EAA AirVenture 2018 is but a fond memory, but the impressive aerial sights and sounds from the Fly-In are still available to us. The B-29 Doc and the B-17 Yankee Lady participated in the daily warbird show on Friday July 27th. Our friends at AirshowStuff were there and captured this awesome footage of the two heavy bombers as they thundered over Wisconsin. The clip was uploaded to You Tube by AirshowStuffVideos. Enjoy!
The B-29 in the clip is Doc, a Boeing Wichita-built B-29A-70-BW (CN 10804, AF serial number 44-69972). Doc served briefly during World War II and was retained after the war as one of a group of seven radar calibration-tasked B-29s named after the Dwarves from the Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The B-29 towed aerial targets for a time during 1955. In March of 1956 Doc was flown to the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake in California and, along with about 100 other veteran B-29s, was deposited on one of the complex’s many bombing and gunnery ranges for use as a target. There she sat for the next 42 years until she was recently restored.
B-17G Yankee Lady. Image via AirshowStuff
The B-17 in the clip is Yankee Lady, a Lockheed-Vega-built B-17G-110-VE (CN 8738-VE, AF serial number 44-85829). This B-17G was accepted by the Army Air Force on 16 July 1945. The bomber spent time at Love Field in Dallas, South Plains in Texas, and Rome Air Force Base (AFB) in New York before being transferred to the US Coast Guard and converted to the PB-1G air-sea rescue configuration at NAS Johnsville in Pennsylvania. The USCG based her in San Francisco before putting her up for disposal in 1959. Bought for the princely sum of $5,887.93 in 1959, the aircraft did aerial survey and photography work until becoming a sprayer in 1965. Between 1966 and 1986 the B-17 was aerial firefighting tanker 34, though she took time off to star in the movie Tora Tora Tora during 1969. Between 1986 and 1995 the B-17 went through an extensive restoration, emerging as the Yankee Lady. Lockheed-Vega built 2,750 B-17 bombers during the war.
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The U.S. Navy Blue Angels announced the selection of new pilots and support officers on Thursday poised to join the elite flight demonstration squadron for the 2019 air show season.
The announcement occured as the Blue Angels prepared for their performances this week at the Boeing Seafair Air show near Seattle.
Three new F/A-18 Hornet pilots along with several new support officers and enlisted men and women will begin a two to three year tour with the Blue Angels. Nearly 130 sailors and Marines embody a select discipline and character to be selected to join the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron.
LT James Haley (left) pilots the F/A 18E Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln in April. (USN)
Led by Commander Eric C. Doyle in Angel 1, the 2019 Blue Angels diamond pilots will include returning left wing Major Jeff Mullins, LCDR Brandon Hempler who will move up as lead solo pilot, current narrator LT Andre Webb who will graduate up to opposing solo, and new pilots LT James Cox, LT James Haley, and LT Cary Rickoff. Of the three new pilots, two will be selected for the diamond and one will become the new advance pilot/narrator.
LT Cox, from Chesapeake, Virginia, is serving with Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic at NAS Oceana, Virginia.
LT Haley, a native of Canadian, Texas, has served as an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet pilot with the Gladiators of Strike Fighter Squadron ONE ZERO SIX (VFA-106). Prior to that he served with VFA-32 as a pilot aboard the USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75).
LT Rickoff of Atlanta is currently serving with the “Golden Eagles” of Training Squadron TWO TWO (VT-22) at NAS Kingsville, Texas — a strike training squadron.
“It was an impressive slate of applicants this year,” CDR Eric Doyle said on Thursday. “Every officer that applied represented the high caliber of personnel serving in our Navy and Marine Corps. It was a hard decision, but one that will ultimately lead to an amazing 2019 show season.”
The three Marine Corps pilots of the Blues hulking C-130 transport aircraft nicknamed Fat Albert will remain on for 2019. Bert will fly with returning Marine Corps pilots Major Mark Montgomery, Major Kyle Maschner, and Captain Beau Mabery.
“Navy and Marine Corps pilot finalists are selected mid-season and interviewed at the Blue Angels’ squadron in Pensacola,” a Blue Angels spokesperson stated. “The new demonstration pilots and support officers are selected by unanimous vote.” According to recent pilots who have served with the Blues, when a pilot finalist is going through the selection process, every current pilot must approve them or they do not make it.
The Blue Angels will welcome a new Executive Officer as current XO Commander Matt Kaslik departs this November and Commander William Schomer takes over for the next two years. CDR Schomer is returning to the Blue Angels where he worked in airframes and paint shop between 1994-97 as an enlisted member. Those three years inspired Schomer to earn his wings of gold in 1998.
LT Aaron Hicks, shown in 2017, will join the Blue Angels as the team’s new flight surgeon. (USN)
The Blues also selected a new medical doctor to the team to replace outgoing flight surgeon LCDR Juan Guerra. Incoming “Doc” LT Aaron B. Hicks will be poised on the flight line during practices and air shows to provide routine check ups. He has been serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) as a member of Carrier Wing ONE SEVEN (CVW-17).
LT CDR Adam Kerrick was selected as the new events coordinator, and LTJG Kristin Toland will become the squadron’s new supply officer.
New officers were selected by the Blue Angels and will support the team for two years. (USN)
The newly selected pilots and support personnel will arrive in mid-September to the squadron’s home at Pensacola Naval Air Station to begin training. They will also travel with the current Blue Angels to air show sites to gain a great experience for life around the show site.
The Blue Angels will depart Pensacola the first week of January for their winter home at NAF El Centro in southern California for six weeks of intense flight and tactical training prior to their first air show of the 2019 show season.
For the pilots, they will perform three to four flight practices each day as they work on the timing and graceful style of each maneuver. Meanwhile, on the ground, the new narrator will learn the lines which will detail each flight maneuver, and later practice the timing of when he delivers each line.
The Blue Angels have performed for over 505 million fans since their first public air show in May 1946. The 2019 season schedule will begin at El Centro on March 16 and conclude 30 show sites later at their home base in Pensacola for the popular Homecoming Airshow in November.
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and science. Follow his updates on social media via @Military_Flight.)
Lockheed Pulled Out All the Stops on the Way to Making the C-5 Galaxy a Reality
When Lockheed first flew the C-5A Galaxy strategic airlifter on 30 June 1968, the company had already overcome a myriad of engineering challenges to build the jet.
The film “C-5 Galaxy–World’s Largest Aircraft” was made to tell the story of how Lockheed designed, engineered, and built what was indeed (at the time) the world’s largest aircraft. FRED fans will appreciate this flashback to the time when excitement about the C-5A was at a fever pitch. The 1969 film was uploaded to YouTube by Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture.
The C-5A was the world’s largest aircraft when this film was made. In the 1980s, the Antonov Design Bureau introduced the Antonov An-124 Ruslan, which narrowly surpassed the Galaxy in size. Then, in 1988, Antonov launched the even larger An-225 Mriya airlifter, finally eclipsing the C-5 with two massive airlifters that clearly borrowed heavily from the Galaxy’s design. (Editor’s Note: The An-225 Mriya was destroyed in 2022 during the first weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.)
In terms of wingspan actually flown, nothing has beaten the Hughes H-4 Hercules – better known as the Spruce Goose – with its 320-foot wings. The Scaled Composites Stratolaunch carrier aircraft has longer wings at 385 feet but hasn’t flown. Yet.
C-5As. US Air Force photograph
Longevity and Flexibility: The C-5 Galaxy
The C-5A Galaxy first entered US Air Force service with the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base (AFB) in South Carolina in June of 1970. The C-5As were replacing Douglas C-133 Cargomaster airlifters.
Today, Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard squadrons operate C-5 strategic airlifters from Dover AFB in Delaware, Travis AFB in California, Kelly/Lackland AFB in Texas, and Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts. Upgrade programs have enabled the remaining C-5 Galaxy fleet to serve well in the 2040s- when the basic design will be more than 70 years old.
C-5B. US Air Force photograph
BONUS VIDEO
Enjoy this great color footage of the C-5A undergoing tests back in the day. It was uploaded to YouTube by PeriscopeFilm.
On Tuesday 31 July at approximately 1600 local time, an Aeromexico Airlines Embraer ERJ-190AR jetliner, XA-GAL (SN 190-173) and flying as flight AM2431, crashed while taking off from runway 03 at General Guadalupe Victoria International Airport in the northwest Mexican state of Durango. The flight was bound for Mexico City, roughly 550 miles southeast of Durango, with 99 passengers and four crew members on board. Reports coming from the crash site indicate 85 of the 103 souls on board were injured, two of them critically, but relatively few and minor burns and no deaths have been reported.
By redlegsfan21 from Vandalia, OH, United States (XA-ACC) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsThe airport was closed after the accident occurred. Aeromeico commented, “Our first priority is to ensure the security of our passengers and crew on board this aircraft. We deeply regret this accident and the families of all those affected are in our thoughts. We’re focused on dealing with the situation and are doing everything necessary to assist the families of our passengers and crew during this difficult time.” An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia (Aeroméxico Connect, XA-DAC, Embraer ERJ-190LR) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsA Durango Civil Protection spokesperson indicated that 49 of those onboard the plane have been sent to local hospitals. Some survivors were able to walk away from the crash to a nearby road; some made it back to the airport terminal. The jetliner came to rest just less than 400 yards from the end of runway 03. The aircraft attempted takeoff during a heavy thunderstorm with hail when what has been described as a probable microburst forced the jet to descend. The pilot, Captain Carlos Meyran, is being hailed as a hero because he avoided a total breakup of the aircraft when it contacted the ground in a nose down attitude. Meyran may have been the most seriously injured aboard the jetliner but his injuries are reportedly not life-threatening. The ERJ-190AR was delivered to Republic Airlines in 2008. Since 2014 the aircraft has flown with Aeromexico.
As usual, the USAF F-16C Viper Demonstration Team put on one impressive aerial display after another this airshow season. They were at their very best during EAA AirVenture 2018 at Oshkosh this year. One particular video of an early-week demo flight has been breaking the internet. The clip was shot using a cockpit cam mounted on a free-swiveling universal that turns what are usually awesome perspectives into unforgettable, how-did-they-do-that, so-that’s-what-it’s-like views of a high-G Viper Demo flight! We scoured the interweb and found them (because that’s what we do), so here they are. These full HD clips were uploaded to YouTube by Josh M. The first one is the full clip from which the shorter teases have been pulled and includes a Heritage Flight pass. Check that virtual G meter! Enjoy!
Viper Demo Team pilot Major John “Rain” Waters. Image via US Air Force
This second clip is a longer cockpit cam video with selectable viewpoint shot during a different demo flight (also including a Heritage Flight pass) by the same Viper Team demonstration pilot- Major John “Rain” Waters. Nice vapes!
The Air Combat Command (ACC) F-16 Viper Demonstration Team is based at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. The Team exists to perform precision aerial maneuvers, thereby demonstrating the unique capabilities of one of the Air Force’s premier multi-role fighters, the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. The team also works with the Air Force Heritage flight, thereby exhibiting the professional qualities the Air Force develops in the people who fly, maintain and support these aircraft. Airshow crowd pleasers for many years- the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team.
EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh has always been a showcase for military aircraft. In recent years there have been more aerial demonstrations by military aircraft than in days gone by and that’s generally considered to be a good thing. Whether bombers, tankers, fighters, or airlifters, the crowd loves to see the military iron thunder past. This video, uploaded to YouTube by Nigel Woolley, is a smorgasbord of military might. Turn those speakers up to 11 because the sound in this clip is awesome. There are two more videos ready to sneak pass you below the text. Enjoy!
The sights and sounds begin with US Air Force Lockheed F-35A Lighting II from the 62nd Fighter Squadron (FS) out of Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona. Then a C-17 Globemaster III airlifter from the 97th Air Mobility Wing (AMW), Air Education and Training Command (AETC) at Altus AFB in Oklahoma demonstrates what short field landing really means. Then a couple of Carrier Air Wing THREE (CVW-3) US Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets from VFA-32 Fighting Swordsmen out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana in Virginia sneak in. They’re followed by a Boeing EA-18G Growler with VX-9 Vampires out of Naval Air Weapons Station (NASW) China Lake joins them in the military aircraft parking area.
EA-18G. Image via US Navy
After that we see a colorful tanker-configured F/A-18F Super Hornet from VX-23 Salty Dogs out of NAS Patuxent River in Virginia take off. Then a Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy from the 60th Air Mobility Wing out of Travis AFB in California mikes its presence felt. A piercing takeoff by a General Dynamics F-16C Viper with the Viper Demo team from Shaw AFB is seen and felt by the crowd. We then see a Rockwell B-1B Lancer with the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron Thunderbirds put on an evening burner clinic.
107th FS A-10. Image via US Air Force
A Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II with the 107th FS Red Devils from the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard (ANG) shows off its special D-Day commemorative paint job. After that a McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extender tanker from the 32nd Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) out of McGuire AFB in New Jersey shows off its versatility. Next up is a Lockheed HC-130P/N Combat King variant of the Hercules fitted for long range search and Rescue (SAR). Lastly we see a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor with the 895th FS Boneheads out of Tyndall AFB in Florida.
BONUS F-22 Raptor thunders over Oshkosh. Turn. It. Up!
DOUBLE BONUS F-15C Eagles from the from the 122nd FS of the 159th Fighter Wing (FW) Bayou Militia out of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NASJRB) New Orleans thunder over Oshkosh. Uploaded to YouTube by our good friends at AirshowStuffVideos.
The Gamble Certainly Paid Off for the Premiere Jumbo Jet Builder
Boeing commissioned the film “The New Era: Flight Testing the 747 Superjet” for the company’s program management to document what was likely the company’s biggest gamble ever- the design, development, and manufacture of the Boeing 747. The sense of urgency associated with getting the first 5 examples of the 747 tested and delivered is palpable in the film. The footage is in great shape and it looks about as good as film transferred from that era can look. After you watch the film you will almost certainly know things about the 747 test effort you didn’t know before. The film was uploaded to YouTube by PeriscopeFilm.
When the 747 was conceived the airline travel industry was in turmoil. In 1964 Boeing had competed for the CX-Heavy Logistics System (CX-HLS) which was eventually won by Lockheed’s C-5A Galaxy. But the design and development effort invested in their CX-HLS entry pushed Boeing to create a new jumbo jetliner powered by the same engines as the company’s CX-HLS design. Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) president Juan Trippe had some influence because he had gone to Boeing and requested an airliner with double the everything of a 707. During the design and development of the 747, supersonic transports were still thought to be the airline travel solution of the future.
Image via Boeing
Convertible Out of the Gate
The 747 was designed from the outset to be a convertible. That is, to be configurable as a passenger jet or as a cargo hauler. Seating arrangements evolved from a full-length double-deck fuselage (seven-across seating above eight-across seating below) to the wider single deck. But the cockpit stayed up on what would have been the upper deck in order to facilitate a nose-mounted cargo door. Boeing looked at placing the cockpit below the main deck to clear the cargo door but the idea didn’t get out of the design stage. That aircraft would have looked more like the Airbus Beluga.
Image via Boeing
New-Tech Thrust Generators
One of the many new technologies in the 747 was those Pratt & Whitney JT9D high-bypass turbofan engines. These power plants were designed and built specifically for the 747. General Electric was working on the CF6 high-bypass turbofan engines for the C-5A Galaxy at the time. The high bypass turbofan concept was aimed at delivering double the power of a turbojet engine while consuming a third less fuel. By the time late 1966 rolled around, Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, and Pan Am had agreed to co-develop the JT9D– meaning Pan Am would be able to influence the design of the aircraft to a degree never seen before or since.
Safety Built-In From the Get-Go
Safety concerns, understandably a hot topic with what was to be the world’s largest airliner for years to come, were addressed in multiple ways. The designers built in structural redundancy, redundant hydraulic systems, quadruple main landing gear and dual control surfaces. In order to be able to operate the 747 from existing airports, the designers near-full length leading edge slats and a fairly complex three-part slotted trailing edge flaps. Those flaps would increase wing area by 21 percent and lift by 90 percent when fully extended.
Image via Boeing
A New Kind of Factory for a New Kind of Airliner
Another aspect of the design and development of the 747 was a facility in which to build them (or the lack thereof). Boeing had to build a new plant to house the 747’s manufacturing and assembly efforts. The company chose a site in Everett, Washington for the 747 plant. Building the plant turned out to be nearly as big a challenge as building the 747. The full-scale mockup of the 747 was built inside the new factory- before the roof was complete above it. In 1968 the 747 assembly plant was the largest building by volume ever built on the planet. Expanded several times over the years, it still is.
Rolling Out 747 #1
The first 747 was rolled out of the Everett assembly building on 30 September 1968. The press and representatives from the 26 pre-ordering airlines were there to greet it, along with justifiably proud Boeing employees who had delivered the jetliner. The 747, named City of Everett, first flew on 9 February 1969 and was unveiled to the public at the Paris Air Show in 1969. The film is about the test and evaluation effort that followed. The 747 received its airworthiness certificate in December of 1969. Boeing went on to build more than 1,500 Superjets. Their $1 billion-plus gamble paid off big time.
BONUS VIDEO
Enjoy “The Outer Limits” by Boeing, made to commemorate the rollout and initial flight testing of the 747. This film was also uploaded to YouTube by PeriscopeFilm.
Aircraft used to fight fire from the air have included old World War II bombers like the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, North American B-25 Mitchell, Douglas A-26 Invader, and others. Consolidated PBY Catalinas and the few huge Martin Mars flying boats have been pressed into service as tankers. Former Navy patrol aircraft like the Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, Lockheed P-2 Neptune and P-3 Orion have been on the front lines. Airlifters like the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and old Douglas propliners like the DC-4, DC-6, and DC-7 have also been used as retardant delivery platforms. Veteran Grumman S-2 Trackers, some of them updated with turbine engines, have been or are in use. Even Grumman F7F Tigercats and TBF/TBM Avengers have gotten in on the action- among many more.
Douglas DC-7B in service as Tanker 66. Image via Erickson Air Tankers
Airliners like the Boeing 747, Douglas DC-10, and Bae 146 are working the wildfires. One of the newer aerial tanker solutions is the Erickson Aero Tanker MD-87. The company already owns seven aircraft with five of them converted for tanker duty (tankers 101, 102, 103, 105, and 107) and hopes to build a fleet of ten tanker-configured MD-87s. Standard retardant capacity for the MD-87 tanker is 4,000 gallons. That’s a far cry from the 19,000-plus gallon capacity of the 747 Global Super Tanker, but the MD-87 is much less expensive to operate and can utilize more austere fields with shorter runways.
Tanker 103 with gear down. Image via Erickson Air Tankers
The MD-87 tanker’s capacity is 1,920 gallons more than the capacity of the Lockheed P-2 Neptune tankers and 1,000 gallons more than Bae-146 tankers. Because the MD-87’s tail-mounted twin Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines could be affected by retardant released from the standard opening in the belly of the aircraft, Erickson has added an external ventral tank which creates an additional four feet of separation between the released retardant flow and the engines.
Tanker 103. Image via Erickson Air Tankers
Tanker drops with the gear down
One interesting aspect of the MD-87 tanker is under certain conditions, the aircraft is flown with the landing gear down during the retardant drop. This reduces airspeed while allowing higher engine RPMs, reducing lag on post-drop climb out- similar to a speed break. This is not unique to the MD-87 tankers though. Douglas DC-7s and some other large tanker-modified aircraft have done the same thing for many years. Occasionally only the main gear are extended with nose gear stowed. When pulling off or up after a retardant drop the pilots of these aircraft simply want as much performance available to them as possible. Here’s a video of a MD-87 dropping retardant uploaded to YouTube by wcolby.
Built to replace Grumman’s venerable S-2 Tracker antisubmarine aircraft, the Lockheed S-3A Viking entered service on 20 February 1974 with Air Antisubmarine Squadron FOUR ONE (VS-41) Shamrocks. The first operational deployment of a Viking-equipped squadron took place when VS-21 Fighting Redtails went to sea with Carrier Air Wing ONE (CVW-1) aboard the modified Kitty Hawk-class carrier USS John F. Kennedy in 1975. The Viking would go on to serve for 42 years. Sixteen of them were modified for the electronic warfare role as ES-3A Shadows. Six of them became long-range carrier on-board delivery (COD) US-3As. However, the majority of fleet Vikings, or “Hoovers”, spent most of those years either finding things that needed finding or passing gas that needed passing. This is the story of one of those fleet Vikings.
VS-33 S-3A. Image by US Navy
Is it proper to say the last of the last? In the case of this particular aircraft, perhaps. The very last of 186 S-3A Vikings built by Lockheed for the US Navy rolled off the company’s Burbank production line during August of 1978. That aircraft, S-3A Bureau Number (BuNo) 160607 (CN 394A-1187), was accepted by the Navy that same year and was assigned to VS-22 Checkmates. The Checkmates were part of Carrier Air Wing THREE (CVW-3) back then, and 160607 deployed seven times, at least some of them as side number 707, with VS-22 and CVW-3 aboard the Forrestal-class carrier USS Saratoga (CVA-60) and the USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67).
VS-22 S-3A. Image by US Navy
In 1988, S-3A BuNo 160607 was converted to the S-3B specification by Lockheed, which added a number of new sensors, avionics, and weapons systems, including the capability to launch the McDonnell Douglas AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. The S-3B could also be fitted with a buddy store refueling pod for passing gas to other refueling probe-equipped aircraft. After becoming an S-3B, BuNo 160607 went to a new squadron: VS-28 Gamblers. The Gamblers were part of CVW-6 at that time and the jet deployed four times, at least some of them as side number 702, with VS-28 and CVW-6 aboard the carrier USS Forrestal (CVA-59) before Forrestal was retired. VS-28 was disestablished on 1 October 1992.
VS-28 S-3B. Image by US Navy
After VS-28 was disestablished, the last Viking was re-assigned to the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC)- Aircraft Division at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Maryland. The jet served as a test platform and research aircraft at NAWC Pax River until she was retired in 2005. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) acquired her for research soon thereafter. Today the last Viking built wears registration number N601NA and NASA tail number 601. Since then the remaining “War Hoover” S-3B Vikings in Naval service have all been retired- the last of them in 2016. N601NA is literally the very last S-3B Viking. BuNo 160607/N601NA may be the only aircraft that was both the last one of its kind built and the last one of its kind to be airworthy.
N601NA soon after acquisition by NASA. Image by NASA
NASA has used the jet for testing the effects of ice accretion on aircraft wings and tails, as well as assessing anti-icing systems for aircraft. The first research flights originated in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and seek to characterize the icing conditions that exist in the atmosphere’s tropical convective layer. Since 2015 the last Viking has been listed as inactive by NASA, who bases the aircraft at Glenn Research Center next to Cleveland Hopkins International (KCLE) in Cleveland, Ohio. This video of the last Viking in flight at EAA AirVenture 2018 was uploaded to YouTube by AirshowStuffVideos.
The Ship Was Heavily Damaged and Air Wing 17 Was Decimated
July 29th 1967 dawned like many others aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal (CVA-59) on Yankee Station in the northern Gulf of Tonkin. The carrier had begun her first Western Pacific (WestPac) deployment on June 6th after having deployed to the North Atlantic or the Mediterranean seven times- usually with Carrier Air Wing EIGHT (CVW-8) embarked. CVW-17 was embarked aboard Forrestal that fateful July day. The film “Trial By Fire- A Carrier Fights For Life” was made to expose some of the mistakes made by the crew as a training tool using footage shot largely by pilot’s landing air television (PLAT) cameras. The film was uploaded to YouTube by PeriscopeFilm.
The fire began when a Mark 32 five inch Zuni unguided folding fin aerial rocket (FFAR) was accidentally fired from a LAU-10 four shot rocket pod due to an electrical power surge during the switch from external to internal power. The LAU-10 was mounted to a pylon under the wing of VF-11 Red Rippers F-4B Phantom II side number 110. The Zuni punched a hole in a full drop tank hung on A-4E Skyhawk side number 405 from VA-46 Clansmen. The Zuni rocket motor ignited the spilled fuel. From there the combination of burning fuel on deck and live ordnance hanging on fully fueled jet aircraft fed a nightmarish fire punctuated by bombs cooking off.
US Navy photograph
20/20 Hindsight
Over the years since this tragedy much has been made of the type and age of the bombs hung from the Forrestal’s strike package that day. The ship was supposed to receive recently manufactured 1,000 pound bombs but received 1950’s-vintage ordnance instead. The bombs were in bad condition and were believed to be potentially unstable if handled improperly. When the Zuni hit 405 two of the old bombs were dislodged and fell into the burning jet fuel. The first bomb cooked off less than two minutes later. Training (or the lack thereof) was also an issue. The Forrestal had been on Yankee Station just four days before the fire erupted on her flight deck aft. By the time the fire was finally extinguished nearly 14 hours later, 132 crewmen were dead, two were missing, and 162 were injured.
US Navy photograph
CVW-17 Aboard the Forrestal
CVW-17 at the time of the fire consisted of VF-11 Red Rippers and VF-74 Bedevilers flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II, VA-46 Clansmen and VA-106 Gladiators flying the Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, VA-65 Tigers flying the Grumman A-6A Intruder, RVAH-11 Checkertails flying the North American RA-5C Vigilante, VAW-123 Screwtops flying the Grumman E-2A Hawkeye, VAH-10 Vikings Detachment 59 flying the Douglas KA-3B Skywarrior, VAP-61 World Recorders Detachment 59 flying the RA-3B variant of the Skywarrior, and HC-2 Fleet Angels Detachment 59 flying the Kaman UH-2A Seasprite helicopter.
US Navy photograph
Heavy Losses and a Year on the Sidelines
26 of CVW-17’s aircraft were destroyed or jettisoned, among them A-4E Bureau Numbers (BuNos) 149996, 150064, 150068, 150084, 150115, 150118, 150129, 152018, 152024, 152036, and 152040; F-4B BuNos 153046, 153054, 153060, 153061, 153066, 150069, and 150912; and RA-5C BuNos 148932, 149284, and 149305. As many as 40 additional CVW-17 aircraft were damaged. Forrestal put into Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the Philippines to make initial repairs and returned to the United State where the heavy damage to the carrier was repaired over 204 days in Norfolk. Forrestal made 14 more deployments (none to WestPac) before being retired in 1993.
Forrestal with what is left of CVW-17 on her patched deck. US Navy photograph
Bonus: Print Two of Trial By Fire
This version of the film was also uploaded to YouTube by PeriscopeFilm. There r enough subtle differences to make this version worth a look.
Crashed. Destroyed. But Never Out of the Running to Become Legendary
Boeing’s Model 299 was designed and built at the company’s expense to meet the specifications contained in a 1934 US Army Air Corps (USAAC) proposal for a multi-engine bomber to replace Martin’s B-10. The design was to be able to carry what the Air Corps referred to as a useful bomb load to an altitude of 10,000 feet for ten hours duration. The Air Corps also specified a top speed of no less than 200 miles per hour. The USAAC wanted the aircraft to be able to operate from such far-flung places as Alaska, Hawaii, and Panama.
Model 299. Image courtesy Boeing
A Hybrid Drawing
Boeing design engineers were led by E. Gifford Emery and Edward C. Wells. The design team drew what has been described as a cross between Boeing’s previous XB-15 four engine bomber prototype and the Model 247 commercial airliner. Armed with five .30 caliber machine guns and capable of lugging a 4,800 pound payload, the Model 299 was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 750 horsepower Hornet radial engines.
Model 299. US Air Force photograph
First Flight and a Legendary Moniker
The Model 299 first flew on July 28th 1935 under the controls of Boeing chief test pilot Leslie Tower. When the press got a look at the aircraft after the first flight it was dubbed “Flying Fortress.” The name stuck immediately- so much so that Boeing trademarked the moniker for the bomber. Boeing’s claim that the Model 299 would be able to continue its mission should the aircraft lose an engine would be put to the test countless times in the future, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Model 299. US Air Force photograph
Competition Winner
Pitted against the Douglas DB-1 and the Martin 146, both twin engine designs, the Model 299 flew from Seattle to Wright Field for the fly-off competition in just over nine hours at an average cruise speed of 252 miles per hour. Inevitably the Model 299 outpaced the competition at the fly-off, with the USAAC believing that the long range of the Model would better suited to the Air Corp’s planned mission requirements. The USAAC liked the Model 299 so much that even before the competition was over an order for 65 Model 299 aircraft was being considered. But the 299 was expensive. The Air Corps would get what it paid for, correct?
Model 299. Image courtesy Boeing
A Simple Mistake Leads to Tragic Loss
Development of the Model 299 continued. But on October 30th 1935, Boeing chief test pilot Leslie Tower and Army Air Corps test pilot Major Ployer Hill took the Model 299 on an evaluation flight. After takeoff the aircraft was seen to enter a steep climb and then stall, after which the aircraft nosed over and crashed, killing both Tower and Hill. Two observers were injured but survived the crash. It didn’t take long to determine the cause either: The crew forgot to remove the gust locks that immobilize the empennage control surfaces (elevators and rudder) on the ground. In neutral position the locked control surfaces allowed the Model to take off but not to maneuver.
Model 299 after crash. US Air Force photograph
Still in the Running
Of course the smoking hole in the ground that was now the Model 299 could not complete the evaluation. But the USAAC was not about to give up on the aircraft. After all, no issues had been found with aircraft itself. The accident was caused by pilot error. Though the Model was expensive compared to the twin engine designs from Douglas and Martin, it was also much more capable. That said, the USAAC went ahead and ordered the DB-1 instead of the model 299. You know the DB-1 as the Douglas B-18 Bolo (or Digby in Canadian service).
YB-17 in flight. US Air Force photograph
The Lasting Legacy of the Model 299
Boeing pondered the cause of the crash of the Model 299. They proposed a solution that is still in use today. In fact their solution can be found in just about every aircraft manufactured anywhere since World War II. You probably wouldn’t want to fly without one. Their solution? The checklist. Had the Model 299 pilots had one that day they would have removed the gust locks prior to takeoff. Checklists have evolved over the years since then to become the vitally important items to pilots everywhere they are today. Thanks to the Model 299. Oh, and one other thing. The Model was eventually redesignated Y1B-17, then YB-17, and even XB-17. But the extraordinary aircraft that was the model 299 became the deservedly legendary B-17…the Flying Fortress. But that’s another story.
B-17E Flying Fortresses in flight. US Air Force photograph
Our good friends at AirshowStuff are showing us the good stuff from Oshkosh, Wisconsin! In this first clip, a pair of US Air Force F-35A Lightning II jets arrive at EAA AirVenture 2018. These jets, assigned to the 62nd Fighter Squadron (FS) Spikes of the renowned 56th Operations Group (OG), are based at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) near Glendale in Arizona. F-35s are just plain loud, so be sure to turn your speakers up to 11 and bathe yourself in the sound of freedom! These videos were all uploaded to YouTube by AirshowStuffVideos.
Out second clip highlights jet warbird action as it looked and sounded at the Great Air Clinic at Sheboygan just before EAA AirVenture got off the ground. The clinic is an annual event that helps pilots prepare for the formation flybys they often perform at Oshkosh the following week. In this video, a pair of Aero L-39 Albatros jet trainers are seen doing some nice tight formation flying. Then a Gloster Meteor T7 trainer gets in on the action. The video is dedicated to the late Marty Tibbitts, who perished when his Venom jet crashed on July 20th.
This clip is definitely not to be missed by any Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine fan. A pair of Grumman F7F Tigercat warbirds are seen and heard performing formation flybys for the crowd at EAA AirVenture. This one was uploaded a couple of days ago, but it looks and sounds so good we just couldn’t leave it out. After the video was shot, one of the Tigercats suffered a main landing gear tire separation after landing but no damage was done to the airframe. Enjoy these rare sights and sweet sounds!
