Inside SCA905

[fk6065]

I had the opportunity to visit SCA905 while she was here and got the privledge of getting inside the aircraft. The NASA SCA crew were first class gentlemen.

One the side of the aircraft they have the Shuttles that they transpoted marked.

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-nTdsbSG/0/L/i-nTdsbSG-L.jpg

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-4bpjnZV/0/L/i-4bpjnZV-L.jpg

Inside the cockpit

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-SV7qFsW/0/L/i-SV7qFsW-L.jpg

This image is mounted on the flight deck right under the cockpit where additional passengers would sit.

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-KZFFgvL/0/L/i-KZFFgvL-L.jpg

Inside the aircaft looking towards the rear of the plane directly under where the shuttle is mounted

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-Shnbd9J/0/L/i-Shnbd9J-L.jpg

Control sticks

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZSmZtBN/0/L/i-ZSmZtBN-L.jpg

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-TTZ8q6m/0/L/i-TTZ8q6m-L.jpg

The "Black Box"

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-jkPpH9m/0/L/i-jkPpH9m-L.jpg

Inside rear tail section

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-Z3Pcx6c/0/L/i-Z3Pcx6c-L.jpg

Looking up from insidethe aircraft at the landing gear door of the shuttle. It is a mix of original tiles and replacement styrofoam tiles. The numbered ones are original.

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-jgbfMPr/1/L/i-jgbfMPr-L.jpg

Each heat shield tile was numbered and had to be put back in the exact same spot if they came loose or fell off.

http://fredkopf.smugmug.com/photos/i-896wZXt/0/L/i-896wZXt-L.jpg

[JDANDO]

Holy moly!!!! That is a fabulous opportunity. Thanks for sharing the shots!

[captmjk16]

Glad to see that you got inside her Fred, great shots of a rare bird!

[Greg_NY]

Fred, These are awesome! Thanks for sharing them.

[wunaladreamin]

Wow Fred!

[megatop412]

Great opportunity to have before they scrap the SCA's

[gonzalu]

Oh my, that's a sweet op, Fred. Nice going...

[puckstopper55]

Does that last "marking" on the outside of the SCA say Phantom Ray - 2 Ferry Flights? ?

[Big Tim #70]

Very cool! Great shots Fred!

[fk6065]

Does that last "marking" on the outside of the SCA say Phantom Ray - 2 Ferry Flights? ?

Yes it does. The crew was telling me that they had done a few UAV test flights for Boeing and were hoping that they would be able to continue to use the aircraft for these type of missions after thei last shuttle mission with Endeavor this fall. If not, as the crew said, 905 will be "Going over the fence" for good.

[fk6065]

And thanks for the compliments.

[Matt Molnar]

Awesomeness!

Curious...how were you able to see the bottom of the shuttle from inside the aircraft? Is there a window in the ceiling or a door?

[fk6065]

There is a small hatch in the top of the pilots cabin, where they flew the flag out of when it arrived that gave you a great view of the nose of the shuttle. The shots above were taken from one of the doors in the cabin that they opened up over the wing that the crew opened so we could see the landing gear bay and the marked tiles. It seems there are more fake tiles than real tiles on Enterprise.

[Matt Molnar]

Neat, thanks.

[snydersnapshots]

I remember seeing NASA 905 flying over my house in the Seattle area when Boeing was modifying it for the shuttle test mission. It would be nice if that aircraft could go to a museum too.