Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base is a USAF airbase located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, 7 miles (11 km) due East of Rosamond, USA at {{coor dm|34|57|N|117|52|W|}}. An airbase since 1933, Edwards' has long been a home for flight research and testing and has subsequently been home to many of the aviation's most important and daring research flights.

History

Early history

A water stop on the Southern Pacific Railroad since 1876, the site was largely unsettled until the early 20th Century. In 1910, Ralph, Clifford, and Effie Corum built a homestead on the edge of Rogers lake. The Corums would prove instrumental in attracting other settlers and building infrastructure in the area, and when a post office was commissioned for the area, they named it Muroc, a reversal of the Corum name.

Related Topics:
Southern Pacific Railroad - 1876 - 1910 - Post office

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Under the leadership of Lt. Col. Henry H. Arnold, the Army Air Corps selected a site next to the Rogers playa for a new bombing range in 1933. The airbase established to service the range was called Muroc Field. At this time, another colorful character in Edwards' history, Pancho Barnes, built her infamous Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch that would be the scene of many parties and celebrations to come.

Related Topics:
Lt. Col. - Henry H. Arnold - Army Air Corps - Pancho Barnes - Rancho Oro Verde Fly-Inn Dude Ranch

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When Arnold became Chief of the Air Corps in 1938, the service was given a renewed focus on Research and Development. Muroc Field drew attention because the nearby playa was so flat that it could even serve as a giant runway ideal for flight testing. Accordingly, the base debuted is first major test aircraft when the P-59 Airacomet, America's first jet aircraft, lifted off on October 1, 1942. Over $120 million was spent developing the base in the 1940's, and it was expanded to 301,000 acres (1,218 km²). Included in this development was the base's main 15,000 ft (4,600 m) runway which was completed in a single pour of concrete.

Related Topics:
Research and Development - P-59 Airacomet - October 1 - 1942

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The glory years of flight testing

After World War II, America found itself in an accelerating race for aerospace technology. Accordingly, the Air Force began the X-plane program in 1946, and development was largely centered at Muroc. The program grew to achieve stunning successes as the Bell X-1 became the first aircraft to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947. Public attention was now firmly centered on Muroc Field, and test activity surged enormously.

Related Topics:
World War II - X-plane - 1946 - Bell X-1 - October 14 - 1947

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So many aircraft were tested in the years after WWII that test pilots logged hundreds of hours each month, often in many different prototype planes. This inevitably led to accidents, and the death rate at Edward's surged. On January 27, 1950, the base was renamed after Glen Edwards, who died while testing a prototype Northrop YB-49. Test pilots were undeterred however, and Edwards AFB was designated the U.S. Air Force Flight Test Center on June 25, 1951. The X-plane program achieved further successes as the Bell X-2 achieved over 100,000 ft (61 km) of altitude and speeds greater than Mach 3 in 1956.

Related Topics:
January 27 - 1950 - Glen Edwards - Northrop YB-49 - June 25 - 1951 - Bell X-2 - Mach - 1956

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Throughout the 1950s, American airplanes broke absolute speed and altitude records on a regular basis at Edwards, but nothing compared with the arrival of the North American X-15 in 1961. Within a few short years, the X-15 topped Mach 4, 5, and 6, setting a speed record for manned atmospheric flight of Mach 6.7 on October 3, 1967 that stands today. As well, the X-15 became the first airplane to fly into space on July 19, 1963, when it achieved an altitude of 106,010 m (347 801 ft). Another aircraft gained world fame in the late 60's at Edwards: the Lockheed YF-12A, a precursor to the SR-71 Blackbird, shattered nine records in one day of testing at Edwards. The SR-71's full capabilities are classified to this day, but the records set on May 1, 1965 included a sustained speed of 2,070 mph (3,331 km/h) and an altitude of 80,257 ft (24,462 m).

Related Topics:
North American X-15 - October 3 - 1967 - July 19 - 1963 - Lockheed YF-12A - SR-71 Blackbird - May 1 - 1965

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On the ground

During this exciting time, extensive aviation research was also conducted on the ground at Edwards. Though they no longer exist, Edwards once hosted two rocket sled tracks that pioneered important developments and research for the Air Force. The first 2,000 ft-long track was constructed by Northrop in 1944 near what is currently the North Base. Originally intended for use as a development platform of a V-1 flying-bomb-style weapon, this project never left the drawing board. The track found use after the war as a test area for V-2 rockets captured from Germany in Operation Paperclip. Later, Dr. John Stapp appropriated the track and installed what was believed to be one of the most powerful mechanical braking systems ever constructed http://www.edwards.af.mil/history/docs_html/people/stapp_biography.html for use in his famous deceleration tests.

Related Topics:
Rocket sled - V-1 - V-2 - Operation Paperclip - John Stapp

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The incredible results from the first track prompted the Air Force to investigate building a second, and in 1948 a new 10,000 ft (3,048 m) track was completed just south of Rogers Lake. This track was capable of supersonic speeds, and its first project was the development of the SM-62 Snark cruise missile. This track was so successful that an extension was constructed, and on May 13, 1959, the full 20,000 ft (6,096 m) track was opened. After the Navy had conducted research on the UGM-27 Polaris ballistic missile, the track was used for the development of ejection seats that could be used at supersonic speeds. Though this program was enormously successful, a budgetary review concluded that the track was too expensive to maintain and the track was decommissioned on May 24, 1963. Before it was closed, a trial run set a world speed record of Mach 3.3 before the test car broke up. After its closure, the rails were pulled up to facilitate the straightening of Lancaster Boulevard.

Related Topics:
1948 - SM-62 Snark - Cruise missile - May 13 - 1959 - UGM-27 Polaris - Ballistic missile - Ejection seats - May 24 - 1963

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Edwards AFB in the space age

After President Richard M. Nixon announced the Space Shuttle program on January 5, 1972, Edwards was chosen for testing. The prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise was carried to altitude by the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (a modified Boeing 747) and dropped. In all, 13 test flights were conducted with the Enterprise and the SCA to determine their flight characteristics and handling. After the Space Shuttle Columbia became the first Shuttle launched into orbit on April 12, 1981, it returned to Edwards for landing. The airbase's immense lakebeds and its proximity to Plant 42, where the Shuttle was serviced before relaunch, were important factors in its selection and it continued to serve as the primary landing area for the space shuttle until 1991. Since then, Florida's Kennedy Space Center has been favoured, but Edwards AFB and the White Sands Missile Range continue to serve as backups; Shuttles have landed at Edwards as recently as August 9, 2005 (STS-114).

Related Topics:
Richard M. Nixon - Space Shuttle program - January 5 - 1972 - Space Shuttle Enterprise - Shuttle Carrier Aircraft - Boeing 747 - Space Shuttle Columbia - April 12 - 1981 - Plant 42 - 1991 - Florida - Kennedy Space Center - White Sands Missile Range - August 9 - 2005 - STS-114

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The 1980's also saw Edwards host a demonstration of America's space warfare capabilities as a highly modified F-15 Eagle launched an anti-satellite missile at the dead P78 SolWind satellite and destroyed it. In 1986, Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager set a new aviation record as they piloted the first non-stop, around-the-world flight on a single tank of gas in the Scaled Composites Voyager.

Related Topics:
F-15 Eagle - Anti-satellite missile - 1986 - Dick Rutan - Jeanna Yeager - Scaled Composites Voyager

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Current projects at Edwards

The most recent projects at Edwards are the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (ongoing) and the F/A-22 Raptor. As well, the Department of Defense's massive development on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has seen significant testing of prototypes at Edwards. Unusually, Edwards has actually gained a few jobs in recent years under the DoD's Base Realignment and Closure process. As smaller bases have been decommissioned, their facilities and responsibilities have been consolidated at large bases like Edwards and China Lake.

Related Topics:
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - F/A-22 Raptor - Department of Defense - Unmanned aerial vehicle - Base Realignment and Closure

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