Author

Till Daisd

Till is an aviation enthusiast blogger who has been writing since 2013. He started out writing about personal readings since expanded his blog to include information and stories about all aspects of aviation. Till's blog is a go-to source for anyone interested in learning more about aviation, whether you're a pilot or just a curious onlooker.

Airshows

CAN YOU NAME THIS AIRCRAFT FROM ITS COCKPIT? HOWEVER OPEN THE POST AND LEARN SOMETHING MORE ABOUT THIS COOL PICTURE

by Till Daisd August 9, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The Blue Angels announced last year that they will upgrade to Super Hornet soon

Taken on Jun. 30, 2017, from inside the cockpit of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 “Legacy” Hornet, the cool main picture of this article was shot as the jet was on its way back to the service flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, after center barrel rework at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW).

The interesting photo at the bottom of the article instead features Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) workers hoisting a damaged F/A-18 Blue Angel on Jun. 29. The aircraft was involved in a bird strike at an air show in Shreveport Louisiana in May and was transported via flatbed truck to FRCSE for repairs.

Noteworthy, as we have previously explained, the Blue Angels announced last year that they will upgrade to Super Hornet soon.

As the actual jets, the new aircraft will be modified into a configuration specific to the Blue Angels role that requires the installation of a smoke generator and the removal of the fighter’s gun and missile launchers.

Still, the Rhino (as the Super Hornet is dubbed by its aircrews) is something more than the Legacy Hornet younger brother. In fact, when it is strictly compared to the F/A-18A/B/C/D, the F/A-18E/F is 25 percent larger and the two General Electric F414-GE-400 engines have increased the aircraft thrust by 35 percent over the older model. Moreover, an enhanced fuel capacity boosts the Super Hornet mission range.

Nevertheless all these improvements have made the “Super” heavier than the “Legacy” Hornet and because of its extra weight making the Rhino the new aircraft of the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron could be a difficult task.

Photo by Victor Pitts / U.S. Navy and Vern via The Tailhook Association Facebook Page / U.S. Navy

August 9, 2021 0 comment

Helicopters

Before starting astronaut training, a female pilot completes her last flight in the AH-1 Cobra

by Till Daisd August 9, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Maj. Jasmin Moghbeli, who has been chosen for the NASA Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017, has flown over 500 missions, 150 of those being combat missions, and logged over 1,200 hours flying the AH-1 Cobra

On Jul. 7, 2017, Maj. Jasmin Moghbeli, who has been chosen for the NASA Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017, performed her last flight in the AH-1 Cobra, her favorite “skid” aircraft, at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Ariz.

But as explained by Lance Cpl. Christian Oliver Cachola, in the article Maj. Moghbeli’s Final Flight, although Moghbeli has flown over 500 missions, 150 of those being combat missions, and logged over 1,200 hours flying the Cobra, flying helicopters was not exactly part of her plan when she sought out to become an astronaut.

Actually, when Moghbeli first joined the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), she wanted to fly jets. She always thought: Who would want to fly helicopters? She believed that becoming a fighter jet pilot would better her chances at becoming an astronaut. The young second lieutenant spent a few hours riding as a passenger in CH-53s during her time at The Basic School in Quantico, Va. but was unamused. However, just a single encounter with an attack helicopter changed her opinion.

Moghbeli distinctly remembers the first time she witnessed a Cobra fly overhead and instantaneously said, “I want that one.”

She began to admire the abilities of tiltrotor aircraft and eventually was selected to fly the Cobra. Years later, she had been through three deployments to Afghanistan with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jasmin Moghbeli, a pilot assigned to Marine Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1, conducts her final flight in an AH-1 “Cobra” at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., Jul. 7, 2017.

“My favorite thing about flying the Cobra,” Moghbeli explained, “is being able to support the Marines on the ground. We’re not too high, we’re not too low; we have great situational awareness with a birds-eye view where we can see exactly what’s going on and pass it on to the guys on the ground.”

Later, Moghbeli would go on to fly and test the Cobra’s operational capabilities with Marine Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, based out of MCAS Yuma.

And although she has finally made her dream come true, Moghbeli will miss flying helicopters.

“It’s a little bittersweet,” she said. “I love flying helicopters; I love flying the Cobra and I know that this is potentially my last flight ever, or at least my last one for a long time, but I’m very excited about what I’m about to go do.”

Moghbeli is scheduled to report to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, to begin her two years of astronaut training.

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jasmin Moghbeli, a pilot assigned to Marine Test and Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1, stands by her AH-1 “Cobra” as Marines assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) spray and arch of water as part of a traditional “wet down” Jul. 7, 2017.

Photo by Lance Cpl. Christian Cachola / U.S. Marine Corps

August 9, 2021 0 comment

History

The YB-35 and YB-49 flying wings, the forgotten ancestors of the B-2 Spirit

by Till Daisd August 8, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The innovative and potentially very effective flying wing design, in which the tail section and fuselage are deleted and all payload is carried in a thick wing, was employed by the YB-35 and YB-49

The Northrop XB-35 and YB-35 were experimental aircraft created by the Northrop Corporation for the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) during and immediately after World War II. They were designed by Jack Northrop as a huge wing-only, long-range heavy bomber. The flying wing design, which removes the tail and fuselage and carries all payload in a thick wing, is revolutionary and has the potential to be extremely efficient for this type of aircraft. Only prototype and pre-production aircraft were produced, but there was still enough demand for the design to be developed into a jet bomber under the name YB-49.

Eight Allison TG-180 (J35) turbojet engines were installed in two YB-35s in place of the four Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines that were formerly powering its dual contra-rotating propellers. The USAAF gave its approval to the conversion program’s modification order in June 1945. Four new vertical stabilizers were also added, in addition to the installation of jet engines (two on each wing installed on both sides of the jet engine exhausts). To minimize airflow down the sweeping wing (lowering lift) rather than over the wing, four air dams were installed on the wings, extending forward from the vertical stabilizer.

The new aircraft was YB-49.

The first aircraft conversion project took over two years to complete, and the YB-49 No. 1 (S/N 42-102367) made its first flight on October 21, 1947, when it was ready for flight testing. The results of flight testing revealed generally good performance; nonetheless, the flying wing was doomed by stability during simulated bomb runs and political issues.

Testing with both aircraft continued until the second YB-49 crashed on June 5, 1948. The second aircraft was prepared for its first flight on January 13, 1948. When YB-49 No. 2 lost control and crashed about 10 miles northwest of Muroc Air Force Base (AFB), the aircraft was doing its 25th test flight. The aircraft experienced a catastrophic structural failure with the outer wing panels tearing off while being tested for stall recovery ability.

Maj. Daniel H. Forbes Jr., the pilot, Capt. Glen W. Edwards, the copilot, Lt. Edward L. Swindell, the flight engineer, Clare E. Lesser, and C.C. La Fountain made up the crew on the tragic mission.

Later, two Air Force facilities were given new names in remembrance of the pilots who died in the crash. Both Edwards AFB in California and Forbes AFB in Kansas bear the names of their respective recipients: Capt. Edwards and Maj. Forbes.

Following the second YB-49 prototype’s crash, the remaining aircraft underwent modifications to include more flight performance monitoring equipment before testing could restart. On March 15, 1950, a high-speed taxi run was being used by an Air Force crew to test the aircraft stabilizer reaction when the nose wheel started to violently wobble. The No. 1 YB-49 broke in two and was utterly destroyed as a result of the nose landing gear collapsing before the aircraft could be brought under control.

Northrop also created the YRB-49A, a reconnaissance variant of the YB-49, whose only prototype flew for the first time on May 4, 1950, from Hawthorne, California, to Edwards. After just 13 flights and over a year of testing, this aircraft’s testing came to an end.

The flying wing bomber concept was abandoned when the YRB-49A was destroyed in late 1953, and it would not be revived until the Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bomber appeared nearly 40 years after the YB-49’s final flight.

Photo by Edwards History Office file photo / U.S. Air Force and Northrop Corporation via Wikipedia

Source: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

August 8, 2021 0 comment

Airshows

LEGENDARY P-51B MUSTANG THAT FLEW UNDER THE EIFFEL TOWER TO PERFORM IN ENGLAND WITH F-22 RAPTOR

by Till Daisd August 7, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The P-51B Mustang “Berlin Express” will make a historic transatlantic flight from the U.S. to England

The P-51B Mustang “Berlin Express” achieved legendary status in an epic World War II dogfight in Paris in 1944, piloted by American Bill Overstreet, who flew the aircraft under the Eiffel Tower in hot pursuit of a German fighter. Overstreet eventually downed the German plane and eluded heavy enemy fire while escaping the battle with the aircraft intact.

As reported in the article Famed World War II P-51B Mustang ‘Berlin Express’ to make the transatlantic flight to perform in England with F-22, More than 70 years after this landmark moment, the “Berlin Express” will take to the skies again to honor the brave airmen who fought against the Axis powers in WW II. Civilian pilot Dan Friedkin, “Berlin Express” owner and one of only nine civilian Heritage Flight pilots qualified to fly in formation with U.S. Air Force single-ship demonstration teams, will fly and perform the historic aircraft in the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) in Fairford, England, July 14-16, with the Air Combat Command’s F-22 aerial demonstration team.

“The ‘Berlin Express’ is an iconic warplane that is symbolic of our country’s strong aviation history,” explained Friedkin. “It’s an honor to pilot this aircraft … as we pay homage to the brave men and women who have flown in the U.S. Air Force. We’re excited to offer people around the world the chance to follow Lee’s memorable voyage of the ‘Berlin Express’ across the Atlantic and look forward to celebrating his arrival in Duxford.”

Noteworthy before the airshow gets underway, the “Berlin Express” will make a historic transatlantic flight from the U.S. to England, with U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight Alumni Lee Lauderback in the cockpit.

Actually, Lauderback will follow the same route it took in 1942 as part of the military troop buildup in the U.K. during WW II. The four-day, 5,470-mile journey has begun on Jun. 28 in Texas and be mapped by a SPOT Gen3 tracking device that will transmit the aircraft’s location on a Google Earth map in five-minute intervals. The flight path of the “Berlin Express”, along with photos taken along the way by Lauderback, can be followed on HorsemenFlight.com through its landing in Duxford on July 4.

After departing Texas on Jun. 28, Lauderback will fly the “Berlin Express” to Bangor, Maine, Goose Bay, Canada, Narsarsuaq, Greenland, Keflavik, Iceland, and Prestwick, Scotland before arriving at Duxford Airfield.

The restored “Berlin Express” is based around the remains of the P-51B 43-24837. This Mustang flew with the 9th Air Force’s 363rd Fighter Group out of RAF Staplehurst in Kent, England. It crashed in Beckley on Jun. 10, 1944, after the pilot was forced to bail out during a training exercise. Featuring a “Malcolm Hood” canopy and wearing the markings for “Berlin Express,” it is dressed exactly like the 357th Fighter Group Mustang which Overstreet famously flew under the Eiffel Tower in 1944.

Photo by Senior Airman Kimberly Nagle / U.S. Air Force

August 7, 2021 0 comment

MiG Killers

The VFA-87 F/A-18E Fitter Killer (and additional information about the Syrian Su-22 shot down)

by Till Daisd August 6, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The two F/A-18E Super Hornet pilots “did everything they could to try to warn the Fitter away. They did a head-butt maneuver; they launched flares, but ultimately the Su-22 went into a dive, and it was observed dropping munitions and was subsequently shot down.” Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, Pentagon spokesman

The photo in this post shows a U.S. Navy F/A-18E BuNo. 168914 from the VFA-87 Golden Warriors that, as we have already reported, was involved in the shooting down of a Syrian Su-22 on June 18th, 2017.

Noteworthy CNN learned new details of that day’s air-to-air engagement.

According to Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, in fact, the two Super Hornets, which, as we have explained, were flying near the town of Ja’Din, just south of Tabqah, Syria, to provide air cover to Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) members, “saw the Su-22 approaching. It again had dirty wings; it was carrying ordnance. They did everything they could to try to warn it away. They did a head-butt maneuver; they launched flares, but ultimately the Su-22 went into a dive, and it was observed dropping munitions and was subsequently shot down.”

“Dirty wings” is a military term used to describe a plane carrying armaments. In “a head-butt maneuver, the planes fly just in advance of another to create a heavy wake and get its attention,” Davis explained.

As we have reported immediately after the Syrian Su-22 dropped its bombs, two American F/A-18E Super Hornets, flying from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, engaged, firing an AIM-9 Sidewinder—a short-range air-to-air missile—at the Syrian plane from about half a mile away.

But as US officials told CNN, the Syrian jet deployed defensive flares, causing the US missile to miss its target. The U.S. pilot shot a second missile, in the form of an AIM 120 AMRAAM, which hit its intended target, downing the Syrian warplane and forcing its pilot to eject.

The officials added that the U.S. pilot saw the Syrian pilot ejecting and saw a parachute deploy, but the US believes the pilot would have landed in ISIS-controlled territory in Syria. The Syrian Armed Forces said in a statement that the pilot was missing.

However, the downing of a Syrian Fitter does not appear to have prevented Syria from attempting a similar bombing on June 20th, according to US military officials. A U.S. official told CNN that another Syrian Su-22 fighter approached what the military assessed as a possible bombing run on the U.S.-backed SDF near Tabqa, Syria, on June 20th.

The official said that coalition aircraft performed a show of force, and the Syrian attack aircraft then aborted its trajectory and left the area.

Moreover, since after the Su-22 shot down Russia said it would treat any U.S. jets in Syria as “air targets,” the Australian government announced that it would “temporarily” halt its airstrikes in Syria.

However, the chief of staff of the Air Force, Gen. David Goldfein, told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that the de-confliction line “remains open.”

“There’s actually a line we have with the Russians that’s a de-confliction line, and that line remains open and we remain in conversation with them,” Goldfein pointed out.

“So our hope of course is that we return to a little bit sense of normalcy and we continue to keep the dialogue open,” he concluded.

Photo by Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK (Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet ‘168914 / AJ-304’), via Wikimedia Commons

August 6, 2021 0 comment

History

When the SR-71 Blackbird set four speed records on its last flight

by Till Daisd August 6, 2021

written by Till Daisd

The Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, USAF serial number 61-7972, set four National Aeronautic Association and three Fédération Aéronautique Internationale speed records on its final flight on March 6, 1990

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3 strategic reconnaissance aircraft maintained its position as the world’s fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft for approximately 24 years. It could survey 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from an altitude of 80,000 feet.

It is therefore not surprising that the aircraft has consistently broken records for both speed and altitude due to its astounding flight qualities.

The Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, USAF serial number 61-7972, flew from Air Force Plant 42 (PMD) in Palmdale, California to Washington Dulles International Airport where it was handed over to the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum on March 6, 1990, setting four National Aeronautic Association and three Fédération Aéronautique Internationale speed records, according to This Day in Aviation.

The missions began with the SR-71 being launched from Air Force Plant 42 (PMD) in Palmdale by Lieutenant Colonels Raymond E. (“Ed”) Yeilding and Joseph T. (“J.T.”) Vida. Before starting their speed run, the Blackbird refueled from a Boeing KC-135Q Stratotanker so that its fuel tanks would be full.

The plane flew past Oxnard on the southern California coast as it approached the so-called “west gate,” a radar reference point, and then turned east to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Washington, D.C.

The transcontinental flight took 1 hour, 7 minutes, 53.69 seconds, or an average speed of 2,124.51 miles per hour, to cover the distance of 2,404.05 statute miles (3,868.94 kilometers) (3,419.07 kilometers per hour).

The following intermediate closed-course records were also set: Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., 2,299.67 miles (3,700.96 kilometers), 1:04:19.89, averaging 2,144.83 m.p.h (3,451.77 km/h); Kansas City to Washington, D.C., 942.08 miles (1,516.13 kilometers), 25:58.53, 2,176.08 m.p.h (3,502.06 km/h); and St. Louis to Cincinnati, 311.44 miles (501.21 km), 8:31.97, 2,189.94 m.p.h. (3,524.37 km/h).

The SR-71 61-7972 did not only set these records, though. According to This Day In Aviation, this Blackbird had already set a record for the fastest time between New York and London (1:54:56.4), averaging 1,806.957 m.p.h. (2,908.015 km/h). But it had to slow down to refuel in flight. The airplane then broke a record by traveling 5,446.87 miles (8765.89 kilometers) from London to Los Angeles in 3 hours, 47 minutes, and 39 seconds, while averaging 1,435.49 m.p.h. (2,310.19 km/h). It also set an 85,069-foot altitude record (25,929 meters).

This was 61-7972’s last flight. 2,801.1 hours were spent on its airframe in total. The Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum’s Steven V. Udvar-Hazy Center currently has this Blackbird on exhibit.

As we’ve already mentioned, the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft served as the basis for the long-range, sophisticated, strategic reconnaissance aircraft known as the SR-71 Blackbird. The first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base (AFB), California, in January 1966. The SR-71’s first flight took place on December 22, 1964. On January 26, 1990, the U.S. Air Force deactivated its fleet of SR-71 aircraft due to a shrinking defense budget and high operating expenses.

Photo by Edwards History Office file photo and U.S. Air Force

Additional source: U.S. Air Force

August 6, 2021 0 comment

History

An RF-101C voodoo mission known as “Operation Sun Run” broke 3 transcontinental speed records

by Till Daisd August 6, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Two Voodoos had to fly the one-way trip from Los Angeles to New York, while two RF-101s had to make the roundtrip journey from Los Angeles to New York and back

Operation Sun Run was conducted on November 27, 1957, by four U.S. Air Force (USAF) pilots flying a McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo aircraft and setting three new transcontinental speed records. The RF-101C, an upgraded version of the RF-101A, the first supersonic photo-reconnaissance aircraft, demonstrated its speed and range during the record-breaking flight.

Six RF-101C planes were ready to participate in Operation Sun Run: two for the round-trip flight from Los Angeles to New York and back, two for the one-way trip from Los Angeles to New York, and two as backups in case the four major planes encountered issues.

It is noteworthy that the operation needed extensive coordination of aircraft crews, radar, and weather stations from coast to coast, as described in the article Operation Sun Run.

A giclee of “Schrek’s CIN MIN on the SUN-RUN” by aviation artist William S. Phillips in the Southeast Asia War Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

For Operation Sun Run, six pilots from the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing’s 17th and 18th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadrons were chosen. Each pilot got ready for the round-trip flight even though they wouldn’t know to which flight they were allocated until a few days before the operation. All six of the RF-101’s six pilots had a lot of experience flying photo-reconnaissance aircraft, even though Tactical Air Command (T)AC had just recently acquired the aircraft.

However, the performance of the USAF’s first jet tanker, the recently released KC-135 Stratotanker, also played a role in Operation Sun Run’s success. The RF-101s were able to refuel at an altitude of 35,000 feet and a speed of Mach 0.8 thanks to the KC-135’s speed. Air Force Research and Development Command and Strategic Air Command (SAC) crews planned for the 26 refuelings that the Operation Sun Run RF-101Cs would need.

On the first RF-101C round-trip flight of Operation Sun Run, Capt. Ray Schrecengost departed from Ontario International Airport near Los Angeles at 6:59 a.m. on November 27, 1957.

Capt. Donald Hawkins, flying back up, and Capt. Robert Kilpatrick, flying a one-way flight, followed him. Following until the initial refueling was finished, Capt. Hawkins took off for March Air Force Base (AFB), in California. Capt. Robert Sweet departed on the second round-trip flight at 7:50 a.m. Lt. Gustav Klatt started his one-way journey after him. After the initial successful refueling, they also flew to March AFB with their backup, Capt. Robert Burkhart.

This trophy was presented by the McDonnell Aircraft Corp. to the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in recognition of establishing three new transcontinental speed records flying RF-101C aircraft on Nov. 27, 1957. It was donated to the museum by the RF-101 Pilots’ Reunion Group in 1998.

The previous speed records were easily surpassed by all four RF-101C pilots, who also set new ones. Lt. Klatt set a new record for the distance from Los Angeles to New York, clocking in at 3 hours, 7 minutes, and 43.63 seconds. Capt. Sweet set records for both the New York to Los Angeles flight and the round-trip flight, with times of 6 hours, 46 minutes, and 36.21 seconds and 3 hours, 36 minutes, and 32.33 seconds, respectively.

These pictures show an RF-101C that was a part of Operation Sun Run and is now on exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, this Voodoo also performed crucial low-altitude surveillance flights, confirming that the offensive missile installations in Cuba were being decommissioned. Along with the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, it served in Southeast Asia. On October 27, 1978, it was flown to the museum from Key Field, Miss., by the 153rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the Mississippi Air National Guard.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

Source: National Museum Of The U.S. Air Force

August 6, 2021 0 comment

Helicopters

An AH-64D attack helicopter used by the Army gives the iconic Apache additional badassery

by Till Daisd July 24, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Today, the U.S. Army’s attack helicopter fleet consists of a mixture of AH-64D and AH-64E model aircraft

Taken on May 6, 2017, the super cool picture in this post features a U.S. Army AH-64D Apache Longbow, assigned to the South Carolina National Guard, flying in front of a wall of fire during the South Carolina National Guard Air and Ground Expo at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, S.C.

Noteworthy: this expo is aimed to showcase the abilities of the South Carolina National Guard’s Airmen and Soldiers while thanking fellow South Carolinians and the surrounding community.

The AH-64 Apache is a twin-engine, four-bladed, multi-mission attack helicopter designed as a highly stable aerial weapons-delivery platform. With a tandem-seated crew consisting of the pilot, located in the rear cockpit position, and the co-pilot gunner (CPG), located in the front position. The helicopter is designed as a weapons delivery platform and is equipped with: an M230E1, 30mm automatic gun, aerial rockets system (2.75-inch folding fin), and point target weapons system (AGM-114 Hellfire missiles).

Today, the Army’s attack helicopter fleet consists of a mixture of AH-64D and AH-64E model aircraft.

The AH-64E meets all the requirements for Army and Joint interoperability goals for the future and will add significant combat capability while addressing obsolescence issues, ensuring the aircraft remains a viable combat multiplier beyond 2050.

Moreover, the AH-64E is designed and equipped with an open systems architecture to incorporate the latest communications, navigation, sensor, and weapon systems.

Photo by Air National Guard Recruiting photo by Tech. Sgt. Jorge Intriago

Source: U.S. Army

July 24, 2021 0 comment

Carriers

IMPRESSIVE PHOTO SHOWS U.S. NAVY A-7 CORSAIR II ATTACK AIRCRAFT PERFORMING STRUCTURAL AND AERODYNAMIC TESTINGS

by Till Daisd July 24, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Structural and aerodynamic testings were often followed by trips to carriers to confirm land based results

Taken in mid-70’s the interesting photo in this post features a U.S. Navy A-7 Corsair II performing Carrier Suitability SR&R (Shake, Rattle & Roll) testing at land-based C-7 catapult and Mk 7 Mod 3 Arrested Landing Gear.

As explained to #AW# by Pat O’Brien, a civilian test engineer/project manager who worked for the U.S. Navy, structural and aerodynamic testings were often followed by trips to carriers to confirm land-based results. Noteworthy during this kind of sorties there were cameras stationed at various locations around the test site and the planes had lines painted on them so that aircraft position could be visually determined, O’Brien said.

Built by LTV Aerospace Corporation (the same company that produced the iconic F-8 Crusader), the A-7 Corsair II replaced the A-4 Skyhawk as Naval Aviation’s front-line light attack aircraft. The aircraft performed its maiden flight in Sep. 1965 and resembled the F-8 Crusader especially in the single jet intake gaping beneath the nose.

However the short and stubby silhouette of the Corsair II embodied ruggedness and left little question that it was designed to carry bombs. In fact, the A-7’s operational career began and ended under fire, the first squadron equipped with the aircraft logging missions over Vietnam in 1967 and the final two A-7-equipped units ending the aircraft’s flying days in the skies over Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. All told, seven production versions of the aircraft operated with the Navy, including the two-seat TA-7C and the EA-7L for electronic countermeasures work. Another version of the Corsair II flew operationally with the U.S. Air Force.

Photo by U.S. Navy

Source: National Naval Aviation Museum

July 24, 2021 0 comment

History

B-29 Doc flown by the grandson of Enola Gay commander

by Till Daisd July 24, 2021

written by Till Daisd

Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets Jr., who led the B-29 Enola Gay on its mission to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, is the grandson of Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets IV.

According to The Wichita Eagle, the repaired B-29 bomber Doc—one of only two flying B-29s in the world—flew to Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB) for the Wings Over Whiteman Airshow on June 9, 2017, with Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets IV at the controls.

Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets Jr., who led the B-29 Enola Gay on its mission to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in August 1945, is the grandfather of Tibbets IV. Tibbets IV is a B-2 stealth bomber pilot and the commander of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman.

The first nuclear weapon ever deployed in combat, the Mk I bomb (also known as “Little Boy”), was delivered by the B-29 Enola Gay, which is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. On August 6, 1945, the bomb exploded above Hiroshima at a height of 1,800 feet. “Little Boy” was a gun-like weapon that was the outcome of the Manhattan Project, which started in June 1942. It detonated by discharging one mass of uranium down a cylinder into another mass to produce a self-sustaining nuclear reaction. It produced an explosive force equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT while only weighing roughly 9,000 pounds.

Photo by Erin McClellan [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

July 24, 2021 0 comment

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