Tag Archives: Palmdale

Re-Editing a B-2 Shot

Periodically, when I am looking through my image catalog for a specific subject for one project or another, I come across some images from a while back that look okay but might benefit from some of the more recent approaches to processing that I have adopted.  This doesn’t always help but it can be fun to start from scratch on a raw file and then see whether the final version is any better than the previous attempt.  I created a new virtual copy in Lightroom and zero out all of the sliders, upgrade to the latest processing version and give it a go.

I did this a little while ago on a shot of a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit.  I shot this jet at Palmdale many years ago on a visit with my friend, Paul.  The shots were okay, and I was happy with them at the time.  Here I shall show you the current version first and then the next one down is the previous result of my processing from when it was shot.  Do you think it is a significant change?

Blackbird Air Park

Alongside, connected to but not part of Joe Davies Historic Airpark is Blackbird Airpark.  On the south side of Palmdale’s airport, this area pays tribute to some of the most iconic products from Plant 42 across the airfield.  Lockheed’s Skunk Works turned out some amazing aircraft and this exhibit includes an A-12, an SR-71, a U-2 and an D-21 drone.  Having an A-12 next to an SR-71 is pretty special.  You have to look closely to see which is which.  A selection of black airframes together in the desert sun does not make for easy photography and there are lots of power lines and fences in the background but it would be churlish to complain too much.  It is free after all!

This Is Not Your Standard Dornier

I have subscribed to Flight International for a very long time.  I used to have it ordered with my local newsagent in Cowes when I was in high school, I got it ordered by Smiths in Kensington High Street when I was a student and, when I had a job after graduation, I finally got a proper subscription set up.  That has continued ever since but, these days, Flight has become a digital only subscription for me.  Still, I have continued it all these years despite having left the industry long ago.  It does provide me with information on unusual test programs and that includes the Lockheed Martin X-55 Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA).

This was a demonstrator program for a new composite fuselage construction.  The baseline aircraft was a Dornier 328Jet but it had its fuselage replaced by a composite one that LM built using advanced techniques and with a far shorter lead time.  As a demonstrator, things did not go quite as smoothly as they might have but that is why you do programs such as this.  It was never intended to be a production jet.  It was to show what could be done with the technology if required.  The jet was flown for a number of tests but I think building it was the bigger part of the program.

Once testing was complete, the airframe became part of the collection at the Joe Davies Airpark in Palmdale.  When I saw it was there, I was very interested to see it.  I suspect, for a lot of the visitors to the Airpark, it is one of the less interesting aircraft on display.  The signs explain what it is all about but that is probably of little interest to many visitors.  For a geek like me, though, it was probably one of the most interesting aircraft in the collection.  Sure, the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is special but there are two of those.  This aircraft is unique.  Having read about it long ago, seeing it in person is special.  (If I ever get to see the Boeing 360 helicopter demonstrator, this will be the same thing.)

Joe Davis Airpark

I have been through Palmdale a few times but none of those previous trips coincided with a time when the Joe Davis Airpark was open.  I got to look through the fence at the aircraft on display but couldn’t go in.  This time, I was better prepared and was able to check the place out at my leisure (if you ignore having to do a Teams call halfway through while trying to find some shade and avoid noisy kids).  As it happened, they were planning on closing earlier than scheduled that day so I could have had another miss if I had waited until later in the day!

The park has a wide variety of aircraft types scattered around.  Photography is okay as things are not right on top of each other but the desert sun is still pretty harsh and so doesn’t make for the best results.  Still, I’m not going to stop shooting images just for that reason.  There are a couple of more unusual types on display and at least one of those is going to get its own post.  There are plenty of fighters and trainers.  An F-14 is always a welcome jet on display but an A-7 is also going to go down well with me as will an F-101.  The C-140 was a nice surprise as I do like a JetStar.

The larger aircraft start with a C-46 which was a bit close to the fence so made for a more busy background.  It is a small exhibit compared to the two largest items on display.  B-52s are well represented in museums around the US.  They were certainly built in large quantities.  This one has a Hound Dog missile alongside.  Next to it, though, is the most special asset.  A 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.  Retired by NASA at the end of the Shuttle program, it now resides in the sun a short distance from its old home at Edwards.

Palmdale Day Out

C59F9459.jpgA few years ago, I was in the LA area with my mate Paul.  We decided to try our luck with a visit to Palmdale.  Home of Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale has a history of interesting aircraft.  The Blackbirds were assembled here as were the Space Shuttles.  The B-2 bombers were also assembled on site.  It is home to some NASA aircraft and continues to support a variety of types.  Consequently, you can see some really interesting stuff.  Alternatively, you can have a day with nothing going on.  It is the luck of the draw.

C59F9444.jpgWe decided to try it out anyway and see what we could get.  One of the NASA ER-2s had been active so there was hope that it might be up and about.  One thing we hadn’t anticipated was that the weather was not going to be great.  We had figured it was likely to be clear but actually there was a fair amount of cloud cover all day.  Not ideal but it did keep the temperature down.

QB5Y2449.jpgWe did have success with the ER-2.  Unfortunately, we did not choose well for our locations.  It took off and landed on the runway that we were not close too.  Consequently, we got some shots but they were a bit distant.  We discussed a rapid change of location but, fearing we would get nothing by being in the car at the wrong time, stuck with it.

QB5Y2489.jpgOur location was not a total bust though.  We did get a sister ship.  A USAF U-2S came in and we got some shots of that.  It was not alone.  A B-2 also made some approaches.  We figured it was coming from Edwards and heading back there again.  Sadly, shooting black aircraft against a cloudy sky is a bit tricky.  Still, we might have done worse.  After a while, the local movements of Northrop Grumman shuttles had been enough so we decided to get on the road back to LA.

QB5Y2506.jpgQB5Y2435.jpg

Elusive ER-2

Paul and I decided to make a trip up to Palmdale while we were in LA. Palmdale is about an hour and a half north of LAX if the traffic is flowing freely and can be a source of some interesting aircraft. It can also be a big disappointment. Luck of the draw. As we headed over the pass towards Palmdale, the clouds were drifting in which didn’t bode well. However, you never know.

One of the things we were keen to see was NASA’s ER-2. This is a variant of the U-2 airframe, two of which NASA acquired for research work. ER stands for Earth Resources I think although whether that is all they do is a different question! It was scheduled to launch that morning so we headed up.

We looked around for a spot to locate ourselves and found something that looked promising. We were well placed for the main runway. Unfortunately, we didn’t realize they were launching away from us on a cross runway until the sound of the ER-2 made us jump out of the car and watch it climbing away towards the hills. It turned and came close as it departed to the east but not a great shot.

Next to launch was a U-2. Lockheed Martin do maintenance on them at Palmdale and this one launched away from us as well. Our luck was not looking good. We could track the ER-2 since it was a civilian flight but whether the U-2 would come back or was being redelivered, we did not know. In the end, it did come back and flew right past us. Finally some success.

As we waited, something else showed up on the horizon. The shape looked slightly familiar and, as it came closer, it turned out to be a B-2. Almost totally unmarked, we suspect it was from Edwards. It flew a couple of approaches and then departed north. It came close enough to us but they are difficult to shoot unless the light is really good – which it wasn’t – so a little dull. However, a nice break.

Finally the ER-2 came back. We were ready for some lunch so watched it head towards us. Then, it broke off to land the opposite way on the runway it had departed from. There was no time to reposition ourselves so we missed out again. My results were a few distant crops of shots against a white sky so nothing to be too proud of. A bit of a bust of a day but that is the luck of the draw. Time to head off and get lunch after that!