NASA’s 250th Color Birds

While this weekend’s Sail4th 250 event in NYC was amazing (two-hour video here) and included over 100 companion aircraft flyovers, one of my big disappointments was that there were no full-color birds such as the military had in widespread service during the Bicentennial in 1976, when arguably the military was even more cash-strapped. You know, like these guys: Bicentennial VX-4 F-4 Phantom II pictured over NAS North Island. Well, at least the NASA guys reached for the paint. Among the 16 aircraft at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in the Mojave Desert, next to Edwards AFB, are three surplus old F-15Ds and F-18Bs used as high-altitude testbeds and chase planes for other, more experimental types, such as the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft, providing photo and video support for the latter. One of each of the twin-tailed Cold Warriors was recently given very patriotic Bicentennial-worthy schemes to perform the flyover of D.C. during the 250th celebration. For reference,…