Joe Davies Heritage Airpark

Joe Davies Heritage Airpark
The Joe Davies Heritage Airpark is located south of U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in the bottom center of the satellite image
Map
TypeAviation museum/airpark
Location2001 East Avenue P
Nearest cityPalmdale, California
Coordinates34°36′8.9″N 118°05′13.6″W / 34.602472°N 118.087111°W / 34.602472; -118.087111
Area26.4 acres (10.7 ha)
EstablishedOctober 20, 1998; 26 years ago (1998-10-20)
Owned byCity of Palmdale
WebsiteOfficial 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.

History

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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. The aviation museum was established commemorate the various aircraft which were designed, built, and flown at Plant 42.[2]

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.[2] The park has a program called "Adopt-a-Plane" which cleans aircraft on a bi-weekly or monthly basis.[3] Admission and parking are free, and the park is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.[4] Most of its employees are volunteers.[1]

Aircraft on display

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The aviation museum has a total of 21 retired military aircraft and a 1:8 scale model on display.[5]

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.[6] 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,[a] and a Rockwell-MBB X-31 in the future.[1] The park plans to have over 40 aircraft on display.[7] 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]

# Image Aircraft Donated to the park Put on display
1 Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit
(1:8 scale-model) 		— —
2 Curtiss C-46D Commando
Serial number: 44-78019-A
3 McDonnell F-101F Voodoo
Serial number: 58-0324 		May 2005 November 2006
4 North American F-100D Super Sabre
Serial number: 54-2299 		1 August 1998 1 October 1998
5 Lockheed F-104C Starfighter
Serial number: 57-0915 		October 1998 October 1998
6 Republic F-105F Thunderchief
Serial number: 62-4416 		August 1998 October 1998
7 Grumman F-14D Tomcat
Bureau Number: 164350 		October 2006 December 2006
8 General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon[b]
Serial number: 78-0105
9 AGM-28 Hound Dog
#M-025 		26 June 2007 26 June 2007
10 Boeing B-52F Stratofortress
Serial number: 57-0038
11 Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
Aircraft registration: N911NA 		12 September 2014 12 September 2014
12 Scaled Composites Triumph
Aircraft registration: W143SC 		May 2006 March 2007
13 Lockheed T-33A
Serial number: 51-4533 		April 2007 7 February 2008
14 Lockheed Martin X-55
Serial number: S0303A-0963
15 LTV A-7B Corsair II
Bureau Number: 154449
16 McDonnell F-4D Phantom II
Serial number: 65-0696
17 Northrop T-38A Talon
Serial number: 63-8182 		1 August 1998 1 October 1998
18 Douglas A-4C Skyhawk
Bureau Number: 145067 		March 2001 August 2004
19 Northrop F-5E Tiger II
Serial number: 74-1529 		May 2005 October 2005
20 Lockheed JetStar
Aircraft registration: N814NA 		January 2003 May 2005
21 Canadair Sabre CL-13 Mk.5
Serial number: RCAF23231
Aircraft registration: N91FS 		August 1998 October 1998
22 Space Shuttle Evacuation Test Sled

See also

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Notes

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  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.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Joe Davies Heritage Airpark Brochure". City of Palmdale. pp. 1–2. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Gatlin, Allison (August 20, 2021). "Palmdale Legend Davies is Honored". Antelope Valley Press. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "Adopt a Plane and Help Keep It Clean". Antelope Valley Press. December 18, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Joe Davies Airpark Has New Operating Hours". Antelope Valley Press. March 11, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Joe Davies Heritage Airpark". City of Palmdale. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Brown, Alan (September 12, 2014). Gibbs, Yvonne (ed.). "NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft 911 Moves to Final Home". NASA. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  7. ^ "Palmdale, California". WorldAtlas. August 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
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