The only one of the aircraft pictured that I have flown! It has eyebrow windows, also, so it probably is a real Shrike, as opposed to a 500B.
California City Airport, just north of Edwards. An astonishing (to me) number of big airframes there in multiple boneyards.....all slowly being parted out.....as well as (every) timed-out bizjet in the universe! Makes me wonder; how much of each of those formerly $100M aircraft is able to be reused on/in a flying aircraft? Obviously some bits would no longer be certifiable, but what about skins? Whole/partial appendages, with or without electronics/hydraulics/controls? Might make me question climbing aboard an innocent-looking 747 or even a Sabrejet somewhere else in the world........
How does a Saab get there? Via some sort of activity at Edwards? (it was flown there......I know, I know....)
There were a few Drakens being flown privately for a while. Not sure if there still are or not. At least one two seater has been at airshows as recently as last year. Not sure who owns and operates her. Has number 79 on the vertical stabilizer.
I don't think the second plane is a Phantom; I think the wing shape is wrong. Considering the obvious identity of the first plane, the second one looks like it might be a SAAB 32 Lansen.
Maybe........but in your image there is an (L-1011)? roughly in the direction of the arrow...... These are all facing the wrong direction...... Image Unavailable, Please Login
BTW: ya'll remember that Harrison Ford guy, landed on the wrong runway? He may be the culprit here too.......because these planes (the Saab/s) are not actually at the California City Airport........they're actually a few miles away at the Mojave Air & Space Center......beside a totally different runway.......you know how confusing all these runways out in the desert are.....they all look the same......sand, asphalt,more sand......
OK, before I lose my Special Pass, a little further south at Edwards South, parked on the tarmac with an interesting collection of aircraft is this thing........what is it? Curious wingtip design? Image Unavailable, Please Login And now for the biggie......whats happening here? Is this real marking on the ground, or some sort of google cloaking feature? Image Unavailable, Please Login
National Test Pilot School? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Saab_RF-35_Draken_N217FR#/media/File:Ntps-f35-N217FR-051107-01cr.jpg
I do not know what the aircraft is but is it at the facility of Dick Rutan's company, Scaled Composites?
Scaled Composites was Burt Rutan's company. Dick is his brother. That does look like some sort of Burt Rutan design, for sure. Some sort of one-off, I would guess. Or test article.
The Scaled Composites model 133, also known as the ATTT, was a mid-'80s prototype for a proposed small military transport plane. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yes, within a stones throw......I figured it would be something from them, just don't know what. Nearer to their shops the conc is littered with various EZ-thingies in all states of flyability & disrepair. Thanks Jim! Now, what about those great compass graphics on the ground at Edwards?
From Wikipedia: ...also painted on the dry lake beds near Dryden is the world's largest compass rose: 2,000-foot (610 m) radius, 4,000 feet (0.76 mi; 1.22 km) in diameter. I have no idea what it is for though!
