• September 21, 1960: 6511th Test Group Parachute

    The 6511th Test Group (Parachute) successfully air dropped a platform weighing 41,470 lbs from a C-130 at El Centro, the heaviest single weight ever dropped from an aircraft.The mission of the 6511th Test Group was to perform development testing of human escape parachutes and aerodynamic NAVAL

  • September 20, 1927: Lindbergh Land at Muroc Airfield

    Charles A. Lindbergh, en route from Los Angeles after his renowned solo transatlantic flight, landed the Spirit of St. Louis on the dry lakebed near Muroc for an impromptu inspection.Charles Lindbergh is known as the first aviator to complete a solo transatlantic flight, which he did in his

  • September 19, 1997: Speckled Trout Aircraft Mishap

    The Speckled Trout aircraft, a C-135C used as a combination executive airlift and advanced avionics/communications test bed, suffered Class A damage due to a catastrophic engine failure while landing at Naval Air Station Point Mugu. Although the Number 4 engine seized with such violence that the

  • September 18, 1963: Canberra Aircraft Arrive for Project PEE WEE

    The first of two Air Force Logistics Command RB-57Fs arrived at the Flight Test Center for performance, stability, and control evaluation as part of Project Pee Wee. The aircraft were B-57s modified for high altitude operations with much larger wings, stabilizer and rudder, TF-33 engines, and two

  • September 17, 1992: B-2 Rotary Launcher Testing

    A B-2 successfully released a 2,000 lb MK84 conventional weapon shape from the bottom position of a rotary launcher. This was the first release of a conventional bomb shape from a rotary launcher assembly on any aircraft type, and helped to pave the way for future deployment of precision guided

  • September 16, 1944: High Velocity Aircraft Rocket Testing

    An experimental air-to-ground rocket testing area was set up on the bombing range in response to an Army Air Forces requirement that all fighter and light bombardment aircraft be capable of firing the Navy 5.0" High Velocity Aircraft Rocket. The Air Technical Service Command at Dover Army Airfield,

  • September 15, 1959: Silo Launch of ICBM

    The first silo launch of a tethered, full-scale Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile took place at the Rocket Engine Test Station on Leuhman Ridge. The test missile was fitted with dummy second and third stages, and carried only a few second’s fuel in the first stage. The purpose of the test

  • September 14, 1967: NASA X-24A Lifting Body

    A C-130 brought the Martin X-24A lifting body research vehicle to the Center. The wingless aircraft was delivered to the National Aeronautics Space Administration Flight Research Center on October 5 to be mated to its B-52 launch aircraft. The X-24A program’s objective was to evaluate and develop

  • September 13, 1985: Anti-Satellite Missile Testing

    Then-Major Wilbert D.Pearson zoom-climbed a specially-configured F-15A to 80,000 feet and launched a Vought ASM-135A anti-satellite missile against an orbiting Solwind P78-1 satellite. The missile’s miniature kinetic-kill vehicle intercepted and destroyed the target satellite, which had previously

  • September 12, 1945: Flying Ram Aerial Tragedy

    Northrop’s highly innovative XP-79B Flying Ram crashed and was destroyed during its first flight. Its pilot, Harry Crosby, tried unsuccessfully to bail out. The XP-79B was the jet-powered version of an experimental rocket-propelled flying wing fighter with a reinforced leading edge, rumored to be

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