USAF Museum Experimental section
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very nice Gary, some interesting aircraft there !
Aaron Brooks Wolters
Brigadier General
Hey Gary, those are great. The place looks like it's packed. I had not ever seen a 107 before. Checking your 6 would be a bit tough. Thank you for sharing. 
Bill G.
Banned
Great Pictures!
The Air Force Museum is raising money to build a fourth large hanger. The plan is to place the X-Planes and Presidential planes in the new hanger.
Two years ago when I was there, I tried to get onto Wright-Patterson AFB to go the this annex. The fliers and even the sign where you sign up said all you needed was a valid Military ID (which me and my girl friend had) to go over on your own. We tried and were turned away because my car didn't have a Wright-Patterson AFB sticker on it. The security forces (Air Police) are polite, but very serious about security.
It is for the reasons you cite and my failure, that the Museum wants to have the collection all on the same side of the fence. That will be super when it happens.
The problem is that the Museum already has enough planes to fill a fifth hanger! And the XC-99, when it is done, will take up a lot of room. And with the airplanes that still sit outside on the ramp, they have a large problem of lack of room.
The good news is that they do have the XB-70 inside. When I first went there, this plane was sitting outside.
Bill G.
The Air Force Museum is raising money to build a fourth large hanger. The plan is to place the X-Planes and Presidential planes in the new hanger.
Two years ago when I was there, I tried to get onto Wright-Patterson AFB to go the this annex. The fliers and even the sign where you sign up said all you needed was a valid Military ID (which me and my girl friend had) to go over on your own. We tried and were turned away because my car didn't have a Wright-Patterson AFB sticker on it. The security forces (Air Police) are polite, but very serious about security.
It is for the reasons you cite and my failure, that the Museum wants to have the collection all on the same side of the fence. That will be super when it happens.
The problem is that the Museum already has enough planes to fill a fifth hanger! And the XC-99, when it is done, will take up a lot of room. And with the airplanes that still sit outside on the ramp, they have a large problem of lack of room.
The good news is that they do have the XB-70 inside. When I first went there, this plane was sitting outside.
Bill G.
Excellent stuff Gary!
Definitely got to get over there at some point, would love to see the XB-70.
Definitely got to get over there at some point, would love to see the XB-70.
SoD Stitch
Banned
Yes, it made me feel much better seeing the one-of-a-kind Valkyrie inside finally, instead of outside exposed to the elements.
Flyboy2
Senior Airman
Ok maybe these are stupid questions but what is that plane in the second picture down on the second post?
And what modification of the F-16 is that?
And what modification of the F-16 is that?
Aaron Brooks Wolters
Brigadier General
Flyboy2, I believe it is the same as the first photo, the F107A. I could be mistaken though.
Bill G.
Banned
I just checked the Air Force Museum web site. It is the AFTI F-16. AFTI means Avdanced Fighter Technology Integration.
Here is the Museum Writeup.
The USAF used this highly modified fighter for more than 20 years to test new and award-winning ideas in flight control, electronic targeting and cockpit design. A one-of-a-kind aircraft, the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 made more than 700 flights in 10 different research programs between 1978 and 2000.
AFTI F-16 programs developed targeting lasers and computers, and new autopilot and ground-avoidance systems allowed pilots to fly faster and lower while seeking and attacking targets. Other AFTI advances included digital flight controls, a voice-activated maneuvering system that allowed the pilot to "point" the aircraft in unusual flight attitudes, and touch-sensitive cockpit displays.
The aircraft's last project contributed to the Joint Strike Fighter design by reducing aircraft weight and increasing maneuverability. One of this program's most significant achievements was the first-ever use of all-electric "power by wire" flight controls, with no hydraulic or mechanical backups to move the aircraft's control surfaces. This milestone won the AFTI team the 2000 Aerospace Industry Award for Engineering, Maintenance and Modification.
The AFTI F-16 was retired Feb. 11, 2001, when it was flown to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Bill G.
Here is the Museum Writeup.
The USAF used this highly modified fighter for more than 20 years to test new and award-winning ideas in flight control, electronic targeting and cockpit design. A one-of-a-kind aircraft, the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 made more than 700 flights in 10 different research programs between 1978 and 2000.
AFTI F-16 programs developed targeting lasers and computers, and new autopilot and ground-avoidance systems allowed pilots to fly faster and lower while seeking and attacking targets. Other AFTI advances included digital flight controls, a voice-activated maneuvering system that allowed the pilot to "point" the aircraft in unusual flight attitudes, and touch-sensitive cockpit displays.
The aircraft's last project contributed to the Joint Strike Fighter design by reducing aircraft weight and increasing maneuverability. One of this program's most significant achievements was the first-ever use of all-electric "power by wire" flight controls, with no hydraulic or mechanical backups to move the aircraft's control surfaces. This milestone won the AFTI team the 2000 Aerospace Industry Award for Engineering, Maintenance and Modification.
The AFTI F-16 was retired Feb. 11, 2001, when it was flown to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Bill G.
G'day Flyboy2. This one?...
...it's the...
COMPASS COPE
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=607
(Many thanks for photos Gary!)
Aaron Brooks Wolters
Brigadier General
Heinz
Captain
Wondeful shots Gary thanks mate! 
You got it Trebor. It was an attempt by Piper to turn a Mustang, yes, that Mustang (the P-51) into a COIN aircraft, with a turboprop engine replacing the Merlin, along with general strengthening of the airframe and many other changes, large and small. By the time they got finished modifying the plane, it didn't have that much in common with the original P-51, but still looked somewhat like it. An interesting concept, but it never made it past the prototype stage. I'm glad it's been preserved. I believe somewhere out on the Internet ether there is (or was) a conversion set available to convert a normal P-51 into the Piper Enforcer, in 1/72nd scale If I remember correctly. I'd love to make the pilgrimage to Wright-Patterson, especially when they get the XC-99 restored and inside. I saw it over 30 years ago when it was outside of Kelly AFB in San Antonio, sitting outside and already in not so great a shape. I was mightily heartened to hear that the USAF got ahold of it and intended to restore it. Great pictures, Gary, keep 'em coming mate!
Venganza
Flyboy2
Senior Airman
Ok thanks Graeme and Bill G.
Mucho Gracias!
Mucho Gracias!
evangilder
"Shooter"
Nice stuff Gary. It's great to see the Valkyrie in a hangar. I last visited there in 1980 and it was parked outside. I was hoping they would get it out of the elements.
As an aside, it was that very airplane that sparked my interest in aviation. I was very young, almost three, when my father took me to see the final landing of the XB-70 at Wright Patterson. It is one of my earliest childhood memories and something I will never forget. To see that big white plane go right over our heads and the roar was deafening. But I was in love.
As an aside, it was that very airplane that sparked my interest in aviation. I was very young, almost three, when my father took me to see the final landing of the XB-70 at Wright Patterson. It is one of my earliest childhood memories and something I will never forget. To see that big white plane go right over our heads and the roar was deafening. But I was in love.
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