Military Aviation . Many of the plants started their military careers in W.W.II, as government- or contractor-owned defense plants. Glassdoor gives you an inside look at what it's like to work at Air Force Plant 42 Fire Department, including salaries, reviews, office photos, and more. It was established by the Bureau of Air Commerce (later the Civil Aeronautics Administration) who maintained a network of emergency landing fields. Col. Dwayne Robison relinquished leadership to Dr. David Smith in a ceremony presided over by Brig. The historic Plant 42 is the birthplace of all the Air Force’s B-2 Spirits, and where the first-ever Spirit conducted its maiden flight more than 30 years ago on July 17, 1989. [1], Aerospace contractors at Air Force Plant 42 share a common runway complex and either lease building space from the Air Force (commonly referred to as GOCO, or Government Owned Contractor Operated), or own their own building outright. Los Angeles World Airports [LAWA] owns 17,000 acres east of Plant 42 that was acquired for an airport. Upon completion, the spacecraft was turned over to NASA for transport overland from Palmdale to Edwards Air Force Base, California. Related Links: Air Force Plant 42 - Older article on DLR about Plant 42. The facility also has one of the heaviest load-bearing runways in the world. However, the regional transportation plans formulated by the Southern California Association of Governments focus on having airports in Burbank, Ontario, Irvine and El Toro handle the excess air-passenger service for the Southern California region. Others are located on or adjacent to Air Force bases or other installations. NASA decided in February 2002 to shift space shuttle overhaul and modification work from Palmdale to Florida. Current projects include design, engineering, pre-production, production, modification, flight testing, servicing and repair mission related activities to the following: The Blackbird Airpark Museum part of Air Force Flight Test Museum and the adjacent Palmdale Plant 42 Heritage Airpark (Now "Joe Davies Heritage Airpark")[2] have recently been opened on Plant 42 property along Avenue P (both are free to the public) with displays of the SR-71, U-2, Century Series fighters and other aircraft designed, engineered, manufactured, and flight tested at its facilities. The payload bay doors were manufactured at Rockwell International's Tulsa, Okla., facility and transported overland to Rockwell's Palmdale assembly facility. "Plant 42 is often referred to as the 'downtown' Air Force. [1], Plant 42 as of August 2010 has updated their operation status from GOCO (Government Owned Contractor Operated) to a DoD operated facility. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had been paying the Air Force for use of Plant 42 facilities for the shuttle work. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at Air Force Plant 42 … Plant 42 has 3.2 million square feet of industrial space and has a replacement value of $1.1 billion. AFP 42 … The last airline pulled out in 1998. Air Force Plant 42 Fire Department Air Force Plant 42 Fire Department is a Fire Department located in Palmdale, LOS ANGELES County, in the State of CA. Northrop produced the F-5E, and Rockwell supported the B-1B. Some of the plant's work involves production of spare parts for military aircraft, with other projects including maintenance and modification of aircraft such as the B-2 bomber and F-117 stealth fighter, and production of the Global Hawk and other unmanned craft. Articles incorporating text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, USAAF Fourth Air Force Replacement Training Stations, Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in California, Lockheed Martin-associated military facilities, California World War II airfield database, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_Plant_42?oldid=4314514, United States Government manufacturing facility, SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for infrared Astronomy) - NASA 747SP, Modernization of the Space Shuttle Columbia's cockpit area. Air Force Plant 42 | 12 followers on LinkedIn. The U.S. Air Force Plant 42 (Plant 42) which is in the Antelope Valley about 1.5 miles northeast of Palmdale and 3 miles southeast of Lancaster in Los Angeles County. Since then, the plant has supported facilities for the production, engineering, final assembly and flight testing of high performance aircraft. The facility is located in the Antelope Valley, approximately 60 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Northrop Grumman at Palmdale, California. Over time, many of the facilities have gone on to be purchased by private operators, although a few still remain in operation as government facilities. March 2001 Los Angeles County hired Tri-Star Marketing to prepare the presentations needed to bring air-passenger service back to Palmdale Regional Airport. Sites 1 - 8 are owned specifically by the Air Force but are contracted out.  Palmdale Airport in 1953, showing its World War II configuration, The origins of Plant 42 go to the early 1930s, when a small airstrip was built in the desert. AFP 42 is located in the northeastern portion of Los Angeles County, California, within the Antelope Valley of the Mojave Desert, approximately 80 miles north of Los Angeles. Some were purpose-built for their Air Force roles. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards Air Force Base is the site of the mate-demate facility for mating or demating the spacecraft and the shuttle carrier aircraft. It is the Antelope Valley's second-largest employer, and is considered a Geographically Separated Component of Edwards Air Force Base, 23 miles northwest of the airport. October 12, 2017 Tom Demerly. Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for U S Airforce Plant 42 at 2501 E Avenue P, Palmdale, CA 93550. Get reviews, hours, directions, coupons and more for U S Airforce Plant 42. It is operated by Lockheed, Rockwell International, Northrop, and Nero. (function(src){var a=document.createElement("script");a.type="text/javascript";a.async=true;a.src=src;var b=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];b.parentNode.insertBefore(a,b)})("//experience.tinypass.com/xbuilder/experience/load?aid=bYdYZQml5V"); With 9,000 employees, Air Force Plant 42 is the Antelope Valley's second-largest employer, after Edwards Air Force Base. It signed a lease in 1956 for 237 acres to use Palmdale Airport for final assembly and flight testing. Privately–run since 1954, the Air Force under the Obama administration chose to insource the contracted operations of the plant. It was one of many intermediate fields that were used as auxiliary fields or emergency landing fields by the AAF during World War II. Northrop Grumman's B-2 final assembly and modification facility is at Palmdale. Operating hours of the airparks are the same - Friday through Sunday (except in inclement weather) from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Pacific Time. Plant 42 has been around for a long time. EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, California -- Air Force Operating Location Air Force Plant 42 changed leadership hands during a Change of Leadership Ceremony at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, July 1. The initial operational capability plan took effect May 1 and the full operational capability date is scheduled for Oct. 1, to avoid making financial changes mid-fiscal year. Plant 42 and Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) are separate facilities that share a common runway at the site. Air Force Operating Location Air Force Plant 42 changed leadership hands during a Change of Leadership Ceremony at Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, July 1. Most of the facilities are owned by private contractors and serve as a manufacturing plant for aircraft used by the United States and their allies' militaries. Plant 42 is owned by Detachment 1, Aeronautical Systems Center, based at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The installation was reactivated by the Air Force in 1950 for use in final assembly and flight testing of jet aircraft, and was later repurchased from Los Angeles County. Both the Air Force and its aircraft contractors needed a location away from major population centers - due to sonic booms, other noises and security concerns - but close enough to the major centers of aircraft design and production, while having excellent flying weather the year around. First B-1B debuted outside a hangar in Palmdale, California, 1984. Air Force Plant 42 is at Palmdale, CA, north of Pasadena in Los Angeles County. “As such, our personnel and more importantly our … Their dispersion along the air routes, their infrequent use, and their U.S. government ownership made them ideal for use by military aircraft. It is the Antelope Valley's second-largest employer, and is considered a Geographically Separated Component of Edwards Air Force Base, 23 miles northwest of the airport. The aft orbital maneuvering system/reaction control system pods were manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, St. Louis, Mo., and transported by aircraft to Rockwell's Palmdale assembly facility. Its hangar originally was built for the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar passenger jet project. The Blackbird Air Park and the Air Force Flight Test Museum at the south entrance of the Plant 42 complex. Northrop B-2A roll-out ceremony on Nov. 22, 1988 at USAF Plant 42, Palmdale, California. It is operated by Lockheed, Rockwell International, Northrop, and Nero. It is also where they all conduct PDM services under the auspices of the aircraft’s manufacturer, Northrop Grumman. The vertical tail (including rudder/speed brake) were manufactured by Fairchild Republic, Farmingdale, Long Island, N.Y., and transported overland to Rockwell's Palmdale assembly facility. It is also where they all conduct PDM services under the auspices of the aircraft’s manufacturer, Northrop Grumman. 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