Let’s start with the first typo of the log
The Sabre at Palmdale museum is of course N91FS, not N41FS. Thanks to Rod for pointing this out. The T-33 is confirmed as being present there, while the F-5 was indeed under restoration in a shelter (not visible in the dark though). I didn’t mention the NASA B.747 by the way, as I consider NASA to be civilian (I know, such personal choices are what make this hobby interesting to discuss during long drives..).
Today was, as said, supposed to be the highlight of the trip, with the open day at Edwards. Maybe I am spoiled, but to be honest I was disappointed a bit. What saved the day for me was being able to photograph the preserved aircraft at the gate (Century Circle) and also at the Flight Test Museum (including the unique A-10B twin seater). However especially the flying part of the show itself was both not too interesting for me and impossible to photograph because of the backlight.
Many logs of the show have been posted already, so I won’t bore you with mine. If somebody would like to see the log anyway, let me know. I do have a few questions though:
-KC-135 57-1437 in the static was confirmed by the crew as being operated by 370 FTS, is this also the case for 62-3553 that flew? It is in the Scramble database as 91 ARW.
-F/A-18s 163993 and 164058 were seen near the NASA area. Have these been transferred (and got a NASA registration) or are these just stored as I saw mentioned somewhere, maybe for future use by NASA?
-R5O-4 Lodestar N250JR (former C-60A 42-32186) was also in the static, marked as US Navy aircraft with a white triangle with red outline and code S in it on the tail. I searched the web for these markings, but couldn’t find a unit that used them, are they real or just fake? See here for a photo: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10751361
-And finally on the far side, near the stored museum aircraft, was also a B-52, possibly an operational one. Did anyone manage to id this?
After the show we had to move again to our next hotel, about halfway the low flying area we woud visit tomorrow. On the way we passed Mojave, so we made a quick stop.
Mojave air and space port
54-1639 C-130A std, fuselage, no tail, no mks
(N403FS) QF-4C pr, ex 64-0741, no mks
N2399V L-39C ex USSR AF, c/n 031633
(?) L-19? std, frame
AT-151 TF-35 pr (N166TP), no mks
(AR-119) RF-35 dump (N119XD), mid fuselage
The two preserved aircraft are near the entrance and can be photographed easily. When we next stopped near the stored Hercules however, within two minutes a security guy arrived and told us photography on the airfield is not allowed. As discussion seemed pointless, we moved on, had a very brief look at the west side of the airfield and then left (missing at least another L-39, seen while driving away).
And that was it for today, no more stops until we reached our hotel. Hopefully somebody can help me with the multiple requests of this day…
That’s all folks!
Patrick Dirksen
Tristar Aviation
