Crashed at Auckland National Park on July 2, 1992. Bob Kerr photo

Ex Luftwaffe RF-104G 24+64. This Starfighter arrived at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center on 2 July 1975 and remained in service up to October 1993. It is now preserved at Edwards.

T-38A 65-10353 became N911NA with NASA Johnson on 10 February 1966. It became N821NA and arrived at NASA Dryden at 28 September 1972. It was converted to T-38N in early 1988. Later transferred to NASA Johnson Space Center on 12 October 1994. Reregistered to N967NA in early 1995.

This weird looking x-wing was delivered to Dryden as N805NA with code NASA 838 on 12 March 1979. The Lockheed Folding Wing was on and off active and stored at Dryden but eventually withdrawn from use and transferred to the NASA Ames Research Center museum in February 1998.

This 9th built F-15A arrived at NASA on 5 January 1976. It was a former 6512th Test Squadron aircraft at nearby Edwards AFB (CA) up to November 1975. It was used by the USAF for spinning, high angle-of-attack and fuel systems development trials. After delivery to Dryden it became part of the Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control (HIDEC) flight research program. Up to July 2001 the Eagle was on loan from the USAF. In that month it was reregistered to N835NA/835. From February 2006 is was reported at stored. GThis status was at least up to late 2010.

This Starfighter was factory-fresh handed over to NASA on 19 July 1963. It arrived at Dryden on 19 August 1963. It stayed operational up to 1990, was stored at Edwards until October 1992 and was then preserved at the visitors center of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott (AZ)

First flown in 1967, became N8351Y and was assigned to NASA Dryden's Research Operations Division for Program Support on 5 June 1967. The Piper was among other missions, used for validating remotely piloted research vehicles in addition to research into General Aviation aircraft. It was withdrawn from use and popped up as an instructional airframe at Reedley (CA) Aviation Maintenance Technology Dept at Reedley College on 19 May 1995.

Former USAF 65-10357, delivered to NASA Ames in December 1972, did not receive a NASA registration as it was assigned to NASA Dryden on 16 March 1973. Reregistered to N915NA at NASA Ames on 22 January 1990, and later to N722NA and N717NA at Ames, converted to T-38N in October 1997 and delivered to NASA Johnson as N966NA.

This 1976 YF-18A is the 6th McDonnell Douglas built single seat prototype and was delivered to the US Navy on 31 Jan'80 with code 6 to the Naval Air Test Center, NAS Patuxent River (MD). It served the NATC up to 22 Oct'84 when it was transferred to NASA. Initially it carried its BuNo and "NASA 840", in 1985 it received registration N840NA. The Hornet was used from 1987-1996 as a High Alpha Research Vehicle with thrust-vectoring vanes, research flight control system and forward fuselage strakes. Since 2003 it is preserved at the Virginia Air & Space, Hampton (VA). Here pictured at Dryden FRC.

This fiscal year 1979 Hornet was delivered to the US Navy on 11 June 1980. The aircraft was transferred to NASA in 1987 and received NASA 844 on its tail (as pictured). It did not receive a NASA N-registration. It is not clear if the aircraft ever received or carried the N844NA registration. The twelfth Hornet and the tenth single seater built did not serve NASA for a long time as it crashed three miles north of Boron (CA) on 7 October 1988. It is here pictured at a Edwards AFB ramp, outside the NASA Dryden facility.

This long pitot tube equipped Talon did not finished its career on a proper way... it crashed on 21 May 2009 while performing a United States Air Force Test Pilot School (USAFTPS) mission. The goal of the mission was collecting information during a so-called Flying Qualities Longitudinal Static Stability Data mission. This sortie required flying a series of test points at 0.9 Indicated Mach Number and 20,000 ft MSL. The Talon impacted the ground some 12 miles north of homebase Edwards, killing one of the two man crew,

YA-10B Night/Adverse Weather two-seat experimental prototype, the sole dual seat A-10. The aircraft was converted from an A-10A. The unique aircraft, once built as YA-10A, made its first flight from Edwards on 4 May 1979. After several tests, the US Congress did not approve funding for the project, so the whole was cancelled. The aircaft is now preserved at Edwards. It is seen here after its period of storage and was prepared for preservation.

Preserved since September 1995 as Thunderbird 6 at Merced/Castle (CA).

Within the Combined Test Force of the 6512th Test Squadron, this Eagle was involved in the testing of the Anti Satellite Missile (ASAT). The aircraft fired an ASM-135 missile on 21 Dec'82. These tests continued for several years. In 1988, the Reagan Administration cancelled the ASM-135 program because of technical problems, testing delays, and significant cost growth. The Eagle served Edwards up to 1995. It was then stored at AMARC with inventory code FH0116 on 18 May 1995. It was moved to HVF West at Tucson on 25 November 2008 and scrapped.

Delivered to the USAF in late 1978, and directly assigned as a test aircraft with the 6512 Test Squadron at Edwards AFB (CA). It was involved in the air-launched Anti-SATellite (ASAT) program. The Eagle was retired in May 1995 to AMARC on 18 May 1995 and left the storage depot on 18 May 1995. Its forward fuselage was then used at Robins AFB from November 2011 for instruction while the remainder was scrapped.

This T-38A was transferred to the US Navy as 701579 in May 1995 and was modex 17 assigned with the US Navy Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River (MD). The Talon is still flying as such.

This F-4C belonged to the oldest Phantoms at Edwards at the time of the picture. The beast was retired on 4 April 1991 to AMARC and received inventory code FP0646 . It left the storage depot in June 2000 and was probably scrapped.

Prepared for preservation at the base, we encountered this F-101 in primer at one of the platforms of the massive base.