Warbird Information Exchange

I recently returned from a remarkable 7 week stay in Death Valley National Park, which is just a hundred miles or so from Lost Wages, Nevada. Several times while in the Park I saw a curious formation. It consisted of a B-2 Stealth, and a large twin jet swept wing transport type. This twin was white, with large radomes on the tail and I think also the nose. They were at I would guess 4-5000 feet AGL -- high enough that I could not see markings, or get photographs. The transport type would hold a steady course, with the bomber sometimes moving around to different positions relative to the white aircraft. The formation would orbit for a half hour or so and then leave.

So what was the white aircraft and what would they have been doing? Radar reflectivity tests of some sort?

On another note, on this trip I saw fewer F-18s than on previous trips to the area (it is just over the hill from China Lake). There were however many white T-38s around, and flying low having fun in the canyons etc. I'd guess I saw 4 or 5 Hornets in my time there, but several times as many T-38s. Also, on the way back home, in the Highway 50 and I-80 areas there were a lot of aggressor painted T-38s and, I think, F-5s -- presumably from Fallon. They were up all the time during weekdays...

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Neal Nurmi

---Wingman Photo---

I don't know exactly what you saw without pictures, but suffice it to say that that part of the area you are in has a lot of testing of experimental (classified) aircraft that may still be in the "black" world. Regarding the white twin "transport-type", it's hard to say. The B-2 is air-refuelable, so it's possible it could have been a tanker of some sort. I believe that all of the USAF tanker aircraft are gray, however, so the white part is perplexing unless it was Navy/Marines or perhaps it is a one-off tanker mod to an existing aircraft where they were doing refueling tests out of Edwards. Another possibility is that the white aircraft was a photo ship and was only photographing the B-2 from different angles. This would account for the formation that you saw.

White T-38's used to be pretty common at the UPT (Pilot Training) bases, but I believe they are now all painted up in the 2 tone light/dark gray air superiority paint scheme. AFAIK the only white T-38's left would be the ones at the Test Pilot School at Edwards which are also used in chase support roles for some of the testing programs out there.

The "aggressor" painted T-38's you mentioned were most likely F-5's. AFAIK, there are only two units left that fly them here in the States - the Navy from Fallon NAS and the Marines from Yuma MCAS. Because of the close proximity of your location from Fallon, I would guess that's where they were based.

BTW, always keep a camera handy and ready when you go to that part of the country as the Air Force and Navy tend to test a lot of experimental vehicles out there. During the 80's, many of the first-hand eyewitness accounts of the F-117 Stealth Fighter came from that area and others close by in Southern California.

That's the best I can help you with.

There is always a B-2 operating out of Edwards and they continually run tests in the area you described. This area is a MOA (Military Operation Area)and there are several of them overlapping as several agencies use them for testing or training.

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"If its red or dusty - DON'T TOUCH IT!

I was doing a little surfing to find out more info on what the 2 engine white plane was that you saw, Neal. Did it look anything like this:

Cool! Isn't that the Locheed F-35 Radar test a/c? If so, wonder if they're testing it against a true stealth a/c for calibration?

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Cheers!

Lance Jones

They should call that one "The Flying Nun"!

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Mike

Registration on that plane returns as:

Serial Number 22212 Type Registration Corporation
Manufacturer Name BOEING Certificate Issue Date 11/09/2000
Model 757-200 SERIES Status Valid
Type Aircraft Fixed Wing Multi-Engine Type Engine Turbo-fan
Pending Number Change None Dealer No
Date Change Authorized None Mode S Code 52432012
MFR Year 1982 Fractional Owner NO

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Registered Owner

Name BOEING LOGISTICS SPARES INC
Street M/S 4W-40
PO BOX 3707
City SEATTLE State WASHINGTON

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Mike

How about the Boeing NT-34A??

http://www.air-and-space.com/Death%20Valley%20sighting.htm

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Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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Zane -- I think you have it! The radomes looked just like the ones in those pictures, and the behavior patterns fit perfectly. I thought the white airplane looked larger than a 737, but they were high enough that it was hard to judge size. Thanks for the link -- I don't know how you guys find this stuff...

That is certainly good country for plane spotting. I have a very long history with the area, and have accumulated some good images for the memory banks. I remember back in the early 1970s seeing a B-1A low and fast (well. low being relative as I was at 9000 feet in the mountains). I've had my rear view mirror very full of F-18 doing a strafing run on my car! I've driven up 395 near China Lake as a pair of QF-86s did rolls up the valley overhead. Last spring I saw several V-22s in trail headed somewhere in a hurry.

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Neal Nurmi

---Wingman Photo---

It's the Catfish!

This is based at Boeing Field just south of the Museum Of Flight. That's a Raptor nose and wing on the front end.

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-Al Sauer
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spookythecat

That is one interesting looking aircraft. Very ugly, yet very cool.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

The twin-jet aircraft was indeed doing radar signature studies of the B-2. I flew on a C-5B from Dayton to Dobbins ARB in Georgia a few years back, and we had the NASA C-141A (with the spike nose) doing the same sort of thing to us. The C-141 moved into various positions around the C-5 for about 10 minutes or so in each position.

Walt

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If God had intended airplane engines to have horizontally-opposed cylinders, Pratt & Whitney would have built them that way.

The F-35 program uses the Cat-Bird...funky but not nearly as weird as the Cat-Fish

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Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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