This photograph was taken on 23 July 1998 at El Mirage Dry Lake Bed in California. The man carrying the R/C control is Tony Frackowiak, who at the time was the operator both of the Mule and the prototype solar-powered formation flight craft.

At this time, the Mule carried both the UCLA flight computer and a battery of equipment installed by Boeing. Visible on the top of the airplane are two GPS antennae, indicating the redundant systems inside. The Boeing equipment served as a check on the UCLA computer. The black fiberglass panels on the sides of the plane are held on with velcro and duct tape, allowing easy access to the electronics.

Note the slender probe extending from the nose of the Mule. Mounted on this probe are vanes to sense angle of attack and angle of sideslip. The propeller on the probe is an airspeed sensor. The GPS equipment can measure the volocity of the plane relative to the Earth, but not relative to the atmosphere. There are also two television cameras mounted on the Mule; one on the tail and one just forward of the nose landing gear.