B-Model Dismantlement Pictures
all photos on this page by Tony Landis

The B model has left Edwards.  It's over. In March of 2003, the last flyable blackbird trainer was disassembled and taken from Edwards AFB, California to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo in Michigan.  She left Edwards on Monday, March 24, 2003, taking with her any chance of ever resurrecting the blackbird program.  While it's admirable that all surviving blackbirds will have homes in museums, the fact remains that grounding the last trainer grounds the fleet for good, and no amount of wishful thinking or Kentucky millionaires can change that. Tony Landis was the only photographer on hand to record the somber event, and has graciously contributed these photos. 956, also known as NASA 831, was towed to South Base for disassembly by the team from WorldWide Aircraft Recovery. The WWAR team has done this once or twice before; in fact they've moved all but 5 of the blackbirds that weren't flown or towed to their final destinations. The nacelles are opened in order to remove the engines, which haven't been used since her last flight on October 14, 1997. A beautiful look at what the J58 engine looked like inside the nacelle. all photos on this page by Tony Landis continued...