T-1, the Air Force’s prototype C-17 transport, retired to the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, ending a 21-year testing career at Edwards AFB, Calif. The airplane arrived in Dayton on April 25. “This aircraft will serve as the representative C-17 airframe in the museum’s collection, allowing us to share with the public more of the story of the demanding airlift missions facing today’s Air Force,” said museum director John Hudson. McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) workers essentially fabricated T-1 by hand to support a five-year developmental test and evaluation program, according to museum officials. Successively rebuilt, the aircraft exceeded its design life by four times while supporting various test programs since its maiden flight in September 1991. In addition to test support, the aircraft sidelined as a film star, appearing in a bunch of Hollywood films during its service life. After decommissioning, T-1 is slated to join the museum’s outdoor airpark this summer, said the officials. (Dayton report by Sarah Swan)
B-21 Temporary Shelters Could Also Shelter B-2s
March 5, 2021
The Air Force's experimental runway shelter for the new B-21 bomber is large enough to cover it or the B-2, and therefore reveals no information about the dimensions of the new aircraft. Two such shelters will be evaluated, but the maker of the second version hasn't been chosen, yet.