Message posted by Peter Merlin on August 29, 2014 at 23:51:14 PST:

I'm saying that the size of the new hangar is not related to the size of one particular aircraft. If it is a Scoot-N-Hide and/or a covered trim pad, then it needs to be large enough to accommodate test articles of any size.

The old South Trim Pad that was built for Oxcart was never covered, probably because no one ever thought of doing such a thing. Why would they? Such a thing had never been done before. Also, when it was built, overhead satellite imagery was in its infancy. Today, even commercial imaging satellites are better than most early generation reconnaissance satellites (probably up to and including KH-11).

As to the disposal of test articles, historically the Air Force has not been terribly sentimental about holding onto stuff (especially from cancelled projects). Some items have ended up in museums, but others were simply scrapped or buried. Just speaking from experience, Air Force leadership usually doesn't seem inclined to hang onto things they are finished with, even if those items are worthy of museum preservation.

In Reply to: Re: New Panorama & Hangar posted by themadgenius on August 29, 2014 at 12:42:01 PST:

Replies: