air and space museum – Page 3 – marvelousairmuseums.com

Marvelous Air Museums is part of the John D Reinhart content family. Writer, illustrator, videographer, and accidental filmmaker — find the whole story at JohnDReinhart.com.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

The variable-geometry F-14 Tomcat first left the ground in December of 1970, and served all the way through to September of 2006.

The big fighter took it’s first tour aboard the USS Enterprise in 1974, replacing the wing of aging F-4 Phantoms. The twin-engine, supersonic, two seat carrier fighter was a natural match for the Phantom’s role as air superiority, ground attack, and reconnaissance airframe.

The unique variable-geometry wing system, first developed for the General Dynamics F-111, sweeps the wings forward for more lift during take-off and landing, and then pulls them in close to the fuselage for supersonic flight.

According to test pilot George J. Marrett, the Tomcat was far and away his favorite airplane. He’s credited with the first-ever “supersonic missile kill,” having fired a missile from an F-14 while above Mach-1

The air-to-air missile sped away from the supersonic Tomcat, climbing as it went, to drop almost ballistically onto the target, a drone displaying the characteristics of the vaunted Mig-21. The drone never saw it coming. Both Marrett and the F-14 were credited for the kill. Neither aircraft were ever within visual range of one another.

The Tomcat provided the backbone for the US Navy through the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq wars, to be replaced by the nimble A/F-18 in 2006.

These images were taken at the Point Mugu Missile Park in Port Hueneme, CA, and Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles.

Marvelous Air Museums is part of the John D Reinhart content family. Writer, illustrator, videographer, and accidental filmmaker — find the whole story at JohnDReinhart.com.

Saab S-35 Draken

Imagine a dogfight where a Soviet MIG 17 pilot has the six of a Swedish Saab S35 Draken, his jet fighter directly behind the Swedish plane, looking right down the tailpipe, ready to launch a missile. There’s nothing the Draken pilot can do – no matter which way he turns, the MIG is right behind him.

Suddenly, the MIG pilot sees the Draken’s nose whip straight up, and to his amazement watches as the other airplane stalls, hanging in the air like a kite. The MIG whips past, its pilot wondering what had just happened.

Just as fast, the Draken’s nose comes back down, behind the MIG. And now the Draken pilot has the 6 position on the MIG, and is ready to fire the missile that will end the dogfight.

It sounds like something from Top Gun, but the Saab S 35 was the first airplane in history to be able to make that maneuver. The Draken’s double-delta wing arrangement gave it an insane degree of maneuverability, allowing it to invent and perform what’s been called the Cobra Manuever.

Modern fifth- and sixth-generation fighters, like the Lockheed F-35 Lightning II and the Sukhoi Su27 felon are among the few aircraft that can capably handle the maneuver today.

The little Draken was built between 1955 and 1974 in Sweden by the Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget – we know them as Saab. The long, distinctive delta wing that starts at the air intakes and continues the whole length of the fuselage is augmented by a second set of deltas breaking away at a different angle about 2/3rds of the way back.

The Draken was the first aircraft to pioneer this double-delta innovation that led to increased stability in supersonic flight and yet offered the intense lift needed for the short runways from which the plane was expected to operate. In 1960, a Draken passed Mach 2 in level flight – another first for a Western European fighter jet.

Although it never fired a shot in anger, the versatile, efficient Draken was a mainstay in the Western European arsenal during the Cold War. They stayed in service right into the 1980’s, when they were phased out in favor of the JA 37 Viggen.

The example at the Mojave Air Museum Legacy Park is actually a T 35 Draken, a two-seat training version. You can see the periscope device mounted to the canopy bow over the front seat. This allowed the trainer sitting in the back to monitor the student’s performance.

A little dustier, and waiting for its time in the refurb shop, the S 35 at Estrella Warbirds is a good example of the Draken in its combat configuration.

^{Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_35_Draken}

These images were taken at the Mojave Air Museum Legacy Park in Mojave, and at Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles.

Marvelous Air Museums is part of the John D Reinhart content family. Writer, illustrator, videographer, and accidental filmmaker — find the whole story at JohnDReinhart.com.

North American PBJ Maritime Patrol Bomber

The PBJ-1J “Mitchell” flew into Camarillo from Midland, Texas in April, 1993.

After inspection, the aircraft was put into our long restoration process, and at the conclusion this “Mitchell” is as brand-new as it was when it came off the assembly line.

The B-25 Mitchell is painted in the colors of a Marine Corps PBJ-1J, named “Semper Fi” with Globe and Anchor painted on the starboard nose.

^{Source: https://www.cafsocal.com/our-aircrafts/our-aircraft-and-history/north-american-pbj/}

The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William “Billy” Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation.^[2] Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II, and after the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 B-25s were built,^[1] It was the most-produced American medium bomber and the third most-produced American bomber overall. These included several limited models such as the F-10 reconnaissance aircraft, the AT-24 crew trainers, and the United States Marine Corps‘ PBJ-1 patrol bomber.

^{Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_B-25_Mitchell}

These images were taken at the Commemorative Air Force Southern California Wing museum in Camarillo, CA.

Marvelous Air Museums is part of the John D Reinhart content family. Writer, illustrator, videographer, and accidental filmmaker — find the whole story at JohnDReinhart.com.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II first took to the skies in 1959. Right off the runway, it set 15 world records, including absolute speed and absolute altitude.

The big, twin-engine fighter’s history is inextricably linked with the Vietnam War, in which it played a critical role for the United States Air Force, Marine Corps, and the Navy. It performed air superiority, ground attack, and even reconnaissance functions for all three services.

The 41-ton Phantom soldiered on after the Vietnam War, providing air superiority throughout the Cold War. In fact, the F-4 went on to provide suppression of enemy air defenses during the Gulf War.

The Mach-2 fighter was finally retired in 1996, being replaced by the more modern F-14 Tomcat, F-16 Eagle, and F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The importance and ubiquity of the F-4 cannot be overstated, perhaps best illustrated that you’ll find one is almost every air museum in California.

These images were taken at the Point Mugu Missile Park in Port Hueneme, CA, Estrella Warbird Museum in Paso Robles, Santa Maria Museum of Flight in Santa Maria, and at the Mojave Air Museum Legacy Park in Mojave, CA.

Marvelous Air Museums is part of the John D Reinhart content family. Writer, illustrator, videographer, and accidental filmmaker — find the whole story at JohnDReinhart.com.

Point Mugu Missile Park

Naval Air Road, Port Hueneme, CA

This free air and space museum is easy to find, easy to get to, easy to get in and out of, and, well, genuinely easy.

The museum is quite small, containing just three aircraft and a fascinating assortment of air-to-air, air-to-surface, and surface-to-air missiles.

The three aircraft are quite impressive, not only for what they are, but also for how they are displayed.

McDonnel Douglas F4J Phantom

The F4J Phantom was the first airplane to show up at the museum and has been on display there for well over a dozen years. She’s mounted atop a ten-foot-tall pylon, looking like she’s heading out to sea on a mission over Vietnam.

Tail number 157259 was built in St. Louis in November of 1969 and joined the Navy on December 12. She appears to have served her naval days at Pensacola Naval Base until 1986, when she was transferred to Point Mugu Naval Base. She was transferred to her current location in 1992.

Despite her blacked-out canopy and empty engine bays, she makes a striking and deep impression. The sheer size of the airframe, when balanced above you, is truly stunning.

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Build number 158623 joined the PMMP fleet in 2021, having served the majority of her career right here in Southern California. Built at the Grumman factory in Bethpage, NY, in 1971, she officially joined the Navy in 1973.

Here work here in California included a stint at Miramar in the combat traininng squadron. She was subsequently transferred to Point Mugu where she was reconfigured to provide evaluation data on the F-14 airframe itself.

Like the Phantom, her intakes betray empty engine bays, and her canopy is blacked out. But nothing detracts from her impression as a huge and powerful combat weapon.

Grumman EA-6B Prowler

Unlike the other birds, this four-seat ELINT aircraft sits firmly on her own landing gear. Her canopies are still clear, allowing you to see the cockpit coaming and ejection seats inside. Like the other aircraft, here engine bay is empty. But there is no block in either the tail cone or the intakes, so you can look right down the length of the inside of the aircraft.

This particular airframe, 163890, served in Qatar in 2018, and was the very last of the EA-6Bs to be flown. The sides of the fuselage are littered with the names and callsigns of dozens of the brave crew that flew in her throughout her career.

How to Get to the Museum

The Point Mugu Missile Park is unfenced and open air, meaning that it never closes.

Take Highway 1 either South from Oxnard or North from Malibu. You’ll be able to see the park from the freeway.

Take the Wood Road offramp. The park is west of the freeway – you literally can’t miss it. The museum is actually on Naval Air Road, near the entrance to Naval Base Ventura County.

Bring your camera and prepare to be blown away by these three impressive aircraft, and the dozens of missile displays at this free air and space museum.

Marvelous Air Museums is part of the John D Reinhart content family. Writer, illustrator, videographer, and accidental filmmaker — find the whole story at JohnDReinhart.com.

Tag: air and space museum

Mojave Air Museum Legacy Park Image Gallery

Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing Image Gallery

Grumman F-14 Tomcat

Saab S-35 Draken

North American PBJ Maritime Patrol Bomber

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

Point Mugu Missile Park