• August 22, 1951: Frank K. Everest, Jr. - Aviator Extraordinaire

    The Bell X-1D was jettisoned from its B-50 mother ship and destroyed during the climb to altitude for its second mission. The rocket plane’s fuel system had malfunctioned and the flight was aborted. An explosion and fire took place when a violent reaction took place between liquid oxygen and an

  • August 21, 2003: Czechoslovakian Aircraft Arrives at Test Pilot School

    A Czech L-39 Albatross was delivered to the Test Pilot School for a six-month trial of its flight capabilities as a partial replacement for the retired T-39 fleet. The aircraft was a trainer and light-attack jet that had been a standard trainer for Warsaw Pact countries during the Cold War.The Aero

  • August 20, 1946: Army Air Forces’ Future Flight-Test Needs

    Colonel Signa A. Gilkey, Muroc Army Air Field commander, submitted to SBAMA the Land Purchase Requirements necessary to accommodate the Army Air Forces’ future flight-test needs. Approximately 190 square miles of additional private land adjoining the base on the north, west, and south would be

  • August 19, 1960: Inertia Measuring Test Platform

    A vein of silver ore was discovered beneath the weight and balance hangar during the course of excavating for the massive foundation of the Inertia Measuring Test Platform. The discovery ignited a brief but intense excitement in the local area. To recover the ore, however, would require destroying

  • August 18, 1951: Bendix Aerospace Trophy

    The 1951 Bendix Transcontinental Trophy Race was launched from the main ramp. This was the first all-jet bomber and fighter air race in aviation history. Three B-45s, three F-84s and two F-86s took off for a 1,900 mile nonstop flight to the finish line in Detroit, Michigan. Colonel Keith Compton won

  • August 17, 1951: Rebuild Edwards Base Refueling System

    Air Force Flight Test Center supply and contract personnel completed a complete redesign and rebuild of the Base Refueling System. The old network of buried fuel pipes, subject to corrosion and ground contamination, was replaced by an entire above-ground system that would be easier and cheaper to

  • August 16, 1967: Project HICAT

    A U-2 Dragonlady and a C-130 Hercules aircraft, along with support equipment and personnel, returned to the Air Force Flight Test Center from a test support project in Australia. Project HICAT involved missions flown from various locations in Australia and New Zealand. Data gathered would be useful

  • August 15, 2011: Edwards Privatized Housing Paused

    The Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Jennifer Miller, directed actions related to the upcoming Continental Group Housing Privatization project be put on hold. This housing privatization project included Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), Calif., Eglin AFB, Florida (Fla).,

  • August 14, 1964: Fast Coin Program Execution

    A Helio Aircraft Corp. U-10B liaison and light cargo aircraft began a series of high altitude takeoff and landing performance tests as part of the Fast Coin program. The tests were conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, at the Air Force Flight Test Center’s High Altitude Test Site near Bishop,

  • August 13, 2004: C-17 Globemaster III Passes Feasibility Test

    The C-17 Globemaster III Combined Task Force successfully airdropped an Army Stryker Engineer Squad Vehicle equipped with a Mobile Gun System as part of a feasibility test. The 52,500 pound armored vehicle was extracted from the transport some 12 feet above the lakebed.The Infantry Carrier

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