On July 19th 2018 the Airbus A330-700XL F-WBXL took to the skies for the first time. The aircraft, more commonly referred to as the BelugaXL, took off from Toulouse-Blagnac in France at 1030 local time. The flight crew was Captain Christophe Cail, Co-Pilot Bernardo Saez-Benito Hernandez, and Test-Flight Engineer Jean Michel Pin. Additional flight test engineers were Laurent Lapierre and Philippe Foucault. The aircraft landed back at Toulouse-Blagnac at 1441 local time. This video about the BelugaXL was uploaded to YouTube by Airbus.
The BelugaXL will now undergo 600 hours of flight testing over 10 months to gain Type Certification and entry into service later in 2019. The BelugaXL program was initiated during November of 2014 to address the transport and ramp-up capacity requirements, such as the A350 XWB ramp-up and single-aisle jetliner production rate increases, for Airbus beyond 2019. The new oversize air transporters are based on the A330-200 freighter variant and share a large percentage of existing components and equipment with that aircraft.
BelugaXL via Airbus
Airbus will build a total of five A330-700XL aircraft between 2019 and 2023 to gradually replace the five BelugaST A300-600ST transporters now in service. BelugaXLs will operate from 11 locations around Europe to transport large aircraft components to final assembly plants in France and Germany. The BelugaXL is powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines. The lowered cockpit, the cargo bay structure, aft fuselage sections, and empennage were newly developed jointly with suppliers, giving the aircraft its distinctive look. Nice paint job too!
Beluga XL via Airbus
Bonus: Airbus Beluga XL Fun Facts uploaded to YouTube by Airbus.
LAS VEGAS — The Air Force Thunderbirds announced the selection of four new pilots and a medical doctor on Friday in support of their 2019 season, including the squadron’s second female solo pilot in the team’s storied history.
The Thunderbirds will launch their 66th season in March 2019 with two performances in Florida and one in Arizona. Current Thunderbird pilots Capt. Will Graeff will remain as right wing, and current opposing solo Major Matt Kimmel will move up to lead solo.
“This year’s exceptional officer applicant pool reflects the incredible degree of talent, motivation, and diversity that exists throughout our Air Force,” Thunderbirds commander Lt. Col. Kevin Walsh stated on Friday. “It was a tough selection process, but ultimately these officers rose to the top.”
Lt. Col. John Caldwell will become the Thunderbirds new commander for 2019-2020 seasons. (USAF)
The Thunderbirds will welcome a new commander for next season as Lt. Col. John “Brick” Caldwell departs Eglin Air Force Base and it’s Florida beaches for the high desert of Nevada. Lt. Col. Caldwell will replace Lt. Col. Walsh as he takes charge of the 11 officers and 120 enlisted Airmen who make up America’s Ambassadors in Blue.
In 2012, a then-Major Caldwell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his quick actions as pilot of an F-16 jet in response to several attacks on American and allied forces by the enemy while serving in Afghanistan in 2011.
Capt. Michael “Thorny” Brewer has been selected as Thunderbird 3 and right wing pilot for 2019. Capt. Brewer, who has been stationed at Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, was a commercial pilot prior to his military service, and later served overseas as an accomplished F-15 combat pilot.
Capt. Michael Brewer (center) will serve as Thunderbirds right wing pilot for the 2019 season. (USAF)
Current Thunderbird lead solo pilot in the number 5 jet, Maj. Whit Collins, will transition over to Thunderbird 4 as the new slot pilot. Collins will replace Maj. Nick Krajicek who returned to the team in April in the wake of Major Stephen Del Bagno’s tragic F-16 crash.
Capt. Michelle “Mace” Curran, currently stationed at NAS Forth Worth’s 355th Fighter Squadron, has been selected as only the fourth female pilot in Thunderbirds history and only their second female solo pilot. It’s an honor she will carry forward to her new squadron at Nellis AFB.
“There are so many strong women who have paved the way for me to be able to do what I do today,” Capt. Curran said in a 2017 Air Force interview. “From the WASPs in WWII, to the first female fighter pilot in the Air Force, Jeannie Leavitt. They have broken barriers and done great things.”
Curran, who was selected as the first female pilot in the 355th FS, enjoys the excitement of being behind the stick of an F-16 Fighting Falcon. She was promoted to F-16 instructor pilot in 2017.
“Flying was what appealed to me most when I thought ‘military’ and that is what drew me specifically to the Air Force,” Curran adds. “I think you feel most alive when you are experiencing something new and exciting, or something that takes you outside your comfort zone and maybe scares you just a little.”
The Thunderbirds advance pilot and air show narrator for next season will be Major Jason Markzon, who is currently assigned to 13th Fighter Squadron in Japan. Major Markzon will work hard this winter memorizing his script as he announces the maneuvers and behind the scenes details during each air show next year.
Lt. Col. (Dr.) Noel Colls will join the Thunderbirds in 2019 as the team’s new flight surgeon. (USAF)
The team also selected its new flight surgeon in Lt. Col. (Dr.) Noel “Tums” Colls who is currently serving at California’s Travis AFB. As Thunderbird 9, Colls will provide physical check-up of the team, as well as monitor pilot health during practices and flight demonstrations.
“The Thunderbirds are proud to welcome these leaders aboard as they assume responsibility for showcasing the pride, precision, and professionalism of more than 660,000 total force Airmen serving around the world,” Walsh added.
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
Plenty of interesting and exciting things happen every year at Farnborough. Even though there are plenty of impressive military aircraft flying displays and thrilling display team performances, everyone is talking about the demonstration flight of the latest model of an airlifter that has been in production for 64 years- Lockheed’s LM-100J Super Hercules. Soon-to-retire Lockheed Martin Chief Test Pilot Captain Wayne Roberts holds the only FAA Acrobatic Competency Card for C-130 aircraft. Watch as he expertly loops his aircraft! The video was uploaded to YouTube by C-130 MRO. Impressed yet? Bonus videos await after the story below.
The LM-100J (Model 382J) is a derivative of the C-130J-30 Super Hercules. 16 nations currently operate the aircraft. LM-100J operators benefit from years of C-130J operational experience, including more than 1.2 million in the air. The first LM-100J was built in 2016 from components assembled at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics plants in Marietta in Georgia, Meridian in Mississippi, and Clarksburg in West Virginia, with final assembly taking place at Marietta.
LM-100J via YouTube video capture
The LM-100J made its debut during early 2017. Lockheed Martin builds on those 64 years of Hercules experience. Like the C-130, the LM-100J can operate from short, unprepared airfields without ground support equipment. It requires minimal material handling equipment and enables rapid onload and offload at truck-bed height. Growth provisions built into the LM-100J will enable it to support a variety of future missions including aerial spray, aerial firefighting and delivery, medevac/air ambulance, humanitarian aid and VIP transport.
LM-100J via YouTube video capture
The LM-100J is the modern commercial version of a C-130
The LM-100J boasts a modern two-pilot cockpit, CNS/ATM compliant integrated digital avionics, an integrated Head-Up Display (HUD), new engines and propellers yielding more power in high field elevations/hot temperatures, increased block speed, reduced fuel consumption, increased gross weight/payload, automated maintenance and fault reporting, reduced maintenance per flight hour, and superior dispatch reliability. Lockheed Martin’s list of roles for the aircraft includes oversized cargo transport, oil dispersion/aerial spraying, oil and gas exploration, mining logistics operations, aerial fire fighting, aerial delivery, medevac/air ambulance, humanitarian relief operations, VIP and personnel transport, austere field operations, and search and rescue (SAR).
LM-100J vie Lockheed Martin
Bonus: These videos of the first LM-100J were uploaded to YouTube by Lockheed Martin Videos.
News out of the UK from the Royal international Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the founder of airlines WestJet and JetBlue among others, David Neeleman, has committed to purchase as many as 60 Airbus A220-300 jetliners for a new and as yet unnamed airline. The deal is worth up to $5.4 billion at list price- almost certainly less after incentives and discounts. Still, the deal definitely boosts confidence in the viability of Airbus’ newest jetliner.
A220-300 flight deck via Airbus
As we reported earlier this month when Airbus introduced the rebranded Bombardier C Series jetliners, Airbus had anticipated some A220 sales would come their way from the RIAT attendees. The first large commitment for the A220-300 was by JetBlue, founded by Neeleman, for 60 A220-300s with options for an additional 60 of the re-branded jetliners. His new venture, dubbed Moxy in marketing materials, will serve thinner markets but with a level of comfort not previously enjoyed by passengers usually traveling to places like Providence, Orlando Sanford, St. Petersburg in Florida, Phoenix-Mesa, Newburgh/Stewart in New York, and Trenton. Certainly not a complete list, but you get the idea.
A220-300 via Airbus
Neeleman has quite a history in the airline business. He helped get charter operator Morris Air off the ground in 1984, Morris Air was acquired by Southwest in 1993. Then in 1996 Neeleman was one of the founders of WestJet, which grew to become what is now Canada’s second largest airline. Next up Neeleman founded New Air in 1999, which became JetBlue. Still swinging for the fences, Neeleman launched Azul Brazilian Airlines in 2008. Still CEO of Azul, Neeleman has an ownership stake in the expanded and updated TAP Air Portugal. Industry observers agree Moxy is in good hands.
A220-300 via Airbus
Neeleman commented, “After years of U.S. airline consolidation, the conditions are improving for a new generation of U.S. airline to emerge, focused on passenger service and satisfaction. The A220 will enable us to serve thinner routes in comfort without compromising cost, especially on longer-range missions. With deliveries starting in 2021, we will have ample time to assemble a world-class management team and another winning business model.”
A220-300 via Airbus
Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Eric Schulz commented, “This U.S. airline startup’s decision for the A220 as the platform on which to launch their new business model is a testament to the passenger appeal and operating economics of this outstanding aircraft. This commitment confirms the important role the A220 aircraft now occupies in our Airbus single-aisle portfolio.”
The US Navy Blue Angel’s dedicated airlift support aircraft, Lockheed Martin KC-130T Bureau Number (BuNo) 164763/CN 5258, or simply Fat Albert to many, performed for an airshow crowd for the first time in over a year on July 14th 2018 at the Pensacola Beach Air Show. The veteran Blue Angel aircraft, flown by an all-Marine Corps crew, had served with the team since 2002 but was grounded along with the remaining KC-130T model Hercules transports after a Marine Corps C-103T crash in Mississippi during 2017, Fat Albert flew for the first time in over a year on June 26th. Video of the flight was uploaded to YouTube by AviationFreak#1
The Blue Angels have used C-130s as their support airlifters since 1970. Their previous C-130 Fat Albert was TC-130G BuNo 151891 and CN 3878, an aircraft that had been assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron FOUR (VX-4) and to the Naval AirTest Center (NATC) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Maryland before heading to the Blues in 1991. During 1997 151891 was extensively overhauled. While the aircraft was being reworked, US Marine Corps KC-130T BuNo 163310/CN 5085, usually assigned to Marine Aerial Refueling Transport Squadron TWO THREE FOUR (VMGR-234) Rangers, was utilized by the Blues as a support airlifter. This “gray” KC-130T was nicknamed Ernie by the Blues maintainers.
Fat Albert in flight via US Navy
Because the Blue Angles’ Fat Albert flight crew have not been able to train or rehearse a full show performance in over a year, the fan favorite only performed a couple of flat passes for the delighted Pensacola Beach crowd the first time back- but Fat Albert still stole the show. Reporting indicates that a surplus Royal Air Force (RAF) C-130J C5 (short fuselage) Hercules is in line to be the next Fat Albert. A C-130J would be a major performance envelope and maintenance workload upgrade over the decrepit KC-130T. Those KC-130Ts still in service are some of the most elderly Hercules variants out there.
Fat Albert high speed pass via US Navy
BONUS: The entire Blue Angels performance at Pensacola Beach 2018 was uploaded to YouTube by AviationFreak#1
When This First KC-135A Rolled Out, the last KC-97 Was Waiting to Welcome It
On July 18th 1955 the first Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker(AF serial 55-3118/CN 17234) dubbed “The City of Renton” rolled off the assembly line at Boeing. Boeing would go on to build another 731 of them for the US Air Force, but 55-3118 was a special aircraft with a special history. Ironically when 55-3118 was rolled out of the factory, the last Boeing KC-97L Stratofreighter (AF serial 53-3816/CN 17149) was there next to it. The jet is now on display along with a Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber at McConnell Air Force Base (AFB) near Wichita in Kansas since its retirement in 1998. 55-3118- the very first KC-135A Stratotanker, never flew a refueling mission! Bet you didn’t see that one coming.
Rollout of 55-3118 the first KC-135A via US Air Force
A Career in Evaluation and Testing
After 55-3118 took to the skies for the first time on August 31st 1956, the jet was accepted by the Air Force on January 24th 1957. The aircraft then went to Edwards AFB in California for USAF acceptance testing for nearly a year. In early 1958 the Air Force loaned 55-3118 back to Boeing for them to do testing with the airframe in order to improve the KC-135s being built as quickly as Boeing could rivet, bolt, and screw them together. 55-3118 helped improve every other KC-135 that came after that first Stratotanker roll out.
EC-135K 55-3118 while serving with TAC via US Air Force
Still Testing After All Those Years
Between 1958 and 1960 55-3118 flew test flights for Boeing. Then during July of 1960 the jet was transferred to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma for re-installation of its military equipment post-Boeing test. From there it was on to Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio for duty with the Air Force Flight Test Division. 55-3118 was transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) on January 21st 1961 and was promptly modified to the EC-135K specification in 1962. The jet spent the next 16 years with the 18th Airborne Command and Control Squadron (ACCS) out of Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina as the personal transport for the TAC commander. 55-3118 supported TAC deployments all over the world between 1962 and 1978.
55-3118 on display at McConnell AFB via US Air Force
The General’s Personal Transport
During those years with the 18th ACCS, 55-3118 did something unique. In 1971 the jet flew Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to China on a secret mission to prepare for President Richard Nixon’s historic first visit. It was Kissinger who made the first personal diplomatic contact with China since the Cold War began. Between 1978 and 1996 the aircraft served with the 8th Tactical Deployment Squadron of the 552nd Air Control Wing out of Tinker AFB in Oklahoma. In 1982 53-3118 received TF33-PW-103 turbofan engines at Tinker AFB. In 1996 the aircraft was transferred to the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews AFB in Maryland. 55-3118 was converted back to standard KC-135A specifications before being placed on display as a gate guardian at McConnell in 1998.
55-3118 on display at McConnell AFB via US Air Force
Lead Sled Was Not McDonnell’s Favorite Moniker for Their First Swept Wing Fighter
As Tim the Tool Man Taylor might quip, this thing would be better with more power. McDonnell’s F3H Demon fighter jet was intended to replace the previous F2H Banshee, which was a replacement for the McDonnell FH Phantom. The F4H Phantom II was the next and last McDonnell design before the merger with Douglas and drew heavily on the Demon’s design. We all know how that turned out! The Demon was developed in the days of inadequate jet engine thrust, and it paid the ultimate price for the timing of its development. The Demon was in service with the United States Navy for only eight years, between 1956 and 1964. To understand the Demon, one must go all the way back to 1949.
F3H-2 via US Navy
Engine Tech Lagged Behind the Aerodynamics of the Day
Ironically the Demon’s primary competition for a contract during development was the Douglas F4D Skyray. The Skyray (when powered by the Pratt & Whitney J57 engine) outperformed the Demon and was a delta winged design capable of Mach 1 speed in level flight. The Demon was the first McDonnell fighter design drawn with swept wings from its inception as opposed to being designed with straight wings and adapted for swept wings later. Like every aerospace contractor building jets for the military in those days, McDonnell just couldn’t find enough get up and go in the thrust department for the F3H.
F3H-1N via US Navy
EEK! Not the Westinghouse J40!
Initially the Demon was powered by a single Westinghouse J40 engine. This was a design departure for McDonnell as all of their previous fighter products for the Navy were powered by twin engines. In single engine fighter designs that single engine must be powerful, reliable, and relatively economical. The J40 was none of those things. The J40 was the same engine Douglas tried to power their twin engine A3D Skywarrior for the Navy. Words like disastrous, abysmal, calamitous, dreadful, and unfortunately fatal have been used to describe the J40. The Skywarrior ended up with Pratt & Whitney J57 engines and went on to make history. The Demon…well, not so much.
F3H-1N via US Navy
No Choice No Option
Douglas experienced a similar problem with the Skyray but overcame it by powering the F4D with the J57. The engine chosen to power the F3H was not entirely up to McDonnell. The Navy specified the J40 for the Demon. At the time, the Navy had nothing with which to counter the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15. In fact the Navy was so concerned about the MiG-15 that they decided to award a contract for the F3H-1N even before the XF3H-1 flew for the first time- powered by a J40 engine, during August of 1951. The Navy went so far as to award a contract to Temco in Dallas to license build an additional 100 Demons. Operational Demons did not begin evaluation until January of 1953. And those evaluations were deadly.
XF3H-1 via US Navy
And…We’re (Finally) Grounded
Eight of the 60 early production F3H-1N aircraft powered by the J40 engine were involved in Class A (read really bad or total loss) mishaps. 25 of them never even got off the ground. The aircraft were grounded entirely when the tote board got to six aircraft totally destroyed and four pilots killed. The remaining F3H-1N Demon airframes were ingnominiously relegated to being taken apart and put back together at technical training schools for airframe mechanics and other maintainers. A proposed F3H-1P photo reconnaissance variant, also to be powered by the J40 engine, was cancelled outright. Finally and mercifully in 1955 the J40 program was discontinued.
F3H via US Navy
Different But Not All That Much Better
So where did that leave the Demon? The best engine solution available at the time was the J57. Hands down. But J57s were too big to fit into the F3H’s fuselage without major surgery. The replacement for the J40 ended up being the Allison J71-A-2- the same engine that (under) powered the Douglas B-66 Destroyer for the Air Force. Demons powered by J71 engines were designated F3H-2N. These were no trusty steeds either, experiencing not only engine reliability problems (flameouts and compressor stalls), but also ejection seat reliability problems. The F3H-2N, first flown in 1954, was plagued by engine problems for its entire existence. Fortunately the adoption of the Martin-Baker Mark 4 ejection seat largely resolved the seat reliability issues.
F3H-2N via US Navy
For the Rest of the Demon Story (and a Short Video) Bang NEXT PAGE Below
The Guys Who Fly This Behemoth Call It The World’s Largest Super Soaker
The development effort around the very large aerial tanker (VLAT) 747 Global Super Tanker (GST) began in 200 after two aerial firefighting tankers were lost a month apart. The Lockheed C-130A Hercules airlifter (tanker #130- registered as N130HP) experienced a catastrophic failure of the wing center section which caused the aircraft to roll inverted and crashed killing all three crew members on board near Walker in California. The World War II-vintage former Navy Consolidated P4Y-2 Privateer patrol bomber Bureau Number (BuNo) 66260 (tanker #123- registered as N7620C) experienced a failure of the left side wing spar next to the fuselage, causing the wing to separate from the aircraft and initiating a fuel fire. The aircraft crashed near Estes Park in Colorado killing both crew members on board. These mishaps prompted calls for newer and better aerial firefighting tankers and better maintenance of existing airframes.
By Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Bird Strike in the Orient
The 747 Global Super Tanker (now tanker #944- registration N744ST) began its life as a Boeing 747-446/BCF (CN25308/885) with Japan Airlines registered as JA8086 in 1991. On March 14th 2009 the aircraft was forced to divert to Shangahi Pu Dong (PVG) airport after taking off from Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) bound for Tokyo Haneda (HND) as JAL flight 8878. Upon landing it was discovered that one of the engines had ingested a bird. After flying for another year with JAL, JA8086 was retired and later acquired by Evergreen International Aviation.
By Golf Bravo [Attribution], from Wikimedia Commons
Parked at Pinal Airpark
Evergreen registered the aircraft as N492EV and operated the jet between 2012 and 2013 as tanker #947. The aircraft was the first-400 series aerial firefighting tanker. When Evergreen went bankrupt in December of 2013, N492EV was stored at Pinal Airpark in Marana Arizona. The airframe languished there until 2016, when Global Supertanker Services LLC (GSS) acquired the aircraft and installed the tank and spraying system from a previous 747 tanker in the aircraft.
GST at McClellan via Twitter/Cecile Juliette KHSL
Super Soaker Indeed
Now known as tanker #944, registered as N744ST and named The Spirit of John Muir, the 747 GST is equipped with a pressurized liquid drop system, which can disperse up to 19,200 gallons of retardant under high pressure in one drop or segmented drops or drop retardant at the speed of falling rain. Using the pressurized system, the aircraft can deliver retardant from altitudes as low as 400 feet and as high as 800 feet while flying a slow as 160 miles per hour. The retardant is dropped via four large diameter ports located on the fuselage centerline just aft of the wing trailing edge.
GST dropping retardant via YouTube
A True Multi-Mission Tanker
Other capabilities of the 747 GST include variable retardant coverage levels ranging from CL-2 to CL-8, the ability to land with a full load of retardant, and the ability to disperse fire retardant, firefighting foam, gel, or plain old dihydrogen monoxide. The 747 GST is the only VLAT approved by the USDA for oil spill remediation. A standard firefighting mission fuel load provides up to four hours of endurance, while ground reloading time is only 30 minutes. The 747 GST requires a runway no less than 8,000 feet. The aircraft is usually based out of Sacramento McClellan Airport- the former McClellan Air Force Base. The 747 GST has deployed as far away as Israel and Chile.
This video introducing the 747 GST was uploaded to YouTube by CBS News
This Loud and Proud COD Aircraft Defined the Breed and Served for More than 30 Years
Before Grumman’s TF-1 Trader began flying Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) hops with the United States Navy in 1956, the company’s single engine TBM-3R Avengers were modified and tasked with carrying freight and personnel from shore bases out to aircraft carriers at sea. As an offshoot of the Grumman S2F-1 Tracker, the Trader was a far more capable COD platform than the Avenger. With high-mounted wings and twin engines, Grumman was able to modify the Tracker fuselage to increase internal volume without having to draw up a completely new aircraft. When the aircraft designation system was overhauled in 1962, the Trader was re-designated C-1A.
USS Lexington C-1A COD at NNAM Pensacola. Photo by the author
Anatomy of a Great COD Aircraft
Other modifications made to Traders included a double aft fuselage door large enough to allow the Trader to haul bulkier items weighing up to 3,500 pounds total, up to nine removable rearward-facing passenger seats, additional fuselage windows, configurable rail-mounted internal bulkheads, and life raft stowage/cargo compartments built into the interiors of extended engine nacelles accessed via hatches located adjacent to the fuselage. Easily distinguished from Trackers by the shape of the fuselage alone, the two aircraft shared wing and empennage designs and were powered by the same Wright R-1820-82WA Cyclone 9-cylinder radial piston engines developing 1,525 horsepower each.
VR-24 TF-1. Official US Navy photograph
US Navy Postal Service at Sea
Unlike many Navy aircraft, Traders weren’t given a variety of derisive nicknames. They were usually called The Cod, Codfish, and occasionally Mailman of the Fleet. When loaded up with mail and freight the C-1A was capable of about 900 miles range at a cruising speed of 130 knots (150 miles per hour). Traders plied routes from Navy shore installations to aircraft carriers all over the world. The first squadron to employ the new COD was Fleet Tactical Support Squadron TWO FOUR (VR-24) World’s Biggest Little Airline supporting Sixth Fleet carriers in the Mediterranean. VR-24 was based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Port Lyautey in Morocco with detachments at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Naples in Italy and NAS Rota in Spain beginning in March of 1956.
VR-24 C-1A wearing Christmas colors. Official US Navy photograph
That Ubiquitous Codfish
VR-21 Pineapple Express began supporting Seventh Fleet carriers in the Pacific from NAS Barbers Point in Hawaii with detachments at NAS North Island and NAS Alameda in California and Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi in Japan later in 1956. A VR-21 Trader delivered a Westinghouse J34 turbojet engine to the Essex-class carrier USS Yorktown (CVS-10) in 1958, signaling a new era in COD capability. Although Grumman only built 87 Traders, it seemed as if there were more of them around because they were so ubiquitous.
C-1A on deck. Official US Navy photograph
Training for Electronic Warfare
In the era of versatility that was the 1950s and 1960s, Traders were adapted for a number of additional roles. Four airframes were modified for electronic warfare (EW) training and designated TF-1Q (later EC-1A). These aircraft were festooned with lumps, bumps, and extra antennae all connected to the radar and radio jammers, electronic counter measures (ECM) receiving units and pulse analyzers, directions finders, and warning receivers stuffed inside. Chaff dispensers were carried on underwing pylons. Crewed by two pilots and three ECM operators, these were the Navy’s first dedicated EW training platforms. Two EC-1As were nominally based at NAS Alameda on the west coast and the other two usually flew out of NAS Quonset Point on the east coast.
EC-1As of VAW-33. Official US Navy photograph
For the rest of the Stoof story, bang NEXT PAGE below
EAA AirVenture 2018 is just around the corner. The week long celebration of aviation in all its forms at Oshkosh in Wisconsin begins July 23rd 2018 and will conclude (all too soon) on July 29th. Scheduled airshow performers include the Geico Skytypers, Patty Wagstaff, Sean Tucker, Skip Stewart, Gene Soucy with wingwalker Teresa Stokes, the Patriot Parachute Team, the Red Bull Air Force, Kirby Chambliss, the Canadian Harvard Aerobatic Team, the AeroShell Aerobatic Team, and many more. This airshow compilation, edited together and uploaded to YouTube by our good friends at AirshowStuffVideos, should fix your jones for AirVenture airshows until Oshkosh is your location instead of you destination.
Some of the planned airshow events include flybys by a Boeing 757, a special Royal Air Force 100th Anniversary formation flight, USAF Heritage flights with an F-16 Viper and a P-51 Mustang, USAF C-17 Globemaster III and E-4B Nightwatch National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP) aircraft, and of course daily Warbirds of America-organized T-6 Texan, T-28 Trojan, and T-34 Mentor formation flybys and performances by parachutists, stunt pilots, and much more.
Heritage Flight photo by Patrick Barron via AirshowStuff
Current military aircraft in attendance will include tankers, airlifters, fighters, helicopters…just about every piece of current military hardware will be there. Celebrating the Year of the Tanker (70th anniversary of Air Force Reserve Command [AFRC]), aerial refueling displays will be flown by HC-130N Combat King, KC-10A Extender and KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft. B-1B Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress bombers will perform flybys along with A-10 Warthogs, F-15 Eagles, F-16 Vipers, F-22 Raptors, and F-35 Lightning IIs.
F-22 via US Air Force
US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers will perform as part of the Year of the Tanker celebration as well. Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs, T-45 Goshawks, the oldest Navy aircraft, the U-1 Otter, and the NASA S-3 Viking will all be in attendance. Army aircraft at AirVenture will include the AH-64 Apache, MH-47G Chinook, and a C-12 Huron. The US Marine Corps will show off their MC-12W Liberty intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform. The US Coast Guard will bring their MH-65D Dolphin and MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters to Oshkosh 2018.
MH-47G via US Army National Guard
BONUS: Another video uploaded by AirshowStuffVideos, this several hour-long compilation depicts arrivals and departures at AirVenture 2017- a big part of the experience. Enjoy!
Pilots Manned These Trusty Loaded-Down OV-10 Bronco Steeds and Did Battle Down in the Weeds
The story of the OV-10 Bronco actually begins in 1960 with a couple of guys (Marine Corps Majors W.H. Beckett and K.P. Rice) getting together out in the desert and brainstorming a concept study for a small, lightweight, rugged close air support (CAS) aircraft that could be forward deployed with and operated near troops on the ground, capable of extended loiter times, powered by turbine engines, and carry center-mounted internal guns with ordnance carrying flexibility.
Their well-received concept, dubbed VMA, was published and then-Colonel Beckett retired from the Marine Corps and went to work with North American Aircraft (NAA).
OV-10A. Official US Marine Corps photograph
A Tough Set of Requirements
Fast forward to 1963. In that year the Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) specification seemed like an impossible set of requirements. The Tri-Service (Air Force/Navy/Marines) LARA was to be a twin-engine, two place aircraft capable of carrying 2,400 pounds of cargo or six paratroopers or stretchers. In an armed recon aircraft?
It had to be capable of operating from aircraft carriers without any provisions for catapult launch or arrested landing. The LARA was also required to be capable of at least 300 knots (350 miles per hour) airspeed and short takeoff and landing (STOL) performance yielding a takeoff run of 800 feet.
Air Force (foreground) and Marine Corps (background) OV-10As. Image courtesy Boeing
Convertible to an Amphibian?
Also required were flexible armament configurations, beginning with four internal 7.62 millimeter (.30 caliber) machine guns with 500 rounds per gun.
External ordnance requirements included the ability to tote drop tanks, 7.62 and 20 millimeter Gatling gun pods, unguided rocket pods, and even the AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking air-to-air missiles- all this while operating from austere forward bases or roads with minimal heavy maintenance availability. Oh, I almost forgot- The aircraft had to be convertible to an amphibian! The LARA was one tough nut to crack.
OV-10As. Official US Air Force photograph
Playing the Field
Plenty of companies trotted out LARA contenders though. Grumman proposed a tandem seat derivative of their in-service OV-1 Mohawk. Other proposals included the all-plastic Goodyear GA 39 seaplane fighter with over-wing pod-mounted engines on struts.
The Beechcraft PD-183, Douglas D-855, Helio 1320, and Lockheed CL-760 were all more or less conventional twin engine single tail designs. The Martin proposal was a twin-boom, single-fuselage design with an inverted V tail and exhaust ducted through the booms. The Hiller K16, General Dynamics/Convair Model 48 Charger, and the North American/Rockwell NA-300 were all similar in appearance. In fact the Charger and the NA-300 were very similar aircraft.
YOV-1A. Official US Air Force photograph
North American Wins by a Nose
But the North American NA-300, probably as least in part thanks to the participation of “plank owner” Beckett, won the competition in October of 1964. GD/Convair built a prototype of the Charger under protest of the decision.
The North American NA-300 first flew as the YOV-10A on July 16th 1965. Performance of both aircraft was similar, with the edge actually going to the Charger in some areas. Comparisons between the Charger and what would become the Bronco became moot when the Charger crashed during October of 1965.
Convair Model 48 Charger. Image courtesy GD/Convair
Multi-Mission Juggernaut
The Bronco actually resembled the VMA concept except in scale. With a 40 foot wingspan and weighing in at just under 6,900 pounds empty, the Bronco was still a manifestly small aircraft for the time. Missions assigned to the aircraft were armed reconnaissance, forward air control (FAC), tactical airborne observation, ground attack, and helicopter escort (CSAR).
Broncos also flew sorties tasked with artillery and naval gunfire spotting, aerial photography, and aerial radiological reconnaissance. The ability to carry and drop personnel by parachute was utilized many times by various dark agencies referred to by three letter acronyms. LW-3B zero-zero ejection seats and dual flight controls made these trusty Bronco steeds more survivable.
OV-10A warbird. Official US Navy photograph
Like Nothing Else in the Skies
Broncos are unmistakable in their appearance. A central nacelle contains the pilots, fixed machine guns located in fuselage mounted sponsons, and the cargo and personnel area aft of the pilots. The two Garrett T76-G-416/417 turboprop engines are mounted forward on the twin booms, with a high-mounted horizontal stabilizer/elevator connecting the vertical stabilizers on the aft ends of each boom.
Broncos carried their ordnance slung under the fuselage or the underwing racks installed later in their careers, including the ubiquitous unguided rocket pods, bombs, various gun pods, flares, and Air Delivered Seismic Intrusion Detector Sensor (ADSIDS) unattended seismic sensors for the Igloo White program.
OV-10A. Official US Air Force photograph
Internationally Renowned
If the OV-10 Bronco had a deficiency it would be those Garrett turboprop engines. The aircraft was underpowered especially when loaded down with ordnance. Operational ceilings were lower than planned simply because the aircraft couldn’t lug its own weight above about 18,000 feet. Later Bronco variants were powered by uprated engines and pulled along by larger and four-bladed propellers.
In addition to the United States Air Force, Marines, and Navy, the forces of Columbia, Germany, Indonesia, Morocco, the Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela flew military variants of the OV-10 Bronco. The US Department of State Air Wing, the US Bureau of Land Management, The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal-Fire) have flown Broncos as well.
Atlantic City’s Once Bustling Airport Looks Back on More Than 100 Years of Aviation History
Bader Field was not the first airstrip, airfield, or aerodrome. But on 3 May 1918 the term municipal “air-port” was first used in a newspaper article written by Robert Woodhouse describing the airfield adjacent to Atlantic City as that city’s destination for the famous Traymore Hotel’s Flying Limousine seaplane service between Atlantic City and New York City. The facility first opened in 1910 and aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss began passenger service from the field in 1911. The airfield was also the first municipal airfield with facilities for both land-based aircraft and seaplanes. Arctic explorer Admiral Robert E. Peary was a founding member of the committee sponsoring the airfield.
Curtiss Model F. Image in public domain
Of Airships and Dirigibles
Even before the field was called an airport, Atlantic City was quite the aviation hotspot. In October of 1910 explorer Walter Wellman made the first attempt to fly cross the Atlantic from the resort in a dirigible named America. He and his crew were rescued more than 71 hours into an unsuccessful first attempt. Wellman’s crew member Melvin Vaniman was killed along with his entire crew during another attempt to cross the Atlantic in the dirigible Akron during 1912. Another Akron airship, the 733 foot long helium filled rigid airship USS Akron (XRS-4) crashed in the Atlantic City area the night of April 3rd/4th 1933.
Walter Wellman’s America dirigible. Image in public domain
Air Carnivals and Record-Setting
Atlantic City sponsored one of the first Air Carnivals in 1910. Lasting ten days, the event spawned several aviation records including Walter Brookins’ altitude record (6,175 feet) and Glenn Curtiss’ speed record covering 50 miles in 74 minutes- a blistering 39 miles per hour! Glenn Curtiss also dropped oranges from his airplane for accuracy, demonstrating his “bombing” prowess. These Air Carnivals were regular occurrences during the early 1900s on the Jersey shore. The first news bulletin dropped from the air was made over Atlantic City in September of 1919 to announce the arrival of a Navy Curtiss NC-4 seaplane after a transoceanic trip.
Glenn Curtiss and one of his amphibians. Image in public domain
Pride of Atlantic City Makes Record Flight
Atlantic City Municipal airport was purchased by the city and named Bader Field in 1922 after Edward L. Bader, Atlantic City’s mayor from 1920 to 1927. The airport hosted some of the nation’s first privately owned aircraft- many of them flown by local businessmen. On July 17th 1933 Dr. Albert Forsythe and C. Alfred Anderson became the first black men to make a round trip transcontinental flight. They took off from Bader Field and navigated to Los Angeles and back using only by an altimeter and a map and without lighting or a radio in their aircraft. When they returned to Bader Field in their aircraft named Pride of Atlantic City they were honored with a parade. The popularity of Atlantic City and Bader Field’s close proximity to the resort town kept the airport busy.
Ryan NYP. Image in public domain
Spirit of St. Louis and Aviation Luminaries
Even Charles Lindbergh landed his famous Ryan model NYP Spirit of St. Louis at Bader Field after his historic solo flight across the Atlantic. In 1931 Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhart all celebrated the formation of Eastern Airlines at Bader Field. Also in 1931, stunt pilot William Swann used a rocket to launch his glider and flew over 1,000 feet at 100 feet altitude from Bader Field. His flight was a publicity stunt for Atlantic City’s famed Steel Pier, but jet assisted takeoff (JATO) and rocket assisted takeoff (RATO) were used for many years to augment thrust for aircraft trying to slip those surly bonds and get into the blue.
William Swann and his rocket-powered glider. Image in public domain.
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