Here is a nice AH-64 Apache. The rotors were tied down due to the wind and the targeting turret on the front was turned around to prevent damage by onlookers.
The
B-1B Lancer is a variable-geometry, high-speed, long-range, multi-role
heavy bomber. The aircraft at right has its wings in the full-forward
position with flaps down, and was pulling is gear up when the photo was
taken. The four-engine bomber is capable of flying at Mach 1.2 at
sea-level, although this was not demonstrated during the airshow.
B-2 Spirit
The B-2 Spirit is a low-observable, multi-role, heavy bomber.
This bottom view of the Spirit of Alaska clearly shows the control
surfaces and the bomb bay doors. The lighting angle highlights some
of the curvature of the underside of this aircraft.
This
is the nose canopy and chin turret of a B-17 Flying Fortress. This
aircraft, B-17G-105VE "Miss Angela," is owned by Palm
Springs Air Museum and is usually available for individual tours.
Nearly 13,000 B-17s were produced during WWII, most of which served as
heavy bombers in the Europe.
B-25s were carrier-launched medium bombers during WWII.
The
B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber capable of delivering
20 air-lauched cruise missles. This photo was taken in the full "dirty"
configuration with full flaps and gear extended. The external weapons
hardpoints can be seen between the fuselage and the inboard engine pylon.
The C-17 Globemaster III is a cargo and troop transport aircraft with
STOL capabilities. Its payload capability is about 65% by mass and
56% by volume that of a C-5B while decreasing take-off distance by more
than two-thirds over its big brother. With full-thrust reverses,
the C-17 can back up a 2 percent incline. In this photo, the ground
is parallel to the bottom of the picture--putting the aircraft in a roll
in excess of 60 degrees at about 1,000 AGL!
The F-117A Nighthawk is a twin-engined, single-place, low-observable
attack aircraft. The photo at right shows one of the internally-stored
2,000-lb laser-guided bombs. The F-117A is roughly the size of an
F-15, but is not (officially) capable of super-sonic flight. At left
is a close-up of the F-117A that clearly shows both the Foward-Looking
Infrared Receptor (FLIR) and the Downward-Looking Infrared Receptor (DLIR). 
The stealthy sawtooth edges, Heads-Up Display (HUD), and one of the pitot
tubes are also visible. Also pictured are two F-117s flying in formation
with gear down on a slow fly-by.
At left, an F-15 and F-16 are seen flying in formation. The F-15
and F-16 use the same type of jet engine. At right, another F-15
is seen in full afterburner. The F-15 is a high-performance tactical
fighter and is to be replaced by the F-22. This aircraft was left
unpainted in the area surrounding the engines.
The F-22 Raptor is the latest and most modern air-superiority fighter.
This particular aircraft, known as Raptor 4002, arrived at Edwards AFB
for flight testing August 26, 1998. Note the thrust-vectoring nozzle
at the rear and the red covers over the air data probes near the front
of the aircraft. The photo at right is distorted due to the fact
that the image was created by splicing two photos together.
Built
by Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical, Global Hawk is an unmanned, high endurance,
high altitude reconnaissance and survailance spy plane designed to survey
an area the size of the state of Illinois down to 3' resolution and relay
the information in near-real time to military commanders. This aircraft
is designed to fly 3,000 miles to the battlefield, loiter for 24 hours,
and fly 3,000 miles home before refueling. The bulge on the front
of the aircraft conceals a radar dish while the engine sits between the
V-tail fins. This photograph does not do justice to its 116' wingspan.
At
left is a photo of the the interior of SCA N911NA taken from just inside
of the #2 right-hand door looking rearward. The interior is obviously
stripped; the seat tracks in the floor, insulation in the walls, ventilation
ducts in the ceiling, and the rear bulkhead are all in clear view.
Just behind the #3 doors can be seen the structural reinforcement that
was added to take the weight of the shuttle. N911NA (formerly a Boeing
747-100SR owned by Japan Air Lines) was modified and delivered to NASA
in 1990 as a backup to the original Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (N905NA).
N911NA was first used in its new capacity to carry orbiter Endeavor
(OV-105) from Palmdale to Kennedy Space Center the following year.
Max airspeed for either SCA during a ferry mission is Mach 0.6 with an
altitude of about 14,000 ft and a maximum range of 1,150 miles. N911NA
can be distinguished from N905NA by having five windows on the upper deck,
as opposed to two. As you can see, it's not much to look at, yet
thousands of people will wait in line for hours just to walk through it!
(We got in early that day.)
The N9M-B is one of Northrop's first flying wings, making it an ancestor
of the B-2 Spirit. 
The aircraft features two supercharged Franklin V-8s producing 325 hp each
and was designed as a one-third scale test aircraft for Northrop's later
flying wings, the XB-35 and YB-49. This aircraft was rebuilt over
a 13-year period and is now owned by the Planes
of Fame Air Museum in Chino, California. Note the split ailerons
and the pitch-limiting tailwheel on this now one-of-a-kind aircraft.
(back to top)
The
SR-71 Blackbird is the perennial favorite of Embry-Riddle students.
Note the all-moving vertical stabilizers and the inlet spikes. The
moveable inlet spikes produce most of the thrust while the aircraft is
cruising at Mach 3+. We were told by an SR-71 pilot that the downward-bent
wingtip leading edges actually flatten out at high speed. The SR-71
is a reconnaissance version of the A-12/YF-12A, while the SR-71B is the
trainer model with the recognizable hump behind the foward cockpit.
NASA uses a few SR-71s for high-speed, high-altitude testing.
