Nice little airshow tonight

[DesertTortoise]

One of the benefits of being on the downwind leg of the touch and go pattern of a major military airfield, in this case Plant 42 at Palmdale, is seeing some interesting aircraft in flight. Tonights featured aircraft were one of only four remaining S-3B Vikings in service (NASA operates one and VX-30 at NAS Point Mugu operates 3 for range clearance off the California coast and the one seen tonight wore VX-30 markings) and a mighty B-2 Spirit. Boy is that thing loud! I have never seen one with my own eyes before so it was a real treat. The last pass over the fiancees house it was cleaned up and departing the pattern to the northeast. What a sight to see.

Plant 42 is the home of the Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works, Boeing Phantom Works (copycats!) and a big Northrop-Grumman plant that builds UAVs and who knows what else. It is the place where the U-2, A-11, SR-71, F-117, B-1, B-2, RQ-180 and probably a few more no one is talking about were born.

 

[super-sweeper]

Sounds fun,I remember seeing the Blue Angels perform in an airshow years ago, and a while back there was some planes in the sky spelling perfect words in the sky! I'm near the airport,I love seeing the blinking planes fly miles above me from my bedroom window!

 

[DesertTortoise]

These were close enough to see the tail markings on the Hoover (what we called the old S-3 Viking in the Navy due to the sound of it's turbofan engines, the pilots even wore Hoover logos on their flight suits and I am sure Hoover vacuum approved). You could look up into the wheel wells of the B-2.

 

[suckolux]

Sounds like fun

 

[super-sweeper]

I'll have to look up that S-3 Viking sometime!