Page 12 - Aerospace Valley Heritage - Aerotech News and Review, October 15, 2021

High-speed birdwatching:

Aerospace Valley’s Joe Davies Heritage Airpark

by Larry Grooms stay on the job until about 2025. Conceived
special to Aerotech News in the 1970s in the General Dynamics plant in
Fort Worth, Texas, and first produced in 1978,
Although secrets beyond the guarded gates of the F-16 evolved to become one of the most
Air Force Plant 42 are hidden from public view, advanced combat aircraft of its day, leaning
there is a wide window on the perimeter where on new technologies that had never before
visitors can walk among many of the aerospace been integrated into a single aircraft. During
wonders to have emerged from this iconic Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the F-16s in
birthplace of American aerospace supremacy. one day showed their versatility by bombing
The Joe Davies Heritage Airpark, located at Iraqi airfields, providing close-support air cover
2001 East Ave. P (Rancho Vista Blvd.) is a 26- for infantry and shooting down an advanced
acre outdoor showcase for military and civilian model MiG. About 4,500 F-16s in various
aircraft and missiles flown, tested, designed, configurations have been sold to 26 nations.
produced or modified at Air Force Plant 42 since
the Army Air Corps first established operations AGM-28 Hound Dog Missile #M-025 — Built
at the local airport during World War II. by North American Aviation, the Hound Dog was
The most recent Heritage Airpark exhibit an air-launched supersonic nuclear cruise missile
inventory lists 21 aircraft, not including spy designed to destroy heavily defended ground
planes displayed in the Flight Test Museum targets. Never used in combat, the Hound Dog
Foundation’s nearby Blackbird Airpark. Air Corps transport, the C-46 was acquired from first in the U.S. Air Force Century Series of is on display not only in Palmdale, but also in
Both museum sites may be viewed from the Arizona Aerospace Foundation/Pima Air & fighter aircraft. the Cold War exhibits wing of the Museum of
roadside at any time but are open to the public Space Museum. the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Beginning
on Saturdays and Sundays. There is no charge F-104 Starfighter BuNo. 57-0915 — Built by in 1959-1960, Strategic Air Command B-52
for admission. Under COVID-19 restrictions, F-101 Voodoo BuNo. 58-0324 — Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corp., the F-104 on display bombers carried two AGM-28s, one beneath each
Palmdale’s Joe Davies Heritage Airpark was McDonnell Aircraft, the F-101 Voodoo made was used at the Air Force Test Pilot School at wing. Had war broken out, Hound Dogs would
open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. as of mid-September, but its first flight on Sept. 29, 1954, and the first Edwards AFB and flown by the late Lt. Col. have been launched at 45,000 feet, then climbed
may have been later extended to 3 p.m. Under production F-101 became operational in May Robert Riedenauer. Designed by the famed to more than 56,000 feet and cruised more
normal circumstances, the Joe Davies Heritage 1957. By the time production ended in 1961, Lockheed Skunk Works team led by Kelly than 600 miles before diving onto targets. The
Airpark is open to visitors from 11 a.m. until 4 McDonnell had built 785 Voodoos including Johnson, the first F-104 flew in 1958 in the role missile’s range allowed long-distance ”stand-
p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. For current 480 two-seat, all-weather interceptors, plus the of fighter-interceptor. Under several variations off” launching, reducing risk to B-52s. The
information or to schedule guided group tours, world’s first supersonic photo-recon aircraft. The introduced during the 1960s and later, Lockheed AGM-28A entered service with the Strategic Air
call the City of Palmdale Parks and Recreation RF-101s were used for low-altitude coverage and America’s NATO and Japanese partners Command (SAC) in December 1959. Almost 700
Department at 661-267-5611. during the 1962 Cuban Crisis and later in produced 2,578 Starfighters. AGM-28s were built before production ended
Southeast Asia. in 1963. In 1976 the AGM-28s were removed
The Airpark Flightline F-105 Thunderchief BuNo. 62-4416 — Built from alert status, and the last Hound Dogs left
Designed to accommodate up to 40 static F-100 Super Sabre BuNo. 54-2299 — The by Republic Aviation Corp. in Farmingdale, the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1978.
aircraft displays, the Heritage Airpark had 21 of first supersonic American fighter aircraft and N.Y., the Mach 2-capable F-105 Thunderchief
the following aircraft in place as of mid-2021. the first to be installed at the Airpark was the prototype first flew as the YF-105A in October of B-52 Stratofortress BuNo. 57-0038 —
B-2 Spirit SN 88-0330 — A 1:8 scale model North American Aviation-built F-100 Super 1955, with the first production F-105B accepted Presence of the B-52 Stratofortress, although
of the Northrop Grumman bomber, custom-built Sabre. On the model’s first flight low level flyby by the Air Force in May. 1957. The F-105 was originally built by the Boeing Company as a
for and donated by Northrop Grumman Corp, at Air Force Plant 42 in 1953, the YF-100A named Thunderchief, continuing the sequence strategic bomber, has a different significance
which built America’s fleet of B-2 Spirit stealth unexpectedly caused a sonic boom. The F-100 of the company’s Thunder-named aircraft, for its place of honor in the Joe Davies Heritage
bombers. Behind closed hangar doors at Plant on display was flown as a USAF Thunderbird starting with the legendary World War II P-47 Airpark. Here, the B-52s made history by serving
42, the company is completing the first in a during a Far East Tour in 1959. The F-100 was Thunderbolt, and the F-84F Thunderstreak. In as the launching platforms for experimental
new line of stealthy, long-range heavy strategic the first Air Force fighter/bomber to see action a case of history repeating itself, Vietnam War research aircraft leading up to America’s Space
bombers, the B-21 Raider. in the Vietnam War, flying 360,283 combat pilots and crews nicknamed the F-107 “THUD,” Shuttle Orbiters.
sorties, more than all other fixed wing aircraft just as their World War II forebears called the
C-46 Commando BuNo. 44-78019-A — Built in Vietnam. Between 1953 and 1959, North Thunderbolt “Jugs.” A 1960s F-105 version NASA Boeing 747 Tail #N911NA — Built
by Curtiss-Wright as a World War II era Army American Aviation produced 2,294 F-100s, the used to hunt and kill anti-aircraft missile sites by the Boeing Company, NASA 911NA Space
was named Wild Weasel. Weighing-in at about Shuttle Carrier Aircraft was the second SCA
50,000 lbs., the F-105 was the largest single-seat, Boeing 747-100SR-46 version. Built in 1973 to
single-engine combat aircraft in history. Flying enter service with Japan Air Lines, the aircraft
more than 20,000 sorties, F-105s accounted for was obtained by NASA in 1989 and modified
the highest number of strike bombing missions by Boeing into the shuttle carrier configuration.
during the early years of the war in Southeast Delivered to NASA on Nov. 20, 1990, the
Asia, with 382 aircraft lost. aircraft amassed 33,004 flight hours before
ending its 38-year flight career in February 2012.
F-14 Tomcat BuNo. 16-4350 — Thanks in part That included 386 flights as a NASA shuttle
to a starring role in the Hollywood blockbuster carrier aircraft, 66 of which were flights with a
Top Gun, one of the glamourous attractions at the space shuttle mounted atop the fuselage. It flew
Joe Davies Airpark is Northrop Grumman’s F-14 17 of the post-shuttle-landing ferry flights from
Tomcat. First flown in late 1970 and deployed Edwards to Kennedy. NASA 911 is on public
in ’74, the F-14 served as the U.S. Navy’s display at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark under
primary maritime air superiority fighter, fleet a long-term loan agreement with NASA.
defense interceptor and tactical reconnaissance
platform into the 2000s. The Low Altitude “Triumph” Prototype Business Jet SN
Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night W143SC — In both symbolic and practical ways,
(LANTIRN) pod system, tested at Edwards AFB, the synergistic relationships and partnerships
was added in the 1990s and the Tomcat began that propel technological advancement in
performing precision ground-attack missions. America’s Aerospace Valley are represented by
The Tomcat was retired in 2006, supplanted by “Triumph,” a museum donation from world-
the Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet. famous designer and Scaled Composites founder
Photograph by Evelyn Kristo Burt Rutan. Although Scaled Composites was
An F-100 Super Sabre aircraft is on display at the Joe Davies Heritage Air Park located at 2001 F-16 Fighting Falcon BuNo. 78-0105 — founded and continues it cutting-edge projects
E. Avenue P in Palmdale, Calif. The aircraft was flown by former state politician, combat pilot, test Dubbed “Old Salty,” by the Airpark’s volunteer at Mojave Air and Space Port, the company is
pilot and astronaut, William J. “Pete” Knight, who went on to set a world speed record of Mach bird-keepers, the Lockheed Martin-built and a wholly-owned but independently-operated
6.7 in an X-15A2. Knight also served as the mayor of Palmdale before continuing in state politics. donated multi-role air superiority fighter is old unit of Northrop Grumman. “Triumph,” is cited
The outdoor museum centers around displays of aircraft that portray the valley’s rich aerospace but far from being a museum piece. It’s still as a perfect example of a Scaled project that
heritage. Hours for the aircraft museum are Friday-Sunday 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.
in the air defense workforce and expected to See AIRPARK, Page 13

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