Posted on 06/21/2005 12:14:31 PM PDT by BenLurkin
EDWARDS AFB - After taking a year off, the Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Air Show returns with a bang - and a boom and a roar - on Oct. 22 and 23. The free event will feature seldom-seen aircraft in the air and on the ground as the base pulls out all the stops to showcase military and civilian aviation.
"It's looking real good," said Edwards spokesman John Haire of the tentative show lineup, expected to feature more flying than in recent years.
Making its aerial debut at Edwards will be the unmanned Predator, used in combat for reconnaissance and delivering weapons.
The F/A-22 Raptor is scheduled to perform, as is the B-2 stealth bomber and its predecessor, Jack Northrop's N9M flying wing.
Edwards' air show institution Brig. Gen. Chuck Yeager will again make an aerial appearance, this time piloting a P-51 Mustang, the airplane he commanded as a World War II ace.
Adding to the World War II excitement will be Tora! Tora! Tora!, a Pearl Harbor re-enactment performance.
The group, from the Commemorative Air Force, has been performing for more than 30 years and is known for the best pyrotechnic show in the industry, Haire said.
Acclaimed aerobatic pilot Julie Clark will perform, returning after an absence of almost 20 years.
"She's probably one of the best - if not the best - aviatrix in the world right now," Haire said. "She's just a great, great person, one of the best performers in the business."
On the ground, Edwards will be the only base in the West to display the X-45A unmanned combat aerial vehicle and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter , as well as the unmanned Global Hawk and CV-22 tilt rotor.
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, at the base, will provide its array of one-of-a-kind research aircraft.
Returning after an absence of nearly five years is the Experimental Aircraft Association. Members from this international organization will display examples of their often unique home-built aircraft.
Parking and admission to the two-day event is free. Flying is slated to begin each day at 10 a.m. and continue to about 4 p.m.
More details about the Open House and Air Show are available at www.edwards.af.mil or (661) 277-3510.
Each year, the event draws hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts to view operational and research aircraft, as well as stunning aerial demonstrations by military and civilian pilots.
Always thought it would be a great gag to get the talking heads going, to build a rather conventional aircraft with rather unconventional outer features. A sheep in wolfs clothing so to speak. Do one or two passes, and let the world see a really strange looking craft and let them wonder. ;)
Hands down, this is the best airshow on the West coast. Make it if you can because you will see things that are unique to flight testing.
Absolutely. It's always a great show.
Shhhh.
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