Edwards Air Force Base (EDW, KEDW)

[Barry Griffiths]

Northrop T-38C Talon USAF 65-10382 445th FLTS & Boeing C-17A Globemaster III USAF 03-3121

[Barry Griffiths]

LAUNCH: Northrop T-38C Talon USAF 65-10382 445th FLTS

[Barry Griffiths]

Northrop T-38C Talon USAF 65-10382 445th FLTS & B-52H Stratofortress 60-0036

[bilwor]

Lockheed NF-104A Starfighter cn183-1048 USAF 56-0760. A supersonic aerospace trainer that served as a low-cost astronaut training vehicle for the X-15 and projected X-20 Dyna-Soar programs. The modifications included a small supplementary rocket engine and a reaction control system for flight in the upper atmosphere.

[Barry Griffiths]

NASA Vought TF-8A Crusader (SCW), Vought F-8C Crusader Digital Fly-By-Wire (DFBW), Grumman X-29

[Barry Griffiths]

"The Right Stuff"
Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager "The Right Stuff" by Barry Griffiths, on Flickr

[bilwor]

Barry i especially like the three on of a kind NASA aircraft. You don't see many photos of them. Well done.

[Barry Griffiths]

Thanks, Bill ------------ it was a great line-up.

[Tower Guy]

Bill & Barry, great shots, one and all, looks like you guys had a ball out there.

[Jeff D. Welker]

Lockheed NF-104A Starfighter cn183-1048 USAF 56-0760. A supersonic aerospace trainer that served as a low-cost astronaut training vehicle for the X-15 and projected X-20 Dyna-Soar programs. The modifications included a small supplementary rocket engine and a reaction control system for flight in the upper atmosphere.

Sir William - my father loved this image - so did I. Thanks for sharing.

[bilwor]

You're welcome Jeff and thanks for the comments
bill

[bilwor]

Northrop HL-10 'Lifting Body' cnNB-102 N804NA NASA 804 a by Bill Word, on Flickr

Northrop HL-10 'Lifting Body' cnNB-102 N804NA NASA 804 b by Bill Word, on Flickr

The HL-10 was one of five aircraft built in the Lifting Body Research Program. It was a NASA design and was built to evaluate "inverted airfoil" lifting body and delta planform. It was flown 37 times, from December 1966 to July 1970, during the lifting body research program and logged the highest altitude and fastest speed in the Lifting Body to study and validate the concept of safely maneuvering and landing a low lift-over-drag vehicle for reentry from space. Wingless lifting bodies attained aerodynamic stability and lift from the shape of the vehicle. Lift resulted from more air pressure on the
bottom of the body than on the top. They used energy and aerodynamic lift for in-flight maneuvering and a powerless, glider-like landing.

[bilwor]

LTV TF-8A 'Crusader-Supercritical Wing'  USN 141353 N810NA NASA 810 b by Bill Word, on Flickr

LTV TF-8A 'Crusader-Supercritical Wing'  USN 141353 N810NA NASA 810 c by Bill Word, on Flickr

LTV TF-8A "Crusader/Supercritical Wing" (USN 141353)(N810NA)(NASA 810)(Rockwell International's North American Aircraft Division was awarded the $1.8 million contract to fabricate the supercritical wing. It was delivered to NASA in December 1969. The supercritical wing was a new tailoring of an airfoil design that delayed the formation and reduced the strength of the shock wave over the wing just below and above the speed of sound. Delaying shock wave formation at these high speeds resulted in less drag. Compared to a conventional wing, the supercritical wing (SCW) is flatter on the top and rounder on the bottom with a downward curve at the trailing edge. Results of NASA supercritical wing research showed that aircraft using the concept would have increased cruising speed, improved fuel efficiency, and greater flight range. Supercritical wings are now commonplace on virtually every modern subsonic commercial transport.

[bilwor]

Grumman X-29 'Advanced Technology Demonstrator Aircraft' USAF 82-0049 N049NA NASA b by Bill Word, on Flickr

Grumman X-29 'Advanced Technology Demonstrator Aircraft' USAF 82-0049 N049NA NASA c by Bill Word, on Flickr

Grumman X-29 "Advanced Technology Demonstrator Aircraft" (USAF 82-0049)(N049NA)(NASA 049) (Built from Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter airframe USAF 65-10573)(The X-29 was an experimental aircraft that tested a forward-swept wing, canard control surfaces. The aerodynamic instability of the airframe required the use of computerized fly-by-wire control. Composite materials were used to control the aeroelastic divergent twisting experienced by forward-swept wings, also reducing the weight. The X-29 first flew in 1984.)

[bilwor]

Boeing C-135C 'Stratolifter' ('Specked Trout') cn18345 USAF 61-2269 a by Bill Word, on Flickr

Boeing C-135C "Stratolifter" ("Specked Trout") (18345) (USAF 61-2269)(412th Flight Test Squadron Edwards AFB, Speckled Trout is the official name of a combined SAF/CSAF support mission and concurrent test mission. It was also the official nickname given to the squadron and the C-135C, 61-2669 that was used by the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force for executive transport requirements. Fully equipped with an array of communications equipment, data links and cryptographic sets, the aircraft served a secondary role as a testbed for proposed command and control systems and was also used to evaluate future transport aircraft The name Speckled Trout was chosen in honor of an early program monitor, Faye Trout, who assisted in numerous phases of the project. The word "speckled" was added because Trout apparently had "a lot of freckles."