Dec. 13, 2006 C-17 performs second test of Falcon Small Launch Vehicle A C-17 Globemaster III performed the second in a series of tests Wednesday by airdropping a 65-foot, 65,000-pound mockup of a booster rocket over Edwards Precision Impact Range Area.The drop, performed at 29,500 feet above sea level, was part of a project called Falcon Small Launch Vehicle, a joint
Dec. 13, 2006 TPS Class 05B to graduate Saturday The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School will have more than 2,600 alumni, as Class 05B graduates 22 of it's finest, Saturday.Eleven pilots, 9 engineers and two navigators from the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps, as well as students from Italy and Japan are added to its roll. As varied as the students
Dec. 13, 2006 SPORT provides 'eyes' for Edwards' mission The room is dark; the only light comes from computer screens and monitors along with blinking lights on various machines. Seven individuals sit in front of monitors which project green dots and lines. It may appear that this group is playing games in an arcade, but in reality they are playing a
Dec. 13, 2006 Raptor test team wins command-level award The F-22A Flight Sciences Test Team recently won the 2005 General Bernard P. Randolph Engineering Team Award. This award recognizes the superior performance of an engineering team that significantly contributes to enhancing the Air Force Materiel Command's mission. The team consisted of 25 members,
Dec. 13, 2006 Engineer takes flight testing to fight, wins award What the human eyes couldn't see, the "Horned Owl" could.A specially fitted C-12 aircraft launched from Balad Air Base, Iraq, the "Horned Owl" flew combat sorties in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The experimental aircraft used an advanced ground-penetrating radar system, sweeping the ground
Dec. 12, 2006 Test Parachutists 'jump' to conclusions It's been said there's no good reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but a small cadre of enlisted people here have a very good reason -- saving lives.They don't wear the maroon beret of the Air Force Pararescue; they're members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron's Test Parachutist
Dec. 12, 2006 TPS takes to open seas The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School took another step in building relations with other military services when Class 05B journeyed to San Diego recently and spent the day aboard the USS Stennis."Flying out to the carrier was an adventure in and of itself," said Capt. Randel Gordon, TPS student. "The
Dec. 12, 2006 Global Hawk completes wet runway testing The Global Vigilance Combined Test Force's 452nd Flight Test Squadron achieved an important milestone by completing wet runway taxi testing on the Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle -- the first-ever wet runway testing performed on an unmanned aircraft -- May 3.The purpose of this test was to