Flight Test Center turns 60, celebrates its pivotal role in aviation history

  • Published
  • By Kate Blais
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  It's been said that if you want to see what the Air Force will look like tomorrow, look at the ramp at Edwards Air Force Base today. The Air Force Flight Test Center celebrated its 60th anniversary Oct. 14, still pushing the boundaries of flight through ingenuity and innovation.

Established in 1951, the center celebrated its extensive history and pivotal role in the development of the U.S. Air Force's air power capabilities during an afternoon-long ceremony in Hangar 1600.

With the sound of passing jets in the background, Brig. Gen. Robert C. Nolan II, AFFTC commander, along with distinguished guest retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, welcomed Team Edwards, friends and family to the ceremony highlighting the significant impact the center has made on aviation.

"My remarks today are dedicated to the 165 members of Team Edwards that are serving overseas and to their families sacrificing here at home," began Nolan. "When the Air Force Flight Test Center was established in 1951, Edwards Air Force Base had already become well known as the place where aviation history was being written."

Over the past 60 years, the AFFTC tested and supported the development of nearly every aircraft system to enter the Air Force inventory.

"Each of these developments has imposed seemingly insurmountable challenges that have been overcome through a combination of technical skill, ingenuity and resourceful leadership," said Nolan. "Our patch showcases a simple Latin phrase, 'Ad Inexplorada,' [meaning] 'toward the unexplored.'‟

"At Edwards it has always been much more than just a motto; it conveys the spirit of our most important resource: smart, dedicated men and women who have made American air power what it is today who will ensure its preeminence into the future."

Hundreds of those men and women were in attendance for the event.

One who has been around nearly as long as the center is Johnny Armstrong, chief engineer for the Hypersonic Combined Task Force. As a second lieutenant in 1956, Armstrong drove onto Edwards Air Force Base for the first time, excited about being where airplanes flew faster than twice the speed of sound.

More than 54 years later, Armstrong is still here - and not by accident.

When asked what kept him here so long, Armstrong refers to the long list test aircraft programs he has worked on here - which include the X-15, X-24A, X-24B and the space shuttle approach and landing tests.

"And the satisfaction of working with the exceptional people that were part of the teams associated with each project," said Armstrong. "Edwards Air Force Base has been my life."

Edwards has a similar draw for the military, even those who grew up near the Antelope Valley.

"I lived in Apple Valley, Calif. and went through Jr. ROTC in high school and I'd come out here to the base once in awhile for tours and visits and I was always fascinated with it," said Staff Sgt. Paul Garcia, a C-17 test load master in the 412th Operations Group. "This is my second base and I wanted to come back because of the rich history. I work on the C-17 and we're constantly going past the barrier and constantly improving it. I know that these improvements do help [the warfighter]."

Nolan spoke about the origins of the base, dating back to 1933 when it was used by Lt. Col. Henry H. "Happ" Arnold in his quest to find a location to conduct bombing missions for his squadrons at March Field, Calif. Arnold happened upon the remote area and immediately realized its values: good flying weather; unspoken-for air space; and the vast dry lake beds, ideal to function as natural landing fields, said Nolan.

Muroc Army Air Base began operations in 1942 at what is now South Base. Shortly thereafter, a spot on the north side of the dry lake bed was selected as the site to develop a top secret program, the Bell XP-59A Airacomet, the nation's first turbo jet powered aircraft.

With the Airacomet's first flight on Oct. 2, 1942, the United States was launched into the jet age, said Nolan, in the skies above Edwards.

By 1945, flight test became the full-time mission at Muroc - a fitting location for the arrival of the Bell X-1 in late 1946.

The Bell X-1 was "designed to probe the unknowns of flight," said Nolan, "and to determine if a piloted airplane could safely fly at the speed of sound."

Yeager, then a 24-year old captain, answered that question on Oct. 14, 1947.

"I got into maintenance, where I loved it, and was well-trained," said Yeager. "But I noticed that the pilots that flew the airplanes had clean nails and clean hands...so I said 'I wonder if I can become a pilot.'"

Fortunately because of low applicant numbers, all that was required to become a pilot was having a high school diploma and being 18 years old.

After attending pilot training and then years of World War II combat experience, Yeager was sent to Muroc.

"I was a high school guy. You say, 'Why were you selected to fly the X-1,'" said Yeager. "You know, the X-1 was powered by 6,000 pounds of nitrogen gas pressure that passed through dome regulators. Ok, those dome regulators and this high-pressure system were identical to the dome regulators that my dad used in the natural gas wells that I used to change the diaphragms on when I was 12 years old. So I knew the airplane, knew the systems, and obviously I could fly."

Yeager, after getting a lift under the wing of a B-29, took the X-1 to 42,000 feet, leveled-off and accelerated to Mach 1.06, shattering the sound barrier and proving that man could safely fly faster than the speed of sound.

During the ceremony Yeager was also presented the Federal Aviation Administration's "Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award," for his longevity and leadership in the safety of aviation.

By 1951, more than 40 aircraft types had taken their first flights at Edwards, said Nolan. Many more milestones of speed and altitude continued to be achieved in the skies above Edwards.

"It [the center] has been on the cutting edge of every major development that has transformed the field of flight," continued Nolan, "the turbo jet engine; super-sonic and hyper-sonic flight; gliding return from space; the development of integrated electronic systems; fly-by wire flight controls; digital flight controls; electronic warfare; aircraft survivability; and the development of stealth technology."

In addition to speaker presentations, the anniversary event also included informational booths manned by base personnel and stationary aircraft displays of planes such as the T-38, F-16, F-22, B-1 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Edwards is currently home to six F-35s.

"We're doing what we do best," said Nolan of the F-35 test program. "Through successful developmental testing, we are turning an aircraft into a successful operational platform capable of delivering lethal force against enemies of our nation."

With the ceremonial cutting of the 60th anniversary cake, the AFFTC celebrated its longevity and accomplishments.

"To the men and women of the Air Force Flight Test Center and our family and friends, thank you for all that you do for our nation," said Nolan.

He concluded with, "Happy 60th birthday, I wish you many more."