This Date in Planelopnik History: 1977 [Nostalgia Post]

As long as we’re doing nostalgia posts, this is the first ever TDIAH, which went live on February 18, 2015. It was originally a one-off post because I happened to notice the anniversary. But then that morphed into the obsession that has become Wingspan. Thanks for reading and commenting all these years while I spammed Oppo with airplanes. And never fear, I plan to continue spamming New Oppo (and DriveTribe) for a long time to come.

On February 18, 1977, the Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise was flown on top of NASA’s 747, known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), for the first time. In this first of five “captive-inactive” flights, the Shuttle was unmanned, and engineers tested the flight characteristics of the mated aircraft. The rear of the Shuttle is covered with an aerodynamic tail cone to reduce the effects of drag on the SCA’s horizontal stabilizer, which has been fitted with tip fins for added stability. The 747-123 was originally delivered to American Airlines in 1970 before being purchased by NASA for use in wake vortex studies. It would eventually receive the official NASA livery.

Photo via NASA