Fire and ice

Our first big winter storm, which hung over the airport most of Monday, was cleared off by early this morning, leaving crystal clear skies and a gorgeous dusting of snow on the nearby Tehachapi mountains. With another storm on its way, everyone decided to take advantage of the beautiful flying weather, starting with the National Test Pilot School and one of their Saab SK-35 Drakens. Given that these particular Drakens are ex-Royal Danish Air Force, this was almost like a homecoming for them.

Next up, still in keeping with the "fire and ice" theme, was the U.S. Navy's somewhat mysterious DC-9 Firebird II (which, quite possibly, would have been better named Fireporcupine II). Maintained by BAE Flight Systems here at Mojave, this one is a great example of the doctrine of hiding in plain sight - if you want to keep an electronic warfare systems aircraft quite, go paint it a bold striking color and give it a civilian registration, and maybe no one will notice....

Lastly, the main event for the day, yet more taxi tests for VMS Eve. Here's a sample, with more to follow in a post tomorrow....