@ Edwards Air Force Base
October 2009
Attending the Edwards AFB Open House is always a treat due to the unique aircraft that can be encountered there. The F-15 STOL/MTD (Short Takeoff and Landing/Maneuver Technology Demonstrator) is a modified F-15 Eagle that was developed as a technology demonstrator and flown from 1988-1991. This one-of-a-kind Eagle was used to study the effects of thrust vectoring and enhanced maneuverability, demonstrating vectored takeoffs with rotation at speeds as low as 42 mph, controlled flight at 85 deg angle of attack and in-flight thrust reversal. This same aircraft would later be used in the F-15 ACTIVE (Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles) program from 1993 to 1999, and later in the Intelligent Flight Control System programs from 1999 to 2008. The airframe used was a pre-production TF-15A (F-15B), the first two-seat F-15 Eagle built by McDonnell Douglas (out of 2 prototypes), the sixth F-15 off the assembly line, and was the oldest F-15 flying up to its retirement in 2009. Nikon D70s w/ Tokina 11-16mm.