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Remembering the first Phlight of the Phabulous Phantom

by Till Daisd September 25, 2023

written by Till Daisd

With the US Air Force joining the Navy and Marines and realizing the potential of the Phantom’s versatile load-carrying capability and performance, the Phantom possessed the singular distinction of being the first true Joint Strike Fighter

The Mighty F-4 Phantom made its debut flight on May 27, 1958. The Phantom, which was designed to be a carrier-based interceptor, subsequently carried out just about every other mission imaginable, including anti-surface-to-air missile (SAM) Wild Weasel Missions, photo-reconnaissance, dogfighting, and bombing. The US Air Force, which saw the potential of the Phantom’s versatile load-carrying capability and performance, joined the Navy and Marines as the Phantom also held the unique distinction of being the first real Joint Strike Fighter.

The Phantom would initially struggle from being unduly dependent on its all-missile battery and superior technology when operating in the skies over North Vietnam against more agile North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF) MiG-17s and 21s. Seeing this, the Navy transformed its Fleet Air Gunnery Unit into a new Fighter Weapon School, commonly known as TOPGUN today. There, a new generation of aviators received instruction in traditional air combat maneuvering against various aircraft. The idea of a two-man crew was also perfected, and backseaters became a crucial additional set of eyes both inside and outside the aircraft. According to multiple stories, many Phantom Phlyers owe their backseaters their lives.

How a VMFA-333 F-4 Phantom II scored the only USMC Mig Kill of the Vietnam War

Because of this “software” upgrading of its Aviators, the Navy’s Phantom community defeated the NVAF once more in 1972 with a fantastic victory-loss ratio. The Air Force decided on a “hardware” upgrade, giving its most advanced Phantom variant, the F-4E, a 20 mm Vulcan internal gun and improving its missiles and systems. The Combat Tree hostile Identification Friend Foe (IFF) identifier allowed airframes equipped with this system to detect and distinguish Soviet-made IFF systems in the crowded skies of Vietnam, and it proved to be a very important system. This lessened the possibility of “own goals” and made it possible to deploy the Radar Guided Sparrow missile system of the Phantom in a way that enhanced its combat efficiency.

Despite these technical advancements, the Air Force ratio remained around 2-1 compared to the Navy ratio after Rolling Thunder, which was 5-1. With a new generation of aviators being trained by Vietnam-era Phantom Veterans, the USAF’s performance in Desert Storm was much enhanced as a result of the USAF’s post-Vietnam implementation of its Red Flag Adversary Training system.

The Phantom saw action in Israeli hands from 1969’s War of Attrition until 1973’s Yom Kippur War, becoming a significant export success for Israel. The Phantom suffered some of its worst losses during the latter combat when it came up against Soviet-made Surface to Air Missile systems. In spite of this, squadrons changed their tactics as a result of these losses by using what IAF 107 SQD Commander Yftach Spector referred to as “physics” rather than electronics.

By the 1970s, export orders had increased the F-4’s overall production to almost 5,000 units, cementing the Phantom’s status as “The” plane of the Free World. By this time, Phantoms were regularly engaged in combat with Soviet-built MiG-21s over North Vietnam and the Middle East, and Greek and Turkish Phantoms and F-16s were engaged in similar combat over the Aegean Sea, just as both countries still do with their F-16s.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) was able to hold the line against Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran in 1980 because of its Phantom force, which would go on to become the backbone of the Iranian Air Force both before and after the Shah. Iran’s Phantom force, although having a decreasing number of airframes and spares that were irregularly filled up by both legal and illegal means, maintained roughly parity with Iraq’s Air Force until the end of the fight by employing hard-learned Vietnam and Israeli tactics. Iran still uses the Phantom today, both out of necessity and because of the tremendous might it offers.

The Phantom is still in use in a decreasing number of Air Forces across the world after flying its twilight combat missions in US Service during Desert Storm. For those who had the good fortune to grow up on the island of Oahu, where the final Active-Duty USMC Phantom squadrons and the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 199th Fighter Squadron operated the F-4, the Phantom’s J79s roar might ring like an echo of the Vietnam War.

This song is dedicated to everyone who has ever flown the Phantom, front or back.

Check out the Pensacola Aerospace Museum Facebook page for further aviation photos and stories.

Photo by: U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps

September 25, 2023 0 comment

The C-7 Santa-Bou and other stories

by Till Daisd September 24, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Santa appeared once the rear cargo door emerged. The troops whistled and cheered. The troops went joyfully wild when the Donut Dollies descended the ramp, but not in an offensive or vulgar way

Former C-7 pilot Jay Lacklen has written 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 has 12,500 hours of flight time. He is currently working on the trilogy’s last volume.

A Vietnam Christmas, 1971

Christmas 1971 provided a mental break from the war. In an annual event, the Cam Ranh air wing painted a C-7 with a red Santa Claus face on the forward dome [dubbed C-7 Santa-Bou] and flew to various bases as a treat for the army troops. I participated in this run but only as a backup crew member for the primary pilots. I was not called upon to perform, so I got to play Santa’s helper at the various stops.

One of the flight mechanics played Santa dressed in an appropriate red suit and fake beard, and a small, half-dozen-strong squad of “Donut Dollies,” or female Red Cross workers, played Santa’s helpers. We also carried a large stock of liquor and sandwiches for the troops.

I had underestimated the potential poignancy of the event. Bringing the Christmas aura to the trenches of Vietnam unleashed seemingly well-secured emotions that suddenly broke loose in everyone, none more clearly displayed than at the small northern delta army base of Bao Loc, sixty miles northeast of Saigon.

This base was as close to the pits of Vietnam as you could get. The approach plate for the runway warned: “Runway in poor condition, south end 20% coverage by large, loose rocks. 200′ overrun each end, poor condition. Parking area east side and south end, poor condition, partly overgrown.”

The C-7 Santa-Bou and other Tales of aVietnam Christmas

We pulled onto the poorly-conditioned parking ramp, but before we could shut down the engines and open the rear cargo door, a series of large transport trucks appeared on the road to the field, filled with troops whooping and waving. They pulled up next to us on the ramp and disgorged fifty or so soldiers in their green fatigues surrounding the rear of the plane to welcome whoever might disembark.

The rear cargo door came down, and Santa emerged. The troops cheered and whistled. Then the Donut Dollies came down the ramp, and the troops went joyously berserk, but not in a nasty or lewd sense. They spun around in the same frantic ecstasy of a pet dog when you pick it up from the vet or when you hold its dinner bowl over its head to make it dance. No group of children has ever carried off the fantasy so well.

A young soldier shook my hand with tears in his eyes and said, “Sir, this is the best thing that has ever happened here. Thank you so much!” Maddeningly for my composure, he was about to make me cry, too. This brought to mind, yet again, the imperative question, “What the hell are we doing here?”

We carried a bag of letters from school kids in the States for the soldiers. They told of how proud they were of the troops, how they hoped they didn’t get hurt, and to come home soon to their families. As I watched the troops read these simple letters, I started choking up as they became silent with faces contorted to avoid crying.

As the sun set over the Central Highlands, we flew up the coast past Phan Thiet (Pappa Tango) toward Cam Ranh with the upper cargo door raised and the bottom ramp angled up so we could lie against it and look out the back of the plane. Two or three Dollies joined me gazing out at the South China Sea in wistful contemplation of the day, marveling that in our mid-twenties we found ourselves in such a perplexing situation halfway around the world.”

The C-7 Santa-Bou and other Tales of aVietnam Christmas

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Red Cross

September 24, 2023 0 comment

Thach-Wildcats-1

Legendary naval aviator Jimmy Thach possessed 27 F4F Wildcat fighters

by Till Daisd September 23, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Being the first and sole pilot in his squadron, Thach test-flew each of the 27 aircraft he was given, noting any anomalies for his maintenance team to address while he waited for more pilots to show up

Jimmy Thach was in confusion the day before the Battle of Midway because his squadron had been effectively disbanded by the transfer of its strength to VF-2 to support that unit in the Coral Sea. Thach was instructed to train a new group of novice Ensigns arriving from the States at a time when his squadron was at its lowest point of strength. Thach, a seasoned pilot who had flown a wide range of aircraft, handled everything with ease. Thach joined Fighter Three as the unit’s gunnery officer in 1939 after a varied prewar aviation career.

Thach’s proficiency with air-to-air gunnery served him well in battle as well as in his career. He stayed with Fighting Three so that he could use his abilities to help his unit.

“I progressed from gunnery officer to operations officer, and when the then-commanding officer, Cooper, was detached and Lieutenant Commander Sid Harvey took command of the squadron, I was made executive officer, No. 2 in command.”

Sadly, Sid Harvey passed away from a heart attack en route to his assignment, and Thach was fleeted up to temporary Command of the squadron after Lt. Cmdr. Harvey was detached for observer duty in Britain. Thach thus took control of Fighting Three as a Lieutenant, far ahead of his Naval Academy peers. Thach recalled receiving an intelligence report in the spring of 1941 that described the Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero Sen and was probably written by Claire Chennault.

“This was the Zero, and I decided, well, we’d better do something about this, and remembering my days on the football field and basketball court, if you have somebody who’s faster than you are, you have to trap him somehow so that he can’t use his superiority, whatever it is. You’ve got to bait him or do something. I believed we had one advantage if we could ever get into a position to use it. We had good guns and could shoot and hit even if we only had a fleeting second or two to take aim. Therefore, we must do something to entice the opponent into giving us that one all-important opportunity-it was the only chance we had.”

Thach — Lt. Cmdr. John “Jimmy” Thach. A highly experienced Naval Aviator with flight time in fighters, various experimental aircraft, flying boats, and floatplanes, Thach was a prewar gunnery expert whose country upbringing clearly helped his air-to-air gunnery expertise. His Huckleberry Hound demeanor belied a strong tactical and operational sense, which was put to the test on the Eve of Midway when he had to rebuild his entire unit from scratch.

Thach himself described the process:

“I developed it before the war in the summer of 1941—summer and fall—on my kitchen table in Coronado. A lot of people don’t realize this. I’ve read in various places that I studied the combat reports of the Coral Sea Battle and then figured it out just before the Battle of Midway. This is not true at all. We’d been practicing this for a long time. Jimmy Flatley gave it the name Thach Weave. I didn’t.”

Instead, Thach had developed a formation that negated the benefit of a superior-performing aircraft, and he did so in such a way that it still had an impact on Navy fighter tactics and organization. Afterward, Thach made a remark about his time on Midway that is still applicable today.

“It may surprise people these days but as a lieutenant, I made more decisions than some very high-ranking officers have been making in the Vietnam War. I was making decisions in World War II that McNamara made in the Vietnam War, believe me. He was telling us how many planes to send, what formation to fly, and at what altitude.”

Following his cruise on board Lexington and O’Hare’s illustrious Fight on February 20, 1942, and the raids on Lae-Salamaua on March 10, Thach was sidelined in an unusual manner. The following provides an example of both the difficulties Thach experienced while working alone to rebuild his unit and his tenacity to complete the task. Thach received notification from Rear Admiral Aubrey Fitch in April 1942;

“Your squadron is finally going to be increased to 27 aircraft, but I’m taking all your pilots and giving them to Paul Ramsey, and that will build up his squadron. Then you’ll get some more people, some more pilots, and 27 airplanes.”

Before-Transfers-left-Thach-as-the-only-pilot-in-his-squadron — Before Transfers left Thach as the only pilot in his squadron; Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3), Mar. 5, 1942. Standing, l to r: Mason, Clark, Sellstrom, Eder, Johnson, Lackey, Haynes, Stanley, Peterson, Dufilho, Lemmon. Sitting: Morgan, Vorse, Lovelace, Thach, Gayler, O’Hare, Rowell.

Despite a critical pilot shortage, Thach’s innovative arrangement of his squadron of one quickly proved successful. As the squadron’s initial sole pilot, Thach test-flew each of the 27 aircraft he was given, noting any inconsistencies so that his maintenance team could address them while he waited for more pilots to show up. As replacement pilots eventually poured in, Thach was able to confirm the usefulness of his equipment. Thach noted:

“Then I began to get a stream of young fellows right out of training, out of Pensacola. About this time, my executive officer (Don Lovelace) who didn’t go with Paul Ramsey, was detached, and he was scheduled to go back to San Diego and get a new squadron, get command of a squadron, going from the exec of my squadron of command, and that squadron was going to be VF-2.

(Note: Despite receiving orders to return to the United States, Lovelace chose to stay with Thach as his XO in order to try to assist in restoring Fighting Three.)

“I had another doctrine that I established, oh some time back, but it still held in the Battle of Midway. If there was a Lieutenant JG that was new, right out of Pensacola, and an ensign that had experience in combat, I would tell the lieutenant that he was going to be a wingman and the ensign was going to be the section leader because he’d had more experience, and I asked if he had any objection to that and he said, “no, thank goodness, I’d rather follow somebody for a while.”

Thach explains how he increased the novice pilots’ self-assurance in their abilities.

Thatchs-Fighting-Three — An embarrassment of Riches. Thatch’s Fighting Three was stripped of all its pilots to reinforce Fighting Two on the eve of Coral Sea, leaving Thach as the unit’s only assigned pilot.nnThach solved this organizational nightmare in a rather creative manner.

“I said “Look, you have landed aboard a carrier, right?” and they said, “Yes, Sir.” I said you have landed this airplane, right?” “Yes, Sir.” “All right. you are hereby qualified to land this airplane aboard an aircraft carrier. All you’ve got to do now when you go out is you just do it and prove it. Then that’ll be that. I don’t want to hear any more about it.” There was nothing more I could do.”

“A day or two before embarking in Yorktown, about fifteen pilots from VF-42 reported to me to fill out the roster of 27 pilots… So, we got the 27 airplanes and 27 pilots, and they called me up and gave me an inkling that there was something big coming up in the Central Pacific. They said it looks like the Japanese are going to try and hit us again… I had enough people so that the flight leaders, for instance, the ones leading a combat air patrol or the section leaders going with the strike group, those people had some experience, but maybe nobody following them, nobody else.”

The following tragedy occurred with his XO Don Lovelace during the Yorktown’s landing;

“He landed and he had taxied across the barrier, the barrier had just lifted behind him, and his wingman landed too hard, bounced clear over the barrier, and landed right on top of Don Lovelace and cut his head off, and that was the end of Don Lovelace. That was a pretty bad blow at any time. It was especially a difficult thing to accept at that moment because by this time we’d all been briefed on what was coming along, not only a sad thing to lose the life of a good friend, but to lose his ability and leadership and everything else in the air was a doubly bad blow.”

Wildcats — Grumman F4F-4 “Wildcat” Fighter (Bureau # 5171), of Fighting Squadron Three (VF-3) at Naval Air Station, Kaneohe, Oahu, on May 29, 1942, with ground crewmen folding the starboard wing. On June 4, 1942, in the Battle of Midway, this plane was flown by Lieutenant Commander John S. Thach, VF-3’s Commanding Officer, during the afternoon combat air patrol defending USS Yorktown (CV-5), wherein Thach probably shot down Lieutenant Joichi Tomonaga, leader of the attacking Japanese torpedo planes.

He gathered his squadron for the following since he was aware of the effect such a loss had on them:

“I got them all in the ready room immediately and told them that they had to just wash that out of their minds, that If I could do it, they could do it, because he was one of the best friends I ever had and the loss to me was far greater than they may imagine, and I was going to forget about it right now. We have work to do, we’re going to do it. We’re going in into a big battle and we can’t let something like this affect our performance in any way. So that’s the end of that, and I don’t want to hear any more talk about it. So, they took it that way.”

On the eve of the largest carrier battle in the history of the Pacific, Jimmy Thach went to war in this way with a unit that he had built from scratch.

[Note: All Thach quotes taken from the Reminisces of Admiral John “Jimmy” Thach, Volume 1, interviewed by Cmdr. Etta-Belle Kitchen, USN, (Ret.)]

Below you can see the Pensacola Aerospace Museum Turntable Rendering of Jimmy Thach’s White 23 F4F-4, which he flew on June 4, 1942, while escorting TBDs of Torpedo Squadron Three.

Check out Pensacola Aerospace Museum’s Facebook page for further aviation photos and stories.

Photo by U.S. Navy

September 23, 2023 0 comment

Last-F-14-1200x705-1

The last F-14 Tomcat used by the US Navy transferred from Bethpage to the Cradle of Aviation Museum.

by Till Daisd September 22, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The last Tomcat in US Navy service, Felix 101, F-14D BuNo 164603, which was previously outside an empty office building in Bethpage, has been relocated to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale

According to Newsday, Felix 101, F-14D BuNo 164603, the last Tomcat in US Navy service, which had been parked in front of an empty office building in Bethpage, has been relocated to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale.

Once a California company, Prologis Inc. decided to buy the former Grumman Corp. office and surrounding land for a planned 218,150-square-foot warehouse, the status of the F-14 was uncertain.

According to Alert 5, the company asked the county for a sales tax exemption as well as property tax relief. Nevertheless, until the new location for the Tomcat was decided, the Industrial Development Agency could not vote on the tax-aid package.

The migration was supported and assisted in part by Northrup Grumman.

Since 2008, when the Grumman Retiree Club, a former employee group, and Grumman’s successor, Northrop Grumman Inc., built a monument, F-14D BuNo 164603 was parked at 600 Grumman Rd. West. The aircraft is one of the 711 F-14s that Grumman constructed on Long Island throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

In accordance with Tony Holmes’ account in his book F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Enduring Freedom, F-14D 164603 was initially delivered to VF-124 Gunfighters, the West Coast Tomcat Fleet RAG, on May 29, 1992, at NAS Miramar. In June of the following year, it was one of the first D-model aircraft assigned to VF-2.

The aircraft was moved to VF-213 in late 1997 and stayed there until it was transferred to VF-101 in early 2002. When F-14s and F/A-18s from CVW-11 attacked an SA-3 SAM battery and its attendant target acquisition and guidance radars near Kabul’s international airport on October 7, 2001, this Tomcat served as the strike leader.

BuNo 164603 was assigned to VF-31 in the summer of 2003, where it quickly became the “Felix 101” jet for the unit. After completing two more cruises with the unit, the Tomcat achieved the honor of carrying out the last Navy F-14 flight on October 4, 2006, when it took off from NAS Oceana and landed at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York.

As we have previously documented, the Cradle of Aviation Museum already has two F-14 cockpits, noses, and flight suits in addition to the third and oldest surviving F-14 ever constructed, which flew from 1971 until 1990.

U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Randall Damm

September 22, 2023 0 comment

Combat Lancer: The F-111’s first flight

by Till Daisd September 20, 2023

written by Till Daisd

On March 25, 1968, the F-111A began its combat career with a night of strikes, starting with a 500kt, 500ft solo attack that fully displayed the F-111A’s prowess

The first Air Force version of the TFX (for “Tactical Fighter Experimental”), the most divisive of all the joint-service “commonality” airplanes developed during the McNamara era, and intended as “cost-effective” substitutes for aircraft acquired through conventional acquisition processes, saw deployment planning begin at PACAF in the fall of 1967.

The F-4, OV-10, and A-7 programs showed that commonality might succeed if it were carefully planned and implemented, but with the TFX, as told by Richard P. Hallon in his book Rolling Thunder 1965-68, McNamara had tried the impossibility of creating a successful aircraft by combining intrinsically incompatible requirements.

Key to meeting all these was a large variable-geometry wing that fully extended to generate the lift necessary to achieve long-range and long-loiter but swept sharply back to reduce drag, permitting a supersonic dash. In 1963, Congressional investigators found that the McNamara team had rejected the recommendations of service and NASA professionals when it selected General Dynamics over a more highly regarded Boeing design.

After being put through rigorous flight testing, the TFX exposed significant performance and safety flaws, many of which required redesign. The Navy was forced to create a replacement, the Grumman F-14A Tomcat, which first flew nearly a decade after the F-4 had first taken to the skies because the F-111B carrier-based variant, which was significantly overweight and dangerously underpowered, never entered fleet service.

Notwithstanding its flaws, the Air Force F-111A program had a lot of potential since it combined attack avionics on par with those of the A-6, a terrain-following radar (TER) coupled to an autopilot, and a low-level supersonic dash similar to that of the F-105. On March 17, 1968, St. Patrick’s Day, Combat Lancer, formally Det 1 of the 428th TFS, a six-aircraft operational test and evaluation force of the Air Force’s new General Dynamics F-111A, landed at Takhli.

On March 25, the F-111A began its combat career with a night of strikes, starting with a solo attack that displayed the aircraft’s prowess to the fullest extent at 500 kt and 500 ft. With an F-111A SN 66-0018, Colonel Ivan Dethman and Captain Rick Matteis departed from Takhli, flew over Nakhon Phanom, and then lowered their altitude to 500 feet in preparation for a strike on the Vung Chua truck park and storage area on Hon Co Island. Before leaving over the Tonkin Gulf, Dethman and Matteis dropped 12 M117 750 lb bombs with drag-retarding fins.

Regrettably, three were lost very quickly—two from mechanical issues and the third from an SA-2—and only one crew was saved. This shoot-down was so critical that then-Soviet military minister Andrei Grechko personally briefed Leonid Brezhnev on it. There was no doubt that the F-111A needed improvement. Despite the arrival of three extra F-111As to make up for lost aircraft, Combat Lancer saw little more action in Southeast Asia before flying back to Nellis AFB in the middle of November 1968. Having reached maturity, the F-111A returned to Vietnam in 1972 and, during Operation Linebacker, proved to be a lethal and extremely effective night attacker.

Almost exactly two decades later, the outstanding F-111F proved to be a pillar of Operation Desert Storm thanks to its increased power and Pave Tack self-designating attack system.

Rolling Thunder 1965-68 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Debut of the F-111: Mar. 25, 1968

Photo by: U.S. Air Force

September 20, 2023 0 comment

The story of the XB-52 and YB-52, the scrapped B-52s prototype

by Till Daisd September 19, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The designations XB-52 and YB-52 were assigned to these prototype B-52 aircraft. X stands for “experimental,” and Y stands for “prototype.”

The B-52 was the primary long-range heavy bomber of the US Air Force during the Cold War after it went into service in 1955, and it is still a crucial component of the USAF bomber force today.

In his book Boeing B-47 Stratojet & B-52 Stratofortress Origins and Evolution, Scott Lowther explains how the Model 464-49, which was chosen as the XB-52’s winning design, evolved into the Model 464-67. Although they were similar in many ways, there were several noticeable variations, most notably the enlargement of the forward Fuselage. 464-67 had the cockpit well in front of the wing, as opposed to 464-49 which had the cockpit canopy’s rear behind the leading edge of the wing roots. The engine nacelles were modified, and the spoilers on the wings’ comparatively large area were shrunk. With these modifications, Boeing was prepared to start building two Model 464-67s after receiving an Air Force “letter of intent” for B-52 tooling in March 1951.

YB-52

The designations XB-52 and YB-52 were assigned to these prototype B-52 aircraft. X stands for “experimental,” and Y stands for “prototype.” Usually, an “experimental” aircraft is constructed before a “prototype,” but in this instance, the YB-52 took flight first on April 15, 1952, while the XB-52 (serial number 49-230) rolled out on November 29, 1951, and the YB-52 (serial number 49-231) followed on March 15, 1952. This was because the XB-52 needed major repairs after damage occurred during testing of the pneumatic system’s pressurization.

On October 2, 1952, the XB-52 took to the skies after the prototype. The YB-52’s two-hour initial flight was powered by YJ57-P-3 prototype engines. The XB-52 and YB-52 were basically the same despite having different names.

In terms of appearance, the prototype B-52s and the finished aircraft shared many similarities. The cockpit, however, was a feature that stood out between the two planes right away. The pilot had good visibility thanks to the low-drag tandem fighter-style canopy, which was used on the B-47.

YB-52 Rogers Dry Lake

The layout of the landing gear used by the rest of the B-52 fleet was pioneered by the prototypes. Though at first appearing to be fairly comparable to the B-47’s bicycle arrangement, the B-52’s gear was very different. Four separate dual-wheel bogies were stored within the B-52 fuselage, but instead of deploying straight down, they deployed out to the sides, twisting around so that the bogies stored fore-and-aft ended up side-by-side. This gave the B-52 not a bicycle arrangement, but a quadricycle.

The main landing gear of the B-52 would allow it to sit levelly without leaning to one side or the other. It continued to use smaller outrigger gear close to the wingtips, although this was done to prevent wingtip impact with the ground during heavy takeoffs or bumpy landings.

Moreover, the B-52 was able to land while “crabbing” into the wind with its fuselage oriented significantly off the plane’s groundpath because to its forward bogies’ ability to swivel up to 20° side to side. This would allow for risk-free landings in strong winds.

The main wings of the prototypes had flapperons, ailerons, and spoilers. The inboard engine pylon was right outside the ailerons, which were small and placed far from the wingtip. The ailerons would have had better control if they had been positioned at the wingtip, but that would have placed them in a much thinner and more flexible area of the wing. The inboard spot was suitable for the maneuvers the bomber was supposed to make.

XB-52

In any case, the spoilers were to handle the majority of the aircraft’s control requirements, making the ailerons redundant over time. The prototypes lacked the capacity to refuel in flight, unlike the subsequent production aircraft. The external fuel tanks that often adorned the outer wings of B-52 production models were also absent at first, but they were finally fitted later in the testing phase.

All of the horizontal stabilizers could move, although this movement was intended to stabilize the trim. Real control was carried out via small elevators around the back. Trim tabs were present in the elevators of the B-52F. The folding vertical fin was a significant but underappreciated characteristic of all B-52s that came after the prototype. Up until the G-model, the fin was a sizable structure that was far too tall to allow the B-52 to fit inside conventional hangars.

As a result, it could fold over 90 degrees, significantly decreasing the aircraft’s effective height. The fielding fin is not a self-contained system; an additional crane is required to lay it over and hoist it back up again, in contrast to naval aircraft that have wings that can fold to fit in the constrained area on board aircraft carriers.

The Boeing Seattle factory essentially handcrafted the prototypes. Jigs were not finalized, therefore production processes were not applied, and frequently, standard instruments and equipment were not used. The tail turrets on either prototype were represented by static fairings with painted-on lines; none was equipped with defensive armaments.

After 783 hours of flight, the YB-52 was handed to the US Air Force Museum on January 27, 1958. It was on display for a while, but the XB-52 and YB-52 were both scrapped sometime in the 1960s as a result of a “beautification” plan coordinated by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. The available literature does not sufficiently explain how the official museum of the United States Air Force was ‘beautified’ by turning one of the most beautiful airplanes ever made into razor blades and soda cans.

Boeing B-47 Stratojet & B-52 Stratofortress Origins and Evolution is published by Mortons Books and is available to order here.

Photo by: U.S. Air Force

September 19, 2023 0 comment

Me-163-Oil-Campaign

During the USAAF’s Oil Campaign, Me 163 Komet Rocket fighters protected the Leuna chemical complex

by Till Daisd September 18, 2023

written by Till Daisd

To safeguard the important Leuna chemical complex, the first Me 163 Komet rocket-fighter squadron was deployed at Brandis

Due to the loss of German oilfields on the Eastern Front by retreating forces, Germany was dependent on its own infrastructure, especially for the production of coal-based synthetic oil. But the more powerful Allied air forces could reach them. General Carl Spaatz, the commander of the US Strategic Air Forces, embarked on a new offensive in 1944 with the intention of sapping the German war machine of fuel.

During the summer of 1944, the USAAF’s Oil Campaign gained speed and began to attack these refineries and plants with its daylight-heavy bombers. German communications that had been decrypted revealed that the Oil Campaign was having an impact on the Wehrmacht.

According to Steven J. Zaloga’s explanation in his book The Oil Campaign 1944–45 Draining the Wehrmacht’s Lifeblood, Me 163 Komet rocket fighters were among the Luftwaffe aircraft participating in defending the Reich during the Oil Campaign

In the middle of August, there were several raids on oil refineries, but few of them were devoted specifically to fuel targets. Mission 556, which took place on August 16 and involved 976 bombers and 612 fighters, was the only significant Oil Campaign raid. All five Me 163 rocket fighters from 1./JG 400 were among the 121 fighters that the I. Jagdkorps successfully launched into the air. It’s important to note that this Staffel was specially sent to the Brandis airbase to guard the enormous Leuna complex and the Leipzig fuel complex.

Two of the new rocket fighters were destroyed, one by P-51 of the 359th Fighter Group and the other by B-17 gunners. Three “shot-out-of-formation” victories for the Me 163 fighters were recorded, despite the fact that none of the B-17s were really shot down. Ten B-17s, mostly from JG 302, and three P-51 Mustangs were among the other claims. 32 German fighters were said to have been downed by escort fighters.

On August 24, the Oil Campaign continued with Mission 568, which included numerous well-known synthetic fuel targets, including Brüx, Misburg, Stade, and Leuna/Merseburg. Only 99 of the 222 fighters launched by the I. Jagdkorps made interceptions. The 1st Bomb Division was stopped by the Gefechtsverband in the vicinity of Lüneburg, and they reported 16 total losses, with 10 B-17s destroyed and seven more shot out of formation or destroyed stragglers.

With the largest commitment to date of eight rocket fighters, the Me 163 fighters returned to combat. The common strategy was for the fighters to fly over the bomber formations with high acceleration. Afterward, they could either turn off their rocket motors to save fuel and glide through the American bombers or turn them on to rapidly descend into the bomber line. The two 30mm MK 108 cannons were deadly against bombers, although it was quite challenging to target the bombers as they were rapidly descending.

That same day, Leutnant Bott of the same Staffel claimed to have shot a B-17 out of formation at around the same position a short while after Feldwebel Schubert claimed to have shot down two B-17s northwest of Leipzig at 1208-1209. The Me 163 fighters also engaged in a pointless battle with the P-51 fighters that were escorting them.

The Oil Campaign 1944–45 Draining the Wehrmacht’s lifeblood is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: Edouard A. Groult via Osprey

September 18, 2023 0 comment

Mosquito-Ju-188

The RAF Mosquito pilot who made a landing while carrying a bullet tip from a Luftwaffe Ju 188 in his liver

by Till Daisd September 16, 2023

written by Till Daisd

A skilled Ju 188 gunner could leave his imprint even on a Mosquito, as was the case on the night of November 6–7, 1943, over the English Channel, around 30 miles south of Dungeness, in Kent

The Junkers Ju 188, an improved version of an earlier type that included more performance and advanced technology, was the pinnacle of mid-war German twin-engined aircraft design.

It was developed as a part of the 1939 “Bomber B” program to replace the Ju 88 and He 111 medium bombers. Its radical redesign of the cockpit area included all-around visibility for high-speed bombing, torpedo-bomber carrying, FuG 200 radar, and camera-equipped reconnaissance operations.

What emerged in the autumn of 1943 was a sophisticated bomber, a reconnaissance aircraft, and an intended nightfighter.

Actually, as described by Robert Forsyth in his book Junkers Ju 188 Units of World War 2, a skilled Ju 188 gunner could impact significantly even on a Mosquito, as was the case during the night of November 6–7, 1943, over the English Channel, about 30 miles south of Dungeness in Kent.

At 22:35, Sqn Ldr John Selway and Plt Off Norman Bamford of No. 85 Sqn took off in a Mosquito from West Malling to begin a patrol. They were pointed in the direction of a “Fw 190,” which they shot down in flames at 23:55 hours south of Hastings. They were then given a second vector for a different “Bandit” that was roughly 20 miles away and traveling south. The enemy aircraft was so far below the Mosquito that Selway could not have descended far below without overshooting, so he turned to starboard before turning back to port as the Mosquito approached at 6,000 feet.

Contact was reestablished with what was thought to be a Ju 188 that was “traveling very fast and weaving at about 20,000 feet.” Selway approached at about 1000 feet, but Bamford instructed his pilot to throttle back because Selway’s range was decreasing quickly. Selway was hit by a burst of fire from the Ju 188 at that precise moment, severely wounding his stomach, and he was unable to retaliate. The pilot lost control, sending the Mosquito into a dive and ending the engagement.

With his airspeed indicator and altimeter shot up as a result of a bullet entering the cockpit between the windscreen and the armor plate below it, which then crashed into the instrument panel, Selway was still able to level the nightfighter off and land it back at West Malling despite his wound. Selway entered the crew room unaided after landing, and as Jimmy Rawnsley later noted;

‘For a while, he just stood there discussing the affair with the others in his usual light-hearted fashion. He started to drink some tea, but fortunately “Rigor” Mortimer snatched the cup away from him, thereby possibly saving his life. When he started to undress, the onlookers were shocked to see that his clothes were liberally soaked in blood.’

After being sent right away to the hospital, Selway underwent an urgent operation to have the tip of a Ju 188 bullet removed from his liver. Although he survived, his second tour was over.

Junkers Ju 188 Units of World War 2 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: German Federal Archive and Royal Air Force

September 16, 2023 0 comment

Israeli-F-15-F-14

Why the F-15 Eagle was chosen by the Israeli Air Force over the F-14 Tomcat

by Till Daisd September 15, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) needed about 50 4th-generation fighters to last them into the 1990s and maybe beyond. The McDonnell Douglas F-15A/B Eagle and the Grumman F-14A Tomcat would be the two primary candidates for such a procurement

The US was constantly attempting to “tread carefully” in the Middle East throughout the 1970s. Even though it seems strange to us now, at the time, they were working to protect and preserve the balance of power in the area. Following the end of the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, the UN-backed agreement between Israel and Egypt in January 1974, the subsequent Israeli withdrawals, and the signing of the second disengagement agreement in September 1975, there was reason to believe that the US government would view Israel favorably regarding any potential purchase of 4th-generation fighters.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) needed about 50 4th-generation fighters to last them into the 1990s and maybe beyond. Shimon Peres, the country’s defense minister, made the request in June 1974 for a limited group of seasoned IAF pilots to be permitted to test and assess the two primary candidates for such a purchase. These candidates would be the McDonnell Douglas F-15A/B Eagle and the Grumman F-14A Tomcat, as described by Bertie Simmonds in his book F-15 Eagle.

F-14 F-15

The Shah, a pilot himself, was impressed by the F-14A’s performance at this point, and the Iranian government had already examined it and placed an order before the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The AIM-54 Phoenix, a 100-mile missile that helped give the F-14A the reach to protect the fleet against long-range Soviet bombers and cruise missiles (since the Tomcat was designed around it), was one of the features that set the F-14 and F-15 apart from one another. It might even start a dogfight in the appropriate hands.

Yet, both would be carefully considered. The F-15, on the other hand, was built for air superiority over the battlefield, something the Israelis found appealing when you consider the battles they had fought since gaining independence in 1948.

One of the first TF-15s was flown by IAF commander Benny Peled in 1974, but because it was a preproduction model, it was lacking several of the systems that would have made it combat-ready. When visiting Naval Air Station Miramar, David Ivry, a former IAF P-51 Mustang and Dassault Ouragan pilot, also piloted a Tomcat. He is said to have been impressed by the F-14, if not a little let down by the need to take special care with the problematic TF-30 turbofans during air combat maneuvers with a US Navy A-4 Skyhawk.

While the US had not authorized the Israelis to actually pitch Tomcat against Eagle, a team was eventually established to independently analyze both machines. Amnon Arad, a former Mirage and F-4E pilot and squadron leader, would serve as the team’s leader. In addition to Israel Baharav, a former Mirage pilot and squadron leader during the most recent Yom Kippur War, Assaf Ben-Nun, an F-4E pilot, Omri Afek, and navigator Aharon Katz would be flying with him. The remaining members of the team were ground crew and employees from Israeli Aircraft Industries.

Operation Wooden Leg: how the F-15 Baz fighters became bombers and performed the longest air strike in IAF history

The evaluations, coming from the most seasoned and combat-tested jet fighter pilots at the time—these pilots had a combined total of about 24 kills—would have been fascinating to read at the time. They intended to mimic the annoying MiG-25Rs that were flying obtrusively over Israel, seeing how these teen-series jets handled everything from low and slow targets to fast targets.

The two-seat F-15, a full-scale development aircraft with the new systems on board, was flown around ten times, and the McDD F-15 simulator was used a lot. Sorties were conducted against A-4 and F-4 aircraft, and the Israelis were particularly taken by the F-15. They discovered the F-15 could easily outperform both aircraft, the weapons systems were “user-friendly,” the Eagle’s agility was astonishing, and the power allowed them to “sustain” like no other aircraft they had flown previously. Also, the cockpit provided unmatched visibility for dogfighting.

They were disappointed in the Tomcat’s dogfighting capabilities, which the IAF excelled in, compared to the two-seat F-14 that the team flew at Miramar. An air combat maneuver mission against the unassuming A-4 Skyhawk frequently ended in a deadlock. It was soon obvious that the F-15 Eagle was the finest option for the IAF, and even better, the plane was far more affordable per unit than the Tomcat.

However, political obstacles to an F-15 sale would not be resolved until that second disengagement agreement in September 1975, and a month later, the US decided to supply the Eagle in large quantities. In accordance with the provisions of the ‘Peace Fox I’ agreement, Israel started getting its new fighter in the form of four full-scale development aircraft in December 1976. Under the terms of ‘Peace Fox II,’ Israel then started receiving two F-15Bs and 19 F-15As.

Israel would have to pay roughly $625 million for this, which was replaced by Peace Fox III, for which 18 F-15Cs and eight F-15Ds were ordered. Also, in the early 1990s, the US government handed the IAF 10 early F-15A and B aircraft that had been refurbished as a thank you for Israel’s assistance during Desert Storm, when it was attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles.

F-15 Eagle is published by Mortons Books and is available to order here.

Photo by: Israeli Air Force and U.S. Navy

September 15, 2023 0 comment

HMS-Endurance-Falklands-War

The Royal Navy Ice Patrol Vessel that during the Falklands War escaped harm from Argentina’s Navy

by Till Daisd September 14, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Barker transformed HMS Endurance into a combat helicopter platform and photo-spy ship with just a pair of 20mm AA guns, small weapons, and missiles for her Wasp Helicopters

The narrative of another Endurance resonates as photographs of Shackleton’s Endurance’s wreck are sent throughout the globe, especially as the 40th anniversary of another fight draws near. Her Majesty’s station ship in the Falkland Islands in 1981 was the HMS Endurance. HMS Endurance served an incredible career during the Falklands Conflict with Argentina, and a Pebble Mill documentary produced the year before the Falklands War vividly depicted her prewar history.

The documentaries listed below demonstrate how dangerous exploring the Antarctic was even in the early 1980s. The arrival of Captain Nicholas Barker, who expertly led her in both exploration and combat, demonstrates his skill as an officer. Captain Barker successfully hid his ship from Argentine forces when the Falklands War broke out by using satellite communication to hide his bright red ship among ice floes while he waited for UK reinforcements.

Before giving up to the overwhelming force of the Argentinian amphibious assault on South Georgia, where Shackleton’s grave still lies, Endurance’s Royal Marine Detachment, left there, managed to shoot down an Argentinian Puma Assault Helicopter and damage an Argentinian Naval vessel with their anti-tank weapons.

Barker managed to convert his ship into a combat helicopter platform and photo-spy ship with only two 20mm AA guns, small arms, and missiles for her Wasp Helicopters. This while keeping his crew alive and causing no deaths. In order to maximize damage against the enemy war effort in the event of a confrontation with the Argentinian Naval Forces, his strategy was to ram whatever tankers they had nearby.

Endurance was one of the vessels that assisted in the successful recapture of South Georgia, and she was able to escape harm from Argentina’s Navy until reinforcements arrived. In South Georgia’s Grytvken Harbour, her Wasp Helicopter helped to sink the Argentinean Santa Fe submarine. In one of the last operations of the Falklands War, she was also able to help with the recapture of South Thule Island.

Aboard Endurance, the war’s ultimate surrender took place in the South Sandwich Islands.

Due to his continuing opposition to Thatcher’s prewar Defense Minister John Nott’s decision to retire Endurance as a cost-saving measure just before the War, Captain Barker was put to pasture postwar and retired as merely a Captain despite all of his accomplishments. Barker’s opposition was based on the abundant resources of the Falklands and South Georgia, as well as those islands’ respective Exclusive Economic Zones and their significance as staging areas for the British Antarctic Territory, which is home to a vast potential resource base, including the possibility of substantial petroleum reserves that could result in a sizable financial windfall for the British government and people as well as the islanders themselves.

HMS Endurance, Langley South Part 1. Ignore the messed-up beginning, that is likely bad VCR Tape. To Deception Island Prewar.

HMS Endurance, Langley South Part 2 To Sir James Ross Island, with a re-enactment by Endurance 1981’s crew of Endurance 1915’s harrowing adventure.

War Stories, Captain Barker Postwar, at his reunion party aboard Endurance, visiting the Falklands, shows the Governor General of the Falklands. The Royal Marines’ Lieutenant Keith Mills is also present to share his incredible tale. This will also provide viewers a look at the particular species of Whitehall Office Mole that made the kinds of choices that ultimately resulted in the loss of thousands of lives. Moreover, Lord Shackleton makes an appearance; he is a recently found direct descendent of Shackleton the Great of the Original Endurance.

Be sure to check out William Cobb’s Facebook Page Pensacola Aerospace Museum for awesome aviation’s photos and stories.

Photo by: ©1988 K. Krallis, SV1XV via Wikipedia

September 14, 2023 0 comment

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