Old Fighter Jets (and a couple of newer ones) on Display Outside at Palm Springs Air Museum

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

brockrwood

Well-Known Member
TRF Supporter
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
2,812
Reaction score
3,096
Location
Denver, Colorado, USA
The fighter jets on display outside of the Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California, USA, are impressive. There is even a MiG-15, a MiG-17, and an A-4 dressed up in “aggressor” livery with a red star on it. Neat! I wonder where the museum got the MiGs?

There is an F-16 and an F-18 on display. Aren’t those jets still in service? I have never seen relatively new planes like those on display at a museum.

The planes on display outside are completely free to check out. I only had about 10 minutes to spare so I just wandered about outside. Nice collection! Check it out if you are in Palm Springs.

AA628BA1-95EF-4305-957B-07754EF5FA2F.jpeg

2075791A-4FF9-47C4-8E6B-63A1359A7091.jpeg


85156372-A4B7-4A95-8DC2-ADB425065D3F.jpegB39EA6D5-36C6-41BE-9323-64542E10FD5A.jpeg

141C365A-6891-4481-AA7A-81E49ABC1C8A.jpeg

F20971A5-CB0F-4C62-8940-AB1EBE1A4A6B.jpeg
 
Some of the "newer" aircraft like the F-18 and F-16 the airframes may have reached their end of life and been sent to museums for display purposes
Or may have had an accident, or some other incident that may have broke the airframe.

At Lowry AFB, we trained on an F-16 that had an engine failure. Failing to get it to restart, the pilot lined up on an empty road, put the wheels down, then lost his nerves, and ejected.

The plane, then landed itself on the road, and rolled nearly to a stop, before rolling off the road, and into the ditch. The sudden stop snapped the plane's frame. While, no longer airworthy, it was fine for being used for weapons load training.
 
At least for the F-16, it is what we call a pre block (block 32 or older), can tell by the light weight gear. I can’t tell what kind of motor it has in it (GE or Pratt) from the angle of the picture. By and large, most block 25s have been retired from service as the post block fleet (block 40s and up) is what will be sustained into the 2040s. There is no serial number on it otherwise id look it up.
 
At least for the F-16, it is what we call a pre block (block 32 or older), can tell by the light weight gear. I can’t tell what kind of motor it has in it (GE or Pratt) from the angle of the picture. By and large, most block 25s have been retired from service as the post block fleet (block 40s and up) is what will be sustained into the 2040s. There is no serial number on it otherwise id look it up.
255CA34A-3EA8-4EEF-81DA-4BEB156FA829.jpeg
Only other picture I took of the F-16. I was short on time. Sorry about that!

It says F-16N and 163277 near the tail. Is 163277 the serial number?
 
Last edited:
The USS Midway has an F/A-18 on display. The original generation is being retired/“gifted” to the Marines and replaced with both the Super Hornet and the F-35 (which is too expensive to replace the entire fleet immediately).

You can tell the difference by the engine intakes. The Super Hornet intakes are square.
 
Or may have had an accident, or some other incident that may have broke the airframe.

At Lowry AFB, we trained on an F-16 that had an engine failure. Failing to get it to restart, the pilot lined up on an empty road, put the wheels down, then lost his nerves, and ejected.

The plane, then landed itself on the road, and rolled nearly to a stop, before rolling off the road, and into the ditch. The sudden stop snapped the plane's frame. While, no longer airworthy, it was fine for being used for weapons load training.
Lowry! May it rest in peace. I live about 5 minutes from the old Lowry AFB. It is now a very desirable (sp?) neighborhood in Denver to live in.
 
View attachment 545406
Only other picture I took of the F-16. I was short on time. Sorry about that!

It says F-16N and 163277 near the tail. Is 163277 the serial number?
It's a F-16N operated by the Navy as an aggressor. block 30 with the GE F-100 engine.
They were retired because of cracks in the airframe. Maybe late '90s?.
I don't recognize the camo paint, it could be local paint. It looks very new.
 
View attachment 545406
Only other picture I took of the F-16. I was short on time. Sorry about that!

It says F-16N and 163277 near the tail. Is 163277 the serial number?
A quick web search comes up with VF-126 Bandits, Miramar, CA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VF-126
In my younger days, A-6s were part of my flight line at NAS Oceana in VAB. I was in the Tomcat squadrons there (VF-101, VF-2), and we always had fun rivalries with the A6 bubbas!.

Nowadays I work at NASO supporting the repair of aviation generators, the F-18 being our #1 customer. That one you took a picture of is a baby hornet, out of the Naval inventory and being phased out of the USMC service as well.

Incidentally, that other little jet looks like a TA4, probably also from the VF-126 inventory.
 
Last edited:
Here are some more pics.


4160cecd-a73d-4fd3-a3d5-9f9757661b94-jpeg.545421



4D8C45C9-D438-4964-85B2-ECC40B9C188F.jpeg

CC0862DA-57EF-4AFD-BC71-9A9F926FEA48.jpeg

5AAA6B07-FBA6-49D3-84E4-98FAEEE84B49.jpeg

F6E3DB36-0F6A-4D20-BB46-9B95E61E9F7D.jpeg

95781331-5B59-44DC-A696-6C67054AC84D.jpeg

3D909605-D453-493E-992F-39389CBACFB1.jpeg

I think that is all of them.
 

Attachments

  • 4160CECD-A73D-4FD3-A3D5-9F9757661B94.jpeg
    4160CECD-A73D-4FD3-A3D5-9F9757661B94.jpeg
    4.7 MB · Views: 107
It's a F-16N operated by the Navy as an aggressor. block 30 with the GE F-100 engine.
They were retired because of cracks in the airframe. Maybe late '90s?.
I don't recognize the camo paint, it could be local paint. It looks very new.
Yep what he said! Aggressor paint .
 
Depends on a few things, but many times it’s a carcass or a high time engine that is timed out on modules. Other times, it’s just the aug can and you can’t tell. I can’t tell you how the navy rolls, but if it was a USAF display it wouldn’t be serviceable either way.
 
Depends on a few things, but many times it’s a carcass or a high time engine that is timed out on modules. Other times, it’s just the aug can and you can’t tell. I can’t tell you how the navy rolls, but if it was a USAF display it wouldn’t be serviceable either way.
The Navy is the same.
 
It's a F-16N operated by the Navy as an aggressor. block 30 with the GE F-100 engine.
They were retired because of cracks in the airframe. Maybe late '90s?.
I don't recognize the camo paint, it could be local paint. It looks very new.
All of these planes, except the F/A-18 and the A-6, seem to be “aggressor” airplanes. Were these retired from the Navy’s “Top Gun” school? If so, that would be really cool! Top Gun air combat training airplanes up close and personal!
 
A quick web search comes up with VF-126 Bandits, Miramar, CA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VF-126
In my younger days, A-6s were part of my flight line at NAS Oceana in VAB. I was in the Tomcat squadrons there (VF-101, VF-2), and we always had fun rivalries with the A6 bubbas!.

Nowadays I work at NASO supporting the repair of aviation generators, the F-18 being our #1 customer. That one you took a picture of is a baby hornet, out of the Naval inventory and being phased out of the USMC service as well.

Incidentally, that other little jet looks like a TA4, probably also from the VF-126 inventory.
So is the F-16 former “Top Gun” air combat training “aggressor” airplane? If so, that is really cool! Up close and personal with a real Top Gun airplane!
 
All of these planes, except the F/A-18 and the A-6, seem to be “aggressor” airplanes. Were these retired from the Navy’s “Top Gun” school? If so, that would be really cool! Top Gun air combat training airplanes up close and personal!
The Navy flew/flies a bunch of aircraft for dissimilar air combat training. The airframes are few but varied.
 
Yes the F-16 was a navy aggressor, I'd have to see the S/N on the A-4, but it probably was also.
It could just be painted as one though.

The A-10 is an effective weapon, but it needs air superiority. Something the US Air Force has been very good at accomplishing. And it's beautiful in its own way.
 
I'll agree with you there, the A-10 was built for that. But for the prettiest fighter going, give me the USAF Thunderbirds F-16.
I can't disagree. F-16 is beautiful. But there is no sight more beautiful to an American Soldier or Marine than an A-10 firing a missile or the nose gun when you are being attacked by an enemy. The enemy either quickly bugs out or dies.
 
Having an A-10 respond to a support for request is impossible to describe.
I have seen them fire from the distance and only from the distance, but it gave me a sudden amount of glee for our Soldiers and worry for the enemy (only because I might have to patch them up).
 
Yes the F-16 was a navy aggressor, I'd have to see the S/N on the A-4, but it probably was also.
It could just be painted as one though.

The A-10 is an effective weapon, but it needs air superiority. Something the US Air Force has been very good at accomplishing. And it's beautiful in its own way.
I read on the web somewhere (so it must be true) that the F-16 was the closest match the Navy could find to the characteristics of the Su-27 and MiG-29 for the aggressor aircraft in air combat training.
 
Back
Top