• September 11, 2009: Shuttle Discovery Lands at Edwards

    Following a successful journey into space of more than 5.7 million miles, space shuttle “Discovery” and its crew of seven touched down on Runway 22L at  the Air Force Flight Test Center. The mission, designated STS-128, delivered two refrigerator-sized science racks to the International Space

  • September 10, 1940: Muroc AAF Buildup

    Reflecting the nation’s overall military buildup on the eve of World War II, construction began on temporary housing facilities and an administrative building for the bombing range. Over the next several weeks, work began on barracks, a medical facility, ordnance magazines, a railroad spur and

  • September 9, 1944: Birth of Military Flight Testing

    The United States Army Air Forces Air Technical Service Command Flight Test Training Unit was established at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio. Maj Ralph C. Hoewing was named Officer in Charge. The Army’s test pilots would henceforth receive formal classroom and cockpit instruction in flight testing

  • September 8, 1999: Helios Unmanned Vehicle Prototype Testing

    The Helios prototype Unmanned Aerial Vehicle made its first flight. The unmanned flying wing spanned 247 feet and was designed ultimately to reach 100,000 feet and to fly missions lasting four days or more. The first flight of the Helios was cut short when an emergency parachute accidentally

  • September 7, 2004: Col Frank Birk Flight Test Champion

    The South Base facility was named the Birk Flight Test Facility in memory of the notable contributions Colonel (Ret) Frank T. Birk made to flight test. Colonel Birk, who had served as Director of the B-2 Combined Test Force, had retired in June 1993 and died 2 August 1993 as a result of injuries

  • September 6, 1961: 6515th Maintainer Performs Heroic Act

    An alert aircraft mechanic with the 6515th Flight Line Maintenance Squadron averted a major catastrophe by removing a burning oxygen cart from the vicinity of several aircraft being serviced. Airman First Class Sammy A. Williamson later was awarded the Airmen’s Medal for his feat.The Airman’s

  • September 4, 1958: YH-40 Helicopter Rescue

    An Air Force Flight Test Center crew, using a Bell YH-40 helicopter undergoing testing at Edwards Air Force Base, rescued a seriously injured mountain climber from Iceberg Lake in the High Sierras near Bishop, California. The helicopter, a predecessor of the HU-1A Huey, was the first to be equipped

  • September 3, 1980: B-52 Tests Offensive Avionics System

    Flight testing of the B-52 Offensive Avionics System (OAS) began at the Boeing facility in Wichita, Kansas. Although the Air Force Flight Test Center was the designated RTO for the program, the OAS program office had designated Wichita as the test site. The new OAS was designed to replace the

  • September 2, 2004: Raptor Test Fires Joint Direct Air-to-Ground Munition

    Following release from an F-22 at 30,000 feet altitude, an inert satellite-guided 1,000-pound guided bomb unit (GBU-32) Joint Direct Air-to-Ground Munition (JDAM) weapon shape successfully hit its target on the Air Force Flight Test Center’s Precision Impact Range Area. The test reportedly marked

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