• December 10, 1954: Dr. John Stapp - Testing Pioneer

    Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Stapp, M.D., reached a speed of 632mph within five seconds on the high-speed rocket sled test track at Holloman AFB, NM. Colonel Stapp, who had conducted his initial researches at Edwards AFB, was subjected to 19 G acceleration and 40 Gs deceleration during his ride on

  • December 9, 2003: B-1B Combined Test Force Evaluations

    Release of two Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) from the forward bay, two Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOWs) from the middle bay, and two wind-controlled munitions dispensers (WCMD) from the aft bay of B‑1B s/n 85-0068 took place, in a Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force mission piloted

  • December 8, 1941: GB-1 Glide Bomb Testing

    A successful test of the GB-1 glide bomb was flown. The GB-1 was a preset, gyro-stabilized weapon with no remote or homing control, designed to be released a safe distance from a target area by a B-17 or B-25 delivery aircraft. Like all of the GB-series, it consisted of a conventional 2,000

  • December 7, 2009: Mojave Air and Space Port

    In a ceremony at the Mojave Air and Space Port, Mojave, California, Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic unveiled SpaceShipTwo. Some 800 people attended the event, among them Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Bill Richardson of New Mexico, aerospace executives, future astronauts and

  • December 6, 1943: B-24 Replacement Aircrew Training

    The 382d Bombardment Group, a Replacement Training Unit, was activated at Muroc AAF with its constituent 536th, 537th, 538th and 539th Bombardment Squadrons. The new group was formed in order to train replacements for B-24 aircrews lost in combat. This was a significant step in developing the

  • December 5, 1986: Scobee Auditorium Dedication

    The Test Pilot School’s auditorium was dedicated in honor of Maj Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, mission commander of the Space Shuttle Challenger at the time of its destruction in a fatal explosion the previous January..Francis Richard Scobee was an American pilot, engineer and astronaut. He

  • December 4, 2008: T-38 Aileron Actuator Production

    The 412th Maintenance Squadron’s machine shop completed production of 100 new aileron actuator levers for the Air Force’s T-38 Talon fleet. Aileron actuator levers controlled the flaps on the T-38’s wings to keep the aircraft level. Since T-38 production ended in 1972, most of the aircraft still had

  • December 3, 2001: EC-135C “Big Crow” Returns From International Testing

    By this day, the EC-135C “Big Crow” and its support crew (Det 2, 418 FLTS; Det 1, 370 FLTS) have returned to the continental United States. While in theater, the Big Crow aircraft had supported military operations based out of Thumrait, Oman. All told, the aircraft conducted 15 electronic combat

  • December 2, 1987: USAF-NASA Sikorsky Helicopter Testing

    The Rotor System Research Aircraft  (RSRA) X-Wing made its first flight, flown by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) test pilot Warren Hall and Sikorsky Aircraft test pilot Dick Faull. Sikorsky built the highly unusual Rotor Systems Research Aircraft for a joint Defense

  • December 1, 1999: Edwards AFB Emergency Room Closes

    Edwards Air Force Base emergency room closed permanently; from that date forward, a team of 10 paramedics responded to all emergency calls.  The Secretary of the Air Force approved the permanent closure of the Edwards AFB Emergency Room effective 1 December 1999. The 95th Medical Group planned

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