Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Air Force Flight Test Museum

    4.6 (7 reviews)
    Closed Closed

    Air Force Flight Test Museum Photos

    You might also consider

    More like Air Force Flight Test Museum

    Recommended Reviews - Air Force Flight Test Museum

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    6 months ago

    Helpful 20
    Thanks 10
    Love this 16
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 43
    Thanks 1
    Love this 43
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 2
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Air Force Flight Test Museum

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    Boeing NB-52B Mothership - look at all of those control cables

    Boeing NB-52B Mothership

    3.0(3 reviews)
    0.0 mi

    Balls 8 is the aircraft name for a specially modified B-52 that was used by NASA as a mother ship…read more There are planes that are iconic, the Wright Flyer, the 707, the 747, The SR-71 and so on. However none have had as large of an impact on aviation as Balls 8. Balls 8 (a reference to its 008 tailcode) began life as an RB-52B. The RB-52B's were A model B-52's with enhanced reconnaissance capabilities It was turned over to NASA and was modified as a dropship for the revolutionary X-15A. Flying for over 49 years Balls 8 went on to have an illustrious career and served a a drop ship / mothership for many of other programs. Its history can be seen on its right side with painting of almost every drop. Like a mural it tells a story of success and failure. The humor in the men and women who flew and maintained it is evidenced by many of the markings from its nose art to several other misadventures all chronicled on its side. Some of the highlights: (its chronicled in the pics) The alfalfa impact study: a DAST drone deployed its chute before launch and landed in a alfalfa field The F-16 Target Test: During a test where an F-16 was to make a simulated attack, it actually shot at the B-52 with its Vulcan cannon using live rounds :o TFHB: or The Fing hook broke represents the day that the hooks failed on the X-15 pylon. Drops where parachutes failed or the launched vehicle broke up are all represented. Success and failure. all in all it served as dropship for 140 X-15 flights, 17 M2-F2 flights, 37 HL-10 flights, 27 X-24A flights, 41 F-15 RPRV flights, 9 SRB/DTV flights, and 29 F-15/SRV flights.It also carried multiple flights of F-111 Parachute Test Vehicle (PTV), the M2-F3, X-24B, Shuttle Reusable Booster/Drop Test Vehicle (SRB/DTV), Ryan BQM-34 Firebee II, DAST, Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology, Pegasus orbital booster, X-38 Crew Return Vehicles, and the X-43A Hyper-X. One mystery mission revolves around 4 very small bat figures. These missions are unknown but I think they were Senior Prom Stealthy Cruise missiles tested in the 80's The airframe itself is highly modified and the right wing sports a notch in it to allow for tall tail fins of some vehicles and several camera blisters to film drops and launches. Balls 8 serves a gate guard for the North Entrance to Edwards AFB and is accessible to the public. There is very little there however, beyond the aircraft. However, those transiting the area can stop and take a quick look.

    BEWARE!!! This aircraft display on a federal military base. Signs posted warning you will be…read moresubject to search and seizure. If found to be an uninvited foreign national, your vehicle will be searched and your personal information will be collected and investigated. Drugs that are federally prohibited (marijuana) will be confiscated and federal citations issued.

    Photos
    Boeing NB-52B Mothership
    Boeing NB-52B Mothership
    Boeing NB-52B Mothership

    See all

    Boron Aerospace Museum - FR71

    Boron Aerospace Museum

    4.4(18 reviews)
    16.4 mi

    The Boron Aerospace Museum holds a rich history of the aerospace industry from WWI through Space…read moreExploration, and more... The displays are amazing, don't miss the F4 Phantom and DRAKEN J35 parked right out front! It is a fun place to visit

    Wonderful museum with interesting historic artifacts and exhibits. There is so much to look at that…read morea future trip should be made. Museum is free so make a donation to help support it after signing the log book. Bill is extremely knowledgeable and has so many stories to tell. The lovely photographs of the desert flora and fauna in the back room were taken by him. He is usually there Wednesdays but was filling in for someone on the Monday we were there. I learned so much from this place! I did not know that the mule teams were used only for a short period of six years from 1883 to 1889. Who knew also that the "twenty mule teams" actually consisted of eighteen mules and two horses and each animal served a specific role? I found it fascinating that the three sets of mules closest to the wagons (Pointers) were trained to jump over the chain during turns to keep it tight. This maneuver is called the "Dance of the Mules" and is amazing to see on videos of the modern replica mule team. There is a working animatronic display of the twenty mule team in the back room which someone had built. When turned on, the wagon wheels spin and the mules' head and ears move. An interesting newer exhibit of two movies that were filmed in Boron, " The Carpetbaggers" and "Erin Brockovich," can be found in the middle room of the museum. The front room of the museum has various historic displays of nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth century life in the area. A working bell communication system from the mine occupies this space. There is even a permanent wave machine used in beauty parlors of the past with electrodes and wiring for hot curlers. I can almost smell the burning hair! There is also a visitor center at US Boron nearby that should be part of your museum visit. It is closed on Mondays, which is the day we were in the area, so there will be a definite return trip soon to explore that.

    Photos
    Boron Aerospace Museum - On Display- F-4 Phantom

    On Display- F-4 Phantom

    Boron Aerospace Museum - Outside.

    Outside.

    Boron Aerospace Museum - Boron Aerospace Museum
26922 Twenty Mule TeaM Road

    See all

    Boron Aerospace Museum 26922 Twenty Mule TeaM Road

    Tehachapi Depot Museum - Definitely Is !!!

    Tehachapi Depot Museum

    4.4(39 reviews)
    33.5 mi

    One of the Best Train Museums that we have visited. Located in a Train Depot, it is beautifully…read moredone with displays, artifacts, and Train Memorabilia from the past. Super friendly Staff who really show their passion for trains & the history that surrounds them. They have a nice gift shop where you can find a gift for the train enthusiast in your life, or pick up something for yourself. If you are lucky a train will pass through and you can sit on the platform and feel the history as it passes you by, go see the Tehachapi Loop to complete your visit to Train Town USA.

    What a fantastic find! We were driving from Bakersfield to Las Vegas when a sudden winter storm…read moreforced us to take a break in Tehachapi. Honestly, it turned out to be the highlight of our trip. We pulled into the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum to escape the snow and were immediately greeted by Diana at the front desk. She was so incredibly welcoming and warm, which was exactly what we needed after that drive! We ended up getting a tour from Paul, and he was phenomenal. His knowledge of the local railroad history and the famous Tehachapi Loop is next-level. He didn't just show us artifacts; he told stories that made the whole experience come alive. The museum is beautifully maintained and full of unique memorabilia--even if you aren't a huge 'train person,' the passion of the volunteers like Paul and Diana makes it worth the stop. It's free to enter, but we highly recommend leaving a donation to support this local gem. Total 5-star experience!

    Photos
    Tehachapi Depot Museum
    Tehachapi Depot Museum - Sun & Time does damage

    Sun & Time does damage

    Tehachapi Depot Museum

    See all

    Western Hotel Museum - Kitchen opening to the dining room

    Western Hotel Museum

    4.6(7 reviews)
    19.2 mi

    Adorable museum with an enthusiastic and well informed tour guide. I even received a personal…read moreindividual tour! Judy Garland grew up in this neighborhood and her father ran a movie theater just down the street. The museum has the theaters old seats! Myrtie, the proprietress was quite the force to be reckoned with. She lived past 100 and was a stalwart of the community!

    Western Hotel Museum in Lancaster is open only on Friday and Saturday 11 AM - 4 PM. I chose to…read morevisit on Friday since Lee Esther's Cajun Créole Cooking in nearby Palmdale has its Friday only delectable Ya Ya Gumbo special in order to kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Western Hotel may be the oldest, historical building on main drag Lancaster Blvd. It has a Victorian, rural feel housing so many in the past who have passed away. It is a self guided tour, but you can book a tour at least 2 weeks in advance to see both the MOAH Museum and the Western Hotel for $3/person. I was lucky to get an impromptu tour being the only person in the hotel near closing by Richard who was manning the front reception. Because of Richard's kind invitation, I was enlightened to the importance of the hotel taking part in Lancaster history run by the Webbers. Richard is quite the raconteur telling tales of Lancaster to make Western Hotel part in its history alive again. He also has a witty, humorous side showing me a violin case in one of the guestrooms which hid inside itself a bottle of whiskey and 4 ceramic shot glasses. Richard's very informative, friendly, amiable manner was able to transform a standard self guided tour reading labels into a vibrant, time machine sending me back to the olden times of Lancaster. Thanks for going out of your way and gifting me a very entertaining 60 minutes!!! This was a 5 star experience.

    Photos
    Western Hotel Museum
    Western Hotel Museum - Historic Western Hotel

    Historic Western Hotel

    Western Hotel Museum - Owner Mrs. Webber's room

    See all

    Owner Mrs. Webber's room

    Air Force Flight Test Museum - museums - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...