Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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Voyager Thirty eight years ago on Dec. 14, the Voyager aircraft, designed by Burt Rutan, built at Mojave Airport by a team of volunteers and flown around the world non-stop and unrefuled by Command Pilot Dick Rutan and co-pilot Jeana Yeager, lifted off the runway at Edwards Air Force Base. The 1986 circumnavigation flight in Voyager was 26,366 statute miles, which more than doubled the previous record set by a B-52 Bomber in 1962. This fragile aircraft with a wingspan of 110-feet had an empty we...
Lots of people came out for Plane Crazy Saturday this month, even though it was colder and windy. It is so nice to see a number of aircraft on the ramp, including Dave Robbins Cessna 182. Dave works at Stratolaunch and pilots the chase plane, a Cessna Citation. We had a visitor from Germany, Joerg Schieber, who had sent an email to us in September asking if it would be possible to fly in a Cessna 150 while visiting Plane Crazy. We told him that we would try to find someone. He had earned his...
Friends at Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field were shocked and saddened on Oct. 20 to learn that their friend and fellow pilot, Chuck Coleman, was killed when his Extra 300 crashed during an aerobatic routine at the Las Cruses Air and Space Expo in New Mexico. "Speechless" was a word heard often when people tried to express their feelings about Chuck's crash. "He was such a good and experienced pilot." The Las Cruses Bulletin reported, "The city confirmed Coleman's death on Monday afternoon...
It was a great weekend of activities at Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field this past weekend! Giant scaled model airplane races, lots of experimental planes on the ramp and an Indoor Build and Fly Competition! Props and jets were all there. A fun day for photographers with so many different aircraft types on the ground and in the air! Teen photographer, Evan Hawley, took many photos and was all over the ramp with his friends. They were so excited when the MiG-21 came in and stole the show wi...
At the Oct. 19 Plane Crazy Saturday, we will be celebrating the return of the Mojave Experimental Fly-In! Featuring all Experimental aircraft, many of which were designed by Burt Rutan. This year MEFI is focusing on best speed modifications. Mojave Experimental Fly-In is being organized by The Airmanship Foundation, Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field and the Mojave Transportation Museum Foundation. All aircraft homebuilders are invited to bring their aircraft for display and compete in the...
A beautifully calm, warm day greeted guests as lots of pilots decided to fly in and display their aircraft for Plane Crazy Saturday, the monthly event sponsored by the Mojave Transportation Museum, Foundation. Each month, on the third Saturday, MTM invites pilots to bring their historic aircraft to Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field for display. When the weather is nice, they show up in force! A wide-variety of aircraft was on display, from a Piper J-3 Cub to Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet. The...
As I mentioned in a previous article, there will be three seats up for election on Nov. 5. Incumbents, Diane Barney, Robert Morgan and Chuck Coleman are all running again, plus four other candidates, including: Jim Crocoll, Andrew Parker, Jeremy Woods and myself. I detailed information about Diane Barney and Jim Crocoll in an earlier article and thought I would introduce you to some others who are running. I like to let people connect a face with a name. Many readers know some of the candidates...
Three seats on the Mojave Air & Space Port Board of Directors will be on the Nov. 5 ballot. There are seven candidates running, three incumbents, including: Robert Morgan, Chuck Coleman and Diane Barney. Jim Crocoll, Andrew Parker, Cathy Hansen and Jeremy Woods will be on the ballot, as well. Parker lives in California City and Woods is an associate professor at Bakersfield College and is very new to Mojave. Jim Crocoll is a life-long resident of Mojave. Morgan, Coleman, Barney and myself all...
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...
