bart@ucbvax.UUCP (Bart Miller) (04/22/84)
At Edwards AFB, the shuttle is in restricted airspace for the whole time below FL450. It flies through some combination of restricted areas R2524, R2502x, R2515. and R2505. The airspace around Edwards and the AFB itself is open until 30 minutes before landing time. The last half hour of open time (from 60 until 30 minutes before touchdown) is a real zoo. You have NASA stuff landing (everything from C135's to Falcon's), F4's and F16's are coming home, VIP's, and a collection of random others. Everyone wants to get home. If they don't, they get sent out to George AFB (about 45 miles SE) until it's all over. We were landing during this period, and we got instructions like "Centurion one golf foxtrot, follow that flight of 16's ahead in the one-eighty pattern. Keep your speed up on final, you're followed by a cargo heavy." --bart miller u.c. berkeley