Tag:

military

SR-71 pilot recalls when his Blackbird flew so fast that he and his RSO arrived at Beale AFB nearly a day before

by Till Daisd August 7, 2023

‘I am really tired of hearing the “LA speed story” so I thought I would relay a mission that gives real perspective to the speed of the Blackbird,’ David Peters, SR-71 Blackbird pilot

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

It is therefore not surprising that the aircraft has set multiple speed and altitude records throughout its history because of its incredible flight qualities.

SR-71 Pilot tells the story of when his Blackbird flew So Fast that He and his RSO arrived at Beale AFB almost a Day Before They Left Kadena AB — David Peters in SR-71’s cockpit

SR-71 pilot David Peters shares the amazing tale below to provide some context for the legendary Blackbird’s extraordinary top speed:

‘I am really tired of hearing the “LA speed story” so I thought I would relay a mission that gives real perspective to the speed of the Blackbird.

David-Peters-and-Ed-Bethart — David Peters and Ed Bethart

‘We were TDY to Det. 1 at Kadena AB, Okinawa. One of the birds was scheduled for swapping out, and my backseater, Ed Bethart, and I were to fly it home. The replacement came in on Friday, and we were to leave Saturday morning. So, in true Habu tradition, we welcomed the incoming crew and went to a happy hour Friday evening at the officers club.

‘We got up Saturday morning and got ready to go home. Departure was scheduled for 1000. Everything went well, and we left right on time. Headed out to do a pass through the Korean DMZ then into the tankers in the Sea of Japan. Good refueling and a climb out headed for the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kamchatka peninsula of Russia, and from there to more tankers off of Adak in the Aleutian Islands. Another good refueling, and on to Beale AFB, California. We arrived with a low approach, pulled up into a closed pattern, and landed. Following de-suiting and debriefing, we deposited our classified flight documents, jumped in a car, and arrived at the officers club for Friday night happy hour at 1630, 17 1/2 hours before we left Kadena.

‘Try that in any aircraft other than the SR-71. Besides this is actually a true story.’

Check out the Facebook Page Habubrats for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by: David Peters and U.S. Air Force

August 7, 2023 0 comment

History

Col. Gail Halvorsen, a.k.a. the “Candy Bomber,” died at 101. He made history because of his selfless actions in 1948 and 1949 during the Berlin Airlift

by Till Daisd August 6, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The “Candy Bomber,” retired colonel Gail Halvorsen, came in to tell the kids which plane was carrying the chocolate while rocking the wings of his C-54 Skymaster aircraft

Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, also known as the “Candy Bomber,” passed away on Feb. 16, 2022. He was 101 years old.

After beginning his career in the US Army Air Corps in 1942 and accruing more than 8,000 flying hours over the course of his 31 years of service, Halvorsen retired from active duty in 1974. Halvorsen’s heroic deeds during the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 1949 cemented his place in history. By affixing handkerchief parachutes to chocolate bars and dropping them to the children below from his aircraft, then-Lt. Halvorsen decided to help lift the spirits of the kids in West Berlin.

He started going by the name “Uncle Wiggly Wings” among the German kids. He would also rock the wings of his aircraft as he approached to let the kids know whose plane was delivering the chocolate, according to a US Air Force (USAF) news release.

In order to launch the first “Operation Little Vittles” drop from his C-54 Skymaster on July 18, 1948, he combined his candy ration with that of his co-pilot and engineer at Rhein-Main Air Base, constructed parachutes out of handkerchiefs and string, and tied chocolate and gum to them.

“The only way I could get back to deliver it was to drop it from the airplane, 100 feet over their heads, on the approach between the barbed wire fence and bombed-out buildings,” Halvorsen recalled during an interview with Airman Magazine. “A red light came on that said you can’t drop it without permission. But I rationalized it by saying that starving 2 million people isn’t according to Hoyle, either, so what’s a few candy bars?”

Berlin-Airlift — Children in West Berlin watch U.S. Air Force transport planes land at Templehof Airport during the Berlin Airlift in 1948. During the height of the operation, an aircraft landed every thirty seconds in West Berlin. The USAF delivered 1,783,573 tons and the RAF 541,937, on a total of 278,228 flights from June, 1948 to May, 1949.

For three weeks, the number of kids waiting and the supply of candy progressively increased until a Berlin newspaper published a picture of the now-famous “Candy Bomber.” Eventually, piles of letters addressed to “Der Schokoladen Flieger” or “Onkel Wackelflugel” started to arrive at Templehof base operations.

The C-54 squadron commander, Col. James R. Haun, called Halvorsen one day after he got back from Berlin. Haun had gotten a call from Brig. Gen. William H. Tunner, who was the airlift’s deputy commander of operations, asking who was parachuting above Berlin.

When Haun showed Halvorsen the newspaper with the image of little parachutes flying out of his C-54, he immediately realized he was in trouble. “You got me in a little trouble there, Halvorsen,” Haun told him.

“I’d had a long relationship with him, but he was put out because he was sandbagged,” Halvorsen said. “So when I talk to kids, especially high school kids, I say, ‘when you get a job, don’t sandbag your boss.’ He said to keep [dropping candy] but keep him informed. It just went crazy after that.”

Yet, Operation Little Vittles received funding and support from the general public. Pilot buddies contributed their candy supplies. They eventually ran out of parachutes thus until the wives of noncommissioned officers and officers at Rhein-Main AB started making them, they created more out of cloth and old shirt sleeves.

Eventually, the American Confectioners Association donated 18 tons of candy, most of which was sent via the then-Westover Air Force Base in Berlin after being tied to parachutes by students at a Chicopee, Massachusetts, school.

250,000 parachutes and 23 tons of candy had been dropped by American pilots by the time the Berlin Airlift came to an end in September 1949.

“Willie Williams took over after I left Berlin,” Halvorsen said. “And he ended up dropping even more candy than I did.”

Halvorsen’s efforts serve as a testament to the positive effects one modest deed may have on a whole community.

“As I look back at Operation Little Vittles and the years that have followed, there is one human characteristic above all others that gave it birth – the silent gratitude of the children at a barbed wire fence in Berlin, July 1948,” he wrote in his autobiography.

Indeed, the Berlin Airlift was the operation that made heavy aircraft famous. It was the US Air Force’s first significant victory over the Soviet Union during the Cold War and a huge accomplishment for the service. After retiring in 1994, Halvorsen asked to help in the distribution of food to refugees escaping the conflict in Bosnia.

“We have our freedom to choose, and when the freedom is taken away, air power is the only quick way to answer a crisis like that,” Halvorsen said.

Photo by: Rosario “Charo” Gutierrez and Bennie J. Davis III / U.S. Air Force

Colonel-Gail.-S.-Halvorsen — Retired US Air Force Colonel Gail. S. Halvorsen holds a candy bar parachute similar the ones he dropped during the Berlin Airlift in front of C-54 Skymaster like the one he flew during WWII at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona. During the Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949, then Lt. Gail S. Halvorsen dropped candy attached to parachutes made from handkerchiefs to German youngsters watching the airlift operations from outside the fence of the Tempelhof Airport in West Berlin.

August 6, 2023 0 comment

History

The passing of Hauptmann Eduard Tratt, the Zerstörer ace who scored the most during WWII

by Till Daisd August 5, 2023

written by Till Daisd

His death marked the end of the Luftwaffe’s capacity to effectively oppose the growing American bombing campaigns against Germany with the heavily equipped twin-engine Me 110G and Me 410 aircraft

Hauptmann Eduard Tratt, 24, was the highest-scoring Zerstörer pilot in World War II with 35 victories officially recorded. His death marked the end of the Luftwaffe’s ability to effectively use the heavily armed twin-engine Me 110G and Me 410 aircraft against the growing American bombing operations against Germany.

Tratt was credited with shooting down three Hawker Hurricane planes over Dunkirk on June 1, 1940, while flying the Me 110 heavy fighter with I./ZG 1 beginning in 1939. Before being wounded on August 12, he downed ten more RAF aircraft over the course of the subsequent ten weeks of Channel battles.

After the Zerstörer’s failure as an escort fighter in the Battle of Britain, as explained by Douglas C. Dildy in his book “Big Week”, 1944, Operation Argument and the breaking of the Jagdwaffe, it was re-purposed primarily as a ground-attack fighter-bomber, which Tratt successfully piloted in the invasion of Russia. He is credited with downing nine Soviet aircraft, destroying another 17 on the ground, along with 24 tanks and 312 vehicles. On April 12, 1942, he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross).

Eduard-Tratt — Hauptmann Eduard Tratt, the highest-scoring Zerstörer ace of the war.

His leadership of Erprobungskommando 25 allowed him to test the new Me 410A-2 Hornisse (Hornet) in the heavy bomber interceptor role and bring down two B-17s in May and June 1943 after he had recovered from his fourth set of wounds. He was consequently given command of the resurrected II./ZG 26, which was operating the Me 410 out of Hildesheim in central Germany.

He was more than ready to take on the P-38, the USAAF’s equivalent heavy fighter, and he was also given credit for downing four Lightnings. On February 20, 1944, the opening day of “Big Week” (Operation Argument), he gained his final victory over a retiring 1st Bomb Division Fortress.

When the 91st BG attempted to bomb Oschersleben on February 22, Tratt and his gunner Oberfeldwebel Gillert were reported to have “single-handedly attacked” them. Their Me 410B-1/U2 may have suffered damage from retaliatory fire from a 401st BS Fortress. However, the main assault was to the south, where 99 B-17s were bombing Halberstadt, Bernburg, and Aschersleben. 46 P-51s from the 354th FG escorted them.

Captain Robert J. Brooks’s 356th FS observed an estimated 16 Me 110Gs (ZG 26) arriving from 11 o’clock at 23,000ft, being escorted by a high cover squadron of Me 109Gs, five minutes after joining the 40th CBW. Once the two formations clashed, a downward-spiraling dogfight started. Four aircrewmen from I. Gruppe, two from III./ZG 26 Zerstörers, all eight of Major Johann Kogler’s Zerstörers, and five other aircrew members were killed or wounded. Four fighters were lost by the Me 109G units, but no pilots.

Tratt’s Me 410B was shot down over the Harz Mountains north of Nordhausen by Captain Jack T. Bradley (CO 353rd FS) and his wingman, Lieutenant Wah Kau Kong, as shown in the following image. Tratt and his gunner were killed. Soon later, a Me 110G cannon fire hit Kong’s P-51B hard, causing it to explode in midair.

“Big Week,” 1944, Operation Argument and the Breaking of the Jagdwaffe is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: Graham Turner via Osprey and Unknown source

August 5, 2023 0 comment

History

The legendary Albatross flying boat was once again produced using the enhanced G-111T variant

by Till Daisd August 4, 2023

written by Till Daisd

An updated model of the renowned Albatross flying boat will be produced by the Australian company Amphibian Aerospace Industries

A new variant of the renowned Albatross flying boat was produced by the Australian company Amphibian Aerospace Industries (AAI). The “new Albatross,” known as G-111T, is powered by brand-new Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67F engines, which offer significantly better performance, fuel economy, and reliability.

The announcement of the project’s advancement, including the engine choice, was made at the beginning of December 2022, according to Aviacionline, following years of coordination between the company and the Northern Territory government to encourage the development of a manufacturing sector in Darwin.

AAI President Khoa Hoang praised the Australian Territory government for its efforts in reestablishing aircraft production in the nation:

«It had been a long time since sovereign aircraft manufacturing on this scale was considered viable in Australia, but the G-111T Albatross has one of the largest business cases in aircraft manufacturing, which makes it ideal to be manufactured locally and perfect to do right here in the Northern Territory.

«Minister Michael Gunner shared our view that the G-111T Albatross is an incredible aircraft of great practical utility to mankind, regardless of whether it is for passenger transport, humanitarian aid, search and rescue, cargo transport, coastal surveillance, fight against drugs, or a range of other roles.

«[This] announcement is just the very beginning, as we are already working on next-generation technologies to produce new variations, such as the Albatross with a zero-emission hybrid engine and even a stretched 44-seat variant.»

According to the Amphibian Aerospace Industries website, the company was established as the manufacturing and product development arm of the Australian-owned Amphibian Aircraft group of companies. AAI’s goal is to become a global leader in the design and manufacture of amphibian aerospace capabilities.

G-111T-Albatross — Amphibian Aerospace Industries G-111T Albatross

AAI is the holder of the US Federal Aviation Administration “Type Certificate” for the HU-16 and G-111 Albatross amphibious aircraft. The HU-16 and G-111 Albatross amphibious aircraft’s “Type Certificate,” issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration, is held by AAI. In addition to developing its own twin turboprop variants, the company offers continuing product support and development for the Albatross family of aircraft.

The G-111T served as the new Albatross base design.

According to AAI, several variants will follow the G-111T on the market:

Combi Passenger/Cargo – 28 pax plus 3 crew and luggage in a comfortable cabin equipped with a galley and restroom easily reconfigured to 4.5 T of useable cargo capacity for water operations.
Aeromedevac – capable of transporting up to 12 stretcher cases in a single lift with basic patient monitoring systems.
Aeromedical – 4-6 stretchers with the capacity for more sophisticated medical monitoring and treatment capabilities.
Search & Rescue – capable of missions of up to 12 hours, (extendable to 20 hours with external fuel tanks) equipped with mission systems and sensors tailored to specific customer requirements.

The Albatross was initially created by Grumman to fulfill a US Navy request for an amphibious utility aircraft that could also take off and land on snow and ice using skis. Over 1,000 United Nations personnel were rescued by albatrosses during the Korean War from rivers and coastal waters, frequently from behind enemy lines. Also, they performed a great deal of dangerous and dramatic rescues in Southeast Asia, occasionally taxiing across long distances of rough, open water when unable to take off.

On October 24, 1947, the prototype made its first flight. Shortly after, the US Air Force ordered a number of them for use in air-sea rescue missions like the SA-16As. 297 A types were delivered by Grumman to the Air Force, primarily for the Air Rescue Service. The USAF changed the name to HU-16 in 1962.

A new variant with a 16 1/2 foot increase in wingspan and wider aileron and tail surfaces was created by Grumman in 1955. With these upgrades, many A models were upgraded to the B configuration starting in 1957.

Photo by: U.S. Navy modified by FOX 52 via Wikipedia and Amphibian Aerospace Industries

Amphibian Aerospace Industries G-111T Albatross

August 4, 2023 0 comment

History

Oberleutnant Oskar Romm, a member of the Luftwaffe Experten, flew his final mission while piloting a Focke-Wulf FW 190D-9

by Till Daisd August 3, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Oberleutnant Oskar Romm, the Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 3, was one extremely skilled Luftwaffe pilot who ended his war flying the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9

One of Germany’s top fighter aircraft during World War Two, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, flew for the first time on June 1, 1939. It first saw action in September 1941 over northwest France and quickly established its dominance over the Mark V Spitfire, Britain’s greatest fighter at the time.

Most Fw 190s were “A” series models with BMW radial engines. But, towards the end of 1943, the more effective “D” series, propelled by the more powerful Jumo 213 inline, liquid-cooled engine, began to engage US bombers in combat. The Fw 190D-9 had to have a 20-inch portion of its fuselage added slightly ahead of the tail because the larger engine elongated its nose.

The Fw 190D-9 was one of the few fighter types to reach service in World War 2 that had been designed after hostilities began, as Robert Forsyth explains in his book Fw 190D-9 Defence of the Reich 1944-45.

Oberleutnant Oskar Romm, the Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 3, was a highly skilled Luftwaffe pilot who finished his war flying the D-9. His personal victory score by the end of April 1945 was 92, with the most recent one coming on March 21 when he shot down one of several Il-2s that had attacked the Prenzlau base of his Gruppe. During the raid, a few Focke-Wulfs were able to take to the skies, and D-9 pilots Feldwebel Oskar Bösch and Leutnant Karl-Alfred Schulte each claimed two more Shturmoviks as their 16th and 3rd claims.

After this incident, Romm continued to fly missions, but five weeks later he would encounter his match over a frontal region where Soviet forces had recently made a breakthrough, as he recalled (Price, At War, pg. 132-133):

‘My last combat mission was on 24 April 1945, to the south of Stettin, when, with my wingman, I attacked a formation of Russian Shturmovik ground-attack aircraft. I selected full emergency power, and with our superior speed, we went right through the Russian fighter escort without difficulty. I was just about to open fire on one of the Ilyushins when my cooling gills suddenly opened automatically. The oil and coolant temperature gauges showed that the engine was overheating. Either my engine had been hit by enemy fire or it had suffered a failure. I broke off the action by rolling over onto my back and pulling away in a steep dive. The Russian fighters endeavoring to follow were soon left behind and abandoned the chase.’

Oskar-Romm — Oberleutnant Oskar Romm was
awarded the Knight’s Cross on
Feb. 26, 1944, when his
the score stood at 76 and by war’s
end he was credited with 92
aerial victories.

Sparks and exhaust smoke trailed behind Romm’s “Dora” as he steered it southwest, back toward the German frontline. The engine was broken and overheated. ‘As the last of the lubricating oil burned away between the aluminum pistons and the steel cylinder block,’ he recalled, ‘the engine burst into flames.’ Romm had returned to territory controlled by the Germans, but he was too low to bail out. A short while later, the Jumo cut out, and the Fw 190D-9 crashed to the ground 20 kilometers northwest of Prenzlau, close to Brüssow. He remembered how the plane:

‘. . . proceeded to smear its pieces all over the landscape. However, the same rugged construction that had saved my life in earlier emergency landings proved itself once again.’

Romm sustained a broken skull, facial lacerations, a concussion, and other minor injuries despite the D-9’s tough construction. Thankfully, soldiers at a nearby divisional headquarters noticed his landing and radioed his location to the local Luftwaffe leadership. After that, the soldiers dragged the fighter pilot out of his aircraft and transported him to their headquarters, where an army doctor tried his best to take care of him.

Romm was taken from the crash site a short time later by members of IV./JG 3 under the direction of an officer from the Stabskompanie. He was first taken to a Luftwaffe hospital in Wismar, and then four days later he was taken to a hospital on the Timmendorfer-Strand on the Baltic coast close to Travemünde. He had won the war.

Fw 190D-9 Defence of the Reich 1944–45 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: Gareth Hector via Osprey Publishing and EN Archive

August 3, 2023 0 comment

Military

War attrition between Iran and Iraq in 1983

by Till Daisd August 2, 2023

written by Till Daisd

At least 24 of the 80 Iraqi aircraft that were shot down by IRIAF air defenses between 16 January and 18 February 1983, according to several Western publications, were credited to Tomcats. However, a thorough investigation within the small group of Iranian fighter pilots has shown that just a handful of kills were recorded during this time. This stage of the conflict was very quiet, according to official Iranian media.

The IRIAF High Command had accordingly instructed all units to undertake operations with caution after realizing that the fight had turned into a war of attrition. Nevertheless, the Iranians started employing a new strategy in which interceptors and SAM sites were combined to create ‘killing fields’ for Iraqi fighters. The fact that so little is known about this strategy suggests that it is still effective. Nonetheless, it appears to have involved F-4 or F-14 aircraft acting as the “hammer” to drag or force Iraqis onto the SAM “anvil.”

For instance, it is known that three unidentified Iraqi fighters (likely J-6s, which were Chinese MiG-19 duplicates) were shot down on January 16. They were followed on the 21st by a Mirage and a MiG-23, the 27th by a Su-20, and the 29th by another MiG-23.

Despite Iranian caution, fighting persisted throughout the rest of 1983 at a similar pace, with both forces conducting constant airstrikes against different targets. Even with the addition of more than 200 new aircraft from China and the USSR, the IrAF nevertheless suffered losses. Even the improved MiG-25s that were outfitted with the most recent Soviet avionics and ECM equipment continued to show themselves to be vulnerable to IRIAF interceptors.

On August 6, two MiG-25PD aircraft suddenly appeared near Tabriz while flying through Turkish airspace. Nevertheless, their scheme was thwarted by a single TFB 1 F-14A that was on CAP nearby with its AWG-9 in standby mode to conceal its position. Once the MiGs had flown far into the AIM-54 engagement envelope, the Iranian crew turned on their radar and fired a Phoenix. The Iraqi pilots responded swiftly as they had in similar MiG-25 interceptions before once they knew the danger they were in. The AIM-54 cut the range and detonated near one of them, destroying its engines and fins. Both fighters turned around and accelerated. Although fatally injured, the MiG was still in flight.

Although his wingman had successfully eluded capture, the aircraft’s pilot attempted to nurse it out of Iranian airspace without support. Meanwhile, below the action, IRIAF Capt. Kazem Zarif-Khadem was in command of two F-5E Tiger II aircraft equipped with AIM-9 and napalm as they attacked Iraqi positions. Zarif-Khadem was busy navigating his way through the target while flying at a very low altitude as per usual. He was shocked to see a MiG-25 flying low and quickly cross his path. As soon as the MiG was hit, Zarif-Khadem dropped his bombs and drop tank, pushed the throttle to full afterburner, and made a U-turn behind it. He then fired both of his Sidewinders while in a “deep-six” position a few seconds later.

As the Iraqi pilot became aware of the strike and broke, the missiles were halfway to the target. The pilot ejected and was recovered by the Iraqis, but it was too late as both AIM-9s hit their targets and exploded. This was the fifth “Foxbat” that IRIAF interceptors claimed, and as a result of its loss, the IrAF stopped making other ventures into Iranian airspace.

The book Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat is available to purchase here.

August 2, 2023 0 comment

History

B-17 Pilot returned to England from a mission with bombs still aboard, seven injured crew members, and two engines on fire

by Till Daisd August 2, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The nation’s highest award was given to B-17 pilot 1st Lt. William R. Lawley Jr., for his gallantry, while flying a Flying Fortress bombing mission over Leipzig as part of Operation Argument

The massive USAAF bomber forces of World War II were intended for the unescorted, precise daytime bombing, but nobody anticipated the destruction that German radar-directed interceptors would cause to them. The Allies had a pressing need to end the Luftwaffe’s ability to thwart the landings after the failure of the Schweinfurt-Regensburg attacks in 1943 and the approaching D-Day.

Operation Argument, also known as “Big Week,” was the first effective offensive counter-air (OCA) campaign ever planned and executed by the Allies in February 1944. It attempted to both reduce aircraft production and draw the Luftwaffe into conflict by attacking German aircraft factories with large numbers of heavy bombers and the new long-range P-51 Mustang, allowing the new Mustangs to damage the German interceptors.

First Lieutenant William R. Lawley Jr. of the 364th Bomb Squadron (BS) B-17 pilot received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest honor, on February 20 for his bravery while risking his life during a Flying Fortress bombing mission over Leipzig as part of Operation Argument.

First-Lieutenant-William-Robert-Lawley — 1st Lieutenant William Lawley was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions under fire.

The 305th Bomb Group (BG) formed the 40th Combat Wing’s lead combat group on that day, with its 364th BS flying – at 28,000ft – as its high squadron, as explained by Douglas C. Dildy in his book “Big Week” 1944, Operation Argument and the Breaking of the Jagdwaffe.

First Lieutenant William R. “Bill” Lawley, flying one of the group’s newest B-17Gs, 42-38109 “Cabin in the Sky,” kept formation with his leader as the wing crossed their target and dropped their loads of 500lb GP HE and incendiary bombs. The “Cabin in the Sky’s” eight 500-pound bombs refused to fall due to the icy temperatures at high altitudes that caused the releasing mechanism to freeze.

About 20 Me 109G interceptors that had raced north from Neubiberg, near Munich, struck the formation head-on as it rolled out of its turn-off target. I./JG 301’s vicious frontal attack, which was led by Major Walter Brede, shattered the B-17’s cockpit, killing Lieutenant Paul Murphy, the co-pilot, injuring Lawley and seven other men, and igniting the number two engine.

The damaged Fortress fell from the formation as the injured pilot struggled to recover level flight at 12,000 feet by using all of his effort to hold the co-pilot’s body off the controls. Lawley gave the order for the crew to leave, but he soon learned that two of the gunners were mortally wounded.

Cabin-in-the-Sky — Wreck of Lieutenant Lawley’s Douglas-built B-17G Flying Fortress 42-38109, “Cabin in the Sky,” at RAF Redhill, Surrey, England.

His Medal of Honor citation reads, “…Forcing the copilot’s body off the controls, he brought the airplane out of a steep dive, flying with his left hand only. After the order to bail out had been given, one of the waist gunners informed Lieutenant Lawley that two crew members were so severely wounded that it would be impossible for them to bail out. With the fire in the engine spreading, the danger of an explosion was imminent. Because of the helpless condition of his wounded crew members 1st Lt. Lawley elected to remain with the ship and bring them to safety if it was humanly possible. Enemy fighters again attacked but by using masterful evasive action he managed to lose them. 1st Lt. Lawley remained at his post, refusing first aid until he collapsed from sheer exhaustion caused by loss of blood, shock, and the energy he had expended in keeping control of his plane. He was revived by the bombardier and again took over the controls. Coming over the English coast [one] engine started to burn and continued to do so until a successful crash landing was made on a small fighter base. Through his heroism and exceptional flying skill, 1st Lt. Lawley rendered outstanding distinguished, and valorous service to our Nation.”

“Big Week” 1944, Operation Argument and the Breaking of the Jagdwaffe is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: U.S. Air Force via This Day in Aviation

August 2, 2023 0 comment

History

To destroy a SAM installation, pilot Merlyn Dethlefsen made multiple passes while piloting a Thud heavily damaged by AAA and engaged by MiG-21s

by Till Daisd August 1, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Capt. Dethlefsen received the Medal of Honor for demonstrating exceptional bravery above and beyond the call of duty. On February 1st, 1968, President Johnson made the presentation in the White House

Operation Rolling Thunder had been ongoing for two years by March 1967, with little evidence that North Vietnam was backing down. The conflict between the US and North Vietnam gradually intensified.

The Hanoi regime upgraded its anti-air defenses from AAA to the deadlier SA-2 surface-to-air missiles as well as MiG aircraft as US airstrikes escalated. Since World War II, the skies over North Vietnam would be the most dangerous and challenging for American pilots to fly in.

The two-seat F-100F Super Sabres referred to as the Wild Weasels, were tasked with defense suppression at the beginning of Rolling Thunder. However, because of its restricted payload and inability to keep up with the F-105 Thunderchiefs, which were at the time carrying the bulk of the USAF’s strike missions, the F-100 was only a temporary answer for the Wild Weasel duty.

The first Wild Weasel Thunderchiefs made their way to Southeast Asia in June 1966. The 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), which housed the F-105s of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), was one of the Wild Weasel units of the time. Before being sent out for Rolling Thunder, the 355th TFW had been using the Thunderchief at McConnell AFB in Kansas since 1962.

The Wild Weasel F-105Fs featured two crew members, the pilot and the electronic warfare officer (EWO), also known as “Bear,” in the back.

The substantial Thai Nguyen steel works were ultimately added to the target portfolio on March 10, 1967.

James Geer describes how on that particular day Capt. Merlyn H. Dethlefsen flew from Takhli on an Iron Hand (SAM suppression) mission against the air defenses surrounding the Thai Nguyen steel works in his book The Republic F-105 Thunderchief Wing and Squadron Histories. His third position in a flight of four Thuds, consisting of two EF-105Fs and two F-105Ds operating as hunter-killer teams, was his 78th combat mission.

The flight encountered heavy AAA fire as they got closer to the target area. Amidst the bursting shells, Dethlefsen trailed the two lead aircraft by roughly 3,000 to 5,000 feet. After locating a SAM site, the lead aircraft attempted to unleash a Shrike missile, but it was unsuccessful. The enemy gunners had better aim. The flight leader was shot down, and his wingman took significant damage and had to give up.

Dethlefsen took control of the flight and circled the target area before maneuvering his aircraft for a second pass at the target. He saw two MiG-21s aiming behind his Thud just as he and his backseater, Capt. Kevin “Mike” Gilroy, had discovered the SAM site. As one of the MiGs launched a missile at his aircraft, he fired a Shrike missile at the SAM position and dove into a mushroom of flak. His evasive action was successful because the MiGs did not pursue him into the barrage of AAA fire.

Dethlefsen changed his direction to get a better look at the SAM site so he could determine if he had been successful in knocking it out. The steel mills were being bombed by the strike force’s initial elements at this point, covering the target area in a cloud of dust and smoke. Dethlefsen observed two MiGs trying to position themselves behind his aircraft as he could see enemy missiles streaking up toward the strike force through the cloud. Dethlefsen observed that he had been damaged by the AAA fire on his second pass after shaking the MiGs with a Light left break.

Maj. Merlyn Dethlefsen — Merlyn Dethlefsen

Dethlefsen halted his run to inspect his damaged Thud as the striking force finished its assault. The 57-mm gunner had damaged the bottom of the fuselage, but fortunately, the engine and flight control systems remained unharmed. He made the decision to re-engage the missile defense system after realizing that he had missed the SAM site and that the steel complex was a crucial target that would require additional bombing over the course of the following few days.

Dethlefsen noticed the SAM site squarely in front of him after maneuvering around the flak pattern. The second Shrike missile he launched immediately caused the site to go off the air. Dethlefsen placed his Thud on the deck to put the finishing touches on the site while a cloud of debris and smoke continued to linger over the target area. He located the SAM’s radar van, dropped his bombs directly on it, and then made a strafing pass with his 20-mm weapon to completely demolish the site.

Capt. Dethlefsen received the Medal of Honor for demonstrating exceptional bravery above and beyond the call of duty. On February 1st, 1968, President Johnson made the presentation in the White House.

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief Wing and Squadron Histories is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: U.S. Air Force

August 1, 2023 0 comment

History

When Pan Am tested the Concorde and its crew by pushing it beyond Mach 2.6

by Till Daisd July 31, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“Ultimately, all of the U.S. airlines canceled their orders for the Concorde for economic as well as environmental reasons. John Anderson and I were tremendously disappointed,” Paul Roitsch, Captain with Pan Am.

The British-French supersonic passenger jet airliner, the Concorde, was manufactured by British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Aérospatiale. With seats for 92 to 128 passengers, it had a top speed of Mach 2.04 (1,354 mph or 2,180 km/h at cruise altitude, more than twice the speed of sound). The plane went into service in 1976 and flew for a further 27 years.

Twenty Concordes, including six prototypes and research aircraft, were created as part of the collaborative development and production of the aircraft by Aérospatiale and the BAC under an Anglo-French treaty.

Notwithstanding Pan Am’s evaluation of the aircraft, only Air France and British Airways purchased and flew the Concorde.

In 1963, Pan Am would opt for the aircraft and became the third airline to have the plane on its order book because they thought the Concorde would have transformed how passengers crossed the Atlantic and that supersonic flight was the future of aviation.

According to Simple Flying, it is conceivable that Pan Am would have flown to Europe on the Concorde (the famous London to New York route). The agreement surprised President JFK. The US was ready to announce its own supersonic transport (SST), he claimed and would do so the next day.

“This order involves hundreds of millions of dollars in the balance of payments, which is going to sabotage a program to put the United States up in the lead in the 70s,” said Kennedy of the Pan Am order.

Despite being informed of the new American SST program, Pan Am nonetheless chose to order the Concorde. The company ordered three planes from Aerospatiale and three from BAC in 1963. Moreover, Pan Am would reserve two alternatives from an order placed in 1966, one of each.

The world news media observed the negotiations as they took place. As was to be expected, the economics of the aircraft dominated the main discussions. The performance guarantees that Aerospatiale/BAC were willing to offer, according to ConcordeSST.com, would have likely been deemed acceptable but there was a difference of opinion over the aircraft’s potential for producing revenue.

The forgotten story of when Pan Am evaluated the Concorde and its crews pushed it to Mach 2.6

The predictions of the operating costs for the Concorde were actually in dispute. Differences of this nature are common when parties are negotiating the sale of aircraft equipment, but in this case, the distance between the two parties was so great that it meant the difference between a profitable and a loss-making operation. And the gap turned out to be insurmountable despite a robust and really efficient marketing campaign. Pan Am announced that it has opted to cancel its options on January 31, 1973, the last day of the six-month period.

According to Pan Am, research showed that the “aeroplane will be capable of scheduled supersonic service,” but that would require far higher fares than those in use today, therefore it would not meet the airlines’ long-term needs.

The airline did not rule out the idea that its interest in Concorde could come back at some point in the future, though. When asked if the manufacturers might make any new recommendations, Pan American stated that they would “maintain an open door to the manufacturers.”

According to Heritage Concorde, Pan Am’s Captain Paul Roitsch and Flight Engineer John Anderson had the opportunity to test-fly the Concorde at Toulouse even though the airline never placed an order for the aircraft. Early in 1969, both had attended ground school in England.

Paul Roitsch reports: “John Anderson and I were given approximately two more days of ground school and at least two simulator rides on the Concorde. On November 8, 1969, accompanied by Sud Aviation test pilot Jean Franchi, John and I flew the first airline evaluation flight during the one-hundredth hour of operation of the first prototype (Concorde 001). For two hours and five minutes, we took the 1,400-mph Concorde to an altitude of 43,000 feet and to a speed of Mach 1.219 (802 mph). I didn’t want to bring it back.

“Thereafter, John and I flew the airplane in 1971, three more times evaluating performance, flying qualities, and failure modes, and reached a top speed of Mach 2.6.

“Ultimately, all of the U.S. airlines canceled their orders for the Concorde for economic as well as environmental reasons. John Anderson and I were tremendously disappointed.”

Photo by Heritage Concorde and Hobbydb

July 31, 2023 0 comment

History

To operate from Arctic Staging Bases, the Convair XB-36 Peacemaker was equipped with Track-Type Landing Gear

by Till Daisd July 30, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The SAC briefly used the XB-36 as a training aid in June 1948 while awaiting the production of the 7th Bombardment Group’s first B-36A

Consolidated Vultee (later Convair), in response to the US Army Air Forces’ need for a strategic bomber with an intercontinental range, created the B-36 during World War II. The B-36’s first flight took place in August 1946, and the Strategic Air Command received its first operational B-36 in June 1948.

After initial manufacturer’s trials, the USAF, which was founded in September 1947, oversaw the next phase of testing at Wright Field, as stated by Peter E. Davies in his book B-36 “Peacemaker” Units of the Cold War. The XB-36 briefly served as a training aid for SAC in June 1948 while it awaited the 7th Bombardment Group’s (BG) first production B-36A. After being brought back to Fort Worth, the aircraft was tested in 1950 using a different, wholly experimental set of landing gear.

The Dowty Equipment Corporation created a track-type landing gear that employed pairs of belts running around sets of roller and idler wheels, similar to a small tank, by adapting a design by tank suspension designer J Walter Christie. They were meant to reduce undercarriage pressure on a runway and allow heavy aircraft to land at unimproved airfields.

Although Dowty’s version weighed three times as much as standard landing gear, it had been tested in an A-20C bomber with success in 1943. The gear performed well on snowy and soft terrain but not on the sand when Firestone-built variants were tested in a P-40 fighter and a C-82A transport aircraft. Although no practical use was expected other than when the aircraft took off from Arctic staging bases, the B-36 was proposed as the recipient in November 1947. The B-50A, which entered service four months before the B-36A, was also planned to have tracked gear.

XB-36-1 — Convair XB-36 with track-type landing gear

For the experimental installation, the XB-36 was selected primarily to test the use of tracked gear on a variety of heavy aircraft, including the heaviest. The three intricate components, produced by Cleveland Pneumatic Tool Company and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, added at least 5000 lbs to the 16,000 lbs of the current landing gear while lowering the pressure on the runway from 156 lbs per square inch to just 57 lbs.

On March 26, 1950, a few taxi tests using the “roller skates” were conducted, but the crew was disturbed by the tracks’ terrible, high-pitched screeching and vibrating.

After 30 flights by January 30, 1952, the XB-36’s short career as a testbed had come to an end, and the plane was grounded at Fort Worth where it was tragically destroyed on the fire dump. The prototype had aided in removing several barriers to the aircraft’s serial manufacturing, paving the way for what Gen LeMay referred to as his “interim bombers.” In such situation, the B-36 came after the B-29 as a relatively short-term project before the B-47 and B-52, which were jet-powered, arrived.

B-36 ‘Peacemaker’ Units of the Cold War is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Track-Type-XB-36 — The experimental track-tread landing gear that the USAAF/USAF hoped would ‘effect maximum practicable weight distribution’ on standard or unprepared airfields. Taxi trials with the non-retractable units were conducted in March 1950, but the development of multi-wheel landing gear units with better brakes curtailed the program.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

July 30, 2023 0 comment

Newer Posts

Older Posts