Joe Davies Heritage Airpark

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Joe Davies Heritage Airpark
Palmdale Regional Airport - California.jpg
The Joe Davies Heritage Airpark is located south of U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in the bottom center of the satellite image
Joe Davies Heritage Airpark
Type Aviation museum/airpark
Location2001 East Avenue P
Nearest city Palmdale, California
Coordinates 34°36′8.9″N118°05′13.6″W / 34.602472°N 118.087111°W / 34.602472; -118.087111
Area26.4 acres (10.7 ha)
EstablishedOctober 20, 1998;25 years ago (1998-10-20)
Owned byCity of Palmdale
Website Official website

The Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42, formerly known as the Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark is an aviation museum and airpark located in Palmdale, California with various United States military aircraft on display. The park is located adjacent to the United States Air Force Plant 42 and the Blackbird Airpark Museum. All of the aircraft on display were donated or loaned to the city of Palmdale, which owns and operates the park.

Contents

History

The Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark was established on October 20, 1998, by the city of Palmdale and the United States Air Force on land donated to the city of Palmdale by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. [1] The park is located at 2001 East Avenue P. It is adjacent to United States Air Force Plant 42 to the north and the Blackbird Airpark Museum to the east. [2] The aviation museum was established commemorate the various aircraft which were designed, built, and flown at Plant 42. [3]

In 2008, park was renamed to the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42 to honor Joe Davies, a resident of Palmdale who served as the commander of Plant 42 from 1963 to 1967 and later served three terms on the Palmdale city council from 1988 to 1996. A memorial plaque was installed at the park in 2021. [3] The park has a program called "Adopt-a-Plane" which cleans aircraft on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. [4] Admission and parking are free, and the park is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. [5] Most of its employees are volunteers. [1]

Aircraft on display

The aviation museum has a total of 21 retired military aircraft and a 1:8 scale model on display. [6]

The first aircraft to be put on display at the park was a North American F-100 Super Sabre (Bureau number: 54–2299). [1] On September 12, 2014, one of the two Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (Tail number: N911NA) was put on display at the park as a part of a long-term loan from NASA to the city of Palmdale. [7] According to the city of Palmdale, the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark could display a Boeing 767, a Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, [lower-alpha 1] and a Rockwell-MBB X-31 in the future. [1] The park plans to have over 40 aircraft on display. [8] In addition to the aircraft on display, the aviation museum also uses various salvaged aircraft parts as decoration elements. All of the aircraft displayed by the park were donated or loaned to the city of Palmdale. [1]

The following table lists all the aircraft on display. [1]

#ImageAircraftDonated to the parkPut on display
1 B-2 bomber scale-model (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit
(1:8 scale-model)		——
2 C-46 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Curtiss C-46D Commando
Serial number: 44-78019-A
3 F-101 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg McDonnell F-101F Voodoo
Serial number: 58-0324		May 2005November 2006
4 F-100 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg North American F-100D Super Sabre
Serial number: 54-2299		1 August 19981 October 1998
5 F-104 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Lockheed F-104C Starfighter
Serial number: 57-0915		October 1998October 1998
6 F-105 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Republic F-105F Thunderchief
Serial number: 62-4416		August 1998October 1998
7 F-14 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Grumman F-14D Tomcat
Bureau Number: 164350		October 2006December 2006
8 F-16 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon [lower-alpha 2]
Serial number: 78-0105
9 AGM-28 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg AGM-28 Hound Dog
#M-025		26 June 200726 June 2007
10 B-52 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Boeing B-52F Stratofortress
Serial number: 57-038
11 747 SCA (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
Aircraft registration: N911NA		12 September 201412 September 2014
12 Scaled Composites Triumph (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Scaled Composites Triumph
Aircraft registration: W143SC		May 2006March 2007
13 T-33 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Lockheed T-33A
Serial number: 51-4533		April 20077 February 2008
14 X-55 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Lockheed Martin X-55
Serial number: S0303A-0963
15 A-7 Corsair II (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg LTV A-7B Corsair II
Bureau Number: 154449
16 F-4 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg McDonnell F-4D Phantom II
Serial number: 65-0696
17 T-38 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Northrop T-38A Talon
Serial number: 63-8182		1 August 19981 October 1998
18 A-4 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Douglas A-4C Skyhawk
Bureau Number: 145067		March 2001August 2004
19 Northrop F-5E Tiger II '06' (741529) (27020261904).jpg Northrop F-5E Tiger II
Serial number: 74-1529		May 2005October 2005
20 JetStar (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Lockheed JetStar
Aircraft registration: N814NA		January 2003May 2005
21 F-86 (Joe Davies Heritage Airpark).jpg Canadair Sabre CL-13 Mk.5
Serial number: RCAF23231
Aircraft registration: N91FS		August 1998October 1998
22 Space Shuttle Escape System Test Vehicle (27021331763).jpg Space Shuttle Evacuation Test Sled

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The current Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit on display at the park is a 1:8 scale-model. [1]
  2. ↑ Forward part of F-16C 84-1228 and rear of F-16B 78-0105.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Joe Davies Heritage Airpark Brochure". City of Palmdale . pp. 1–2. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ K., Igor (April 27, 2017). "Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42". Air Museum Guide. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Gatlin, Allison (August 20, 2021). "Palmdale Legend Davies is Honored". Antelope Valley Press . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Adopt a Plane and Help Keep It Clean". Antelope Valley Press . December 18, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Joe Davies Airpark Has New Operating Hours". Antelope Valley Press . March 11, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Joe Davies Heritage Airpark". City of Palmdale . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ Brown, Alan (September 12, 2014). Gibbs, Yvonne (ed.). "NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 911 Moves to Final Home". NASA . Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Palmdale, California". WorldAtlas. August 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
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