About one hour’s drive from Los Angeles, aviation aficionados can admire a great selection of aircraft in Palmdale California.

Visitors can see a wide variety of aircraft in two airparks which are set right next to each other.

The first airpark is called Joe Davis Heritage Airpark and it is centered around displays of aircraft that portray the aerospace heritage of the USA.

In February 2008 the airpark was rededicated in Mr Joe Davis’s name to honor him and his great service to the country and community. Joe was Air Force Plant 42′ third Commander and he retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1973. Thereafter he worked (among other roles within the community) in community relations for Rockwell and Boeing on the B-1 Bomber and Space Shuttle programs and he served as a Palmdale City Councilman.

Boeing 747 at Joe Davis Heritage Airpark

Among others you can get up close to a Boeing 747, you can see a Model of 143-Triumph or other military aircraft such as the Republic F-105 Thunderchief from 1964 which was a supersonic fighter-bomber.

Undercarriage of Boeing 747

Model of 143-Triumph

Guiberson A/T-1029 Diesel Engine which was used in Aircraft and Tanks in the 1930s – 1940s.

F-105 Thunderchief

The other airpark is located right next to it and it is called the Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson Blackbird Airpark.

Kelly Johnson was an American aerospace engineer and he contributed to a series of important aircraft designs. One of them was the SR-71A Blackbird which you can see at the airpark.

There are also a variety of other exhibits such as the once ultra-secret Lockheed D-21 Drone and the Lockheed A-12.

SR-71A Blackbird and Lockheed A-12

View Underneath A-12 Lockheed

Pratt & Whitney J58 Jet Engine that powered Lockheed A-12 and subsequently the SR-71

Lockheed D-21 Drone

The entrance to both Airparks was free (you can make donations there if you wish to) and there were plenty of parking spaces available.

Generally the opening hours of both parks are:

Fri to Sun: 11am until 4pm

Mon to Thu: Closed

Both airparks are a great attraction to visit especially if you are interested in aircraft and military airplanes.

Link to the page about Joe Davis Heritage Airpark on the website of the City of Palmdale

Link re. Blackbird Airpark visit – managed by the Flight Test Historical Foundation

Head-on view of an A-12 Lockheed

You can purchase a print of this image here.

You can see the other parts (articles/videos/photos) here

We always wanted to drive across the US and this year our nomadic lifestyle allows us to do so.

You might wonder why we are driving from the West Coast to the East Coast and not the other way around. This is simply due to the vagaries of US car rental. Hit the right mix of locations and a one month cross-country rental can be achieved for considerably less than $1000. Get the wrong combination and you can be looking at 3 or 4 times that. An added benefit of heading East is that, generally and as any transcontinental pilot can tell you, you have the wind behind you and you therefore use less fuel.

Surfer at Malibu Beach

The official start of our road trip adventure started on the most important day for Americans, the 4^th of July 2014. We enjoyed a sunny day at Malibu Beach with an inspiring couple which we just met one day earlier in Palmdale. They are originally from Canada and are trying to set up their American Dream. You could truly feel how much they were in love with California. Considering that we spent almost the entire day with them, we thought to ourselves, isn’t if funny how you can feel close to people you just met?

Many families relaxed at the beach. Americans are so well prepared for their days out. We first noticed that whilst lining up for a rock concert in Seattle a few years back. They had their camping chairs, ice-boxes, blankets and other stuff all set up whilst waiting for the doors to open. At the beach they went even further. It was as if they set up their own little home at the beach with beds, tents and food.

Malibu

We spent most of the time at Zuma Beach and Malibu Pier. Later in the day the area revealed its true nature. It was like a small town. People had parties at their Beach villas and unfortunately there weren’t many places where one can enjoy the view of the ocean and have a drink. One attractive option was booked out and we observed some very finely dressed people arrive whilst a member of the paparazzi lurked in the bushes.

Malibu is perfect for a day out at the beach. There were plenty of life guards around and there were separate swimming and surfing areas. If you decide to visit Malibu beach, get there early as there aren’t many free and/or cheap parking spots.  One can easily spend 20 dollars for a day’s parking spot even if you arrive after lunch!

The golden Californian sun was perfect start into our three week road trip.

Fisherman at Malibu Pier