The Loop Newspaper - Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide

The Tehachapi Gandy Dancers recently toured Edwards AFB. First order of the tour was checking out the aircraft and tower on display at Century Circle. These aircraft known as the century aircraft stand in silent tribute to the Air Force of the past; the F-100, F-101, F-102, F-104, F-105, and F-106 Fighters. Also located at Century Circle is an YC-15 Transport aircraft. The tower display is the actual top portion of the old Edwards Flight Tour. Displayed in the window is a cardboard cutout of Captain Glen Edwards, for whom Edwards Air Force Base is named.

The Gandy Dancers spent time at the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum. Here they saw various aircraft on static display. A YA-10B and an NF-4C Fighter stand just outside the front doors to the museum. The YA-10B is the only two-seater A-10 ever made. The NF-4C was the first F-4 ever delivered to the Air Force. Off the end of the museum is the Museum's Air Park in which a B-52 Bomber, F-111, OA-37 Fighters, an SR-71 Reconnaissance, and a YA-7D Corsair stand with several other historic military aircraft. When the Gandy Dancers finished checking out the open-air displays, they moved inside the museum to see several artifacts from the Muroc, California days. Muroc was the settlement that preceded the Army Air Corps and eventually Air Force Base. The Gandy Dancers then listened to Mr Steve Zapka, the Base Public Affairs Tour Guide, talk about the area and the airspace, which is critical to the military's mission, whether Army, Navy, or Air Force.

Mr Zapka showed the Gandy Dancers around the Base and traveled the flightline where they saw, first-hand, the various test aircraft, or that were flying in support of tests. These aircraft included the F-35, the latest in fighter aircraft, as well as the F-22 Stealth Fighter, F-16 Falcons, the B-1 and B-52 Bombers, the C-17 Globemaster III, KC-10 and KC-135 Tankers, and T-38 Trainers, along with the various aircraft the USAF Test Pilot School uses to train pilots and engineers in the world of test. Also seen was some of the latest in Air Force firefighting equipment.

Mr Derek Brown, from the Tybrin Corp, met the Gandy Dancers and gave them a tour of the RQ-4 Global Hawk Reconnaissance aircraft. Mr Brown described the differences between the two RQ-4 aircraft that were available at the time of the tour.

Then, the Gandy Dancers were off to see some of the aircraft that will eventually by on static display at the museum. Mr George Welsh, the director and curator for the Air Force Flight Test Museum, met the Gandy Dancers at the Museum's Restoration Hanger location and spoke about the aircraft currently in restoration prior to going on static display which included YF-117, PA 48 Enforcer, EF-80A Shooting Star, YF-16B Prototype, A-3D Sky Warrior, F3D Sky Knight, and F-15A aircraft.

All in all, the Gandy Dancers had a wonderful experience! They would like to extend their thanks to all that made this tour a fantastic trip!