Dateline Edwards-July History

Edwards is rich with history.

On July 14th, 1901, Miss Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was born. She became one of Edwards most enduring friends and her legacy is still honored to this day. Long before she had established the Happy Bottom Riding Club Dude Ranch and Airstrip near Edwards, she was known by those in the aviation community as one of the respected figures in the Golden Age of Flight.

On July 17th, 1962, Major Robert "Bob" White became the first man to fly an airplane above 300-thousand feet and the first to fly an airplane to near space when he piloted the X-15 to an altitude of 314,750 feet. He was the first of eight X-15 pilots at Edwards to earn astronauts wings by flying an airplane in space.

On July 27th, 1972, the first flight of the McDonnell Douglas F-15 took place. As it became airborne, the F-15 was the first American fighter to take to the skies with a thrust capability greater than its weight.

On July 4th, 1982, the Space Shuttle Columbia landed at Edwards and for the first time touched down on the main runway following its second orbital space flight mission. President and Mrs. Reagan were present for the landing.

On July 17th, 1989, the Northrop B-2 Spirit made its first flight, a two-hour sortie from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base. This marked the first time a flying-wing aircraft had flown over the Mojave Desert in nearly four decades.

On July 21st, 2000, the Air Force Flight Test Center museum was officially opened. Aviation greats Pete Knight, Joe Engle and Chuck Yeager were among those attending the celebration.

On July 26th, 2006, A C-17 Globemaster III successfully airdropped a 72-thousand pound mockup of a 65-foot long rocket booster over Rogers Dry Lake. The test was the third and final one in the Falcon Small Launch Vehicle program and set a record for the heaviest weight ever dropped by a C-17.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Edwards Air Force Base
• Pancho Barnes
• Happy Bottom Riding Club
• Robert Bob White
• X-15
• F-15
• Space Shuttle Columbia
• President Regan
• B-2 Spirit
• C-17 Globemaster III
• Falcon Small Launch Vehicle
• Flight Test Nation
• Dawn Waldman