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military

The F-15N Sea Eagle, the navalized version of the F-15 Eagle that never was

by Till Daisd June 18, 2024

US Navy’s search for an advanced carrier-based air superiority fighter

In an effort to support the Department of Defense’s goal of commonality with the Air Force and its F-111A, General Dynamics’ F-111B was evaluated as part of the US Navy’s search for an advanced carrier-based air superiority fighter. After being modified to fulfill Navy mission requirements, the F-111B was found to be too heavy for carrier operations, and the contract was canceled in April 1968.

The Navy then launched a new design contest for the so-called VFX program, with McDonnell Douglas and Grumman as the main competitors.

The F-15N Sea Eagle

Grumman suggested the Model 303, a two-seat, twin-engine, variable-geometry aircraft based on the Hughes AWG-9 weapons system (which eventually led to the development of the F-14 Tomcat). Meanwhile, McDonnell Douglas presented the F-15N Sea Eagle, a “navalized” variant of its then-new F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter.

The F-15N Sea Eagle was developed by the US Navy as a lighter, faster, and less expensive alternative to the F-14.

Among the changes for the F-15N were strengthened landing gear, an appropriate arresting hook, and a wing hinge. DriveTribe claims that the F-15N was predicted to outmaneuver the F-14 despite the weight imposed by these modifications. But neither the AIM-54 Phoenix missiles nor the AN/AWG-9 radar required to target and fire them were part of the original proposal. The US Navy studied the possibility of adding the radar and AIM-54s, but doing so would have made the aircraft 10,000 pounds heavier than an F-15A, erasing any potential advantage the Sea Eagle may have had. A plan to adapt the F-15’s AN/APG-63 radar to interface with the AIM-54 was developed by McDonnell Douglas and Hughes Aircraft, the manufacturer of the radar and AIM-54.

The fly-off between the F-14A Tomcat and F-15N Sea Eagle that never was

The idea was first studied by a Senate subcommittee in 1973, and it was later expanded to include an updated F-4 and a stripped-down F-14 variant. Although discussed, the F-14A and F-15N were never involved in a fly-off.

In the end, the Navy stuck with the F-14 since it was a very capable aircraft. The new “Tomcat,” named for Grumman’s tradition of naming its aircraft after cats, flew for the first time in December 1970. The first F-14As were delivered to the Navy in June 1972 after a series of modifications during flight testing, with Fighter Squadron (VF) 124 designated for crew training. The new aircraft was first flown by operational squadrons VF-1 and VF-2 on the West Coast and by Atlantic Fleet Tomcat squadrons VF-14 and VF-32 on the East Coast.

Photo by Combat Ace and McDonnell Douglas/Boeing via DriveTribe

June 18, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

SR-71 pilot set 13 acres of Maryland on fire by dumping fuel after one engine exploded during his last flight

by Till Daisd June 17, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The SR-71 Blackbird

The US Air Force (USAF) created the SR-71 Blackbird in the 1960s. It was a plane that could move at a speed that was more than three times the sound made by its own engines.

The SR-71 spy plane held the record for being the fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft in the world for about 24 years. At a speed of Mach 3+, it could cover 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour while flying at 80,000 feet. Additionally, the Blackbird only needed to accelerate and outrun any missiles in the unlikely event that an enemy attempted to shoot it down.

The SR-71’s engineering was so advanced that new tools had to be created in order to build it.

What it’s like to fly the world’s fastest plane

Spencer Hall spoke with former SR-71 Blackbird pilot Rick McCrary for SBNation to find out what it’s like to pilot the fastest plane in the world.

McCrary explained;

‘You waddle out there in your spacesuit, carrying your little cooler, because it gets quite hot in that spacesuit. You go out to a van with some La-Z-Boys in it, these big recliners, and they drive you out to the airplane. It’s sitting there with all the cables hooked up to it, just like a space launch. It’s outgassing stuff, people are checking it, and then people start unhooking it and leaving and then it’s just you and the crew chief. You get into the seat, close the hatch, and you’re in your cocoon.

‘Startup was also a unique thing. It had this special fuel, because the temperatures during flight got up to over 600 degrees Fahrenheit when you’re at speed. The worry is that with normal fuel, which you want to explode quickly during flight and have a low flashpoint, well… you wanted the exact opposite with the Blackbird. You’re carrying so much fuel that the last thing you want to worry about is self-igniting.

Join this SR-71 Blackbird driver for a top secret recoinnassance mission over North Korea — A Boeing KC-135Q Stratotanker refueling an SR-71

‘You’d burn 80,000 pounds of fuel in about an hour and twenty minutes. That’s a lot of gas. You’re on the boom a lot, and that was why in-flight refueling experience was such a critical part of the screening process. You didn’t have a lot of time to do it, and you had to get it right the first time. Three refuelings were common, but on longer missions, you’d refuel six or eight times. Those were long days.

Last flight on the SR-71 Blackbird

‘You’d light up the afterburner right after that first refueling, and take it to full power for the next hour. That’s pretty amazing, because no other plane can fly in full afterburner continuously. All other planes have either a three-minute limit, or five minute limit on that, but you’d be going at full afterburner for an hour, hour and a half.’

When Hall asked McCrary if he remembered when his last SR-71 Blackbird flight took place, he answered;

‘The answer is kind of an interesting yes and no. There came the time to move on, and we had a good deal. We got to take it to the National Air Show in Washington, DC, and put it on display there. That was going to be our last flight.

Setting 13 acres of Maryland on fire during last flight on the SR-71 Blackbird

‘As we took off from there and came back around for a pass, the right engine exploded. We had to dump gas and set about thirteen acres of Maryland on fire as we did that. That was kind of interesting, just spewing flaming fuel and titanium pieces around.’

McCrary explained that this wasn’t rural Maryland;

‘Actually, we were pointed at the White House out of Andrews Air Force Base. It was funny listening back to the voice tape because I start by saying “Well, we’ll go out over the bay here and dump this fuel.” About thirty seconds later, I say “Screw it” and just dump it. We defoliated southern Maryland, but we got it back on the ground, which was great. After all that happened, I absolutely remember shutting it down. My legs started shaking uncontrollably with the adrenaline from it all when I knew it was over with. My co-pilot never flew again, either.’

Check out Habubrats SR-71’s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder’s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by Lockheed Martin and U.S. Air Force

June 17, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

How, during the few times the sound barrier in the F-102 was broken, the cockpit noise level never changed

by Till Daisd June 15, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The F-102 Delta Dagger

The United States Air Force’s first operational supersonic, all-weather interceptor with Mach 1 capability was the F-102 Delta Dagger. Its signature wasp-waisted delta-wing design, manufactured by General Dynamics’ Convair division in San Diego, California, was inspired by technologies developed by German scientists during World War II.

The F-102, known as “Deuce” by her aircrew, had an internal weapons bay that could hold up to six AIM-4 rockets and infrared or radar-guided missiles.

Over 1,000 F-102s were accepted into the US inventory, and they flew for 20 years before the Mach 2 capable F-106 Delta Dart gradually replaced them.

The F-102’s slowness was by far its greatest flaw. By a narrow margin, the aircraft was indeed supersonic. That was just Mach .95 with external tanks connected.

Deuce limited to less than Mach 1.0

Roger Daisley, former F-102 pilot, recalls on Quora;

‘I was an F-102 pilot for several years. Virtually all of our aircraft were fitted with under-wing aux. fuel tanks. They were limited to less than Mach 1.0.

‘I was also selected to be a “Functional Test Pilot.” What this means is that after an aircraft undergoes certain repairs, it must be test flown to verify airworthiness. One of the test points is supersonic flight. To accomplish this, the aux. fuel tanks are removed.

‘These were always “fun” flights because we could really wring the aircraft out: High roll rates, high G turns, at both high and slow speeds, minimum control speed limits, stability checks at both high and slow speeds… and going supersonic.

‘When “going super” the only indication was the rapid altimeter and vertical speed fluctuation. The “ride” did seem to smooth out. The flight controls were also a little stiffer.’

Daisley concludes;

‘The cockpit noise level never changed because the only real “noise” in the cockpit was that of the air conditioning system … and it didn’t care what speed we were flying.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force

June 15, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The VF-142 F-4B that was able to make an emergency landing aboard USS Ranger after her radome was destroyed by Vietnamese AAA

by Till Daisd June 14, 2024

written by Till Daisd

VF-142 F-4B emergency landing

A U.S. Navy McDonnell F-4B Phantom II (BuNo 150643) belonging to Fighter Squadron VF-142 Ghostriders appears in the article’s featured photograph. VF-142 served with the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CVA-64) from May 5, 1964, to February 1, 1965, as part of Attack Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW-14).

The first strikes of the Vietnam War were launched by CVW-14. A 57 mm round struck the F-4B 150643 of the fighter cover (call sign “Dakota 207,” pilot Fred Ferrazzano) at 150 meters when it was on a photo reconnaissance mission to the Thanh Hoa Bridge. The main spar had been twisted by the impact, which also shattered the nose cone and caused portions of it to be ingested by both J-79 engines.

It was aboard the USS Ranger (CVA-61) that the pilot was allowed to recover. The aircraft was later disassembled in Subic Bay, Philippines, for spare parts because of the damage. Consider that an AIM-9B Sidewinder missile is being carried by the aircraft.

VF-142 transition from the F-4B to the F-4J

Home of M.A.T.S. states that the Ghostriders conducted four WestPac deployments between May 1964 and May 1968, with one deployment on the USS Ranger (CV-61) and the remaining deployments aboard the USS Constellation (CV-64). Two MiG-21s, one MiG-17, and an An-2 Colt aircraft were shot down by VF-142 crew members during these cruises. Additionally, the squadron received three COMNAVAIRPAC Battle Efficiency “E” Award.

On August 11, 1969, the Ghostriders, converted from F-4B to the more modern F-4J aircraft, made another deployment for WestPAC aboard USS Constellation. The squadron received the Naval Aviation Safety Award in 1969–1970 and the Battle E Award in 1968–1969. For their sixth combat deployment to Vietnam, VF-142 and USS Enterprise (CVN-65) deployed in June 1971.

VF-142 F-14B emergency landing

That time a VF-142 F-14 Tomcat with missing radome made an emergency landing aboard USS Eisenhower

Remarkably, another VF-142 aircraft, this time a Grumman F-14B Tomcat (BuNo 161433) on board the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), had to make an emergency landing when the nose cone came off due to a latching mechanism failure at a height of 8,200 m over the Persian Gulf, 26 years after the incident depicted in the post’s featured image.

The radome struck the canopy during departure, shattering the windshield and breaking out the front glass. Despite suffering a fractured right collarbone and glass in both eyes, the pilot successfully returned the jet to the ship for a flawless two-wire landing.

With all the forward glass so badly damaged, the only way to see forward was through a three-inch hole in the left windscreen. LCDR Joe Edwards flew as the pilot, and LCDR Scott Grundmeier served as the RIO. LCDR Edwards was medevac’d to Bahrain for eye surgery, then home to the US.

For their outstanding accomplishments, both crew members were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses.

Photo by Commander Fred Ferrazzano / U.S. Navy and U.S. Navy via HOME OF M.A.T.S.

June 14, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

During his first scramble, a USAF F-15 pilot explains why he had to buy beers after taking off without a G-suit

by Till Daisd June 13, 2024

written by Till Daisd

Scramble

In the event of a threat, military forces need to react quickly for safety reasons. Aircraft scrambling is a part of a military aviation technique used to get an airplane off the base as quickly as possible.

In NATO military parlance, it’s a Quick Reaction Alert, or QRA. The US Department of Defense prefers Airspace Control Alert (ACA), but informally, almost everyone calls it a “scramble.”

During the Cold War, many NATO air forces had crews stationed in Europe on alert and scrambled whenever their airspace was penetrated.

Both interceptors and nuclear bomber forces were kept on QRA.

But how much time was required for a pilot “on alert,” to get into his aircraft and get airborne?

USAF F-15 pilot scrambles without G-suit

Jeff Loftin, former USAF F-15 Eagle pilot, recalls on Quora;

‘When I was in the F-15, when the horn went off, we had to run to the jet and launch within 5 minutes. We slept in our flight suits and boots, but most guys kept their G-suit by the door or in the cockpit to be put on as the engines cranked. On my first scramble, I was in such a hurry, I left the G-suit by the door.

‘That wasn’t a big thing since our role was as interceptors and there was little chance of a dogfight: however, all my maps were strapped onto the legs of the G-suit. So, after our practice intercept, when the flight lead told me to lead us home, I had no idea where we were or how to get home. I bought the beers after that alert tour.’

Loftin concludes;

‘By now, I’m sure paper maps are obsolete. I flew the F-15 from 1981–87, when it was relatively new. We had an inertial navigation system that would basically take us point to point, but it wouldn’t display a map.’

The following video, taken at Bitburg Air Base, Germany, at the height of the Cold War, shows a typical F-15 Zulu Alert Scramble.

Photo by Screenshot from video

June 13, 2024 0 comment

History

Remembering Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember

by Till Daisd June 12, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The SR-71 Blackbird

The SR-71 Blackbird, a plane that could travel more than three times faster than the sound made by its own engines, was created in the 1960s by the US Air Force (USAF).

The SR-71 spy plane held the record for being the fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft in the world for about 24 years. At a speed of Mach 3+, it could cover 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour while flying above 80,000 feet. And on the off chance that an enemy tried to shoot it down with a missile, all the Blackbird had to do was speed up and outrun it.

Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman who flew aboard the legendary SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember

The photos in this post feature Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only female crew member of the legendary SR-71 Blackbird.

Marta Bohn-Meyer, who was born in 1957, started working in aerospace as a student in the late 1970s while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. She took part in a cooperative research and education program held by the school at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for three years, according to Cosmosphere Blog.

She began working as an aeronautical research and operations engineer at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (then Dryden) as soon as she finished school. After 22 years at this same place, she would finally rise to the position of chief engineer after holding a number of greater responsibilities, such as:

Remembering Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember — Beginning in her teen years, Marta Bohn-Meyer’s favorite place was in and around airplanes both at work and while off duty. She was an accomplished private pilot and flight engineer, and was the first female crew member to fly at Mach 3 in the SR-71.

Project manager for the F-16 XL Supersonic Laminar Flow Control
Deputy director of aerospace projects
Director of safety and mission assurance
Director of Flight Operations

Time in the SR-71B with the stick piloting the iconic HABU

Bohn-Meyer became the first female crew member of the triple-sonic SR-71 Blackbird in 1991. She had worked for NASA for twelve years before she was appointed as a flight engineer. Her job was to assist NASA in gathering data at high altitudes and speeds to enhance the design of the next aircraft. The only other woman to have flown in the famously fast plane was Congresswoman Beverly Byron, who rode as a VIP guest in 1985.

Bohn-Meyer (who was married to NASA test pilot Bob Mayer) not only flew the Blackbird as Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO) but she also had time in the SR-71B with the stick piloting the iconic HABU.

The story of Marta Bohn-Meyer, the only woman to fly in the SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember — Marta Bohn-Meyer, Dryden’s chief engineer at the time of her recent death, celebrates her successful 1991 first flight at triple supersonic speeds in the SR-71 Blackbird. Bohn-Meyer was one of two women ever to fly in the storied aircraft and the only one to do so as a crew member; Congresswoman Beverly Byron took a guest VIP ride in 1985.

Only one woman who flew aboard the legendary SR-71 Blackbird as a crewmember passed away

Widely known as a precision aerobatic pilot, Bohn-Meyer died on Sep. 18, 2005, when the Giles G-300 she flew in an aerobatic practice routine crashed near Oklahoma City. Former NASA deputy administrator Fred Gregory remembers being the first person to be assigned as a mentor to her when she first started as a student at Langley:

“She was smart, detail-oriented, opinionated, and professional well beyond her age.”

Kevin Petersen, director of Dryden (now Armstrong) Flight Research Center at the time of her passing, remarked on Bohn-Meyer’s “strength and her commitment to all she pursued.”

“We committed our lives to this person’s judgment every day; she was the last line of defense against complacency. And she never let me—or Dryden—down.”

Check out Habubrat’s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by NASA

June 12, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

How two tiny dents on the SR-71 nose stopped surface-to-air missiles from hitting the Blackbird

by Till Daisd June 11, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The SR-71 Blackbird

The US Air Force (USAF) created the SR-71 Blackbird in the 1960s; it was a plane that could fly at a speed greater than three times the sound made by its own engines.

The SR-71 spy plane held the record for being the fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft in the world for about 24 years. At a speed of Mach 3+, it could cover 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour while flying at 80,000 feet. In the unlikely event that an enemy attempted to bring it down with a missile, the Blackbird just needed to accelerate and outpace it.

The SR-71’s engineering was so advanced that new tools had to be designed to build it.

Dents on the SR-71 Blackbird Nose

Former SR-71 RSO Richard “Butch” Sheffield (Butch was his nickname because of his haircut that he had back in the 60s) used to point to the nose of the SR-71 Blackbird. He would point to the dimples and say, “This is really important, but I can’t talk about it.”

He would smile.

Here’s how two little Dents placed on the Nose of the SR-71 prevented Surface-to-air Missiles from Scoring any Hit on the Blackbird — Richard Butch Sheffield and Bob Spencer

In the SR-71, he and Bob Spencer executed one of the most crucial missions when they intercepted an SA-5 missile that was flying just inches from the Russian border. Receiving that signal was important to the SR-71’s defense. An SR-71 was never shot down; none ever got close. It was impossible due to defense and speed.

According to former Blackbird pilot Col. Richard H. Graham’s book SR-71 The Complete Illustrated History of THE BLACKBIRD The World’s Highest, Fastest Plane, the nose section allowed the SR-71 to have radar-imaging capability with the advanced synthetic aperture radar system (ASARS), photographic imagery with the optical bar camera (OBC), or a ballast installed. The nose section was held on by faun-massive fasteners.

The Dents that prevented Surface-to-air Missiles from Scoring any Hit on the SR-71 Blackbird

What are those two little dents on the nose of the SR-71 Blackbird?

‘I’m assuming you’re talking about the two “dents” in the chines at the front part of the nose, one on each side? Those aren’t dents, those were put there on purpose for the more advanced ECM systems the Blackbird got in the ’70s and ‘80s,’ says Kelly Pedron, an aviation expert, on Quora.

‘There weren’t any good places to put the ECM receivers in the front of the aircraft, so those “dents” were put in the chine to allow the installation of ECM receivers there. If you’ll notice, the flat part of the “dent” is facing about 60 degrees forward, in order to cover that quadrant of the airspace around the aircraft. Earlier models of the SR, including the A-12, were more concerned with attack radar signals from the rear, so front-mounted ECM receivers weren’t as necessary at the time. With the advent of more advanced Soviet SAM systems, like the S-200 and S-300, a forward warning receiver and jammer were required, hence the development of the so-called ECM “dents” in the nose.’

Pedron concludes;

‘So, yes, those were put there on purpose; nobody accidentally taxied an SR-71 into a solid object.’

Check out Habubrats SR-71’s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by Linda Sheffield Miller and U.S. Air Force

June 11, 2024 0 comment

History

The AMST program failed to replace the C-130 Hercules

by Till Daisd June 10, 2024

written by Till Daisd

McDonnell Douglas YC-15 Vs Boeing YC-14

A tactical transport aircraft with four engines designed for short takeoff and landing (STOL) was the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) YC-15. It was McDonnell Douglas’ entry in the competition for the Advanced Medium STOL Transport (AMST), which was held to replace the USAF’s main STOL tactical transport, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. A pair of YC-15s were constructed, including a 110-foot (S/N 72-1876) and a 132-foot (S/N 72-1875) wingspan.

When it made its maiden flight in 1976, the Boeing YC-14 represented a significant aviation milestone. This aircraft represented numerous firsts in aircraft design, prominent among them being the use of boundary-layer control in conjunction with upper-surface blowing, which caused the jet engine flow to turn downward and enabled flight at low airspeeds.

McDonnell Douglas YC-15 pilot recalls AMST program failing to replace the C-130 Hercules — Boeing YC-14

However, neither the YC-15 nor the YC-14 were put into production, even though the successful C-17 Globemaster III was built using the YC-15’s basic design.

AMST program termination

Ron Wagner, former USAF pilot in the Presidential Wing at Andrews AFB, recalls on Quora;

‘I flew one of the prototypes of the AMST, which was intended to produce a replacement for the C-130. The AMST proposal was issued on November 10, 1972. Boeing responded with the YC-14.

‘I was familiar with the YC-15 response from McDonnel-Douglas, which first flew on August 26, 1975. A second prototype flew in December 1975. The second one had a longer wingspan and was painted in camouflage colors.

‘The program ended in December 1979. […] I got to fly the cool-looking camouflaged YC-15 when it was at Andrews Air Force Base sometime in late 1978/early 1979. I left Andrews in January 1980, which was AFTER the AMST program ended.

‘McDonnell Douglas took the second prototype to Andrews to impress Pentagon generals and members of Congress in a final push for a contract. It failed to get any orders.’

McDonnell Douglas YC-15 flight

He continues;

‘I flew it only locally around Andrews, making the takeoff and flying around the area for a bit. It used a DC-10 cockpit but had the ankle-height windows you see in the C-130. That was the best view I ever got of my home, local flying area. Cool view. The test pilot let me set up the approach, but being one of only two in the world, he took the landing himself.

‘I later saw and photographed the first prototype at “the Boneyard” in Arizona. But they eventually scrapped it.

‘This is the one I flew. Note the cool lower windows.

‘That must have been interesting to have been involved in upgrading the YC-15 to the C-17. The only 4-engine time I have in my 10,000+ hours is the 15 minutes I flew the YC-15. It handled like a small plane, really fun to fly.

The C-130 Endures

‘Now, more than 51 years after the AMST proposal was issued and 44 years after that project was canceled, Lockheed is still delivering new C-130s.’

Wagner concludes;

‘Think of this bizarre fact: When the C-130 was 18 years old, the USAF issued a proposal to replace it, which actually sounds about right for the timing. But they didn’t buy it and the C-130 will be 70 years old in August of this year and new ones are still on backorder.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Mike Freer via Wikipedia

June 10, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The only B-47 that that took off from Little Rock AFB to the UK across the Atlantic Ocean

by Till Daisd June 9, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The B-47 Stratojet

The first XB-47 prototype, which was built to fulfill a 1944 need, flew in December 1947 and outperformed its rivals. It had sweeping wings, jet engines in underwing pods, main landing gear located on the fuselage, and automated systems that reduced the crew number to three, among many other cutting-edge technologies for the period.

The B-47 started to replace the B-29 and B-50 propeller-driven bombers in May 1951 in the medium bomber units of the US Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC). The B-47’s maximum speed was more than 200 mph faster than the aircraft it replaced, even though it could carry roughly the same bomb tonnage.

45 B-47s took off from Little Rock AFB to the UK, only one made it across the Atlantic Ocean

45 B-47s were launched from Little Rock Air Force Base (AFB) to the United Kingdom in 1956 as part of a bomb run exercise. All except one of the B-47s returned to the United States after crossing the Atlantic. Lieutenant Richard “Butch” Sheffield, a B-47 navigator and bombardier, was prepared to follow. He needed to learn how to lead rapidly.

He recalls in his unpublished book, “The Very First:”

‘As we prepared to fly to the UK, my aircraft and crew were to be the fifth aircraft in a flight of five. I believe that because I was the lowest-ranking navigator with the least experience, they did not want me to have to navigate the Atlantic as lead or alone.

‘We took off from Little Rock, all forty-five B-47s, and flew up to Northern New York State to refuel from KC-97 tankers flying at fifteen thousand feet. We were at thirty-five-thousand feet. Tankers put out a radar signal that we could identify on our radar screen. Each set of tankers, nine different sets, put signals that were almost alike but not. I saw our signal and told the aircraft commander (AC). He relayed to the lead aircraft that we had the tankers that we were to refuel with, and they didn’t believe him.

‘As we overflew them, we went over twice as fast and twenty thousand feet above them. My AC asked me if I was sure, and I said yes. He then told the lead, you are going to miss them; they are right below us now. Once again, they didn’t believe him, or I guess they didn’t believe that a Lieutenant could find the tankers from among the many radar signals.’

B-47 navigator/bombardier recalls when out of 45 Stratojets that took off from Little Rock AFB to the UK his B-47 was the only one that made it across the Atlantic Ocean

Heading for the UK

He continues;

‘My AC asked me for a heading for the tankers and left the formation. We rendezvoused with our tankers and took on our fuel. After refueling (we could not use the radios while refueling), the pilots asked for our location, and I gave it to them. They called the rest of the flight and told them where the tankers were at that time; by then, they were far away from the tankers.

‘I really didn’t know what we were going to do next, then the AC said; give me a heading for the UK. Now, I knew we were going to the UK alone, and I was going to navigate the North Atlantic in the middle of the winter, all by myself. I broke into a cold sweat; I was not prepared to do it.

‘Normally, the fifth aircraft in a flight of five just station keeps (keeps other aircraft on the radar) on the other aircraft in front of them, and the navigator/copilot team doesn’t shoot stars.

‘The lead navigator would do his planning by pre-computing the star shots on the ground the day before the flight. Now, I had to do the star computations in the small area and dim light of the cockpit. All across the Atlantic, I shot one star after another. My copilot, Mac McCraken, was young and eager, like me. He would do anything I asked him in the air. The older World War Two copilots would not have done it. This was hard work, and we never stopped until I saw the UK lands on the radar. WE HAD MADE IT.’

B-47 navigator/bombardier recalls when his Stratojet flew the largest Nuclear Bomb ever built to Spain — Richard “Butch” Sheffield is on the far right in the photo. His crew was named Best B-47 crew in 1960.

The only B-47 out of 45 that made it from Little Rock AFB to the UK

Sheffield concludes;

‘The following day, we were all told to report to see the Squadron Commander in his Office. This always meant trouble or an award. When we arrived, the AC was told to go in alone; Mac and I waited outside the door. We heard the Commander hollering all over the building, he was very mad that we had left the formation and went it alone.

‘When the AC came out, he was smiling. He said the Squadron Commander was just mad that the others were still back in the US, and they had never found the tankers and landed in North Eastern United States!

‘He said, I told him, we are here, and they are back in the US, so who goofed up?’

When he crossed the Atlantic Ocean alone, he was just 23 years old. A few years later, he was chosen to be among the first navigators on the new B-58. He was also the first RSO to be chosen for the SR-71 Blackbird initiative. He was ordered to follow the experienced, older navigators, but he had to take the lead and soon become good at it.

Check out the Habubrats SR-71‘s Twitter profile and the Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder‘s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Linda Sheffield Miller

June 9, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

When a USAF F-15 pilot refused to fly a “not all aspect Sidewinder” mock air engagement against his Skyhawk

by Till Daisd June 8, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk

2,960 A-4 Skyhawk aircraft were produced by Douglas between 1954 and 1979. Known by their endearing nickname, “Heinemann’s Hot Rod” (after Douglas designer Ed Heinemann), the Bantam Bomber, Mighty Mite, and Scooter were built small to be economical and to fit more of them on a carrier. The US Navy, Marines, and friendly nations were able to use maneuverable, powerful attack bombers with exceptional altitude and range capabilities and a remarkable degree of armament capacity thanks to Skyhawks.

Furthermore, despite the fact that the legendary A-4 was intended to be a straightforward, lightweight Navy carrier attack aircraft, the Skyhawk performed a variety of tasks, including aerial refueling, nuclear strikes, and acting as an adversary aircraft.

USMC A-4 attack aircraft Vs USAF F-15 fighters

Stephen Smith, former US Marine Corps A-4 Skyhawk pilot, recalls on Quora;

‘True story. We (a Marine Corps Reserve squadron) were doing an exercise with a USAF F-15 squadron back in the 80’s. We were flying the A-4 Skyhawk, a very simple, quite maneuverable single seat aircraft. It was designed for ground attack, but due to it’s maneuverability, it could hold its own in a tight turning dogfight. You may remember it as the aircraft flown by the instructors in the original Top Gun movie. We had no radar, thus, no radar guided missiles. Instead of the two afterburning engines in an F-15, we had one, non-afterburning engine. Basically, we were well outgunned.

‘But we still did quite well against the Eagles. Our air to air weaponry consisted of a 20mm cannon and all aspect sidewinder missiles. The sidewinder used to only work when fired from behind the target aircraft, looking at his hot exhaust, but now, had been improved to be able to kill from any angle, if all the parameters were met.

‘At the end of each mission, we suggested the final engagement scenario to be one where we did not have all aspect Sidewinders available. So we had all launched with the older missiles. This was usually accepted by all to be good training for all of us, and made getting kills much more difficult.’

All aspect Sidewinders

Smith continues

‘On this day, I suggested that as our final engagement scenario. My USAF counterpart asked why? I said that it would simulate a situation where the war was getting stretched out, all the all aspect sidewinders had been used, and the supply had not been replenished. His reply stunned me. He looked me in the eyes , the eyes which would soon be looking for me from the cockpit of one of the world’s most modern and deadly air superiority fighters.

‘A fighter with a radar which would give him my position from 50 miles away, while scorching into the fight powered by two huge afterburning engines, and carrying an array of radar and heat seeking missiles, and a gun designed for air-to-air combat, against my 1960s vintage single, non-afterburning engine, non-radar equipped attack aircraft. And he said, “IF WE DON’T HAVE ALL ASPECT WINDERS, WE’RE NOT GOING.” I really was shocked! After getting my brain back on line, I said, “I don’t think that’s an option in the Marine Corps.”’

Smith concludes;

‘I will never forget that comment.’

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

June 8, 2024 0 comment

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