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A squadron of 80 Soviet strategic bombers was once intercepted by a lone RAF Lightning

by Till Daisd May 5, 2023

“While the mass contacts of 60…70…80 (who knows?) contacts which, as if raging bulls bent on widespread death and destruction, bore down on my sole Lightning, I spoke with the controller at RAF Saxa Vord. The controller confirmed that my radar information was correct and that the incoming hordes now ranged from twenty to sixty miles from my current position…,” Steve Gyles former Lightning Driver

The only iconic Mach 2 fighter aircraft built in Britain was the English Electric (later British Aircraft Corporation, BAC) Lightning. The jet was created from a supersonic research aircraft called the English Electric P.1.

After entering into service, the Lightning outfitted nine squadrons and served as the cornerstone of Britain’s air defense system for a period of 25 years. In the book Phantom Boys by Robert Pike, the character Steve Gyles recalls his time as a Lightning pilot.

“I was posted in 1968 to 11 Squadron at RAF Leuchars to fly Lightning aircraft. This proved, in a number of ways, a valuable precursor to my later posting onto F-4 Phantoms, and it was at an early stage of my time with 11 Squadron that I learned in a most sobering manner of the need, one might say to expect the unexpected, a key quality for the successful operation of the versatile and demanding Phantom. For it was in the spring of 1970, when the Soviet air force (Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily) decided, sillily, to celebrate the centenary of the birth of that amazing gremlin in the Kremlin, Comrade Vladimir Lenin, that by chance I became involved in this heroic event. On QRA duty over the night 22/23 April 1970, I awoke with a start in the small hours, at around 04:00, when an inconspicuous-looking ‘squawk’ box in one corner of the pilot’s crew room started to make strange sounds. At once, I tumbled out of bed — pilots on QRA duty were allowed to sleep as long as they remained in flying gear — and dashed across the room to listen closely. The controller’s detached voice now reverberated from the box: ‘Leuchars, Leuchars, this is Buchan…alert two Lightnings.’

That time a lone RAF Lightning intercepted a horde of 80 Soviet strategic bombers

“As the nominated Q1, the first to go in the event of a scramble, the other pilot, despite looking as bleary-eyed as I felt, ran with admirable élan out to his aircraft. As the Q2 pilot, I set off the scramble alarm, acknowledged the Buchan controller’s call, scribbled down the time, then sprinted to my Lightning. For a brief period, both pilots sat in their individual cockpits before the controller’s voice crackled through our bone dome earpieces when he ordered the Q1 Lightning to scramble. When my colleague was safely airborne, the controller stood me down from cockpit readiness but by that stage, I was too worked up to think of going back to sleep.

“[…] My colleague returned just as dawn was breaking. He explained how, in pretty much pitch-black conditions, he had shadowed two Soviet bombers which he reckoned were Tu-95 Bear D aircraft. As we talked about his flight, suddenly the squawk box came to life again. “Leuchars, this is Buchan,” said the controller, who sounded a bit breathless this time, “alert two Lightnings.” A small but significant hesitation followed after which, most unusually, he went on: “and as many more as you can manage.” The controller’s tone sounded almost plaintive when he continued: “We have eighty-plus unidentified tracks coming around the North Cape.” For a second or so we two pilots stared at each other in astonishment. We said nothing, but our thoughts seemed to coincide: eighty-plus? Is he bonkers? Has he lost the plot? Has World War III broken out? This, though, was no moment to prevaricate and as we set off the scramble alarm I made a dash for my aircraft (the Ql machine was in the process of engineering turn-round). My carefully placed bone dome, judiciously laid-out cape leather flying gloves, and thoughtfully positioned seat straps facilitated rapid progress as I leaped into the cockpit, plugged in my personal equipment connector (PEC), and buckled up the seat straps. Very soon, when I spoke with the controller, he gave height, heading, and other details as he ordered me to scramble and to maintain radio silence.”

Gyles continues: “The start-up and take-off procedures went without a hitch and before long, just as pale shafts of dawn sunlight began to emerge across the area, I flew the Lightning in a north-easterly direction. With my airborne radar, navigational aids, and ‘identification friend or foe’ system switched off to thwart the possibility of tactical information being passed on by eavesdroppers, I had to keep a good lookout for other aircraft. Old-fashioned navigational techniques were needed to plot the Lightning’s position and from time to time this could be verified by peering down at fixed-position North Sea oil installations. After thirty or so minutes, when approaching the general area briefed by Buchan, I reckoned it was about time to break radio silence. Glancing inside the cockpit, I, therefore, switched on the identification friend or foe system, the navigational aids, and the AI23B airborne radar. The radar took some moments to warm up but when it had done so, and when I squinted through the fold-up rubber viewing shade of the radar’s B-scope display, what I saw made my pulse start to race and my brain cells to go into overdrive. The radar revealed mass contacts too numerous to count up. I had expected something unusual, but this was overwhelming; my mind became a turmoil of conflicting thoughts as I struggled to absorb the implications of such a mass of hostile images.

“While the mass contacts of 60…70…80 (who knows?) contacts which, as if raging bulls bent on widespread death and destruction, bore down on my sole Lightning, I spoke with the controller at RAF Saxa Vord. The controller confirmed that my radar information was correct and that the incoming hordes now ranged from twenty to sixty miles from my current position. ‘Copied,’ I tried to sound nonchalant but my voice had become annoyingly shrill. I swallowed hard, continued to study the radar screen, and wondered what the hell to do next.

“In a way, though, the dilemma was resolved for me when I visually spotted the first wave of Soviet aircraft. From that moment, more or less, my radar became redundant as I concentrated on the visual picture outside the cockpit. The Soviet hordes, mainly Tu-16 Badger and Tu-95 Bear aircraft, seemed to have organized themselves into groups of finger-four formation. Selecting a nearby group, I maneuvered the Lightning for an interception and visident (visual identification) procedure. My nerves, as may be expected, were on edge; every move appeared to assume excessive significance. Having closed onto the selected group of Soviet machines and identified them as Tu-16 Badger aircraft, it was time to take photographs. Using a special 35mm camera with an automatic wind-on facility and plenty of films, I moved to the rear of the formation, took a photograph of both sides and underneath Badger number four, then moved on to the next machine.

“Just as I completed the photo shoot of the formation’s third Badger, my peripheral vision picked up a shadow passing over the Lightning’s cockpit. I glanced up to see another formation of four Badgers cross about 500ft above me. This seemed suddenly to emphasize the surreal nature of what was happening around me; as if caught up in some kind of crazy dream, I felt the need to pinch myself to return to reality. A small voice within me whispered, ‘Well I’ll be darned.’

“The situation, though, was no mere flight of fancy. There was a job to be done and before long, when I was joined by a Victor in-flight refueling tanker, my Lightning’s fuel tanks were filled to full. For the next one-and-a-half hours, as I moved from one Soviet formation to the next, I was able to photograph proceedings for posterity. Never before had we seen such masses and never, hopefully, were we likely to do so again. The reaction of Soviet crews was intriguing: some would studiously ignore us and these Bears and Badgers presumably had political observers on board.

“Crews on the non-political machines seemed to react altogether differently — almost festively — with chicken legs, drink cans, maybe even the odd tumblers of vodka waved around happily. After all, I had to remind myself, this was supposed to be some kind of bizarre birthday bash. If from time to time, I asked Saxa Vord for ‘pigeons’ (i.e. heading and distance) to base, some of the Soviet crews would helpfully hold a map against one of their side windows and point. I became increasingly amazed by the turn of events. I had become embroiled in the affair by chance and, ridiculously, I seemed, along with the Victor crew and another Lightning that eventually entered the fray, to represent the entire people of the Western world.”

Gyles concludes: “It was the following day, as I thumbed through the pages of various newspapers, that I came across a copy of one of my photographs in The Daily Telegraph with the caption: ‘Strike Command pilots are becoming increasingly adept at “Bear hunting” and although unable to communicate with the Russian aircrews, appropriate hand signals are invariably exchanged.’”

Photo by Royal Air Force, Arpingstone and Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation via Wikipedia

May 5, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

The legendary MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jet’s co-designer, Ivan Mikoyan, passed away

by Till Daisd May 4, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Ivan Mikoyan was twice awarded the USSR State Prize for creating the MiG-29

Ivan Mikoyan, the MiG-29’s co-designer and Artem Mikoyan’s nephew, passed away on November 25, 2016, at the age of 89. According to RT.com, Mikoyan worked as a lead engineer at the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG design bureau for the majority of his career. This company was founded by his uncle Artem Mikoyan.

He began working for OKB (a transliteration of the Russian acronym “Опытное конструкторское бюро” – Opytnoye Konstruktorskoye Buro, meaning Experimental Design Bureau) MiG in 1953. He held various positions there, including assistant chief engineer, chief engineer for flight tests, and leading designer for the MiG-21. He was designated chief designer of the MiG-23 in 1965, and technical head of joint state tests in 1968. Ivan served as the MiG-29 fighter aircraft’s deputy chief designer beginning in 1973. Later, he worked as a consultant for the MiG Russian Aircraft Corporation. In recognition of his work on the MiG-29, Ivan Mikoyan twice earned the USSR State Prize.

The F-15 and F-16 were part of a new generation of American fighters that prompted the development of the MiG-29. This dual-purpose aircraft, built as an air defense fighter, also had a ground attack capability. The Frontal Aviation Regiments of the Soviet Air Force commissioned OKB MiG to build a “frontal” or tactical fighter. The MiG designers began developing the MiG-29 in the early 1970s using all the technical information that was available about the most cutting-edge Western aircraft, and the first prototype made its first flight on October 6, 1977.

The new fighter was discovered by American reconnaissance satellites in November 1977, and NATO gave it the name “Fulcrum.” In 1982, the MiG-29 was put into service. Since then, more than 1,600 Fulcrums have been built and sold to at least 30 different nations.

Photo by TSGT MICHAEL AMMONS / U.S. Air Force

May 4, 2023 0 comment

History

The first time an Imperial Japanese fighter pilot encountered the F6F Hellcat was the last

by Till Daisd May 3, 2023

written by Till Daisd

More effective than the renowned Japanese A6M Zero, the F6F Hellcat downed 5,156 enemy aircraft in just two years, accounting for 75% of the Navy’s aerial wins throughout the war

The F6F Hellcat, one of the best fighters of World War II, was developed by Grumman and went from experimental to operational use in less than 18 months. Fighting Squadron (VF) 5 aboard USS Yorktown (CV-10) launched an attack on Marcus Island in August 1943, which marked the beginning of its combat operations. In just two years, the F6F downed 5,156 enemy aircraft (19:1 ratio), outperforming the renowned Japanese A6M Zero and contributing to 75% of the Navy’s aerial victories in the conflict.

But when did an Imperial Japanese fighter pilot first encounter the legendary Hellcat?

‘Ensign Robert Duncan was deployed on the USS Yorktown in Fighting Squadron 5 in the fall of 1943. This rookie naval aviator was the first to secure a victory against the vaunted A6M Zero in an F6F Hellcat,’ says Maryellen Reilly, a WWII expert, on Quora.

‘Duncan’s second chance at aerial combat involved an A6M Zero flown by Japanese Ace Warrant officer Toshiuki Sueda with nine victories.

‘Sueda was very good at luring F4F Wildcats into a climbing loop and when the Wildcat stalled and fell away, Sueda would wing over and destroy the Wildcat.

‘Misidentification is a bitch, and Sueda assuming his opponent was a Wildcat went into his climbing loop and Duncan with his spanking new F6F Hellcat with a 2000 HP P&W R-2800 engine followed Sueda into his climb and blew him out of the sky.

‘With its speed, armament, and armored protection the Grumman F6F Hellcat was a rude awakening for the Imperial Japanese pilots.’

Finally, Reilly says;

‘The question was about their first encounter…. It was usually their last encounter.’

The Navy evaluated captured Axis and Allied fighters toward the end of the war. Given the extremely quick turnaround from design to production, the Hellcat placed first in the majority of categories, making it among the best fighters in the war. Grumman’s Bethpage Plant Number 3 produced 12,275 Hellcats in just 30 months, with much of the facility still under construction when the first F6Fs were being assembled inside.

Here’s why an Imperial Japanese fighter pilot’s first encounter with the F6F Hellcat was usually his last — Ensign Robert Duncan of Fighting Squadron 5 became the first ace of the USS Yorktown on February 16 of 1944 when he shot down his fifth Japanese plane. Duncan would go on to shoot down two more before the war’s end.

Photo by Osvaldo 201 via Live War Thunder and Marion Illinois History Preservation

May 3, 2023 0 comment

History

When NASA had to borrow U-2/SR-71 “yellow” Pressure Suits

by Till Daisd May 2, 2023

written by Till Daisd

A flaw was found in the batch of suits NASA was producing for the pilots before the launch of Columbia on the first shuttle mission (STS-1).

Since 1941, the David Clark Company has led the way in the design, research, and production of air and space crew safety equipment, producing everything from space suits to anti-G suits.

Pilots of different high-altitude aircraft, such as the F-4, F-15, XB-70, HL-10, X-24, U-2, and SR-71 Blackbird, have worn Standard Full-Pressure Suits made available by the company.

Early 1980s efforts to create a standard single suit that could be worn by both SR-71 and U-2 crews resulted in the S1031C suit, which gradually replaced earlier outfits.

‘NASA had to borrow some space suits from the U-2 program for the first shuttle mission,’ says Damien Leimbach, former Avionics Technician at U.S. Air Force (2001-2007), on Quora.

‘The David Clark company builds space suits for NASA, but they also build the iconic yellow pressure suits that the U-2 and SR-71 program uses.

Did you know that U-2 decompression sickness cases increased after the end of the Cold War? Here’s why the iconic U-2 is the world’s hardest plane to fly

‘The program calls them “pressure suits” since they don’t actually fly to space, but they are essentially the same suits that the David Clark company made for NASA.

‘Prior to the first shuttle mission (STS-1), the launch of Columbia, there was a defect detected in the batch of suits NASA was making for the pilots to use. Since the maiden flight of the shuttle mission was also its first real test flight, there was only two crew, a pair of pilots, for that mission.

‘However the suits were not going to be fixed in time, so NASA called up Beale AFB and said “Hey, we need to borrow a pair of space suits.”

‘And that’s why the crew pictures from the first shuttle mission show the pilots wearing yellow suits (high visibility to easily see downed pilots) instead of the iconic NASA white.

Did you know NASA had to borrow U-2/SR-71 “yellow” Pressure Suits for first space shuttle mission?

‘I mean, without the NASA patches, you wouldn’t know these guys weren’t SR-71 or U-2 pilots.’

Finally, Leimbach says;

‘You can even see the green velcro patches on the thighs where U-2 pilots put their notepads and map boards.’

Beginning in 1996, the U-2R’s predecessor S1031 Pilots Protective Assembly (PPA) was replaced by the David Clark Company Model S1034, which is still in use today. The NASA ER-2 and WB-57F platforms have both adopted it for use.

Photo by NASA and U.S. Air Force

May 2, 2023 0 comment

History

When the Luftwaffe called the F-104 Starfighter “Widow maker”

by Till Daisd May 1, 2023

written by Till Daisd

When four F-104s were training for the type’s “introduction-into-service” demonstration in June 1962 and crashed in formation, killing all four pilots, it was a very terrible start for the Starfighter in Germany

Early in 1956, the first futuristic-looking F-104 Starfighter took to the air, and with its long circular fuselage, pointed nose, and small, thin wings, it appeared to be the world’s best fighter.

The Lockheed F-104 was created by C. L. “Kelly” Johnson and his “Skunk Works,” who also created some iconic combat planes like the U-2 and the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft. The company dubbed it the “missile with a man in it,” but the Luftwaffe and Marineflieger (German Navy) referred to it as the “widowmaker.”

The F-104’s svelte appearance concealed a host of defects, as Dr. Marshall Michel, 52nd Fighter Wing Historian, explains in his article F-104: Germany’s “Widow Maker.”

For example, the landing gear and fuel had to be stored in the fuselage because the wings’ capacity was so limited. To achieve the Starfighter’s exceptional acceleration, rate of climb, and top speed, however, narrow wings were required. In contrast, the F-104’s narrow wings gave it poor sustained turn performance and a relatively short range because it couldn’t carry fuel.

Additionally, the aircraft lacked a functional radar and had a limited loadout of a gun and heat-seeking missiles, making it a daytime and clear weather fighter only. It was quietly pushed to the side once it became clear that it was not truly what the U.S. Air Force (USAF) intended.

However, at the same time, some NATO air forces decided to replace their outdated first-generation fighters with the F-104 as part of what was dubbed the “Deal of the Century.” More than 900 of these aircraft, the majority of which were delivered to the Luftwaffe and Marineflieger air forces.

The Luftwaffe and Marineflieger operated 11 F-104 wings at their busiest in the middle of the 1970s. The variation that was given to the Germans was code-named F-104G (with the G standing for Germany) and was an all-weather, ground-attack variant that was 2,000 pounds heavier than the original F-104 with the same engine. Its weight was increased by the requirement to transport four external fuel tanks for the majority of missions.

When four F-104s practiced for the type’s “introduction-into-service” demonstration in June 1962 and crashed in formation, killing all four pilots, it was a very disastrous start for the Starfighter.

Because of its superior training facilities and proximity to Phoenix, Arizona, Luke Air Force Base (AFB) was selected by Germany to prepare its future F-104 pilots. Luke Air Force Base (AFB) boasts about 300 days of sunshine annually. However, issues surfaced right away when the pilots returned to the severe German weather. There were two problems.

First off, the F-104 had to fly at very high speeds for approach and landing – far higher than earlier aircraft – and moved extremely quickly, especially for a novice pilot operating in extremely bad weather.

Second, because the Luftwaffe Starfighters had to carry out low-level, high-speed attack missions, they were exceptionally sensitive to control input and unforgiving of pilot error in these operations.

There were a terrible lot of accidents as a result. By the middle of 1966, 61 German F-104s had actually crashed, killing 35 pilots.

When he claimed that the Starfighter acquisition was prompted by politics, Gen. Wernher Panitzki, the then-Commander of the Luftwaffe, was compelled to quit. Lt. Gen. Johannes Steinhoff, a veteran of the Luftwaffe during World War II, succeeded him. According to Michel, Steinhoff promptly grounded the F-104Gs, at least partially to put in a new ejection seat.

Even though the German Starfighter purchase records had been deleted in 1962 by the Ministry of Defence, it was later discovered that Lockheed had actually bought favor with government officials in Germany and other nations in order to sell the F-104.

Nevertheless, after numerous improvements, the crashes persisted. Between 1968 and 1972, every year saw between 15 and 20 German 104s crash, and until it was replaced, the number each year was around 10. In total, 292 of the 916 Starfighters were lost, and 115 pilots lost their lives.

Photo by Luftwaffe and U.S. Air Force

May 1, 2023 0 comment

History

Hill AFB said goodbye to Viper as it celebrates 40 years of F-16 combat operations

by Till Daisd May 1, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The F-16 program changed the fighter forces of the USAF

The 388th Fighter Wing (FW), now more well known as the Viper, was to be the first squadron to switch over to the F-16 Fighting Falcon, according to an announcement made by the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1977. At Hill Air Force Base (AFB), the first operational F-16A flew for the first time in 1988.

An early combat-coded F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft in flight.

On January 23, 1979, the first operational F-16A arrived at Hill AFB, starting a 40-year period of tactical and logistical innovation as well as practically continuous global deployments in support of training exercises and contingency operations. On September 23, 1979, the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) received its first F-16A, and by November 18, 1980, the 34th TFS, 4th TFS, and 421st TFS, Hill AFB’s three fighting squadrons, were all outfitted with F-16As.

F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing line an airfield during Operation Desert Shield.

The ‘Fuujins’ of the 4th TFS announced Full Operational Capability (FOC) four months after acquiring their 24th aircraft, becoming the Air Force’s first fully combat-ready F-16 squadron. The Viper, arguably the most successful fighter in history, underwent numerous changes during its nearly four decades of duty at Hill to become an aircraft that its creators could not have possibly envisaged.

An F-16 aircraft from the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron was armed during Operation Desert Storm.

The 388th FW Airmen who flew and maintained it are given even more honor with this fitting homage to their skill. As has always been the case, the men and women who served during this time helped make it possible for the F-16 to be flown for almost 40 years and for more than 25 years straight in combat operations. These Airmen diligently maintained it, tenderly trained its pilots for battle, and bravely piloted it into peril.

An F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft returns to the fight after receiving fuel on June 10 during a mission over Iraq. The F-16 is assigned to Balad Air Base, Iraq, and is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

However, 2017 was bittersweet for the 388th FW because as the group gets ready for the last combat-coded F-16 to depart from Hill for good, its pilots were prepared to make history once more with the brand-new F-35A Lightning II, and notable changes were made to the USAF’s fighter forces by the F-16 program.

Airmen perform a final safety inspection before an F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan for a mission on Aug. 20, 2016. The F-16s and the Airmen are deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and are assigned to the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron.

Cutting-edge aerospace engineering and tried-and-true components from previous combat aircraft, such as the F-15 and F-111, were used to design the aircraft. Combining them resulted in a more straightforward airplane that had smaller dimensions and lower weight, purchase, and maintenance expenses. The fuselage’s strength is maintained while being made lighter. The F-16 can sustain up to nine Gs or nine times the force of gravity when its internal fuel tank is completely fueled.

The pilot has unrestricted forward and upward views as well as a much better side and rear vision thanks to the cockpit and its bubble canopy. Pilot comfort and tolerance for gravity forces were improved by extending the seat-back angle from the standard 13 degrees to 30 degrees. The “fly-by-wire” system of the F-16 gives the pilot superior flight control. The conventional cables and linkage controls are replaced by electrical lines that relay commands. The traditional center-mounted stick is replaced with a side-stick controller allowing quick and precise control of the aircraft during high G combat maneuvers. Electrical signals are sent to actuators of flight control surfaces like the ailerons and rudder by hand pressure on the side stick controller.

An F-16 Viper aircraft from the 4th Fighter Squadron in flight.

Since November 1981, all F-16s that have been delivered have had structural, electrical, and system architectural features that enable the multirole flexibility to be expanded to execute missions like precision strike, night assault, and beyond visual range interception. The F-16C and F-16D aircraft, which are the single- and two-place counterparts of the F-16A/B and have the most recent cockpit control and display technologies, are the result of this upgrading initiative.

The 4th Fighter Squadron “Fightin’ Fuujins” flew a “fini” flight on May 31, 2016, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Source: Hill F-16 squadron celebrating 40 years of combat airpower, part 1 and part 2 by Lt. Col. Steven Engberg and Lt. Col. Michael Meyer, 4th Fighter Squadron and 421st Fighter Squadron; Additional source: U.S. Air Force. Photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway, Felicia Juenke, and R. Nial Bradshaw / U.S. Air Force

May 1, 2023 0 comment

History

“Piggyback Flight,” an incident that caused two B-17s to become hooked together

by Till Daisd May 1, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Instead of an accidental combining of two planes in midair, the Germans believed the “Piggyback” was a brand-new eight-engine warplane that the Allies had developed!

Germans believed it to be a Superplane! Throughout World War II, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress flew over every combat zone, but its most important missions were over Europe. The B-17, together with the B-24 Liberator, served as the foundation of the USAAF’s strategic bombing force and contributed to the war’s victory by destroying Germany’s war industry.

By stifling domestic industry, war production, and the German people’s will to resist, USAAF heavy bomber daylight strikes sought to compel Nazi Germany to submit alongside RAF Bomber Command in its nighttime bombing campaign. Participating in the Combined Bomber Offensive was one of the riskiest missions of World War II due to the heavy fighting that resulted in a large number of casualties among US bomber crews. This claim was supported by the so-called “Piggyback Flight,” a highly unusual accident that occurred on January 1, 1945.

‘Pilot Glenn Rojohn survived what became one of the miracles of the war when his’ says Troy Dugo (whose father loaded ordinance on B-17s at RAF Deopham Green during World War II) on Quora. ‘My dad, who loaded ordinance on B-17s at RAF Deopham Green, became friends with Rojohn in their Pittsburgh social group in the 90s.’

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune, when all hell broke loose during the New Year’s Eve attack on a synthetic oil factory in Hamburg, Rojohn was flying a B-17 Flying Fortress. 12 of the 37 aircraft were shot down, resulting in the deaths of 100 crew members, when they were surrounded by intense anti-aircraft fire close to the target and repeatedly strafed by German fighters.

Dugo clarifies;

‘Rojohn’s B-17 collided mid-air with a bomber below it and became hooked together in what has become known as the “Piggyback flight.” A propeller and top guns of the lower B-17 were jammed into Rojohn’s B-17 and he and his co-pilot, William Leek, were unable to free their plane.

‘Rojohn’s crew, part of the 8th Air Force’s 100th Bomb Group, was awakened in the middle of the night and told they were to fly across the English Channel and the North Sea to participate in a massive bombing raid. A fighter escort they were supposed to meet over the English Channel never materialized because of heavy fog, so they were flying the bombing mission against German targets without protection during the Battle of the Bulge.

‘They were sitting ducks for the German fighter planes.’

The reason for the lower plane’s collision with Rojohn’s B-17 at a height of roughly 19,000 feet, when it was filling in a gap in the ‘V’ formation created by previous planes being shot down, is unknown. The other plane’s pilots are thought to have been rendered incapable. Rojohn and his co-pilot shut off their plane’s engines and turned south toward Germany to try to land the aircraft while the lower plane’s engines continued to run and cut into Rojohn’s B-17.

Unaware that they had not reached land, some crew members regrettably bailed out over the water. The survivors were seized, and three crew members perished.

Dugo goes on;

‘Rojohn and his co-pilot landed the conjoined planes on German soil near Wilhemshaven. Rojohn’s plane slid free upon impact, and the lower plane exploded and burned. Rojohn would undergo two weeks of interrogation by the Germans. They thought Rojohn was piloting a new eight-engine warplane the Allies had developed rather than it being the accidental joining of two planes in mid-air! The Germans thought it was a Superplane!’

Finally, he says;

‘For their heroic actions, Rojohn and his co-pilot, William Leek, were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. At the petitioning of my dad and his fellow veterans, we were all there when Rojohn was inducted into the Hall of Valor at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Pittsburgh where the paint [featured in this post] hangs.’

Photo by Hall of Valor at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum.

May 1, 2023 0 comment

History

2 Concorde supersonic airliners landed simultaneously at Orlando International Airport

by Till Daisd April 30, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Before an estimated 35,000 spectators, the British Airways and Air France Concorde supersonic aircraft approached from the south and touched down next to each other less than two seconds apart.

The airfield that is now Orlando International Airport (MCO) hosted another aviation event associated with supersonic flight, after having played host to the X-1 rocket plane’s initial test flights in 1946. Two Concorde supersonic aircraft landed almost simultaneously for the first time side by side on parallel runways at Orlando International Airport on October 18, 1982, as shown in the picture and the video in this post.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Walt Disney organized the event, which primarily served as a publicity gimmick to hype the arrival of the sponsors of exhibitions at the British and French pavilions of the recently opened Epcot Center.

A simultaneous arrival at Washington was attempted in 1976 by Air France and British Airways, the two European (and only) airlines that flew the Concorde. But due to the dense air traffic over Dulles International Airport, which prevented the two planes from properly lining up on their approach, they touched down 70 seconds apart.

Orlando provided the best location for the 1982 landing since it had two parallel, 12,000-foot-long runways and had less congested aviation traffic. Before an estimated 35,000 spectators, the droop-nosed British and French aircraft landed next to each other less than two seconds apart as they approached from the south.

A little-known truth about this maneuver, according to AviationHumor.net, is that the airport was not designed to withstand the heat from the Concorde. They damaged the runway by cooking it when they took off, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. For urgent repairs, the airport was shut down for more than a week.

Four Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 engines, each providing 38,000 pounds of thrust with reheat, were the most powerful pure jet engines ever employed in a commercial aircraft for Concorde. The four engines of the aircraft used reheat technology, which involves adding fuel to the engine’s last stage to create the extra power needed for takeoff and the transition to supersonic flight. On February 7, 1996, Concorde made the transatlantic flight from New York to London in 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds.

Photo by Orlando International Airport (MCO)

April 30, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

The RAF Phantom crew disguised as an Aeroflot flight to intercept a Soviet Il-62 Classic spy plane

by Till Daisd April 29, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“Keeping the Phantom in that position for about six or seven minutes, my navigator and I grinned at the cameras, struck tops of our bone domes lingeringly and flamboyantly, offered thumbs up and gestures until, eventually, the Classic captain made a classic turn onto a south-easterly course…,” Alan Winkles, former Phantom driver

From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the U.K. used the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II as one of its main combat aircraft.

In 1969, the Fleet Air Arm and RAF both began using the Phantom. In the RAF, it was quickly replaced in the strike role by other aircraft made specifically for a strike and close air support, whereas in the Royal Navy, it had a secondary strike role in addition to its primary use for fleet air defense. It assumed this position by the middle of the 1970s and remained the U.K.’s primary interceptor until the late 1980s.

In contrast to the Lightning force, where QRA scrambles typically involved an almighty scramble, the QRA Phantoms at Leuchars frequently received long-range warnings of “zombie” (i.e. Soviet) activity, allowing a more leisurely pace, as stated by former Phantom driver Alan Winkles in Robert Pike’s book Phantom Boys.

“This, though, was not always the case and my mind […] went back to one such unusual situation […]. As part of a naval co-operation exercise, I’d been on combat air patrol to the east of the Shetland Isles when the radar unit at RAF Saxa Vord, situated on the northern tip of the Shetlands, had given orders to intercept a civilian airliner which was off-track and not responding to air traffic control’s messages. On his airborne radar, my navigator had swiftly spotted the relevant radar return and, as he called out appropriate directions, it was not long before I could pick up the aircraft visually. Soon, as I closed onto the target from astern, my navigator agreed with the assessment that it was an Ilyushin Il-62, NATO codename ‘Classic’, a Soviet long-range jet airliner with a capacity for almost 200 passengers and crew, and which looked similar to the Vickers VC10 aircraft. The Classic, which had Aeroflot markings, was flying at an altitude of 35,000ft at an airspeed of around .85 Mach and the machine was flying directly towards the area of our naval exercise.

The unknown story of the RAF Phantom crew that intercepted a Soviet Il-62 Classic spy plane disguised as an Aeroflot airliner

“Maintaining the Phantom’s position astern the Ilyushin, I closed up to about 100 feet directly below the intruder. While discussing with my navigator our next course of action, suddenly, to our amazement, a fairly large square panel on the Classic’s underside began to open.

“Like lustful sets of prying eyes, three enormous camera lenses were now revealed. No sleuth was needed to work out that the Aeroflot’s crew members had been ignoring air traffic control deliberately in order to overfly and photograph the ships of the United States fleet and the carrier group involved with the exercise. The situation was as blatant as it was outrageous.

“Normally to fly in close proximity to another aircraft without the captain’s knowledge would be wholly contrary to the practices of good airmanship. In this case, however, I realized that the Ilyushin captain would need to fly at a steady -height and airspeed in order to achieve good photographic results. I decided, therefore, to fly even closer to the Ilyushin — some 30 or 40 feet beneath it — so to block the recalcitrant cameras’ view. Keeping the Phantom in that position for about six or seven minutes, my navigator and I grinned at the cameras, struck the tops of our bone domes lingeringly and flamboyantly, and offered thumbs up and gestures until, eventually, the Classic captain, doubtless still oblivious of our presence, made a classic turn onto a south-easterly course when, at last, he obeyed air traffic control’s instructions to head off into the wide blue yonder. Later, I could picture the Soviet intelligence people when they summonsed the Classic captain, pointed at the jaw-dropping photographic triumph, then put hands on hips and made every effort not to smile or laugh — a laugh that might start with a rumble to grow rapidly into a belly-roar — while the shame-faced captain wrung his hands, bit his lip then made a hasty, embarrassing retreat.

That time a RAF Phantom shot down a RAF Jaguar: the unknown story of the British Phantom's only air-to-air kill

“Maybe at that point the room filled with unwelcome applause.”

Photo by MSgt. Don Sutherland / U.S. Air Force, Sergey Lysenko, and Mike Freer – Touchdown-aviation via Wikipedia

April 29, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

F-4 Phantom interceptors performing Zulu Alert Scramble

by Till Daisd April 28, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The F-4 Phantoms have to take off during Zulu Alert Scrambles within five minutes of the horn going off

The stunning video in this post, which was shot in a West German air base in the 1970s, depicts a classic Cold War Era scramble carried out by a pair of U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-4E Phantoms on “Zulu Alert.”

Noteworthy Zulu Alert is the air-sovereignty mission where fighters scramble to intercept unknown ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone which actually is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of unidentified aircraft are performed in the interest of national security) intruders or anyone else who shouldn’t be where they are.

The video explains that the interceptors had to take off within five minutes of the horn going off, as opposed to the Phantoms’ typical loadout for missions of this nature, which included twenty M61 Vulcan cannons, nine AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles, and seven AIM-7 Sparrow semi-active radar homing (SARH) missiles.

It was so tense during Zulu Alert scrambles, according to the video description, that “sometimes during taxi and takeoff you were still trying to finish strapping in.”

Therefore, take a seat, enjoy the video, and experience the rush of a Cold War-era Zulu Alert Scramble.

April 28, 2023 0 comment

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