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aircraft

Beautiful pictures from the formation flight honoring Airbus’ 50th anniversary

by Till Daisd March 19, 2022

Participating in the Airbus 50th anniversary flight were the A220, A319neo, A330neo, A350, A380, and BelugaXL along with the Patrouille de France.

Airbus turned 50 years old, and to honor this extraordinary accomplishment, a formation flight left Toulouse. The Patrouille de France and the A220, A319neo, A330neo, A350, A380, and BelugaXL all took part in the flight. Unfortunately, the weather prevented Toulouse from having a low-level fly-by.

Here are some stunning photos of the incredible formation flight celebrating Airbus 50th Anniversary

On May 29, 2019, marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of an agreement by the German Minister of Economic Affairs, Karl Schiller, and the French Minister of Transport, Jean Chamant, at the 1969 Paris Air Show for the joint development of the A300 aircraft, the first European twin-aisle twin-engine jet for medium-haul flights.

Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus said: “Our story is one of ambition and progress, and has been a showcase of European integration. Over five decades, we have brought together civil and defense aviation businesses from throughout the continent. For 50 years, we have pioneered many firsts through our passion and innovation, transforming the industry and helping to move society forward. Airbus is a story of incredible men and women, a story of great achievements in the past and, above all, in the future.”

In the field of aerospace, Airbus is a reference point. It also offers data services, navigation, secure communications, urban transportation, and other solutions for clients on a global scale. The company designs, manufactures and delivers industry-leading commercial aircraft, helicopters, military transports, satellites, and launch vehicles.

With around 180 facilities and 12,000 direct suppliers worldwide, Airbus has built on its strong European background to become genuinely multinational. The corporation has final assembly lines for aircraft and helicopters throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and since 2000, its order book has increased more than sixfold.

The six Airbus aircraft can be seen here en route to the runway where the flight will take off.

Photo by S. Ramadier and J.V. Reymondon / Airbus

March 19, 2022 0 comment

History

The US Navy dive-bomber Wade McClusky who changed the course of the Battle of Midway

by Till Daisd March 16, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Wade McClusky was in charge of a squadron of 32 dive-bombers on June 4, 1942, and they had been given the mission to strike the aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The fleet, however, was not where it was expected to be.

Wade McClusky, a US Navy dive-bomber pilot, changed the outcome of the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942, proving himself as one of the country’s best combat leaders and pilots.

McClusky was in charge of a squadron of 32 dive-bombers at 10 a.m. that morning with orders to strike the aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. However, the fleet was not at the expected location. McClusky instead noticed the Japanese destroyer Arashi heading northeast as his air group’s fuel ran low. He made the deliberate choice to defy orders and follow the Arashi because he assumed she must be trailing the main fleet.

According to David Rigby in his book Wade McClusky and the Battle of Midway, when McClusky discovered that the interception coordinates he had been given were incorrect, he did not break the radio silence to seek guidance. This was fortunate because Adm Spruance and his staff on the Enterprise were still unaware of the change in the course made by Adm Nagumo’s carrier striking force, which had led the Japanese fleet away from the interception point in a nor’easter.

McClusky was nearly certain to discover the enemy on his own by the time Jim Gray, who had taken over McClusky’s former position as the commander of Fighting Six, very belatedly radioed in a contact report at roughly 10:00 am. Gray also appears to have simply said in his contact report that he was departing the area around the enemy fleet because of a fuel problem. It appears that Gray omitted to provide Nagumo’s coordinates. Because there was a remote possibility that Nagumo might have turned west or that the Japanese approach track into Midway was further west than he had anticipated, McClusky continued southwest for an additional 15 minutes after the planned interception position.

The story of Wade McClusky, the US Navy dive-bomber pilot who changed the course of the Battle of Midway — Wade McClusky

One of the most crucial choices made by an American military leader during World War 2 came next. Wade McClusky now exhibited that sixth sense, the intuition that many great military leaders possess to have a gut feeling about what the enemy was truly doing, even when the enemy was not in sight. In this instance, the gut feeling proved to be dead-on accurate. It would have been reasonable to assume that the Japanese were moving more quickly than anticipated, had passed McClusky, and were now heading south. It was counterintuitive but absolutely true that McClusky was certain that this was not the case.

He felt the truth: that Nagumo had been forced to alter his course due to repeated American air strikes from Midway-based aircraft and carrier-based torpedo planes as well as a Japanese cruiser floatplane spotting one of the American task forces. The early adjustments were evasive maneuvers meant to dodge bombs and torpedoes dropped by American aircraft engaged in combat. Nagumo’s movement southeast was hindered by these maneuvers.

In order to get near the American surface ships and make a strike against them with his own dive-bombers and torpedo planes, Nagumo turned 90 degrees to port and headed northeast at 9:17 a.m. While McClusky was unsure of all the details at the time, he was convinced that the Japanese had been held up for some reason and that the Kido Butai carriers were to the north of him.

McClusky himself never thought it was intuition or guesswork that guided him during the battle. After the war, he always bristled if he read an account of the Battle of Midway that claimed that he had made a lucky guess in turning north. There was no guesswork involved, Wade assured his family. Wade McClusky, according to Phil McClusky, always said that if the Japanese carriers had gotten past the interception point and had been to the south, out to McClusky’s left, “he would have heard about it” on the few occasions the fight was brought up in conversation.

He was apparently referring to the fact that he knew that Midway-based Catalina PBY flying boats were out on patrol and that they would have reported any large body of ships nearing the atoll.

His instincts paid off, though, and the bombers were directed straight at the Japanese carriers Kaga and Akagi, which they rapidly sank. A squadron from Yorktown arrived at the same moment and bombed the Soryu, another carrier. Three of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s main carriers were destroyed in a matter of minutes, seriously weakening it.

At 10 am on Jun. 4, 1942, after six months of the war, the U.S. was losing the war in the Pacific. Half an hour later, at 10.30 am, they were winning.

Wade McClusky and the Battle of Midway is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Navy

March 16, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

Why this JQB-47E has three YF-12 kill markings

by Till Daisd March 16, 2022

written by Till Daisd

JQB-47E 53-4256 was involved in the top-secret project Kedlock.

This post includes an interesting photo of JQB-47E 53-4256, which was stored at Davis Monthan AFB on August 20, 1968, after having served with the 3214th Operational Maintenance Squadron (OMS) at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB). The YF-12 kill markings on the aircraft’s nose indicate three missions against (project) Kedlock.

In March 1960, before the initial A-12 prototype was delivered, Lockheed and the USAF discussed developing an interceptor variant of the A-12. Under Project Kedlock, the interceptor was designed as the AF-12. It was equipped with three AIM-47 missile launch bays and a Hughes ASG-18 pulse-Doppler radar system. A second crew position, located just behind the cockpit, accommodated a Fire Control Officer (FCO) to operate the missile launch system.

In August 1963, the first YF-12 of three took to the air. The first and third YF-12s broke multiple records in May 1965, including the records for speed (2,070.101 mph) and altitude (80,257.65 feet). Col. Robert L. “Fox” Stephens, pilot, and Lt. Col. Daniel Andre, fire control officer, were awarded the 1965 Thompson Trophy for setting a speed record during their flight.

Long before they reached the United States, the aircraft’s goal was to intercept new Soviet supersonic bombers. Although the Air Force had planned for a fleet of up to 100 aircraft, during 1963–1964 only three were built and delivered. As a cost-cutting effort, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara canceled Kedlock in early 1968; the aircraft was never used in combat.

CIA was involved with the project only in helping write “black” contracts and in giving up three A-12 airframes. The F-111 replaced the YF-12A, which was entirely funded by the Air Force. One of the aircraft was transformed into a trainer for the SR-71 program, while the other two were donated to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for research purposes.

According to Monthan Memories, “there were 7 test shots from YF-12A interceptors; one-shot downed a sister QB-47E drone over the Pt. Mugu/Pacific Missile test range. The B-47 has a photo nose, and was one of only a few RB-47s built stock for the photo mission… a source also said that there was arresting gear behind the fuselage wheels for drone recovery. The odd under-wing apparatus is part of a target measuring device to tell how close a missile passed by the drone.”

Here’s why this JQB-47E has three YF-12 Kill Markings

Photo by Neil Aird via Monthan Memories

March 16, 2022 0 comment

History

A fellow Marine pilot was picked up by the PBY Catalina Blister Gunner after he dove into the waters off Rabaul

by Till Daisd March 6, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The Gunner’s identity has never been discovered

The N***d Gunner, the title of the renowned vintage black-and-white photograph in this piece, was taken during World War II. On the Services Archaeology and Heritage Association Facebook page is where the intriguing story was posted.

PBY Blister Gunner, Rescue at Rabaul, 1944.

In order to save a critically burned Marine pilot who was shot down while bombing the Japanese-held citadel of Rabaul, this young crewmember of a U.S. Navy “Dumbo” PBY Catalina rescue mission dove into Rabaul Harbor.

This iconic photo was taken by Horace Bristol (1908-1997). In 1941, Bristol was recruited to the U.S. Naval Aviation Photographic Unit, as one of six photographers under the command of Captain Edward J. Steichen, documenting World War II, he was attached to South African troops initially before being re-deployed to the Pacific theatre of operations.

When this occurred, he happened to be on the aircraft the gunner was serving on, which was used to rescue people from Rabaul Bay (on the New Britain island, in Papua New Guinea). He recalls reading the following in a B&W magazine story dated December 2002:

“…we got a call to pick up an airman who was down in the Bay. The Japanese were shooting at him from the island, and when they saw us they started shooting at us. The man who was shot down was temporarily blinded, so one of our crew stripped off his clothes and jumped in to bring him aboard. He couldn’t have swum very well wearing his boots and clothes. As soon as we could, we took off. We weren’t waiting around for anybody to put on formal clothes. We were being shot at and wanted to get the hell out of there.

The n***d man got back into his position at his gun in the blister of the plane.”

As of today, the identity of the N***d Gunner has never been established.

Photo by Horace Bristol

March 6, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

Mi-6 helicopters helped to protect VPAF MiG-17 fleet from U.S. air strikes

by Till Daisd March 1, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The MiG-17s were dispersed out into the countryside, carried by large Mil Mi-6 helicopters to the dispersal sites, and carried back to the airfields when missions were to be flown

US aircraft targeted Vietnamese People’s Air Force (VPAF) air bases for the first time in the spring of 1966. The strikes on the MiG airfields at Dong Hoi and Vinh forced a reevaluation of North Vietnam’s air strategy against a numerically superior American military. Previously, Washington had deemed the airfields off-limits (and later in the war, the bases were not authorized to be targeted).

Over 70,000 steel-reinforced concrete plates were stockpiled at the airfields in order to facilitate a rapid restoration, as JP Santiago describes in an interesting article that appeared on his website, Tails Through Time. In addition, a lot of bamboo stems were also stockpiled to be employed for airfield repair. Underground command centers for the base staff were built, as well as camouflaged revetments—some of which were even disguised as huts.

According to Zoltan Buza and Istvan Toperczer in Wings of Fame, Volume 8, article “MiG-17 Over Vietnam,” in order to protect the VPAF’s small MiG-17 force, the aircraft were dispersed in the countryside, carried to these sites by large Mil Mi-6 helicopters, and carried back to the airfields when missions were supposed to be flown. During the war, these sites also saw the dispersion of fuel and ammunition, since it was discovered that a Mi-6 could transport a fully armed and fueled MiG-17 to the airfields from a distance of up to thirty miles.

The aircraft were ready for their missions against impending American strike packages in underground shelters built into the mountains close to the bases. After that, a Mi-6 would carry the fighter as an underslung load to the closest airbase, where it would take off, complete the mission, and then return to the base so that the helicopters could carry it back to shelters miles away by the helicopters.

Fighters were also scattered throughout villages and agricultural cooperatives in areas where the terrain hindered the MiG force from building underground shelters.

March 1, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

The sexy paint scheme worn by these USMC CH-53s during Operation Desert Storm

by Till Daisd March 1, 2022

written by Till Daisd

During Operation Desert Storm, there could have been up to four aircraft painted like these

These captivating pictures feature U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) CH-53 heavy-lift helicopters sporting quite a sexy paint scheme.

These USMC CH-53s wore a Sexy Paint Scheme during Operation Desert Storm

If you look closely, you can discern the outline of a woman on both sides of the fuselage of the CH-53s, as John Faith describes in an interesting article for the Aircraft Resource Center.

Faith claims that although the pictures show two distinct aircraft, during Operation Desert Storm (ODS) there may have been up to four painted in this manner. Helicopter Marine Heavy Helicopter 466 (HMH-466) was the unit that flew these helicopters.

The reason the helicopters ended up that way, as Louis Lofton, the crew chief of one of the CH-53s, explained to Faith, was an immediate need for deployment to the Gulf. The Marines were allowed to paint their squadron aircraft in their own hangars before deployment since there were so many to be painted. Back then, HMH-466 was assigned to the Tustin, California, Marine Corps Air Station (MCCAS). Since 1996, the unit has been stationed at MCAS Miramar, CA.

HMH-466) flies CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopters. The squadron, known as the “Wolfpack”, falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 16 (MAG-16) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW).

Photo by John Faith via Aircraft Resource Center and U.S. Marine Corps

March 1, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

Two F-104s scored four simulated kills against an F-15B in a single training mission

by Till Daisd February 26, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The debriefing was a hoot. I especially liked the part where the Eagle guy played his recorder and we heard the backseater say “Break, we just got gunned again”!

The first operational fighter plane that could maintain speeds higher than Mach 2 was the Lockheed F-104.

With this capability, the Starfighter represented a significant advancement over the previous generation of subsonic and “forgiving” aircraft. Nevertheless, when the air-to-air engagements took place at subsonic speeds, the lack of wing area put the F-104 at a disadvantage against more traditional fighters since its turn ability in this regime was critical. Hence the importance of not allowing the Starfighter to slow below Mach 1 to take advantage of its speed and vertical climb that were unrivaled at the time.

Thanks to its speed and vertical climb, the aircraft was able to hold its own also against more modern fighters, as Andy Bush, former F-104 pilot and instructor in the USAF Fighter Weapons School (FWS), recalls:

Starfighter 4 Eagle 0: that time two F-104s scored four simulated kills against an F-15B in a single training mission

“I don’t know when the first instance of the F-104 and the F-15 engaging in DACT happened…but I do know when it happened early on at Luke.

“When the F-15 training operation began at Luke in the latter 70s, the initial squadron was the 555th, known as ‘the Nickle’. Sometime in 78 or so, the Nickle guys were looking for DACT with a variety of fighter types, and so they came down the street to the F-104 Fighter Weapons School in the 69 TFTS, also at Luke.

“They wanted to fly against us, and so we agreed to put up a two-ship for a trial mission. Two FWS instructors were selected, one a German instructor (Hartmut Troehler) and one USAF instructor (me).

“The Nickle hosted the mission. We briefed at their squadron with two of their instructors (both F-4 FWS grads). They were going to use the two-seat model for the engagement. We would both have dedicated GCI. We were to simulate Floggers…not a bad idea since the G model that we flew was a good representation of the A2A capability of the MiG-23. Our simulated armament was to be Apex, Aphid, and the gun.

“After the main briefing, Hartmut and I had our own briefing. I was the flight lead and intended to use as much deception as I could. We knew that the F-15 guys were really proud of their radar capabilities…the PD radar was new to the fighter community at that time. I thought that the two Nickle guys would be heavily relying on their radar to enter the fight…as it turned out, I was right.

“My plan was to put Hartmut in close formation and run head-on at the F-15 using GCI for vectoring. Our radar could search out to 40nm but we couldn’t lock on until 20nm.

“We took the first GCI vector and accelerated through the match. Intended to fight fast… high-speed extensions and hook turns. At 20nm, the F-15 made a large blip on my radar and I was able to get a lock. The plan was to Fox-1 at about 16nm and then have Hartmut peel off into a hard 360 to follow me.

“I called the Apex at 16nm, told Hartmut to deploy, and then pushed it up to over 700KIAS. My hope was that the Eagle guys would hold their lock on me and not see Hartmut separate. We could slave our gunsight to the radar lock-on angle… which let me fly right at the F-15. I picked him up visually…he was high, to the right, and had started a conversion turn. I unloaded, and extended away figuring they would try to follow…and they did.

“What that did, of course, was get them sandwiched between me and Hartmut. My guess was that they would get all excited and jump on me without asking where my wingman was. They found out soon enough as their GCI relayed to them Hartmut’s gun attack call.

“I was looking back and saw their break turn that resulted. I went idle and boards slowed to .85M, dropped my maneuver flaps, put my lift vector on the Eagle, and then pulled the jet into a hard 7g turn using a burner to hold my speed. I knew I could sustain that g at around 400KIAS.

“I pulled into a lead snapshot position on the Eagle, closed in, and went guns. The Eagle broke again as their GCI relayed the second gun call.

“By this time, Hartmut was pitching back into the fight. He saw me extend away, went in for his second gun attack, and then extended away after me. I tallied him, gave him a check turn to put us back into line abreast, and then we became a dot.

“The Eagle tried to call a Fox-2 as we separated but with us well over 700KIAS, it was way out of parameters.

“The result was the two Fox-1s and three unobserved gun kills by us. They had no valid shots.

“The debriefing was a hoot. I especially liked the part where the Nickle guy played his recorder and we heard the backseater say “Break, we just got gunned again!”

“Of course, all of this should not have happened. The F-15 should have had us for lunch. But they didn’t, and it was all because they didn’t play to their strengths…and they severely underestimated their opponents. They didn’t do that again and that was a good thing.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

February 26, 2022 0 comment

History

The only F-111 lost during Operation El Dorado Canyon

by Till Daisd February 24, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The sixth aircraft on the Bab al-Aziza target, an F-111F 70-2389 with the callsign “Karma 52,” mysteriously disappeared

On April 14, 1986, at 5:13 p.m., President Ronald Reagan gave the order for U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-111F Aardvarks from the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) to depart from Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath.

Operation El Dorado Canyon, a code name for the operation, was carried out in retaliation for the terrorist bombing of the La Belle Discotheque in West Berlin on April 5, which left two American soldiers dead and more than 200 others injured.

All but one aircraft made it back to the base.

The sixth aircraft on the Bab al-Aziza target, an F-111F 70-2389 with the callsign “Karma 52,” mysteriously disappeared. The crews of multiple aircraft witnessed a fireball strike the sea in the harbor area, and many believed the F-111F had been struck by a missile, as stated by Peter E. Davies in his book F-111 & EF-111 Units in Combat. By the time the jet hit the water, the escape module housing the pilot, Capt. Fernando “Nando” Ribas-Dominicci and his WSO, Capt. Paul Lorence, had not yet deployed. The F-111 ‘Remit 31’ pilot saw the crash and said, “It was a smear across the water.” I was brought back to my experience of seeing napalm in Vietnam. Additionally, one of the EF-111As could see it:

“From our vantage point just off the coast of Tripoli, we saw F-111Fs pass under us as most of them had their afterburners as they ingressed at 550-600 knots. At the time Fernando went down, I saw what appeared to be a fireball skipping across the water on ingress.”

A few seconds later, “Karma 53” (F-111F 71-0889) noticed a flash and fireball immediately in front of them and thought it was an F-111 being struck by a SAM. After that, they had to make a quick turn to escape getting struck by a SAM themselves.

One of the tankers orbited in vain for “Karma 52” before returning home as dawn broke. By that evening, searches by P-3 patrol planes and a US Navy submarine had been suspended, and by April 17, it had been determined that the crew of “Karma 52” had been killed in action.

The sad story of ‘Karma 52’, the only F-111 lost during Operation El Dorado Canyon

It’s possible that the ECM pond on “Karma 52” failed to protect them. Many of the then-AN/ALQ-131 ECM pods, which were installed beneath the aircraft’s rear fuselages for missile defense, had malfunctioned, according to post-mission inspections, as a result of the mission’s protracted beating from high-speed airflow. When the pods were later examined, components did indeed fall out of many of them.

Capt. Lorence’s final fate is unknown; only his helmet washed up on the shore. An autopsy performed after the pilot’s body was returned to the US via the Vatican in 1989 revealed that he had drowned while unconscious. Capt. Ribas-Dominicci was a member of Lakenheath’s elite Standardization and Evaluation unit, and the year before, when another F-111F experienced an undercarriage issue, burst a main-gear tire on landing, and ran off the runway, he narrowly escaped having to eject.

Some of their coworkers believed that the decision to expand the Bab al-Azizia element to nine aircraft may have had a role in “Karma 52’s” loss.

Lakenheath planners rather favored a six-aircraft strike on the relatively tiny Bab al-Azizia site, three against the training camp, and nine to bomb the somewhat bigger and more open Tripoli airport objectives.

The longer, more intense assault that was planned on Gaddafi’s compound would leave the aircraft vulnerable to its strong defenses for over four minutes. Despite Lt. Col. Pastusek and Col. Bob Venkus, vice-commander of the 48th TFW and an important player in the planning, objecting, Lakenheath’s wishes were rejected. To do as much damage to this obvious target as possible, the nine-aircraft attack on Bab al-Azizia was demanded. Attack strategies have to be quickly revised to prevent conflicts with the meticulously planned route developed with the US Navy. The strategy for refueling was also enlarged.

The initial plan’s deviation provided the Libyans with “a succession of single-file targets — ducks in a row,” as former 48th TFW WSO Maj. Jim Rotramel put it. At Lakenheath, anxiety levels spiked in response to this possibility. The risk to the final three-aircraft cell (‘Karma’) increased, but the likelihood of precise hits by aircraft flying after those that had successfully dropped bombs was significantly decreased.

To his great surprise, the Third Air Force commander, who was aware of the numbers issue but was unable to persuade his superiors to change their minds, informed the highly experienced Vietnam veteran “Karma leader” that it would be acceptable to abandon his attack if the defenses proved to be too effective. For the leader of “Karma,” this total reversal of standard USAF doctrine was shocking. The “Liberty Wing” had to follow the predetermined course of action despite being aware of its possibly catastrophic defects.

The names of Ribas-Dominicci and Lorence are inscribed on a plaque that is located today across from the 48th Medical Group hospital and honors the members of the 495th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS).

Photo by U.S. Air Force

F-111 & EF-111 Units in Combat is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

February 24, 2022 0 comment

History

The Last Doolittle Raider, Lt. Col. Dick Cole, Passes Away at 103

by Till Daisd February 23, 2022

written by Till Daisd

A legendary chapter in Air Force history has come to an end

Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” E., retired The “Doolittle Raid’s” last survivor, Cole, passed away on April 9 in San Antonio.

“Lt. Col. Dick Cole reunited with the Doolittle Raiders in the clear blue skies today,” said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. “My heart goes out to his friends and family as our Air Force mourns with them. We will honor him and the courageous Doolittle Raiders as pioneers in aviation who continue to guide our bright future.”

In retaliation for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Doolittle Raiders and the U.S. Army Air Forces launched an attack on Tokyo on April 18, 1942. This action increased American morale in the early stages of World War II.

“There’s another hole in our formation,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein. “Our last remaining Doolittle Raider has slipped the surly bonds of Earth and has reunited with his fellow Raiders. And what a reunion they must be having. Seventy-seven years ago this Saturday, 80 intrepid Airmen changed the course of history as they executed a one-way mission without hesitation against enormous odds. We are so proud to carry the torch he and his fellow Raiders handed us.”

Lt Col Dick Cole, the Last Doolittle Raider, Dies at 103 — *The aircraft carrier USS Hornet had 16 AAF B-25s on deck, ready for the Tokyo Raid.*

Cole was born in Dayton, Ohio, on September 7, 1915. He graduated from Steele High School in Dayton in 1938 and went on to Ohio University for two years of college before joining as an aviation cadet on November 22, 1940. As told by Master Sgt. Andrew Stephens, Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs, in the article Lt Col Dick Cole, last surviving Doolittle Raider, passes away at age 103.

Cole was instructed to go to Parks Air College in East St. Louis, Illinois, for training before traveling to Randolph Field, Texas, and later Kelly Field, Texas, shortly after he enlisted. In July 1941, he received his second lieutenant commission after completing his flying training.

Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese while Cole was with the 17th Bombardment Group in Pendleton, Oregon, on a training mission.

Up until February 1942, when Cole was informed that he would be relocated to Columbia, South Carolina, the 17th BG flew anti-submarine patrols. He and his group volunteered for a mission there, the specifics of which were unknown. Later, Cole would claim that he mistakenly believed his squad was traveling to North Africa.

Cole spent weeks practicing flying maneuvers on the B-25 Mitchell, a twin-engine, five-person bomber operated by the U.S. Army Air Corps that could take off from an aircraft carrier at sea. This exercise is sometimes referred to as the “first joint action” that evaluated the Army and Navy’s ability to work together. The mission’s Airmen and Sailors weren’t informed that their carrier, the USS Hornet, and all of its bombers were traveling in the direction of Tokyo until two days after the carrier finally set sail to bring 16 bombers closer so they could extend their range.

The USS Hornet weighed less than one-fourth of today’s fortress-like aircraft carriers in an era before mid-air refueling and GPS. The B-25 Mitchell bomber #40-2344, with Cole serving as Jimmy Doolittle’s copilot, would lift off with just 467 feet of takeoff distance.

A sighting by a Japanese patrol boat that prompted the task force commander, U.S., made the mission even more challenging. Admiral William F. 10 hours ahead of schedule and 170 nautical miles away from Japan, “Bull” Halsey launched the mission more than 650 nautical miles away. The Mitchells were initially planned to land, refuel, and then continue on to western China, providing the Army Air Corps with a squadron of B-25s and a commander. But as they attempted to reach the airfields of unoccupied China, the aircrews were now confronted with stronger opposition. Cole and his companions kept at their task, nevertheless.

Cole and the Raiders flew at a wave-top level of around 200 feet with their radios off, avoiding detection for as much of the distance as they could. The bombers attacked Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe as well as Tokyo itself, focusing on dry docks, armories, oil refineries, and aircraft factories in groups of two to four aircraft. Because the Raiders caught the Japanese air defense off guard, minimal anti-aircraft fire was exchanged, and just one Japanese Zero was pursued. The Raiders took off after delivering their bombs and headed for safety in China.

Cole himself jumped out at about 9,000 feet, one of many Airmen who were forced to parachute out into the night. With Cole’s own aircraft landing in a rice field filled with night soil, all planes were deemed lost. Eight of the 80 Airmen who participated in the operation were caught by Japanese forces; five were put to death, and three were imprisoned (where one died of malnutrition). With the aid of Chinese farmers and guerrillas, all 72 more Airmen were able to escape to safety and continued to fight for the duration of World War II.

The raid dealt the Japanese a psychological blow, and they moved four fighter units and called back their best officials from the Pacific to defend the cities in case the American bomber forces came again.

After the Doolittle Raid, Cole remained in the China-Burma-India Theater supporting the 5318th Provisional Air Unit as a C-47 pilot flying “The Hump,” a treacherous airway through the Himalayan Mountains. The USAAF created the 5318th PAU to support the Chindits, the long-range penetration groups that were special operations units of the British and Indian armies, with Cole as one of the first members of the U.S. special operations community. On Mar. 25, 1944, the 5318th PAU was designated as the 1st Air Commando Group by USAAF commander Gen. Henry H. Arnold, who felt that an Air Force supporting a commando unit in the jungles of Burma should properly be called “air commandos.” Cole’s piloting skills blended well with the unconventional aerial tactics of Flying Tiger veterans as they provided fighter cover, bombing runs, airdrops, and landing of troops, food, and equipment as well as the evacuation of casualties.

As a command pilot with more than 5,000 flying hours in 30 different aircraft, more than 250 combat missions, and more than 500 combat hours, Cole left the Air Force on December 31, 1966. His decorations include the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, First Grade, the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal with an oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Air Force Commendation, Medal. Additionally, in May 2014, the Congressional Gold Medal was given to each Doolittle Raider.

He continued to attend San Antonio-area Air Force functions in his latter years and visited Air Force schools and stations to encourage the spirit of service in upcoming Airmen. Cole attended the naming ceremony for the Northup Grumman B-21 Raider, which was named in homage to the Doolittle Raiders, on September 19, 2016.

“We will miss Lt. Col. Cole, and offer our eternal thanks and condolences to his family,” Goldfein said. “The Legacy of the Doolittle Raiders – his legacy – will live forever in the hearts and minds of Airmen, long after we’ve all departed. May we never forget the long blue line, because it’s who we are.”

Photo by U.S. Air Force

February 23, 2022 0 comment

Cold War

How to land a C-7 Caribou on an austere field over a hilltop

by Till Daisd February 20, 2022

written by Till Daisd

“We had stopped with just enough runway overrun remaining to turn sharply to taxi back to the cargo ramp area. Another five feet and we’d have been bouncing down the slope into the jungle, and infamy,” Jay Lacklen, former C-7 pilot

Jay Lacklen is a former C-7 pilot with 12,500 flying hours and the author of two books, Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey and Flying the Line: An Air Force Pilot’s Journey Volume Two: Military Airlift Command. He’s working on the last book of the trilogy.

“Caribou Ops, 1971

The Central Highlands could present challenges. The often austere fields lay between ridgelines or, in one case, sat on a planed-off hilltop that sloped away in all directions.

I once watched my aircraft commander make three attempts to land on one. The steeply sloping terrain made judging the landing difficult. All normal visual cues told the brain you were still far above the field, and yet, suddenly there it was, immediately below you, leaving the plane too high to land. Finally, on the third frustrating try, the pilot, although still too high, decided to put it down anyway. I couldn’t believe he would try it, but I had no control over the situation except, perhaps, to scream.

The pilot dove the aircraft at the 1,500-foot runway, then yanked back hard on the yoke just above it. Unfortunately, the dive had increased our airspeed, so the plane floated down the short runway, possibly catastrophically.

We touched down with about seven hundred feet remaining on the slippery PSP metal runway before the terrain dropped steeply into the jungle. The pilot slammed on the brakes and yanked the engines into reverse. The plane skidded and rotated slowly sideways as the reversed props threw up a huge dust cloud that enveloped us. Even though I couldn’t see the precipice through the dust, I knew it was approaching and we’d be lucky not to roll off the end and down the steep slope.

We stopped, blessedly, on level ground. The pilot took the throttles out of reverse, and the dust cloud slowly dissipated as we both sat gasping and speechless. Looking forward, I could not see the level ground, only the jungle a hundred feet below. We had stopped with just enough runway overrun remaining to turn sharply to taxi back to the cargo ramp area. Another five feet, and we’d have been bouncing down the slope into the jungle, and infamy.”

February 20, 2022 0 comment

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