This week in Edwards history On Feb. 23, 1989, a two-seat F-16B Air Defense Fighter test aircraft successfully launched an AIM-7 Sparrow missile that destroyed a target drone off the California coast.
March 7, 2018 This week in Edwards history On March 8, 1979, Space Shuttle Columbia arrived at Edwards AFB on a trailer after a 38-mile journey from the Rockwell International plant in Palmdale, California. The trailer traveled through Lancaster, California, then to Edwards. The orbital vehicle was delivered to NASA’s then Dryden Flight
Jan. 9, 2018 This week in Edwards history On Jan. 9, 1943, the first flight of the Lockheed XC-69 took place from Burbank, California, to Muroc Army Airfield. It was piloted by company test pilots Edmund Allen and Milo Burcham. The four-engine, propeller-driven aircraft was designed by Kelly Johnson and developed from the Lockheed L-049
Jan. 17, 2018 This week in Edwards history On Jan. 17, 1990, NASA selected Maj. Eileen M. Collins, a student in Class 89B of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, as a space shuttle pilot candidate. Collins was the first woman to be selected for the job. Learn more about her from this NASA factsheet
Dec. 13, 2017 This week in Edwards history On Dec. 12, 1987, flight testing of the B-1B Lancer automatic terrain-following system began.