Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 182
First private manned mission to space – June 21, 2004 at Mojave Air & Space Port! Several years ago, I had the opportunity to talk to Mike Melvill about the historic flight of SpaceShipOne in June 2004. I remember him telling me, "I didn't know what to expect. All of a sudden I was seeing the stars in a black sky. It happened in an instant." Melvill is most famous for his flight test work at Scaled Composites with SpaceShipOne, designed by Burt Rutan. He piloted SpaceShipOne on its first flight...
Word was received that our pilot friend, Dick Rutan, passed away on May 3 and it saddened all of us at Mojave Air & Space Port at "Rutan Field." What a wonderful inspiration he was to generations of aviation enthusiasts. His spirit will live on at the airport where he flew and trained others in the joy of flight. He gave many young people their first ride in an airplane and for most of them, it propelled them into a career of aviation. He enjoyed talking to kids (of all ages) and encouraging...
Another first took place at Mojave Air & Space Port on April 30, when an Airbus A380 departed runway 30 bound for Glasgow Prestwick, Scotland. Global Airlines Limited is planning to bring luxury back to air travel by providing maximum customer service and an unconventional flying experience. The British upstart airline is aiming to start service from London to New York City and Los Angeles this spring using a fleet of four Airbus A380s. The Airbus A380 is a huge airliner with a super wide body,...
Greetings from Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field! I remember seeing the first C-17 Globemaster III landing at Mojave Airport 29 years ago. My brother, Larry (Gale) Hellwig, was a Weight and Balance Engineer with McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach at the time and I could hardly wait to call him with the news. I drove out on Highway 58, nearly under the flight path and clicked off about three rolls of film. My, how times have changed. I use a digital camera now and have the results instantly....
In June of 2003, my husband Al and I attended a National Navy League Convention in Hawaii and had a great time flying around the Island of Ohua in a DeHavilland Beaver (DHC-2) on floats. We received some funny looks from people when we asked where we could find the "Beaver on Floats," but decided to look for ourselves on Lagoon Drive next to Honolulu International Airport. My first comment when we met the folks in the office next to the dock was, "This airplane looks like she belongs in...
Supersonic air travel is on the horizon after the successful first flight of the XB-1 that is the forerunner for Boom's supersonic airliner, Overture. Another exciting "First Flight" at Mojave Air & Space Port on Friday, March 22! Boom Supersonic announced the successful flight of XB-1, the world's first independently developed supersonic jet. As stated in the press release by Booom, the XB-1 has all of the state-of-the-art technologies that will be incorporated in Boom's supersonic airliner, Ov...
The Antelope Valley, also known as "Aerospace Valley" has been blessed to have many women who have contributed their talents and enthusiasm to aviation and aerospace. Jacqueline Cochran Odlum: first woman to break the sound barrier On May 16, 2003, an event was held to honor Jackie Cochran at Edwards Air Force Base. Jacqueline Cochran Odlum (1906-1980) broke the sound barrier at Edwards AFB on May 18, 1953 in a Canadair F-86, becoming the first woman to boom through the invisible boundary,...
Exciting flight test news from Mojave Air & Space Port: Stratolaunch successfully accomplished the first powered flight of Talon-A test vehicle, TA-1! It was a beautiful morning takeoff from runway 30 at Mojave Air & Space Port on Saturday, March 9. All of the Stratolaunch team were hopeful for a great flight, all the while knowing that flight test can have glitches and delays. While at the designated spot and altitude over the Pacific Ocean, TA-1 was released and the rocket motor fired as...
Many years ago, a pilot landed his big Howard DGA at Mojave while on his way to a big Howard Fly-In at Santa Paula, California. Santa Paula Airport was known as the "World Headquarters of Howards," since five Howards were based there, including a rare DGA-11. Only four DGA-11 were built. Often, people ask, "What's a Howard?" I remember hearing my father-in-law, Frank Burdick, reply, "It's a Howard DGA, Damn Good Airplane." Honest that is what the airplane is called. Let me explain why. I'm not s...
It's hard to believe that it has been 19 years since Brian Binnie flew for the Ansari X-Prize with SpaceShipOne on Oct. 4, 2004 with Scaled Composites Model 316. Designed by Burt Rutan and funded by Paul G. Allen. He also flew the first powered flight of SS1 on Dec. 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers flight at Kill Devil Hills. On Dec. 16, Plane Crazy Saturday will have a special 20th anniversary presentation by Chuck Coleman about that flight at 11 a.m. in the Mojave Air &...
Universal Hydrogen's De Havilland Canada Dash-8-300 aircraft was the star of Plane Crazy Saturday on Oct. 21 at Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field. A beautiful, calm and warm day greeted all attendees who were thrilled to see "Lightning McClean" parked front and center on the ramp. The cowling was off of the powertrain so everyone could gather around and ask questions. Universal Hydrogen website states: "Fueling carbon free flight!" Hydrogen is a true zero-carbon fuel. It is made from water...
On Sept. 26, a beautiful calm morning at Mojave Air & Space Port, Universal Hydrogen conducted their first test flight of "Lightning McClean" at Mojave. As the aircraft lifted off from runway 30, I heard someone say, "It's so quiet!" Our own Assemblyman Tom Lackey was on hand to witness the historic test flight and said, "Aerospace Valley continues to operate on the cutting edge of flight technology. "The Mojave Air & Space Port has a long-standing history of innovation that we are very proud...
The Solid Rocket Motors from the shuttle Endeavor have been in storage at the Mojave Air and Space Port, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, since September 2020. They will be transported from their current home at the Mojave Air and Space Port to the California Science Center. They are the final elements of space shuttle Endeavour's stack to arrive at the California Science Center. The components, including NASA's last remaining built-for-flight external tank, will make up th...
On Aug. 23, Boom Supersonic's scaled down prototype the XB-1 completed taxi tests on runway 30 at Mojave Air & Space Port. Earlier this year, XB-1 was moved from the company's hangar in Centennial, Colorado to the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California to continue preparations for flight. According to Blake Scholl, Boom Supersonic's founder and CEO (excerpted from Boom Supersonic press release): "The recent progress made towards XB-1's first flight reflects the team's collective efforts...
I was talking with our friend Dan Yost recently and we were remembering some of his Plane Crazy Saturday presentations. He flew C-7 Caribou in Vietnam while serving in the U.S. Air Force and loved the flying characteristics of that particular aircraft. He also flew thousands of hours in the B-47 Stratojet. He gave a detailed presentation on his Vietnam sorties several years ago. Yost graduated from the U.S. Air Force Flight School in November 1956 and was assigned to B-47s at Schilling AFB in...
Recently, I was asked if I could help raise funds to bring the Mobile Vietnam Memorial Wall to Kern County. I was totally unaware that the AV Wall Board had voted to retire the mobile wall in 2025! This might be an opportunity for another organization to continue this important work that was started by the AV Wall volunteers. Go to their website for further information: www.avwall.org. They are an all-volunteer organization with a dedication to helping veterans through community service. The AV...
Did you know that Charles A. Lindbergh landed at Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Station (MCAAS) Mojave at 12:40 p.m., April 15, 1944? I have the book, "The Wartime Journals of Charles A. Lindbergh." On page 779, his journal states that he flew from Palm Springs, after a meeting with Vought to Mojave. He had flown to Mojave to have a conference with Marine officers, regarding their Corsair operations and he was flying a F4U Corsair that had been assigned to him. At the time, Lindbergh was a consultan...
I am easily diverted when I start looking at some of the old photos on my computer and realize that my husband Al and I shared a wonderful life together. Al and I enjoyed the community of aerospace pilots and engineers who seem to gravitate to Mojave Air and Space Port. We met so many famous people in the aerospace community. One such person was William "Bill" Dana, a native of California. He graduated the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served four years in the U. S. Air Force. Bill...
On June 26, Universal Hydrogen completed a ferry flight of its hydrogen fuel cell-powered turboprop aircraft to the Mojave Air & Space Port from Moses Lake, Washington, where it plans to build a substantial presence and continue its test flight efforts. The Dash-8 test aircraft has been dubbed "Lightning McClean" and flew down the west coast with four stops across Oregon and California, covering a distance of over 800 nautical miles before landing at Mojave. A few Mojave tenants were told in...
I always enjoy reading this poem titled "Because I fly" by retired Air Force pilot and Vietnam Veteran, Major Brian Shul: Because I fly, I laugh more than other men. I look up and see more than they. I know how the clouds feel, what it's like to have the blue in my lap, to look down on birds, to feel freedom in a thing called the stick . . . Who but I can slice between God's billowed legs, and feel them laugh and crash with His step? Who else has seen the unclimbed peaks? The rainbow's secret? T...
Let's take a look at the recent Memorial Day event at Mojave Cemetery. Paul Holzer, general manager of the East Kern Cemetery District said, "Remembering those who gave their all is why we are here today." He thanked the many volunteers who helped with the ceremony and Travis Mullins for the preparation of the cemetery grounds. Holzer said, "Tami Kelly organized Mojave High School students to help place American Flags on each grave of a military veteran who served our country. The Mojave...
We had a great Plane Crazy Saturday on May 20! Many pilots flew in to enjoy the calm air and camaraderie with other pilots. Since it was so close to Memorial Day, the organizers at Mojave Transportation Museum decided to invite a speaker to talk about operations during the Vietnam War. Roy Martin has 45 years flying experience with over 10,800 flight hours in over 70 aircraft types. He was a military test pilot at Edwards AFB and USAF Test Pilot School instructor. He is retired Chief Test Pilot...
Let me take you back a few decades. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing in 1965 through 1968? In December 1965, Boeing and Pan Am agreed to build a jumbo-sized airliner – the model 747. It would dwarf every airliner in operation at that time and quickly became known as a "wide-body" because it would have an internal cabin width of about 20-feet, almost twice that of the Boeing 707. It could be configured to carry 490 passengers! On April 13, 1966, Boeing announced an order w...
MASP Director of Operations Mojave Air & Space Port (MASP) at Rutan Field has welcomed, Arielle Sewell, new Director of Operations. She previously worked for the City of Fresno with Airport Safety Management Systems and Airports Operations Manager. She earned a MS in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with a focus in Aerospace Safety Program Management, a BS in Technical Management, as well as several certifications in SMS, emergency management, accident investigation and...
On April 1, Stratolaunch gracefully lifted from runway 30 at Mojave Air and Space Port to begin routine flight operations in Vandenberg Space Force Base's Western Range off California's central coast. ROC was carrying Talon-A separation test vehicle, TA-0 and the flight was the 10th for the company's launch platform. According to a press release by Stratolaunch, "The flight, which lasted a total of five hours, performed risk reduction by practicing a variety of separation profiles and...
