Free Republic

PALMDALE - The latest, and largest, addition to the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Air Force Plant 42 is readying for its debut. The massive B-52 Stratofortress bomber is undergoing restoration and reassembly at the airpark at Avenue P and 25th Street East. Thanks to mostly favorable weather conditions and speedy work, the project is expected to be completed by next week, about half the originally estimated time, said Tim Hughes, deputy Public Works director. The city hired Oklahoma-based Turnlow Company to complete the project. "They were highly recommended," Hughes said. The company, one of three which submitted bids to...

PALMDALE - It took more than six years and thousands of volunteer hours to transform a dusty corner into the Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark, a showcase for the many noteworthy aircraft conceived, designed, tested and built at the nearby facilities. Lovingly restored aircraft were silhouetted against the setting sun Friday night as guests gathered beneath an elegant tent to celebrate and officially dedicate the airpark and recognize the tremendous efforts of volunteers and donors to make it a reality. "There aren't many monuments dedicated to what (aerospace workers) have done," Mayor Jim Ledford said. "This is the beginning. This...

A member of the Scottsdale City Council who said military jets weren't welcome at Scottsdale Airport has issued a formal apology after an avalanche of critical e-mails and phone calls.

PALMDALE - Many students spend spring break partying at the beach or on the slopes. However, a handful of Antelope Valley College airframe and powerplant students spent two days of their spring break restoring airplanes for display at Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark on Avenue P between 20th and 25th streets west. Jerry Shatzer, 46, and Betsy Luahiwa, 45, kept busy manufacturing a panel to cover an access panel near the tail end of a 1960s-era Navy A-4 Skyhawk, while Stephen Lopez, 39, Tim Gaines and James Dillard, 21, worked on the top of plane. "We're covering access panels no...