BILL NUMBER: ACR 120 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 84
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 20, 2002
ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 17, 2002
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 15, 2002
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 1, 2002
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Runner
SEPTEMBER 14, 2001
Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 120--Relative to the Aerospace
Industry Monument.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 120, Runner. The Aerospace Valley Monument.
This measure would request the Department of Transportation to
grant, without charge, an encroachment permit authorizing a specified
historical monument and plaque dedicated to commemorate the major
milestones in the aerospace industry that have taken place in the
Antelope Valley, to be erected on the vista point overlooking
Palmdale Lake on State Highway Route 14. This measure also would
request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of
appropriate plaques and markers and, upon receiving donations from
nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those plaques
and markers or to permit an appropriate private source to erect the
monument.
WHEREAS, The aerospace industry is a major economic and social
force in America, employing approximately 900,000 people; and
WHEREAS, California has been a leader in the aerospace industry;
and
WHEREAS, Edwards Air Force Base, the home of the Air Force Flight
Test Center (AFFTC), has served the aerospace world for more than 50
years, from America's first jet airplane to the landings of the space
shuttle; and
WHEREAS, Numerous milestones in flight have taken place at the
AFFTC in its 50-year history, including the following: Air Force
Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager piloting the rocket-powered Bell
X-1 became the first man to penetrate the so-called "sound barrier"
in 1947, and in 1949, he completed the first, and to this day, only
ground takeoff of an experimental rocket plane in the Bell X-1; and
WHEREAS, More than 150 confirmed "first flights" have taken off
from Edwards Air Force Base, and this list represents a conservative
compilation of confirmed first flights of new experimental and
prototype air vehicles; and
WHEREAS, In 1953, Jacqueline Cochran, flying a Canadian-built
(Canadair) F-86 Sabre, became the first woman to exceed the speed of
sound and established a new women's absolute speed record of 652.337
mph over a low-level course at Edwards Air Force Base; and
WHEREAS, In 1953, the prototype North American YF-100A Super Sabre
became the first aircraft in history to fly supersonic in level
flight on its maiden flight from Edwards Air Force Base; and
WHEREAS, In 1954, test pilot Major Arthur "Kit" Murray piloted the
Bell X-1A to a new altitude record of 90,440 feet and became the
first man to actually see the curvature of the earth; and
WHEREAS, In 1958, test pilot Captain Walter Irwin set a new
official world absolute speed record when he piloted a Lockheed
F-104A Starfighter to an average speed of 1,404.09 mph; and
WHEREAS, In 1959, with test pilot Major Joe Jordan at the
controls, a Lockheed F-104C became the first jet-powered
(air-breathing) aircraft to climb above 100,000 feet; and
WHEREAS, In 1962, Major Bob White became the first man to fly an
airplane above 300,000 feet to 314,750 feet and the first to fly an
airplane in near space (above 50 miles), and was the first of eight
X-15 test pilots at Edwards Air Force Base to earn their astronaut's
wings by flying an airplane above 50 miles; and
WHEREAS, In 1967, Air Force test pilot Major William J. "Pete"
Knight piloted the modified X-15A-2 to a speed of Mach 6.7 (4,520
mph) and thereby recorded the fastest speed anyone has ever flown in
an airplane; and
WHEREAS, In 1976, Air Force Captain Eldon Joersz set a new
official world absolute speed record when he piloted a Lockheed
SR-71A to an average speed of 2,193.64 mph at Edwards Air Force Base;
and
WHEREAS, In 1977, the nonorbiting Space Shuttle Enterprise
demonstrated the soundness of the shuttle design and confirmed the
approach and landing techniques after being launched from a 747 and
landing on Rogers Dry Lake 5 minutes and 21 seconds later; and
WHEREAS, In 1979, at a remote location, test pilot Lieutenant
Colonel N.K. "Ken" Dyson completed the final flight of Lockheed's
classified Have Blue low-observables concept demonstrator flight test
program, and convincingly demonstrated low observability against a
wide array of the most sophisticated air- and ground-based air
defense systems, and the successful conduct of these tests led to the
development of the F-117A Nighthawk in the early 1980s and the
stealth revolution began in earnest; and
WHEREAS, In 1981, the Space Shuttle Columbia landed safely on
Rogers Dry Lake following its first orbital mission, and marked the
first time in history an orbital vehicle had left earth under rocket
power and returned on the wings of an aircraft; and
WHEREAS, In 1986, Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager piloted the
experimental Voyager, and nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds
after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base, the aircraft touched
down on Rogers Dry Lake after completing the first-ever nonstop,
unrefueled flight around the world; and
WHEREAS, NASA Dryden Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory
(AFRPL) at Edwards Air Force Base has contributed to the defense of
our country since 1954 through the development of virtually all the
nation's rocket propulsion technology; and
WHEREAS, Since its inception, the AFRPL initiated the development
and testing of several rocket engines at the Edwards Rocket Site,
including the first ATLAS Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
in 1956; the first full-scale Minuteman solid propellant ICBM in
1959; the Pratt & Whitney XLR-129 Rocket Engine, which served as the
precursor to the Rocketdyne "Space Shuttle Main Engine" in 1964; and
the Titan 34 Solid Rocket Booster from the nozzle down to return
Titan 34 to the nation's launch service after the Challenger tragedy;
and
WHEREAS, The Edwards Rocket Site played a role in President John
F. Kennedy's "Race to the Moon" when in 1961 Rocketdyne performed
the first test firing of the 1,500,000 pound thrust F-1 Engine for
the Manned Lunar Launch Program, and was subsequently used as the
location for over 7,000 development and acceptance test firings of
the F-1 Engine, that included every engine used to launch men to the
moon; and
WHEREAS, AFRPL at the Edwards Rocket Site has continued to play a
role in developing space technology since man first walked on the
moon, helping to develop the nation's largest hydrogen rocket engine
for the Boeing Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle and "Attitude
Control Thrusters Systems" for satellite and space maneuvering
applications; and
WHEREAS, In 1953 the former Palmdale Airport was officially
converted into Air Force Plant 42, and since then, under the
direction of the United States government, has supported facilities
for the production, engineering, final assembly, and flight testing
of many notable high-performance aircraft from Boeing,
Lockheed-Martin, and Northrop Grumman, including the F-100 Super
Sabre, F-104 Starfighter, SR-71 Blackbird, B-1 Lancer, Space Shuttle,
F-117 Nighthawk, B-2 Spirit, and U-2S reconnaissance plane; and
WHEREAS, Air Force Plant 42 has consistently made great
contributions to aeronautics and astronautics in America, winning
nine prestigious Collier Trophies in recognition for improving the
performance, efficiency, and safety of air and space vehicles; and
WHEREAS, Air Force Plant 42 is a major part of the economic
vitality of the Antelope Valley, employing approximately 8,500
workers in and around the airfield complex, and bringing a half
billion dollars in wages to the local community and millions more in
local contracts; and
WHEREAS, Several of the world's leading aerospace and defense
firms as well as local subcontractors and suppliers have recognized
the importance of aerospace in the region, and have joined together
to form a cooperative organization called the Antelope Valley
Aerospace Alliance, which is dedicated to the economic survival and
improvement of the aerospace economy located in the vicinity of
Edwards Air Force Base and United States Air Force Plant 42; and
WHEREAS, The Antelope Valley Aerospace Alliance is a
unique-in-the-nation organization that has grown to represent over
20,000 military and civilian members involved with the design,
development, production, flight test, and support of advanced
military and civilian air and spacecraft; and
WHEREAS, It would be a fitting tribute to erect a monument and
plaque to commemorate the major milestones within the aerospace
industry that have taken place in the Antelope Valley; now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
concurring, That the Department of Transportation is requested to
grant, without charge, the necessary encroachment permit authorizing
a historical monument and plaque dedicated to commemorate the major
milestones within the aerospace industry that have taken place in the
Antelope Valley, to be placed within the right-of-way of the vista
point overlooking Palmdale Lake on State Highway Route 14, which
plaque will read substantially as follows:
Within the Antelope Valley, significant aerospace accomplishments
have occurred throughout the century. This monument is dedicated to
all the craftsmen, engineers, technicians, and pilots who have made
these strides in aerospace possible, including:
Air Force Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager's breaking of the
"sound barrier" in the rocket-powered Bell X-1 in 1947.
Air Force test pilot Major William J. "Pete" Knight's record as
the "Fastest Man Alive" flying at a speed of Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph) in
the modified X-15A-2 in 1967.
The historic landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981, which
landed safely on Rogers Dry Lake following its first orbital mission.
More than 150 "first flights," which greatly expanded the
possibilities of flights on earth and in space.
Aircraft manufacturing milestones include:
(a) The B-2 and B-1B bombers.
(b) The F-117 Stealth Fighter.
(c) The SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane.
(d) The Space Shuttle orbiters.
The work of the men and women who contributed to these
accomplishments cannot be overstated. Their contributions have made
the Antelope Valley a leading aerospace force not only in California,
but also in the United States; and be it further
Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to
determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers, consistent
with the signing requirements for the state highway system, and upon
receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover that
cost, to erect those plaques and markers or to permit an appropriate
private source to erect a monument; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author
for appropriate distribution.