What the F*** am i looking at?

[clob94]

Buddy of mine sent me some coordinates.

He says "can you ID these....."

34.958706,-117.883555

Have a look. I see F-18s..... some with their wings folded-- then I see a single tail delta wing--- no clue. It's not a Mirage.
Then look just north on the same pad. WTF are those? Mini space shuttles?

 

[GuaranteedFresh!]

Buddy of mine sent me some coordinates. He says "can you ID these....." 34.958706,-117.883555 Have a look. I see F-18s..... some with their wings folded-- then I see a single tail delta wing--- no clue. It's not a Mirage. Then look just north on the same pad. WTF are those? Mini space shuttles?

There's no telling what you'll see at Edwards. A bud of mine worked the chaser program there years ago. Basically, they stripped down a couple modded f15s and used them to pace new missiles in testing. He said they'd come back with titanium panels ripped off from going many times faster than the airframe was designed for.
Considering we are still testing hypersonic missiles, they might have some custom built speed demons sitting there. Edwards is pretty much Dr Frankenstein's laboratory for the Air force.

 

[t2x]

X-37B's , it appears to be a v-tail but hard to tell from the direct overhead shot, I think.. the XB is about 14' shorter than the F-18, so I might be wrong. Could be air combat drone, but that would be out of mission for Edwards

The Delta wing could be a SaaB 35.. and just to the SE is a Global Hawk and what appear to be two smaller Solid Rocket booters

 

[curveball1]

New B-21 that was posted to the site a few days back? Disclosure: I have no background to speak on the issue.

 

[WRLHookem]

Closer photos? I have no knowledge on military aircraft other than some of the obvious. So I was going back and forth between Google and "F-18's, single tail delta, etc." C'mon, you guys gotta keep us interested laymen in the loop.

 

[clob94]

F18.... dual vertical tail fins.
Looks the this from the front \ /
An F15 tail fins looked like this. I I
An F16 has a single tail fin-- I

A delta wing is is a plane that if you look at it from directly above it looks like a giant triangle from the cockpit to the engine.
^
/ \
/ \
-----------

Make sense now?

If you look just north of the folded wing F18s there are two small wing fat fuselage dildo looking craft.

 

[t2x]

That is what I think is the XB or a variant

 

[WRLHookem]

F18.... dual vertical tail fins.
Looks the this from the front \ /
An F15 tail fins looked like this. I I
An F16 has a single tail fin-- I

A delta wing is is a plane that if you look at it from directly above it looks like a giant triangle from the cockpit to the engine.
^
/ \
/ \
-----------

Make sense now?

If you look just north of the folded wing F18s there are two small wing fat fuselage dildo looking craft.

Wouldn’t that be south?

 

[Okie70]

Having lunch with some old vet pals tomorrow. One was AF pilot who had more hours in the SR-71 than anyone. He will likely know. Will report back.

 

[clob94]

Having lunch with some old vet pals tomorrow. One was AF pilot who had more hours in the SR-71 than anyone. He will likely know. Will report back.

If your buddy flew the Blackbird (my favorite aircraft as a kid) then that means he was a helluva pilot. I had an AF family friend get permanently grounded because the physical they put pilots through was SO thorough (like astronauts) that they would find things that normal exams for pilots wouldn't find. So if you signed up to fly the SR71-- you were wagering your wings, basically.
Do me a favor and ask him about the review board at Beale AFB. The story was they put the NASA review board to shame.
And the "official" altitude record by that baby was supposedly 85,050 feet. I don't believe that sh!t. I'm betting it was higher. See if he'll tell you, or if he just chuckles.

 

[hookem777]

i work on the f35 and the amount of info/ stuff im looking up because of this post and learning is amazing me. im constantly in awe at how much this board is more than just football lol. thank you for this post

 

[clob94]

i work on the f35 and the amount of info/ stuff im looking up because of this post and learning is amazing me. im constantly in awe at how much this board is more than just football lol. thank you for this post

My dude...... you WORK on the F35 Joint Strike Fighter? Like-- computer drafting for designs or you handle maintenance like in a flight crew or manufacture parts for it...?

You work at the L-heed? The skunkworks?
This means you have a security clearance. Which means this thread is being monitored.

Thanks bro..........................

 

[clob94]

X-37B's , it appears to be a v-tail but hard to tell from the direct overhead shot, I think.. the XB is about 14' shorter than the F-18, so I might be wrong. Could be air combat drone, but that would be out of mission for Edwards

The Delta wing could be a SaaB 35.. and just to the SE is a Global Hawk and what appear to be two smaller Solid Rocket booters

Good call. Yes. You can tell by the rounded nose of the X-37 what it is.

The Saab was tougher. I figured since it was decommissioned 30 years ago it wouldn't be at a place like this. That's like having a gremlin at a Ferrari dealership.

 

[clob94]

Having lunch with some old vet pals tomorrow. One was AF pilot who had more hours in the SR-71 than anyone. He will likely know. Will report back.

True story--

Gather round kids....

When I was a little kid I was a math nut and an aircraft junky.
My dad and I were in his truck on a dirt road coming from checking on a gas compressor (I was 5) when an A-4 near Del Rio came smoking toward us on the deck. Right at us. Right on our nose. A-4s are kinda puss-- but when you're 5-- and this thing screams over top of you-- it makes an impression.

For my 6th birthday I got a coffee table book about the history of flight. It started with gliders by DaVinci and ended with the SR71 Blackbird.... and everything in between.
.I read that the SR71 could fly at 2,200 mph.
I had a globe in my room and measured out with a ruler how far that was. It was "Houston to Seattle". That jet could go from Houston to seattle in an hour.

My next thought was "if this is the fastest thing that flies, and it takes an hour to get from Houston to Seattle, then how the fvck does Santa make it around the world and deliver all those toys? Not even the SR71 is fast enough."

That's how I realized Santa was bullsh!t.

 

[hookem777]

My dude...... you WORK on the F35 Joint Strike Fighter? Like-- computer drafting for designs or you handle maintenance like in a flight crew or manufacture parts for it...?

You work at the L-heed? The skunkworks?
This means you have a security clearance. Which means this thread is being monitored.

Thanks bro..........................

Lol I work as a robot operator for f35 coatings. Nothing that exciting. Basically finial finishes and handle the stealth coating. Installing boots on the panels to ensure the radar bounces off the jet.

Yeah I'm at Lockheed

 

[t2x]

Wait... Santa...isn't.....
Man I am going to have to think through that one

 

[DHHorn]

True story--

Gather round kids....

When I was a little kid I was a math nut and an aircraft junky.
My dad and I were in his truck on a dirt road coming from checking on a gas compressor (I was 5) when an A-4 near Del Rio came smoking toward us on the deck. Right at us. Right on our nose. A-4s are kinda puss-- but when you're 5-- and this thing screams over top of you-- it makes an impression.

For my 6th birthday I got a coffee table book about the history of flight. It started with gliders by DaVinci and ended with the SR71 Blackbird.... and everything in between.
.I read that the SR71 could fly at 2,200 mph.
I had a globe in my room and measured out with a ruler how far that was. It was "Houston to Seattle". That jet could go from Houston to seattle in an hour.

My next thought was "if this is the fastest thing that flies, and it takes an hour to get from Houston to Seattle, then how the fvck does Santa make it around the world and deliver all those toys? Not even the SR71 is fast enough."

That's how I realized Santa was bullsh!t.

We had a small fireplace and chimney. No way he was squeezing through there, that and our dogs would go ape sh!t if a bunch of reindeer landed on our roof but I never heard a peep. That's what started to tip me off.

 

[freeper]

A-4s are kinda puss--

Unless you're the pilot or a Marine in the shit and they're your Close Air Support. My brother was with the 3rd Marines in Vietnam. He generally refuses to talk to anyone about his experience. He did tell me once that one of the most beautiful sights he ever saw was a 4-ship CAS element of Skyhawks that came screaming in across his unit's front with a full load of 20mm and napalm. Saved some Marines from Charlie that day....

Fun fact: your humble correspondent was once a police sketch artist....first thing I can remember drawing when I was about 4-5? That's right....an A-4 Skyhawk. A poor rendering no doubt but it was part of a letter that went to my big brother "somewhere near DaNang"....

 

[Okie70]

If your buddy flew the Blackbird (my favorite aircraft as a kid) then that means he was a helluva pilot. I had an AF family friend get permanently grounded because the physical they put pilots through was SO thorough (like astronauts) that they would find things that normal exams for pilots wouldn't find. So if you signed up to fly the SR71-- you were wagering your wings, basically.
Do me a favor and ask him about the review board at Beale AFB. The story was they put the NASA review board to shame.
And the "official" altitude record by that baby was supposedly 85,050 feet. I don't believe that sh!t. I'm betting it was higher. See if he'll tell you, or if he just chuckles.

Missed the luncheon but will call my pal over the weekend with your questions. One of his best stories is being in the group that got Father Hesburg from N. Dame into one of their planes. My retired colonel friend said he held up very well.

 

[Okie70]

Unless you're the pilot or a Marine in the shit and they're your Close Air Support. My brother was with the 3rd Marines in Vietnam. He generally refuses to talk to anyone about his experience. He did tell me once that one of the most beautiful sights he ever saw was a 4-ship CAS element of Skyhawks that came screaming in across his unit's front with a full load of 20mm and napalm. Saved some Marines from Charlie that day....

Fun fact: your humble correspondent was once a police sketch artist....first thing I can remember drawing when I was about 4-5? That's right....an A-4 Skyhawk. A poor rendering no doubt but it was part of a letter that went to my big brother "somewhere near DaNang"....

They were the older version. On my carrier in '72 is was all A-7s and the two seater A-6s. The A-4s did a great job before then. Keep seeing them on the Mel Gibson movie.

 

[echeese]

There's no telling what you'll see at Edwards. A bud of mine worked the chaser program there years ago. Basically, they stripped down a couple modded f15s and used them to pace new missiles in testing. He said they'd come back with titanium panels ripped off from going many times faster than the airframe was designed for.
Considering we are still testing hypersonic missiles, they might have some custom built speed demons sitting there. Edwards is pretty much Dr Frankenstein's laboratory for the Air force.

Dad was stationed there, for me it was K-2nd grade.

He was a logistical part of the U 2 program.

Yeah, some "interesting" shit out there.

 

[dj701919]

This thread shows up on a google search.

34.958706,-117.883555 - Google Search

www.google.com

 

[clob94]

Dad was stationed there, for me it was K-2nd grade.

He was a logistical part of the U 2 program.

Yeah, some "interesting" shit out there.

That U2 is a fascinating air frame. Over 70 years old and still flying. Watching the chase cars when it lands and takes off is insane.

 

[GuaranteedFresh!]

We had a small fireplace and chimney. No way he was squeezing through there, that and our dogs would go ape sh!t if a bunch of reindeer landed on our roof but I never heard a peep. That's what started to tip me off.

Growing up we had a couple dirt poor years and my dad asked my sister and I if we would rather him buy us stuff we might not want or if he could give us each $50 and an hour at Walmart.

Honestly, I don't think I ever believed in Santa. At least not that I can remember.

 

[HarryBuffalo]

True story--

Gather round kids....

When I was a little kid I was a math nut and an aircraft junky.
My dad and I were in his truck on a dirt road coming from checking on a gas compressor (I was 5) when an A-4 near Del Rio came smoking toward us on the deck. Right at us. Right on our nose. A-4s are kinda puss-- but when you're 5-- and this thing screams over top of you-- it makes an impression.

For my 6th birthday I got a coffee table book about the history of flight. It started with gliders by DaVinci and ended with the SR71 Blackbird.... and everything in between.
.I read that the SR71 could fly at 2,200 mph.
I had a globe in my room and measured out with a ruler how far that was. It was "Houston to Seattle". That jet could go from Houston to seattle in an hour.

My next thought was "if this is the fastest thing that flies, and it takes an hour to get from Houston to Seattle, then how the fvck does Santa make it around the world and deliver all those toys? Not even the SR71 is fast enough."

That's how I realized Santa was bullsh!t.

Santa’s bullsh!t??? 😳

 

[HarryBuffalo]

Lol I work as a robot operator for f35 coatings. Nothing that exciting. Basically finial finishes and handle the stealth coating. Installing boots on the panels to ensure the radar bounces off the jet.

Yeah I'm at Lockheed

Late in his career as an aeronautical engineer, my dad worked on the Stealth Nighthawk for Lockheed-Martin out of Seattle. I asked him one day what specifically he had worked on… he whipped out a pen and drew a line indicating the cable running from the control stick to the left Aileron… the only way he knew how to explain it. The whole time he was drawing his sketch… right thumb stuck straight up in the air. Yep… Aggie through and through.

 

[KRaider]

Good call. Yes. You can tell by the rounded nose of the X-37 what it is.

The Saab was tougher. I figured since it was decommissioned 30 years ago it wouldn't be at a place like this. That's like having a gremlin at a Ferrari dealership.

The delta wing is a F-16XL. A rare derivative of the F-16. Cool find!

 

[clob94]

The delta wing is a F-16XL. A rare derivative of the F-16. Cool find!

Look at this fvcking guy. He's the airplane rain man!

"F-16XL....... definitely..... F-16XL..."
Good eye dude. Sh!t-- I didn't even know they made an F-16XL....

Dudes first post and he drops a hole in one.

 

[RoboCocks21]

I used to have those airplanes as toys when I was little, but never knew the name. Great to know now!

 

[t2x]

That makes sense on the XL. There were two turned over to NASA back in the day and it is painted white which all the other aircraft (save one) the to possible XB's and the SRBs just to the South. Looks like where NASA parks it's toys