Warplanes of the USA: California, Palmdale, Joe Davies Heritage Airpark

California Warplanes, Palmdale, Joe Davies Heritage Airpark

Palmdale, Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42, 2001 East Ave P, 93550. (661) 267-5300. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11 AM to 4 PM. Located between 20th Street East and 25th Street East on Avenue P. Guided tours available on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7 AM to 11 AM.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Boeing B-52F-105-BO Stratofortress (Serial No. 57-0038), C/N 17432.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Boeing B-747-SR-46 (Serial No. 20781), NASA 911. Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (JSC), Reg. No. N911NA. c/n 20781, l/n 221. Built 1973 for Japan Airlines as JA8117. Returned to Boeing in 1988 and converted to a carrier aircraft to support the Space Shuttle program, joining NASA in October that year.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

(Skytamer.com, John Shupek Photo)

Canadair CL-13 Sabre Mk. 5, ex-RCAF (Serial No. 23231), Reg. No. N91FS.

(aeroprints.com Photo)

(Alan Wilson Photos)

Curtiss C-46D-15-CU Commando (Serial No. 44-78019).

(Alan Wilson Photos)

Dornier 328-300 (X-55 ACCA), c/n 3099, Reg. No. N807LM. Air Force Research Laboratory, Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

(aeroprints.com Photo)

Douglas A-4C Skyhawk (BuNo. 145067), c/n 12313, 89.

General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon (Serial No. 84-1228), c/n 5C-65, composite aircraft built from two crashed airframes, used as a radar target on a tower. It has a large mounting under the rear fuselage which is where it attached to the tower and is raised and lowered when required. Most of the airframe is from F-16C 84-1228, which was written off on 5 Jan 1989 after suffering multiple birdstrikes on take-off at Shaw AFB. The rear comes from F-16B 78-0105, c/n 62-31, which crashed in the Gulf of Mexico on 27 March 1981 after a fuel pump failure.

(aeroprints.com Photo)

(Alan Wilson Photos)

(Steve Riggins Photo)

Grumman F-14D-170-GR Super Tomcat (BuNo. 164350), AJ-103, VF-31.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (Serial No. 51-4533), c/n 580-5828.

(aeroprints.com Photo)

(Alan Wilson Photos)

Lockheed F-104C-LO Starfighter (Serial No. 57-0915).

Lockheed F-104N Starfighter (Serial No. ), 812, Reg. No. N812NA.

Lockheed U-2R (Serial No. 80-1098), BB.

(aeroprints.com Photo)

(Alan Wilson Photos)

Lockheed C-140 Jetstar, c/n 5003, NASA 814, Reg. No. N814NA. On 22nd April 1961, this Jetstar set 18 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) records in one day. Piloted by famed aviatrix Jackie Cochran, the records were set using the following route:- New Orleans–Boston–Gander–Shannon–London–Paris–Bonn, with refueling stops at Gander and Shannon. At the time the aircraft was registered N172L and named The Scarlett O’Hara. Later, it became a research aircraft with NASA, flying as N814NA, callsing NASA 4. The wings were modified to explore laminar control, while the pylon on the upper fuselage was apparently for testing advance technology propellors. Joe Davies Heritage Airpark, Palmdale.