Old Viper Tester

Some HH-3E "Jolly Greens" participating in Red Flag 81-1 at Nellis AFB, November 1980. They were supporting search and rescue scenarios during the large force exercise. 67-14703, 302nd Special Operations Squadron, Air Force Reserve out of Luke AFB. 67-14707, 302nd Special Operations Squadron, Air Force Reserve out of Luke AFB. HH-3E 67-14725, 129th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron, 129th Air Rescue and Recovery Group, California Air National Guard out of NAS Moffett Field. Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

A pair of F-16As of the 72nd Tac Fighter Training Squadron, 56th Tac Training Wing out of MacDill AFB. On the Edwards AFB transient ramp, December 1984. 80-0481 80-0511 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

KC-130Rs of VMGR-352 out of MCAS El Toro. At Nellis AFB supporting VMA-223 deployment to Red Flag 81-1, November 1980. 160018 (USAF s/n 75-0551) looks like a problem with the hose reel in the aerial refueling pod. 160021 (USAF s/n 75-0554) Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

RF-4Cs of the 62nd Tac Reconnaissance Squadron, 363rd Tac Reconnaissance Wing out of Shaw AFB participating in Red Flag 80-5, Nellis AFB, August 1980. 66-0410 66-0465 66-0474 67-0463 68-0575 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

F-4Es of the 196th Tac Fighter Squadron, 163rd Tac Fighter Group, California Air National Guard at March AFB, May 1990. 67-0360 67-0395 68-0305 68-0312 68-0317 68-0320 68-0321 68-0324 with tail band removed - possibly being transferred out? The same bird at Norton AFB two months earlier with the tail band applied. 68-0343 68-0358 68-0387 68-0423 68-0443 68-0466 68-0507, recent arrival from the 163TFS Indiana ANG. 68-0512 68-0514 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

For whatever reason, it must have gone back and forth. My photos as N400FS are from 1981-2. I have a 1987 image (not mine) showing N9255. Baugher claims she went back to N400FS when FSI sold her.

The sole North American Aviation FJ-4B operated by Flight Systems Inc. USN Bureau Number 143575. Used primarily to test missile radar guidance systems. Carried the civil registration N400FS and later, N9255. When it passed to civilian hands in 1991, it was re-registered as N400FS again and is still flying. August 1981 October 1982 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

A couple of Skyhawks of VA-127 stopping in at Nellis AFB, August 1980. TA-4F 153483, Modex NJ703 TA-4J 153672, Model NJ702 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

F-4Es of the 336th Tac Fighter Squadron, 4th Tac Fighter Wing out of Seymour-Johnson AFB participating in Red Flag 81-2, February 1981. 66-0297 66-0301 68-0313 72-0160 72-0410, 334TFS squadron commander's aircraft operating with the 336TFS 74-1624 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

A few CT-133 Silver stars operated by Flight Systems Inc for test and test support work at Mojave Airport, California. N99184 (RCAF 21098), Canopy is tied down, may have been used for spares, July 1981. N306FS (RCAF 21306) with flight test nose boom, August 1988. N99175 (RCAF 21557), July 1980. N302FS (RCAF 133024) fitted with a spray rig on the centerline, typically used for icing flight tests. July 1981. May 1985 N99192 (RCAF 133118), October 1982 N305FS (RCAF 133159), July 1981. July 1984 N304FS (RCAF 133192), April 1983. N304FS unidentified pod N304FS unidentified pod - not a pretty installation with external bracing and plumbing N306FS (RCAF 133306, July 1981. Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

A trio of F-4Es of the 21st Tac Fighter Training Squadron, 35th Tac Fighter Wing out of George AFB, December 1982. 66-0350 67-0256 67-0266 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

Canadian CF-116 detachment participating in Red Flag 81-2, Nellis AFB, February 1981. 116704, 434 Squadron 116737, 434 Squadron 116739, 433 Squadron 116753, 434 Squadron 116759, 433 Squadron 116769, 434 Squadron 116785, 433 Squadron 116809, 419 Squadron 116821, 434 Squadron 116844, 419 Squadron '844 lo-vis? Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

SH-3H, Bureau Number 148966 of HS-8 ("Eightballers"), Carrier Air Wing 14 out of Naval Air Station North Island. This would be between deployments on USS Coral Sea (CVN-43). Visiting Nellis AFB, September 1980. CO Commander Bob Parkinson Commander Anti-Submarine Warfare Wing Pacific Fleet CASWWP - CAPT, H.A Zoehrer Thanks for looking, Sven

Should look at the pitch attitude difference of an F-4 refueling from a KC-97! By the time the F-4 is tanked up, the KC-97 is diving slightly for more airspeed and the F-4 is still about to fall out of the sky. Sven

This is a follow-up to a photography post I made here in 2017. That post centered on one particular A-37B during a USAF Test Pilot School departure and spin training mission. Dragonflies were used by the 6510th Test Wing at Edwards AFB for flight test support missions and as USAF Test Pilot School curriculum aircraft. The Test Pilot School (TPS) used the A-37B to teach aircraft performance test techniques and for departure from controlled flight and spin test techniques and evaluations. The Test Pilot School aircraft could be distinguished by the flight test nose-boom installed in place of the aerial refueling probe. The spin aircraft took quite a beating during the departure maneuvers. My favorite was climbing as the airspeed decreased and then putting in hard lateral stick to a 90-deg bank, transitioning pitch to yaw, resulting in a spin - often inverted. On one occasion, the aircraft came back with one horizontal tail now bent downward about 20 degrees. Test support missions were primarily safety and photo chase, and were flown by the 6512th Test Squadron. In the mid-eighties the designation was changed from A-37B to OA-37B to indicate the forward air control mission. At about the same time, the TPS airframes were given the designation NOA-37B - the "N" indicating that permanent test modifications had been made to the airframe. 70-1310, January 1982. The YAPS (Yaw and Pitch Sensor) nose boom characteristic of a TPS aircraft. The black bar on the top and bottom of the right wing was to allow quick determination of the aircraft attitude in a spin by aerial and ground observers. 70-1310, July 1984. 70-1310, May 1985. In August 1994, this aircraft crashed in the desert north of Edwards after a stuck valve in one of the tip tanks created a fuel imbalance resulting in an unrecoverable spin. The crew ejected safely. 73-1060, March 1982. Still bears the crescent and fleur-de-lis of the 706TFS (AFRES) on the tip tanks. 73-1090, March 1981. 73-1090, October 1991. 73-1101, October 1991. 73-1102, October 1991. 73-1101 and '1102 were transferred to the 6510TW in late 1990/early 1991. It was hoped that these airframes would be converted to TPS airframes, but it was determined that the flying hours and condition of the airframes made the conversion impractical and they were excessed to AMARG in 1992. Thanks for looking, Sven

A-7D, s/n 71-0339, was a support jet with the 6512th Test Squadron, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB. It was primarily used as a systems trainer for the USAF Test Pilot School (TPS) and as a support aircraft for other aircraft test flights, usually F-15s or F-16s. '339 was transferred from the 107th Tac Fighter Squadron, Michigan Air National Guard in early 1989. Ready to serve as a radar target with ALQ-188 ECM pods, October 1989 April 1990 September 1990 Thanks for looking, Sven

Doesn't surprise me. When my test pilot school visited GD in 1981, we were shown a collection of F-111 parts recovered from all over and it was explained that since F-111s were no longer in production, the demand for their capability was high enough that whenever an airframe was recovered after a mishap, that it was shipped to either GD or the Sacramento Air Logistics center at McClellan AFB for rebuild evaluation. The F-111 was definitely considered "high value". Were these all re-built at GDFW or were some done at the ALC at McClellan? From your description, I think the one I saw the contract for was F-111D 68-0148. Thanks for the list, Sven

Usually, a single aircraft contract is either for a flight test jet with special instrumentation installed during the build/re-build, or for an attrition replacement airframe. Once, forty years ago, I've seen a Fort Worth contract for a similar amount used to rebuild an F-111 after a flight mishap, but normally an aircraft with such extensive damage is written off unless it was a high-value asset for some reason.

T-38A 67-14856, 6512th Test Squadron, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB. A test support aircraft used for safety and photo chase missions. Served occasionally as a radar target. May 1985 Formation proficiency mission, April 1989 Thanks for looking, Sven

The Israeli jet (301, USAF s/n 86-1598) in the background was testing the Peace Marble II (Block 30) configuration for that Foreign Military Sales program.

F-16C 88-0445, 6516th Test Squadron, F-16 Combined Test Force, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB. '445 was a dedicated test aircraft, used mostly for evaluation of software and radar upgrades. June 1990. The store on the centerline is a high-speed radar data recorder pod. These pods sere conversions of the original centerline fuel tanks used during Full-Scale Development testing. The orange stripe running longitudinally along the tank indicates flight test peculiar modifications or equipment. Radar test mission, January 1991. High-speed radar data recorder pod on the centerline - here, the orange stripe runs the circumference of the pod. Before engine start checks... Engine running and instrumentation pod checks... Chocks pulled and General Dynamics ground crew signaling hold before taxi. 83-1143 is waiting to taxi and served as the test mission safety chase and radar target... Taxiing out... Making a low pass during a sensor test in October 1990 carrying an ALQ-131 ECM pod on the centerlne. We had a missile sensor on top of a truck on Rodgers dry lake and various aircraft would make passes at various heights to see. how the sensor reacted. Thanks for looking, Sven

Dropped in at George AFB to coordinate use of the Superior Valley bombing range in June, 1991. George was the home of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing and the continental US home of F-4G Wild Weasels. At this time, the 35TFW consisted of: the 20th Tac Fighter Training Squadron ("Silver Lobos", F-4E), the 21st Tac Fighter Training Squadron ("Cheetahs", F-4E), and the 561st, 562nd, and 563rd Tac Fighter Squadrons (F-4E/G). The 20TFTS contained the 1st German Air Force Training Squadron, providing F-4E/F transition training for Luftwaffe crews. F-4E 66-0334, 20TFTS F-4E 67-0319, 20TFTS F-4E 67-0377, 163TFS Indiana Air National Guard out of Hulman Field (Terre Haute IN) F-4E 68-0361, 163TFS Indiana Air National Guard out of Hulman Field (Terre Haute IN). These jets were flown solo to George to bring back the crew that delivered 68-0516. F-4E 68-0467, 20TFTS F-4E 68-0516, 20TFTS, recently transferred from the 163TFS Indiana Air National Guard F-4G 69-0261, 562TFS F-4G 69-0265, 561TFS F-4G 69-0281, 561TFS F-4G 69-0303, recently transferred from Clark AFB to the 35TFW. F-4G 69-0305, 562TFS F-4G 69-7201, 561TFS F-4G 69-7204, 562TFS F-4G 69-7214, 562TFS F-4G 69-7216, 561TFS F-4E 69-7585, 20TFTS F-4G 69-7288 and 69-7572, 562TFS. Colorful markings still obliterated from their deployment to Desert Storm. F-4E 73-1183, 21TFTS F-4E 74-1656, 562TFS F-4E 74-1664, 562TFS F-4E 75-0631, 20TFTS F-4E 75-0635, 20TFTS F-4E 75-0636, 20TFTS Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

RF-4Cs of the 192nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 152nd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Nevada Air National Guard out of Reno IAP, on the transient ramp at Edwards AFB. 65-0875, November 1981 And the same jet in April 1984 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester

You really captured her! I hope to do as well when (if?) I get around to my 1/72 Fujimi kit. Sven

Vipers of the 466th Tac Fighter Squadron, 419th Tac Fighter Wing, Air Force Reserve out of Hill AFB, participating in the Red Flag 91-3 large force exercise, May 1991. 78-0021 78-0025 78-0027 78-0053 78-0065 78-0068 78-0074 79-0348 Thanks for looking, Sven Old Viper Tester