Home Blog Page 170

Retirement In Sight For Virgin America–And That Is Ok

Joe Vaeth
-
0
Retirement In Sight For Virgin America–And That Is Ok

An Avgeek recounts Virgin America’s professionalism on the day Alaska announced that the brand will be retired.

On 21 March I had the pleasure of flying on the red tail of a Virgin America Airbus 320. It was this avgeeks dream come true. With their mood lit cabins, leather seats with large screens that boast a vast array of entertainment options and in-seat ordering options for inflight meals and beverages Virgin America’s birds are unlike any other rides in the sky.

I was commuting from LAX to SEA and this was the first available flight, so I made my way over to Terminal 3, up the escalator through the KCM portal to the Virgin America gate agent’s counter. I inquired politely if there would be room for me on the flight. “Yes, there would be” came the response, “and make sure to introduce yourself to the flight crew.”

I was surprised although it is common courtesy for a jumpseating crew member to introduce one’s self to the crew it was not typical of a standard non-rev, most Captains expect me to take my seat in the back with minimal fuss and disruption to the flow of the operation. However, in this case we had time and I was encouraged to reach out. When I did the Flight Attendants, First Officer and Captain all took a moment to give me a personal heartfelt welcome. I was impressed and took the opportunity to learn more about what they appreciated most about flying for Virgin.

I learned from the crew that they were excited to see their airline growing. They expressed high expectations for the future and a drive to build the West Coast’s premiere airline. Earlier that day Alaska Air Group the parent company announced the decision to retire the Virgin brand in 2019.
The flight and cabin crew expressed pride in their aircraft/amenities and all the perks they appreciated being able to provide for their customers, which for this avgeek included a ginger-ale, protein plate, and the “Hail-Merry” brownies – all ordered from my seat back display.
There was a lot for them to be proud of and I enjoyed every minute of my “mood-lit ride” to Seattle.

A bright future

Alaska Virgin hero no text FINAL

Now that two airlines have been combined to make one. Alaska and Virgin America are award winning carriers at the top of their class.

The Alaska team has been one of the most beloved airlines in America for decades now. They continue to top the ranks of all the U.S. major airlines for customer satisfaction. This week it was just announced that Alaska won the JD Power Award for the 10th year in a streak that has now lasted a decade and they are still the #1 airline in the Wall Street Journal rankings. Virgin has been winning awards in the luxury travel class for years as most namely the Conde Nast Traveler – Business and Reader’s Choice awards – Best Domestic airline for eight consecutive years and the Travel + Leisure Best Domestic Airline for nine consecutive years.

“Our colleagues at Virgin America built something truly amazing over the past decade, and it’s our goal to honor what they achieved while taking it one step further.”

Alaska sees this merger as a growth opportunity. Unlike other airline mergers were the value was increased through hub closures and service reductions, Alaska is touting more flights, more rewards, and more to love. The airline sees future growing in California and they have announced that they will not be closing any hubs. Alaska also has plans to build brand new lounges in San Francisco and at New York’s JFK airport.

Make flying fun

virgin cabin

Virgin America became the place travelers flocked to in search of an air of fun and nostalgia while experiencing the cutting edge trends and technology that were reshaping air travel. They were the first airline to challenge Southwest’s dominance at with their #FreeLoveField campaign. They airlifted Chihuahuas from California to New York annually and they will be forever remembered for their splashy route launch campaigns as Richard Branson paraded through terminals across the U.S. with a train of Vegas showgirls, hula dancers, cowgirls, puppies, mascots, governors, mayors, musicians, stars and red clad inflight team members.

The rest of industry has been trying to keep pace with the innovations that Virgin America brought to the market place. This airline made improvements to the flying experience that every other major carrier is now emulating, fleet wide wifi, seatback displays, power charging outlets at every seat, entertainment offerings, chef-inspired menus, a new attitude toward guest comfort and amenities. They reminded us that flying is fun and that the airline company that deserves our business is one that celebrates its ability to serve its guests.

Virgin America has earned herself a special place in U.S. aviation history.

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts-off from Kennedy Space Center with Inmarsat 5 F4

Charles Atkeison
-
0
SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts-off from Kennedy Space Center with Inmarsat 5 F4

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A high-speed broadband spacecraft designed to increase advanced data services to remote maritime and aviation locations lifted off on Monday from America’s Space Coast.

Inmarsat 5 F4 Global Xpress satellite will expand high-speed broadband connectivity across the planet with Ka-Band service. The $240 million spacecraft will soon join a fleet of three fifth-generation telecommunications satellites in geo-stationary orbit.

space1
Source: SpaceX

Built by Boeing in El Segundo, California, the global communications spacecraft has twin solar arrays for a combined 42 meters — longer than that of a Boeing 737 aircraft. Inmarsat is scheduled to operate on orbit for approximately 15 years.

“It’s been a great afternoon and evening out at Kennedy Space Center,” stated John Insprucker, SpaceX principal integration engineer, minutes following the craft release into space. “We counted down with excellent weather; launched right on time — the first stage did great, the second stage went through two burns just as planned. Now, we’ve topped it off with the separation of Inmarsat 5 F4 for our Inmarsat customer.”

A flawless countdown lead the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Falcon 9 to ignite it’s nine Merlin engines on time, launching from the Kennedy Space Center’s historic pad 39-A at 7:21 p.m. EDT. The white candlestick soared straight up and into the light blue clear skies before it began to veer toward the eastern horizon.

space2
Source: SpaceX

Ninety-seconds later, the two-stage rocket was rapidly gaining speed and altitude as it passed Mach 1 high above the Atlantic waters.

Spacecraft separation from the rocket’s second stage was met by a thunderous applause in the SpaceX mission control room located in Hawthorne, California, 32 minutes after the rocket leapt from the launch pad.

“We’ve had confirmation of spacecraft separation,” Insprucker relayed at 7:53 p.m. from the Hawthorne center. “We did hear the launch director out at the launch complex 39A.”

Minutes after the separation, Inmarsat confirmed that they could communicate with 5 F4, and that the craft was a good health. It will take the spacecraft nearly three months arrive at its precise location 22,300 miles above the earth.

“From here Inmarsat 5 F4 will be maneuvered to its geostationary orbit, 35,786 km above Earth, where it will deploy its solar arrays and reflectors and undergo intensive payload testing before beginning commercial service,” Inmarsat Corp. stated following the successful launch.

The next launch for SpaceX is planned for June 1 from America’s Spaceport with the 11th Dragon resupply cargo craft bound for the International Space Station. Launch time is schedule for about 6:00 p.m.

(Charles Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)

Operation Chastise: The Dambusters Made a Mess of German Dams

Bill Walton
-
0
Operation Chastise: The Dambusters Made a Mess of German Dams

It Turned Out the Backspin Was the Key to Busting Dams With Big Depth Charges.

On May 16th 1943, Royal Air Force (RAF) Avro Lancaster B Mark III Special bombers of 617 Squadron began Operation Chastise as dambusters against the Germans. Over the course of the attacks the Mohne and Edersee dams were breached and the Sorpe dam was damaged. Two hydroelectric power stations were destroyed and several more were damaged. The resultant flooding heavily damaged or removed much of the residential and industrial infrastructure located in the Ruhr and Eder valleys.

Targeted Even Before the War

The RAF had determined that the Ruhr valley, or more specifically the steel and mining industries located therein, was a strategic target even before World War II commenced in Europe. In addition the fresh water provided by the dams was used for drinking water and for the canal system used to transport German war materials. An effective method for attacking the dams had to be engineered by the RAF. Enter one Barnes Wallis.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command 1942 1945. IWMFLM2341

It’s All In the Backspin

Wallis was the Assistant Chief Designer at Vickers Aircraft. In theory a relatively small explosive charge would cause a breach in a dam if it exploded underwater against the wall of the dam. The Germans had erected torpedo nets to protect the dams from conventional torpedoes and standard bombs could not be dropped with the necessary precision. Wallis and his team decided a bomb shaped like a depth-charge could be dropped from low altitude some distance from the dam. The bomber would induce backspin on the bomb, causing it to skip across the surface of the water- right over the German torpedo nets.

Avro Lancaster 298

Low and Slow on the Bomb Run

When the bomb (code named Upkeep) reached the dam, it was theorized that because the device would likely still be spinning it would sink along the surface of the dam until its hydrostatic fuse detonated the device 30 under water. The bomber dropping the device would be forced to fly a low-altitude (60 feet), low-speed (240 mile per hour) approach to the drop point, making it vulnerable to all manner of German defenses. After tests during 1942 and early 1943, the concept was proven but the heavier bombs and the modified Lancaster bombers to deliver them were not yet ready.

Upkeep in Lancaster

Commonwealth Melting Pot

A new squadron was formed as part of Number 5 Group RAF. Initially the squadron was designated simply as X Squadron. Wing Commander Guy Gibson was chosen to command the RAF Scampton-based squadron. The men making up the 21 bomber crews in the squadron, eventually designated 617 Squadron, came from all over the RAF as well as from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Operation Chastise was to be a Commonwealth show.

Wing Commander Guy Gibson Vc Dso and Bar Dfc and Bar Commander of 617 Squadron dambusters at Scampton Lincolnshire 22 July 1943 TR1127

Reworked for the Dambusters

Avro Lancaster B Mark III bombers were modified and designated as B Mark III Specials. Most of the Lancaster’s protective internal armor and the upper machine gun turret were removed to save weight. Because of the bomb’s five foot length and four foot diameter and 9,250 pound weight the bomb bay doors were also removed. In flight the bomb would be carried under the fuselage. The motor used to induce backspin on the bomb before release was also mounted below the fuselage of the aircraft.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command 1942 1945. IWMFLM2365

For the Rest of the Dambusters Story Bang NEXT PAGE Below

The F-84F “Super Hog” Might Have Been Its Own Worst Enemy

Bill Walton
-
3
The F-84F “Super Hog” Might Have Been Its Own Worst Enemy

The Republic Thunderstreak bridged the gap from Thunderjet to Thunderchief

On May 12th 1954 the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak went into operational service with the United States Air Force (USAF). The F-84F was Republic’s answer to the North American F-86 Sabre. The F-84F was a development of the earlier straight-winged F-84 Thunderjet. When first designed it was believed that more than half of the tooling for the swept-wing F model would be the same as that used to build the Thunderjet. In reality it turned out only 15 percent of the tooling could be reused to build Thunderstreaks.

F 84 F FS 384
F-84F via US Air Force

Not Quite as Spritely as Advertised

The F-84F was equipped with swept wings and tail surfaces- a departure from the previous F-84E. The initial prototypes (designated XF-96A) were powered by a single Allison / General Electric J35-A-25 turbojet engine. Republic test pilot Otto Haas first flew the Thunderstreak on June 3rd 1950. Although the F-84F was supposed to perform considerably better than its straight-winged predecessors, in actual practice the performance gains were considered minor.

F 84F NJ ANG at Chaumont 1961
F-84F via US Air Force

Engine Challenges Again

That didn’t stop the USAF from ordering the aircraft, now designated F-84F, into production during July of 1950. The F-84F didn’t exactly go straight into service though. Those four years between first flight and service introduction were used to solve several design and performance deficiencies. The Wright J65 turbojet engine replaced the original J35, adding nearly 50% more thrust but availability of the engine was a challenge and the fuselage had to be modified to fit the larger J65.

92d Tactical Fighter Squadron Republic F 84F 45 RE Thunderstreak 52 7114
F-84F via US Air Force

In-Service Updates and Upgrades

The first production F-84F flew for the first time on November 22nd 1952. The production aircraft had a revised canopy arrangement, relocated airbrakes, and still had bugs that needed to be resolved. The Thunderstreak went through changes intended to improve stability and control. A new one-piece horizontal stabilizer (stabilator) and added spoilers got the F-84F into service. The problems didn’t end there.

170428 F ZZ999 106
F-84Fs via US Air Force

Still With the Engine Woes

During November of 1954 USAF operational testing, dubbed Project Run In, were concluded. By then the F-84F was actually found to be better than the straight-winged E and G models by a considerable margin. Pilots reported that the aircraft was stable and easy to fly. But the Thunderstreak just couldn’t catch a break. Engine problems were both frequent and serious; serious enough in fact to ground every F-84F during early 1955. The J65 engines were flaming out when the airplanes flew through heavy precipitation.

00c716192152374278a8cfd672882c8a
F-84Fs refueling via US Air Force

Packing a Republic Punch- But Not Using It

Equipped with six 50 caliber machine guns and capable of delivering up to three tons of bombs or rockets, the F-84F never used any of its combat capabilities while in service with the USAF. A front-line fighter-bomber that can’t get off the ground won’t last in front-line service for long. Thunderstreaks were removed from active duty squadrons beginning in 1955. They were replaced primarily by North American F-100 Super Sabres. All remaining F-84Fs were being flown by Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve (USAFR or AFRES) squadrons by mid-1958.

F 84F Thunderjet e1495643555866
F-84Fs via US Air Force

Going Nuclear and Melting Down

The squadrons still flying F-84Fs were called up for the Berlin Crisis in 1961- largely because they were equipped with the Low-Altitude Bombing System (LABS) for delivery of a single Mark 7 atomic bomb. But it was soon found that Thunderstreak control rods were failing due to corrosion. This latest problem grounded the star-crossed jets again in 1962. It took nearly 2,000 man hours to place a single F-84F back in operational service. Once fixed yet again, the Thunderstreaks soldiered on for nearly another decade, the last of the ANG examples finally being relegated to the boneyard in 1971.

ded63b2974be9dc2317df2d190339b2b
F-84F via US Air Force

Whose Idea Was THIS Anyway?

The Fighter Conveyor (FICON) program of the 1950s paired a specially modified F-84F, designated the RF-84K, with the Convair B-36 Peacemaker bomber. The concept envisioned that the fighter, armed with the atomic bomb instead of the B-36, would hitch a ride to the target in the Peacemaker’s bomb bay. The B-36 would release the smaller aircraft near the target, where it would bomb the target and then get a ride back to friendly territory after re-mating with the B-36. The concept was better than the actual practical application, and the concept never got past the experimental stage.

B 36 F 84F FICON launch
FICON launch via US Air Force

For the Rest of this Thunderous Story bang NEXT PAGE below.

The NASA M2-F2 Lifting Body Crash Became Iconic Thanks to the Six Million Dollar Man

Charles Atkeison
-
0
The NASA M2-F2 Lifting Body Crash Became Iconic Thanks to the Six Million Dollar Man

The Mishap is One of the Most Often Ever Seen by the Public

As America raced towards the goal of landing a man on the moon before 1970, NASA’s attention was also focused on the construction and testing of a wingless craft capable of routinely returning from space piloted by an astronaut.
six2
For 12 years beginning in 1963, engineers at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB in California worked to demonstrate that a pilot could successfully maneuver in flight and later land a specially designed wingless craft known as a lifting body. However, that vision was nearly lost fifty years ago this week in the tragic crash of one lifting body known as M2-F2.

It is the NASA video of that crash which set the stage for an iconic TV series which aired for five years during the 1970’s.
six5
On May 10, 1967, lifting body project pilot Bruce A. Peterson took-off on his fourth glide flight aboard the M2-F2 — it’s 16th glide test flight — over the desert of Edwards. Great weather accompanied the last of a series of glide flights. The next series of flights scheduled would use the the XLR-11 rocket engine for powered flight.

Peterson was a veteran lifting body pilot having flown the earlier M2-F1 craft, and the heavy weight lift version, HL-10. A graduate of Naval Aviation school and an officer in the U.S. Marines, he later graduated from Air Force Test Pilot school at Edwards in 1962.

six1
Built by Northrop Corp., the silver 22-fot long, 4,620 pound M2-F2 aircraft was designed to be airborne dropped from its attachment under the starboard wing of a an Air Force B-52 aircraft. The suited pilot would board the craft prior to take-off.
 
Once at the desired altitude, NASA 803 was dropped successfully and the craft began its planned steep decent into Edwards. Peterson guided the craft like a pro while performing a few test maneuvers on the way down.

“As Peterson neared the lakebed, the M2-F2 suffered a pilot-induced oscillation,” NASA spokesperson Yvonne Gibbs explained. “The vehicle rolled from side to side in flight as he tried to bring it under control. Peterson recovered, but then observed a rescue helicopter that seemed to pose a collision threat.”

Gibbs adds that Peterson radioed to get the helicopter moved as he feared the two would collide.
six4
“Distracted, Peterson drifted in a cross-wind to an unmarked area of the lakebed where it was very difficult to judge the height over the lakebed because of a lack of the guidance the markers provided on the lakebed runway,” Gibbs added. “(He) fired the landing rockets to provide additional lift, but he hit the lakebed before the landing gear was fully down and locked. The M2-F2 rolled over six times, coming to rest upside down.”

 

He had no time to eject. The naval aviator was pulled from the craft and immediately taken to the base hospital. He was later transferred to March Air Force Base followed by a stay at UCLA Hospital. His injuries were not life threatening. Gibbs mentioned he lost vision in his right eye due to a hospital staph infection.

The story was a small blip on the evening news that night, however a generation of Americans, both young and old, would later watch the dramatic crash video each week for seven years on ABC-TV. From 1973 through 1978, the iconic opening credits for The Six Million Dollar Man incorporated Peterson’s crash with the images of fictional main character Col. Steve Austin. The crash explained what lead to Austin becoming “the world’s first bionic man”.

Peterson would often say in interviews that he did not enjoy that his crash was shown so frequently on television.

NASA researchers discovered following the crash that the M2-F2 had issues with the lateral control, even with its own stability augmentation control system. The lifting body program continued with a redesignated craft known as M2-F3. The new craft was modified with a third vertical fin placed in the center between the tip fins. This helped improve its control characteristics.six6

“The lifting body designs influenced the design of the space shuttle and were also reincarnated in the design of the X-38 in the 1990s,” Gibbs said.

The North Dakota native stayed on with NASA until retiring in 1981, the same year the space shuttle first flew into space. Bruce Peterson died in May 2006 following a long illness at his home in Ocean Springs, California.

(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)

BREAKING: Air Force X-37B space shuttle lands at Kennedy Space Center

Charles Atkeison
-
0
BREAKING: Air Force X-37B space shuttle lands at Kennedy Space Center

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The U.S. Air Force unmanned scientific and military research space shuttle safely returned to earth on Sunday completing 718 days in orbit.

The fourth flight of the fully automated orbiter test vehicle began it’s deorbit early Sunday, and reentered the earth’s atmosphere about 25 minutes prior to it’s 8:00 a.m. EDT landing at the Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility.

“The landing of OTV-4 marks another success for the X-37B program and the nation,” Lt. Col. Ron Fehlen, X-37B program manager, said. “This mission once again set an on-orbit endurance record and marks the vehicle’s first landing in the state of Florida. We are incredibly pleased with the performance of the space vehicle and are excited about the data gathered to support the scientific and space communities.”Sunday’s landing marked the X-37B’s first return from space to land at the Florida Spaceport, and it will not be the last. The X-37B manufacturer Boeing is renting the space center’s Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1 to off-load experiments, refurbish the craft, and prepare it for relaunch from the Cape. Bay 1 was used for over three decades to service NASA’s fleet of space shuttle’s.

ss1

Once the command to return to Earth is given by the Air Force, the X-37B automatically descends from low earth orbit, reenters, and flies through the atmosphere to land on a planned runway. There is no one in a control room with a joystick flying it.

The program’s fourth test flight into future robotic space planes began with its launch a top a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket in May 2015 from Cape Canaveral AFS. The 29-foot long shuttle resembles NASA’s space shuttle orbiters at first glance, however the X-37B is 80% smaller fitted with small wings, twin vertical stableizers, and a windowless avionics cockpit.

“Today marks an incredibly exciting day for the 45th Space Wing as we continue to break barriers,” Brig. Gen. Wayne Monteith, commander of 45th Space Wing said. “Our team has been preparing for this event for several years, and I am extremely proud to see our hard work and dedication culminate in today’s safe and successful landing of the X-37B.”

Including the three previous missions, the total time of the four OTV missions on orbit is now 2,085 days.

In 1999, NASA began the X37 project, however the space agency handed it over to DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) in September 2004. DARPA is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

DARPA, originally formed in 1958 as the Advanced Research Projects Agency, is an office designed to prevent technological surprises against the United States, such as the Soviets launch of Sputnik in 1957. The OTV project partnership between the military, DARPA and NASA was announced in October 2006.

This flight was performed by the second mini shuttle of the Air Force’s two shuttle fleet. The Air Force office also announced on Sunday the next X-37B will launch in late-2017. That launch will see the reflight of Boeing’s first flown shuttle on it’s third mission.

(Charles Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)

This F-105 Documentary Will Deliver Your Recommended Daily Allowance of Thuds

Bill Walton
-
2
This F-105 Documentary Will Deliver Your Recommended Daily Allowance of Thuds

“There is a Way” Shows You How Thunderchief Pilots Made Heroic Memories.

Got a high boredom quotient working? You should check out the video There is a Way: The 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron “Fighting Cavaliers” and their F-105 Thunderchiefs. This film was made over several months of combat operations during 1966 by the Air Force, but it doesn’t look or seem like a regular USAF training film or documentary. It is a rare look inside the operational details of F-105 crews at war.

[youtube id=”Hun_uUuufOs” width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”]

Featuring the Fighting Cavaliers

The film features the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS), part of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), operating out of Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB) during shooting of the film. The Fighting Cavaliers were flying regular missions up North at the time. The footage includes much more than just the aerial combat in which the Thuds were embroiled. Also included is footage of the ground crews and armorers turning the big F-105s around for their next mission and the various activities that we part and parcel of a Thunderchief squadron at war.

f105 3

Not Your Usual Hum-Drum Production

The film really captured the human side of the war. Interviews with everyone from the mechanics and armorers, the pilots, all the way up to the base commander are used to tell the story along with actual mission footage. Much of the mission footage includes the radio calls made during the engagements- always a better experience than plain old film alone. Also included are celebrations for pilots completing their hundredth missions, briefings and debriefings, and plane-side remarks by pilots preparing for battle and those who have just returned from it.

f105 4

Opinions and Observations From The Guys Flying the Missions

The pilots themselves give rare glimpses into their thoughts about the war and how it is being fought. They discuss tactics and the different missions they are tasked to fly. If you’re a Thud veteran, a fan, or just want to see what it was like to be part of a Tactical Fighter Squadron at war in Vietnam you can’t do any better than There is a Way. Enjoy!

Thanks to Zeno’s Warbird Video Drive-In for uploading the film and cleaning it up enough to be enjoyable to watch. Bravo Zulu.

f105 2

They Beefed Up a Tweet to Make a Great Little COIN Aircraft

Bill Walton
-
0
They Beefed Up a Tweet to Make a Great Little COIN Aircraft

The Mattel Marauder proved that a beefed up T-37 could become a superb COIN aircraft.

On May 2nd 1967 the first A-37 Dragonfly or Super Tweet went into service with the United States Air Force (USAF). A development of Cessna’s T-37 primary jet trainer, the A-37 was a counter-insurgency (COIN) specialist of the first order. Cessna took a stock T-37 Tweet two side-by-side seated trainer, added stronger wings and wingtip fuel tanks, strengthened the landing gear, added mission-specific avionics and a 7.62 millimeter rotary cannon and a refueling probe in the nose and presto- instant Dragonfly. It was a little bit more complicated than that…

tweet1

Where Ideas Go to Formulate

Things started in 1962 at the USAF Special Air Warfare Center at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida. Vietnam was already sucking America in. Hurlburt Field was and still is the epicenter for development of Air Force spec ops aircraft, so when two all-white T-37C Tweets showed up among all the camouflaged aircraft in late 1962 something had to be percolating. While the Air Force liked what they saw it was immediately apparent that some changes would need to be made in order to adapt a T-37 airframe to the COIN mission.

tweet3

Where’s the Beef?

Those changes started with more powerful engines. General Electric J85 turbojets replaced the Tweet’s standard Continental J-69 engines, more than doubling the thrust available, although this didn’t quite translate that way due to added weight in the A-37 airframe. Still, it was a considerable improvement. The other changes to the basic Tweet outlined above were also incorporated into the two YAT-37D prototypes contracted by the Air Force in 1963.

tweet4

Back-Burnered But Back In Business

During October of 1964 the first YAT-37D flew and a little less than a year later the second prototype, with hard points for a total of eight underwing pylons made its maiden flight as well. But about that time the project was back-burnered by the Air Force. Ironically a significant factor in the resurgence of interest in the A-37 was the losses suffered by the Douglas A-1 Skyraiders in Vietnam. The Air Force didn’t jump in with both feet though. Not right away.

tweet5

Starting Out Slow

They issued a contract for 39 airframes modified from existing T-37s so they could conduct an evaluation. The original AT-37D designation was changed to A-37A. The evaluation would be conducted by what would become the 604th Special Operations Squadron (SOS) under the most trying of conditions- combat.

tweet6

Passing the Test

The Combat Dragon evaluation was conducted in Vietnam beginning in August of 1967 using 25 of the A-37A “Mattel Marauders.” The aircraft flew thousands of sorties out of Bien Hoa air base over III and IV Corps without a single loss due to enemy fire. The Super Tweets didn’t fly milk runs either; typical missions were helicopter escort, close air support, night interdiction, and Forward Air Controller (FAC) sorties- but they were primarily in-country sorties. The 2 to 1 maintenance hours to flying hours ratio was the stuff of which FAC dreams were made. It helped that the Super Tweet retained the ease of maintenance and simplicity of the Tweet.

tweet7

Back to the Drawing Board For a Better Jet

Once Combat Dragon concluded the Air Force had identified a few things that required attention. Range was one. Unboosted controls were another. Cessna was soon the recipient of a contract to build 127 A-37B Dragonflies, many of which would be used by the South Vietnamese Air Force to replace their A-1 Skyraiders lost in combat and operational accidents. When the first A-37B emerged from the Cessna factory in September of 1967 it was a new-build aircraft that weighed nearly twice what the T-37C weighed but incorporated scores of improvements and refinements to the Dragonfly.

tweet8

Bang NEXT PAGE below for more of the Dragonfly story.

Hawaiian Airlines Introduces Livery Update, But Diecast Modelmaker Ruined The Surprise

Avgeekery
-
0
Hawaiian Airlines Introduces Livery Update, But Diecast Modelmaker Ruined The Surprise

Hawaiian Airlines formally unveiled their updated livery on Monday, May 1.  The livery update features the title “Hawaiian” in a more modern stylized font.  The updated colors also sport a more modern Pualani (Flower of the Sky) on the tail with a grey lei wrapped around the fuselage.

A Boeing 717 was the first jet to sport the new colors. It was unveiled at a ceremony at Honolulu International Airport.  An updated Airbus A330 will soon follow.  Their new A321’s will be delivered in the new colors. While the Boeing 767s will not be repainted, the rest of the fleet will be repainted during their scheduled maintenance over the next few years.

The updated Hawaiian livery represents the final stage of a brand refresh.  Over the past year, Hawaiian has updated their cabins with a subtle, island-inspired motif.  They have also updated their club and headquarters at Honolulu International Airport to showcase the island spirit.

[youtube id=”EYC1Cwt375k” width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”]

Diecast Model Maker Ruined The Surprise

The unveil of an updated livery wasn’t a surprise to most avgeeks.  GeminiJets, a manufacturer of diecast models, accidentally posted a drawing of the exact livery on their Facebook page.  Each month they post their model releases with drawings first, then later post actual images of the models.  In their April releases, they let a drawing of a revised Hawaiian 717 slip. It was quickly pulled from the page but not before some shrewd avgeeks captured photos of the embargoed photo.  Screenshots of the leak made their way through forums across the internet.

Bet You Didn’t Know These 5 Things About The SBD Dauntless

Bill Walton
-
0
Bet You Didn’t Know These 5 Things About The SBD Dauntless

Just the one story about the SBD didn’t seem like enough. There was so much more to this Pacific legend. So we ginned up a little bit of trivia about that tide-turning dive bomber- the SBD Dauntless.

Here are five things you might not know about the SBD Dauntless:

  1. During the early 1942 American carrier raid on the Marshall Islands, Japanese bombers were attacking the Enterprise when Aviation Machinist Mate Third Class Bruno Gaido jumped out of his catwalk gunnery station, climbed into the back seat of a parked SBD, picked up one of the bomber’s 30 caliber machine guns, and opened fire on a bomber closing on the carrier. The bomber’s wingtip sliced the tail off the SBD in which Gaido was standing before crashing into the sea. Admiral Halsey promoted Gaido to Aviation Machinist Mate First Class on the spot.
  2. Between the attack on Pearl Harbor and the end of April 1944, SBDs flew an incredible 1,189,484 operational hours. SBDs flew one quarter of all the operational hours flown from American aircraft carriers. SBDs sent six aircraft carriers, 14 heavy and light cruisers, six destroyers, 15 transports, and countless smaller ships and craft to the bottom- more than any other single carrier-borne type.sbd16
  3. French Navy Dauntlesses were the last SBDs in combat, flying combat sorties from their aircraft carrier Arromanches during their Indochina War. The French Navy finally relieved their Dauntlesses of operational obligations but they operated them as trainers as late as 1953.
  4. The United Sates Army Air Forces actually operated their A-24 Banshees long enough to re-designate them when the new United Sates Air Force became an independent service branch in 1947. The vagaries of re-designation resulted in the A-24 becoming the F-24 Banshee. Three years later the F-24s were finally withdrawn from service and scrapped.
  5. The last country to retire their SBDs was Mexico. The Mexican Air Force operated a few of their Dauntlesses until 1959.

Enjoy the sight and sound of one of the few remaining airworthy SBDs in flight.

[youtube id=”xVKP_QvKFUw” width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”]

Slow But Deadly: The SBD Dauntless Turned the Tables at Midway

Bill Walton
-
0
Slow But Deadly: The SBD Dauntless Turned the Tables at Midway

This Douglas Dauntless Dive Bomber Made Blow But Deadly WORK.

On May 1st 1940 the Douglas SBD Dauntless flew for the first time. The SBD would go on to fight in virtually every naval engagement in the Pacific, sink more Japanese tonnage than any other American carrier-based aircraft, and often bring its crews back to their carriers after suffering fearful damage. According to legend the S-B-D stood for Scout Bomber Douglas but the crews referred to them as “Slow But Deadly.” Slow perhaps. But deadly indeed.sbd2

Roots of a Family Tree

The SBD really owes its origins to the Northrop BT-1 dive bomber design begun in 1935. Douglas aircraft took control of Northrop in 1937. The BT-1 went into service in 1938. Douglas designer Ed Heinemann let the team that redesigned the landing gear and strengthened the airframe of the BT-1 to accept a larger and more powerful Wright R-1820 Cyclone engine. This new design was the Douglas entry for a new Naval Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) dive bomber proposal. Today you know this aircraft as the SBD Dauntless.

sbd3

First in Service

The first squadrons to receive the SBD-1 Dauntless were Marine Corps outfits Marine Bombing Squadron (VMB)-2 Red Devils during late 1940 and VMB-1 Crying Red Asses (you can’t make this stuff up) during early 1941. By the end of 1941 SBD-2s were flying with Navy Bombing Squadrons (VB)-6 aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) and VB-2 aboard the USS Lexington (CV-2).

sbd4

Scouting and Bombing

At the beginning of the war squadron numbers matched up with the carrier numbers. VB-3 and Scout Bombing Squadron (VS)-3 were assigned to USS Saratoga (CV-3). VB-5 and VS-5 were assigned to USS Yorktown (CV-5). Each carrier eventually embarked both a VB and a VS squadron, both flying Dauntlesses and with interchangeable missions. This meant that during the first year of the war more than half of the aircraft aboard American carriers were SBDs.

sbd5

The Banshee Wails

By the time 1941 was heading toward its conclusion and a world war, Navy Scout Bombing (VS) and Dive Bombing (VB) squadrons were flying SBD-3s equipped with better armor protection, self-sealing fuel tanks, and additional firepower. Marine Scout Bombing squadron and (VMSB) and VMB squadrons were flying Dauntlesses at the time as well. The Army Air Corps also ordered 948 of the Douglas dive bombers, but designated them A-24s and called them Banshees. Many of these Banshees fought alongside the ragtag group of American forces trying to slow the Japanese advance toward Australia during the opening months of the war.

sbd6

Evolving and Improving

The most produced model of the SBD was the SBD-5, equipped with a more powerful engine and additional ammunition carrying capacity. Many of the -5s were built in Tulsa in Oklahoma. The final production version of the Dauntless was the SBD-6. The fact is Douglas incrementally made minor modification to SBDs many times without changing the variant designation. SBD fuel capacities, ranges, and payloads increased with every new variant introduced. Of the 5,936 SBDs produced by Douglas, more than 2,400 of them were SBD-5s. The very last SBD was rolled out of the factory in El Segundo in California on July 21st 1944.

sbd7

Friendly Fire and Raiding With Halsey

The Japanese destroyed a large number of SBDs on the ground when they attacked the various air fields around Pearl Harbor on December 7th. Jittery American gunners shot down or damaged several more when the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) returned from its cruise and sent them ashore. An SDB from the Enterprise was the first American aircraft to sink a Japanese combatant, the Japanese submarine I-70 on December 10th 1941. During the first several months of the war Dauntlesses participated in Admiral Halsey’s raids on several Japanese outposts in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, New Guinea, Wake, and Marcus Islands. These raids did little real damage to the Japanese but they did provide crews with experience that would pay off during the pivotal battles fought at the Coral Sea and Midway.

sbd8

The First Battle of Its Kind

Two American carriers, the USS Lexington (CV-2) and the USS Yorktown (CV-5) and their task groups went up against the Japanese carriers Shokaku, Zuikaku, and Shoho in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Fought between May 4th and May 8th 1943, it was the first battle fought between combatant ships that attacked each other entirely beyond the horizon with aircraft only. SBDs sank the Shoho and badly damaged the Shokaku, preventing her from participating in the next fracas: The Battle of Midway.

sbd9

For More of the SBD Story Bang NEXT PAGE Below

Tiger Tales: Five Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About The F-5

Bill Walton
-
0
Tiger Tales: Five Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About The F-5

Following up on the story of the F-5, here are five things you might not know about the F-5 series:

The Iranians Morphed it into a homebrew fighter

1.) The Iranians took an F-5, added twin vertical stabilizers to it, and created a ‘new” fighter they call the HESA Saeqeh (Thunderbolt ). Iran claims the Saeqeh performs like an F/A-18 Hornet.

But even plain old avgeeks like me know that shoehorning some kludgy glass displays into the cockpit and bolting a second fin on to a standard F-5 do not add up to a home-grown Hornet. The Iranians say the Saeqeh maneuvers better than a standard F-5. That’s a long way from performing like a Hornet.

The F-5 Had Multiple Strut Options

2.) In order to get the F-5 off the ground using just a little bit less runway, the nose gear in F-5Es and F-5Fs is equipped with a selectable two-position strut. When in the extended position the aircraft’s static angle of attack is increased by 3.3 degrees, providing additional lift at takeoff speeds.

F-5 Fact: It inspired the Northrup YF-17 and the F/A-18

3.) Many sources credit the F-5E design as the basis for / starting point for / predecessor of the Northrop YF-17 Cobra, which lost the Lightweight Fighter competition to the YF-16 during the mid-1970s.

The YF-17 came back in a big way though. Today you can recognize the family resemblance in the McDonnell-Douglas (Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet. The American version…not the Iranian.

Fact: The F-5 Had a Cool Nickname

4.) Northrop’s original codename for the design that became the F-5 was “Tally Ho”.f512

The Soviet Union Had Access to the F-5 Too

5.) The Soviet Union acquired captured F-5Cs from Vietnam and F-5Es from Ethiopia. They thoroughly evaluated and tested the F-5s over a period of several years. The Soviets threw the F-5s at MiG-21s and MiG-23s to see how aerial combat might conclude between the dissimilar aircraft.

Supposedly the data generated during these flights contributed the designs of the second-generation and much improved MiG-23MLD Flogger K and ultimately the MiG-29 Fulcrum.

Ironically the Soviet evaluation of the F-5s roughly parallels the similar American dissimilar aircraft training efforts outlined in our previous story about the development of the MiG-21.

    1...169170171...223Page 170 of 223