Show Biz: Edwards AFB Open House 1983, Part 1

[Old Viper Tester]

Some 'happy snaps' of aircraft participating in the Edwards AFB Open House in October 1983. This installment show some of the home field aircraft. Part 2 will cover the visitors.

 

F-15C No. 1, 78-0468, F-15 Combined Test Force, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center. She was used as a test bed for potential F-15E Strike Eagle technologies at this time.

 

 

YA-7D 67-14582, 6512th Test Squadron, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center. She was used for test support by the 6512th, but also used as a stability and control, spins, and systems curriculum aircraft by the USAF Test Pilot School. The black quadrangles on top of the wings are aids for determining aircraft attitude during spins by optical trackers.

 

F-15A 76-0086, F-15 Combined Test Force, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center. She was a dedicated Anti-Satellite test bed.

 

 

 

A-7D 69-6217, 6512th Test Squadron, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center. A test support aircraft (safety chase, radar target).

 

A-10A 73-1666, A-10 Combined Test Force, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center

 

O-2A 68-6867, 6512th Test Squadron, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center. Used as a station hack and range support aircraft.

 

B-1A 74-0160, B-1B Combined Test Force, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center.

 

F-111D 68-0087, 6512th Test Squadron, 6510th Test Wing, Air Force Flight Test Center. Doing a 'dump'n'burn' to start the aerial demonstrations

 

Thanks for looking,

Sven

[Swamp Donkey]

Ah, those were the days. Great set of photos, thanks for sharing

 

SD

[Vultures1]

Great photos Sven, thanks for sharing.  The B-1A and the ASAT F-15 are certainly rare birds!

[Stephen]

Great pictures, as always thanks for sharing them. In the picture of the tail of F-15A 76-086, I'm guessing that the aircraft was transferred from another unit as the paintwork looks as if tailcodes were sprayed over and there's evidence of a red tail stripe at the top?

[Old Viper Tester]

On 11/13/2021 at 5:11 AM, Stephen said:

I'm guessing that the aircraft was transferred from another unit

I don't know it for a fact, but I was told she came from Holloman. So, the red tail stripe would have been for the 9TFS of the 49TFW. The less-than-neat touching up on the tail would have obliterated the "HO" tail code and the Tactical Air Command shield on the vertical tail as well as the tail band.