6511th Test Group - Parachute

6511th Test Group - Parachute Winter home of the United States Navy BLUE ANGELS. Practice grounds and desert training.The facility was commissioned on May 1, 1946, as a Naval Air Station.

The Joint Parachute Test Facility was established in 1951 by the Department of Defense to perform development; testing; and evaluation of parachutes and related assemblies, pilot escape parachute systems, aerial delivery systems for supply and cargo. In Honor of those that served at NAF El Centro in support of the 6511th Test Group (Parachute) - detachment from Edwards AFB during the big build up

to put a man on the moon. Prior to that, the base was a Marine Corps Air Station. Through the years, Navy El Centro has had several names: Naval Air Facility, Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, Naval Air Station, and the National Parachute Test Range. For the first 35 years, the mission of NAF El Centro was devoted to aeronautical escape system testing, evaluation, and design. In November 1947, the Parachute Experimental Division from Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey moved to El Centro. In 1951, the Joint Parachute Facility was established and consisted of the Naval Parachute Unit and the U.S. Air Force's 6511th Test Group (Parachute). The Air Force remained part of El Centro’s test organization for the next 27 years.

04/05/2026
A couple of ads to skip through but good video.
10/25/2025

A couple of ads to skip through but good video.

After Orion enters the Earth’s atmosphere at the conclusion of its 25.5-day mission, the spacecraft will rely on its rigorously tested parachute system to sl...

08/10/2025

At 11:33 a.m. EDT, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut

That exact moment of touchdown!! Those parachutes look familiar!
04/06/2025

That exact moment of touchdown!! Those parachutes look familiar!

04/05/2025
The work done in the 1960’s paid off in 2025!
03/19/2025

The work done in the 1960’s paid off in 2025!

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have returned to Earth after being stuck in space for more than nine months. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted ...

Post some pictures!
03/16/2025

Post some pictures!

Executive Chalet & Box Seating tickets are no longer available for purchase. We are sold out. Thank you for your patronage. 

1966.
08/25/2024

1966.

Apollo 12 Splashdown.The Apollo 12 Command Module, with Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F. Gordon Jr., and Alan L. Bean aboa...
06/05/2024

Apollo 12 Splashdown.
The Apollo 12 Command Module, with Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F. Gordon Jr., and Alan L. Bean aboard, nears splashdown in the Pacific Ocean to conclude the second lunar landing mission.

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