This week in aviation history: “Operation Power Flite” in 1957 – 45 hours and 19 minutes around the world

B-52B, 53-394, “Lucky Lady III”, was the lead ship for the first jet-powered flight around the world. Sections of this aircraft are still in storage.
“Hurry up and wait” is a time-honored saying in the Air Force.
Lead navigator, Major Albert F. Wooten.
One of several navigators aboard for the historic flight was Captain Rene M. Woog.
Taking a break is crew chief Tsgt. Donovan W. Higginbotham
Navigator Major Anthony P Dzierski cleans up for the arrival at March AFB.
Tail gunner Msgt. Carl H. Ballew gets his work done the old fashioned way.
Major Wooten tidies up.
Tail gunner Ballew prepares his dinner. Coming forward from the tail gunner’s compartment was no easy feat: it took about 15 minutes, and involved toting an oxygen bottle while crawling over the horizontal stabilizer in the unpressurized portion of the B-52.
Major General Archie Olds (the mission commander) is greeted by SAC boss, Curtiss LeMay.
Welcome home.
Then came fame. Air Force Chief of Staff General Thomas White presents the Mackay Trophy.
The lead crew met with celebrities such as Arthur Godfrey.
TV personality Gary Moore greets the crew of Lucky Lady III.
Actor and aviation enthusiast Robert Cummings hands out autographs. These personalities that met with the around the world fliers are not well-known by many today, but back then they were huge stars.

1st Pursuit Group, 1937

Here we have one of those fantastic panoramic photos that was widely popular back in the day. Taking such a shot was not in the realm of most photographers and so one had to call on the experts: the National Photo & News Service of San Antonio, Texas. It was one of their photographers (E. L. Rothwell) that made the journey to Selfridge Field, Michigan in the summer of ’37. His tool of choice was a “Cirkut” camera, a truly ingenious device that, while pivoting on a level axis, exposed a roll of film which advanced in synchronised movement to the horizontal action of the camera. Capturing for posterity the 1st Pursuit Group required five feet of film (the photo measures 5 feet x 10 inches).

 As stated, the photo was taken in 1937. Summer time, if one takes in to account the many open windows and the fully-leafed trees (and, according to the clock on the operations building, it was 9:10 AM). The squadrons are the 17th, 27th, and 94th Pursuit, the aircraft, of course, is the P-26.

Most of these buildings seen 84 years ago are still in use today.

P2Y of VP-19, circa 1939

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Some eighty years ago, the Consolidated P2Ys of Patrol Squadron 19 were a familar sight skimming across the waters of Lake Washington along whose banks was located Naval Air Station Seattle. The P2Y was an ungainly looking contraption, but looks belie the fact is was a very sturdy and reliable performer. 

Postscript…

Many of the officers and men in this photo were local reservists. On the men’s cap is a ribbon which states they are part of “Patrol Squadrons, USN” (one man is from the USS Teal, a seaplane tender assigned to the base). 

A visit to Selfridge Field, c. 1932

Pilots of Selfridge’s 1st Pursuit Group and their P-12s. As seen by the variety of aircraft in these photos, the 1st flew a mixed-bag of pursuit ships in the early 1930s.
P-6E hawk of the 17th Pursuit Squadron. The background aircraft is a rare P-6A. That airplane, 29-262, crashed on 19 Feb 1933.
Same P-6E as in previous photo. The markings are, of course, well-known and spectacular.
Berliner – Joyce P-16s of the 1st Pursuit Group.

KC-135A, circa 1957

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This is one of the early bird KC-135s – the 15th one built, to be exact – and the paint scheme reflects this (the almost obligatory 1950s day-glo orange). This particular tanker, 55-3132, had a long life but not one that involved much aerial refueling. Like many of the early 135s, it was converted into a test bed and spent the majority of its career as an airborne electronic warfare labatory. Last I checked, the aircraft is on display at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ. Note: I purposely did not crop this slide. Sometimes its nice to remind folks that not everything was created as a digital image. The word “Kodachrome” should always remain part of an aviation buff’s lexicon.

Airshow time, circa 1979

Note: This T-33 from Tyndall AFB wears the number “70490” but in actuality is 58-0490. These things happen.
Vulcan XM597 would become famous for its role in the upcoming Falklands War in 1982 when it became one of only two Vulcans to drop weapons in actual combat.
F-4E 67-0301 from George AFB was credited with downing a MiG-21 in 1972, yet wears no markings to indicate such. This was not uncommon in the late 70s. We had several “MiG Killer” Phantoms in my squadron at the time, and they bore no markings either.

There was something for everybody at this open house back around 1979: Phantoms, Voodoo, Thunderchief, Vulcan, and the USAF Thunderbirds in their T-38s. Not 100 percent certain of the location, but I believe it is Whiteman AFB, MO. The photographer was not using the best of equipment, but I’m glad he took the pictures.

Jets (and props) of the 1940s

RAF pilots and their USAF counterpart exchanging pleasantries alongside an F-80 (54-8717) of the 36th Fighter Bomber Group. This aircraft crashed in 1952.
Same pilots, different aircraft. This Vampire and its pilots were assigned (I believe) to No. 16 Squadron.
Swarm of Vampires zooming by.
This is the same F-80 as seen in the first photo, but in the spirit of NATO cooperation, it flies with a Mustang of the French Air Force’s Groupe de Reconnaissance GR II/33 “Savoie”.

Henri Farman

Farman at the controls of the Henri Farman n°1. Notice the spring shock absorbers. (Also, if you see a photo of Farman, he almost always has a cigarette at the ready)
The Henri Farman n°1 was also known as the Voisin-Farman, or Farman I.
An autographed photo from Farman signed to aviation enthusiast, William J. Hammer.

Early aeroplanes and aeronauts

Captain Halstead Dorey, the Hon. James Beck, Wilbur Wright, and William Hammer at the Fulton-Hudson Celebration in 1909. Taking off from Governors Island, Wright flew his aircraft on a 33 minute flight up and down the Hudson River. A canoe was attached to the underside of the craft in case Wilbur found himself in the Hudson.
A detailed shot of Wilbur’s canoe. With an American flag fluttering in its bow, this vessel won the distinction as the “World’s first flying canoe”.
Another participant in the Hudson-Fulton extravaganza was the upstart Glenn Curtiss.
Curtiss’s machine at Governors Island, NY.
Curtiss and William Hammer discuss the goings on during the celebration. A “fly-off” between Curtiss and Wright was much anticipated, but Curtiss’s endeavors were lackluster and it was Wright who stole the show with flights up and down the Hudson, around the Statue of Liberty, etc.
Curtiss managed one brief flight before packing up for home. He had just returned from France and was flying a spare aircraft that was ill-suited for his purposes.
Curtiss was usually found at the controls of his more successful machines like the No. 2, seen here.
An early aviator whose name escapes me at the controls of a Curtiss D.
William J. Hammer poses with what the photo caption states is a Blériot No. 9. Hammer, from where these photos originated, was influential in early aviation matters. He was also a brilliant electrician who worked with Thomas Edison.

Note: These images may not be the ultimate in quality, but they are original photos that are over 110 years old.

337th Fighter Interceptor Squadron

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The location of this photo is Taoyuan Air Base, Taiwan, where the 337th was deployed in response to the Quemoy Crisis in late 1958. Such deployments were unusual for an Air Defense Command unit but the F-104 Starfighters of the 337th were ready.

Arriving in October of ’58, the 337th relieved the 83rd FIS who departed sans F-104s so the 337th would have something to fly – The 83rd had disassembled their Starfighters in order to have them airlifted to Taiwan and the Air Force saw no sense in requiring the 337th to do the same thing to theirs. The 337th was at Taoyuan less than two months before they were ordered back to their home of Westover AFB, Mass. (It was now their turn to disassemble some Starfighters.)

Several noteworthy aspects to this photo: Sitting at center on his “throne”, and holding a big cigar (the smoking of which he was quite fond of), is squadron commander Major James Jabara, Korean War ace extraordinaire. 

It is also of note that in this photo there are about half a dozen patches worn that are from squadrons other than the 337th. The 49th FIS, 56th, 331st, etc.; most likely new guys who did not get their 337th patches sewn on before the deployment.

PS. I wonder whose job it was to organize the water buffalos seen on each end of the picture?

PBY Catalina Day

A PBY-5A (33979) of NAS Seattle refuels from the seaplane tender USS Pine Island in Alaskan waters, July, 1949.
A bunch of newly hatched PBY drivers, NAS Corpus Christi, 1944.
NAS Seattle, 1939. Most of the aircraft are P2Ys, but a lone PBY can be seen on the ramp.
The only PBY sold to a civilian in the pre-war years was this example. Nicknamed “Guba”, it was used for research in the South Pacific.
Men of VPB 43 on duty in the Aleutian Islands.
VPB 43 had its share of arctic mishaps. What appears to be scratches on the photo is actually a blizzard of snow.
The bent wing leads one to conclude this PBY was taking off or landing in a crosswind and spun off the runway. This was repairable given that the outer wings on the PBY were removable. Note the depth bombs mounted under the inner wings.
Less repairable is this VPB 43 PBY that experienced engine trouble, landed in the sea, and while being towed back to the harbor had the towline break. Adak Island, May, 1945.
Same aircraft. As can be seen, this PBY’s flying days were done.
Men examine the wreckage to gather up classified material and personal belongings. Nature would soon take care of the rest.

For fans of the B-25 Mitchell

A B-25J (43-27540) of the 340th Bomb Group, 487th Bomb Squadron floats in for a landing. Nicknamed “Watch Copier”, this aircraft bears the markings of 120 missions flown.
Another veteran of many missions is 43-27662 of the 340th Bomb Group’s 486th Bomb Squadron.
“Dog Daize” was name given to this B-25H (43-4381) of the 12th Bomb Group, 82nd Bomb Squadron.
“Candy” was another well-worn combat veteran. Note the soot from its forward .50 caliber guns.
B-25H (43-4978) shows its markings for 78 missions.
B-25J of the 345th Bomb Group, the famous “Air Apaches”.
“Chow Hound Junior” (41-30606) was a B-25D of the 345th Bomb Group, 500th Bomb Squadron.
A close up of “Chow Hound Junior” illustrates the artist’s skillful hand.
B-25H (43-4110) was the sixth “H” model built.

Tales the flightsuits tell

5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Minot AFB. The squadron patch is a rather poor rendition of a lynx, and was certainly not what they guys had in mind (the patch on the right is added to the scene for the purpose of comparison). Not only is the former an unappealing design, it has misspellings: the motto, and worst of all, “InterceRtor” rather than “Interceptor”. It would be easy for one to dismiss this as a poorly-designed and rejected patch, or even a fake. However, it is as real as they get. The lesson: just because a patch is not what it ought to be does not disqualify or diminish its authenticity. And, of course, being sewn to a period flightsuit with other proper patches for the period (the “F-106 Dart”) only helps in its provenance. This flightsuit was worn by a pilot assigned to the 5th FIS, 1961-63.
95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Andrews AFB. What sets this one apart is the F-106 patch; as we have already seen, the same patch was worn by the 5th FIS. This is no big deal except that said patch is attributed to that squadron, not the 95th. Why was the 95th pirating a patch from the 5th? Because they (or this pilot) felt like doing so. Lesson: anything goes when it comes to patches.
This patch design of the 2nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron is always attributed to its later years as a training squadron in the mid-1970s. Fine, but what is it doing on a flightsuit from the early 1950s? This is the first pattern of K-2B flightsuit: big collar, only one chest pocket. The nametape is certainly of the era, not the 70s. It and the patch were sewn on by the same man at the same time – a long time ago (the thread and stitching show that). Anything is possible, and one should be conservative in their judgement on such matters, but one also has a hard time believing that when the squadron reactivated in 1974 one of its pilots dusted off a 20 year old flightsuit and said “make sure you sew on my outdated nametape at the same time”.
I have often wondered why a patch from the 15th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, (a land of cacti, scorpions, and gila monsters) is sewn to a winter-weight flightsuit. Yes, the pilots of Air Defense Command had to be ready for anything, but issuing arctic equipment at a base in the blazing desert seems a bit extreme. I know, I know; they do have winter there, but still…

P2V Neptune, and the boss

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Seen here with the bird that bears his name, Commander Bill Hodges, CO of VP-11, poses while on a deployment to Malta in the mid-1950s.

Note: Hodges had a long career that included surviving the sinking of his ship, USS West Virginia, at Pearl Harbor (a good swimmer, Hodges took a few deep breaths and dove down into the wreck to retrieve his wallet). 

Mississippi National Guard, 1939

Your well-dressed aerial gunner of the 1930s.
One of the squadron’s pilots is preparing for some aerial gunnery himself. He will not hit a thing, but will have fun trying.
The squadron was new when these photos were taken in 1939, but the aircraft were hand-me-down O-38s. Here, they certainly show their age. This plane, 34-12, was wrecked in 1941.
Time to grease some lifters.
A more modern aircraft assigned to Key Field was this A-17.

The Mississippi National Guard was just starting out in the aviation world when these photos were taken back in ’39. The newly-minted 153rd Observation Squadron took to the skies with a gaggle of decidedly well-worn O-38s, but they were no doubt happy to have something to fly.

If you are a Frenchman, this “April Fools’ Day” postcard makes perfect sense

April Fools’ Day in France is the day of “Poisson d’Avril” – April Fish. Jokes revolve around the sea critter – especially that of attaching a paper fish to the back of an unsuspecting individual who goes about his day never suspecting he has a paper trout dangling on the back of his jacket.

What does that have to do with aircraft? Not a thing. However, with aeroplanes being the newest thing back in 1909 (when this card was posted) it is not surprising the old tradition of “Poisson d’Avril” was given a new twist. Note: when visiting France on April 1st, always check your back.

Men and Mustangs: The 357th Fighter Group

Ace Don Bochkay poses with his scoreboard. All the photos in this post are courtesy of Major Bochkay.
“Pappy’s Answer”, a P-51D (44-14736) piloted by Lt. John Stern, 363rd Fighter Squadron.
Chuck Yeager’s “Glamorous Glen III”.
Leonard “Kit” Carson, top ace of the 357th Fighter Group.
Clarence “Bud” Anderson’s well-known bird, “Old Crow”.
“Gentleman Jim” flown by James “Jim” Browning.
“Reluctant Rebel” was piloted by Robert Foy.
“Horses Itch” was piloted by Major Ed Hiro. Both he and the aircraft were lost on 19 September, 1944.
Don Bochkay had an eventful landing in 44-15422.

Whale-o-rama

A3D-2 of VAH-123 at an NAS Whidbey Island airshow in the early 1960s. In the background, RCAF men enjoy the show from the top of their CF-100.
Big plane, little girl.
EKA-3B of VAQ – 308 in the early 1980s. Note both the whale on the tail and the pilot taking a break atop the aircraft. 147666 was among the last Skywarriors built and is now on display in Oakland, CA.
VA-3B (142672) was assigned as a VIP aircraft when this photo was taken in the early 1970s.
142672 again. This was not just any VIP bird, but was reserved for only the top brass. I imagine the interior was rather plush.
In a typical landing for the Skywarrior, A3D-2 of VAH – 4 comes aboard bouncing.
142651, like many a Skywarrior, was in service long enough to undergo major changes to its original purpose. It ended its days as a tanker/electronic warfare bird.
142236 of VAH-8. This aircraft crashed in 1962.
142250 and its sister, 142251 of VAH-4 in the early days. The former crashed in 1964, the latter is on display aboard the USS Midway.
A3D-1 135444 at an open house in the early 60s.
‘444 again, same open house. Day-glo orange was, of course, all the rage back then.

Air Force One and the Skyranger

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Two aircraft that one does not often see in the same photo would be the VC-137 and the Commonwealth Skyranger. Taken at the Renton Airport/Boeing plant in the summer of 1962, VC-137, “SAM 2600”, is undergoing finishing touches before it is delivered to the Air Force for the use of President Kennedy. This photo illustrates the classic adage of “I seen ’em come, I seen ’em go” by virtue of the fact that while SAM 2600 is now retired to the Air Force Museum, the Skyranger (N90682, built in 1946) is still registered and flying today. Really, about the only thing that shows this photo was not taken in recent times are the vintage automobiles.

One of the perks of being a general is…

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…having a fighter plane to call your own. Major General William Kepner was no exception; as boss of the 8th Fighter Command, he got around in style in his P-47 (42-26637) nicknamed “Kokomo”. Here we see it wears the name of an additional city, “Buffalo”. Or, perhaps, it is referring to the animal of the same name. Before the war, Kepner was more associated with balloons & such rather than fighter aircraft. He held six ratings, most rather quaint: command pilot, combat observer, senior balloon pilot, zeppelin pilot, semirigid pilot, and metal-clad airship pilot.

The color photo is courtesy of Bob Livingstone from the sunburnt country, the Land Down Under.