Posted on 10/10/2005 9:34:19 AM PDT by BenLurkin
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Planning for the upcoming open house on Oct. 22 and 23 is hitting a fever pitch as base officials finalize one of the most diverse air shows to hit the Antelope Valley and Los Angeles area in years. This year there will be just under seven hours of continuous flying featuring nearly 34 separate flight demonstrations; more than triple those of most shows common to southern California.
Some highlights include a special performance by aviation legend Chuck Yeager flying a P-51 Mustang, the same type of aircraft Yeager flew when he became an ace in World War II. Yeager will also join in a one-of-a-kind flight with the F/A-22 and F-16, the only open house in the world that this event will take place. The Army precision parachute team the Golden Knights will make two performances each day of the open house.
In addition spectators will see demonstrations of the B-1, B-52, F/A-22, and N9M (America's first true flying wing.) Additional demonstrations include heritage flights by the Air Force Training Command and a P-38 Lightning and F-16, demonstrations by an F-86 and MiG 15 plus a B-25, aerial refueling demonstration, glider acts, C-17 air drops and more.
For the first time in more than five years, NASA Dryden will have demonstrations featuring the ER-2, F-15 ACTIVE, F/A-18 and special T-34.
Special performances will feature Julie Clark flying her "Mopar" T-34. Clark is one of America's finest women aviators and has a superior career not only from performances at dozens of the finest air shows in the U.S. and Canada but also from a fully successful career as a command pilot in the airline industry.
Clark is joined by Tora Tora Tora, flying vintage World War II Japanese and American aircraft that re-enact the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tora Tora Tora is renowned in the airshow industry as having the world's best pyrotechnic performance. And, there is a special performance planned by the Dutch precision flight demonstration team.
The air show will feature about one mile of static displays featuring nearly 90 separate aircraft including the Lunar Lander from NASA, the NASA 747, F/A-22, F-117, NASA B-52 that carried the X-15, World War II, Korean and Vietnam era aircraft to include the MiG, Japanese Zero, AC-47, B-17, YAK-52, JUH-1 HIND demonstrator and much more.
Additionally the public won't want to miss the CV-22, the worlds first operational tilt rotor aircraft; the J-UCAS the world's only unmanned attack aircraft; the Predator, which flies daily missions combating al-Qaida and the Global Hawk which provided enough intelligence to ground commanders during Operation Iraqi Freedom to result in the destruction of almost 60% of Iraq's armored forces.
The Open House also features a world class crafts bizarre and a special treat for young pilots called "Kids Korner." "Kid's Korner" is a special feature where children, ages 3 to 10, actively participate in aviation projects, and literally have a day of fun in creative ways designed just for our younger fans.
Parking and admission is free with no hidden charges. Limited bleacher seating is available that is also free.
Edwards AFB is north of Los Angeles on the Antelope Valley Freeway or about one hour from Westwood or Brentwood. As the sight of over 300 world aviation records, more than any other location on Earth, Edwards AFB annually injects $440 million into the California economy in salaries with a contract benefit of $67 million in general contracts and $138 million in contracts for small business, handicapped and minority or veteran owned businesses.
Gates open at 7 a.m. and the open house will close around 4 p.m. Information on the open house can be found at www.edwards.af.mil
Lookie heah PING
I WANNA GO!!!!
Must figure out how to get there...
;-)
I've always wanted to attend an openhouse/airshow at Edwards. As an aside, I'll be at the openhouse at Miramar.
Now bonus Aviation trivia points to the first Freeper that can correctly answer the following:
Why was the Japanese Zero was called the "Zero"?....tic,tic,tic
On July 31, the aircraft was formally accepted for production as the Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter Model 11. The popular name was Reisen (which was an abbreviation for Rei Sentoki, or Zero Fighter), so chosen for its type number which was 0, standing for the last digit of the current Japanese year, which was 2600 in the Japanese calendar.
In the Japanese Navy the "Zero" was the A6M
Web search for accuracy. I have heard or read the story a number of times but forgot the details.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.