Author: thejivebombers
Early 102
No Secrets Here
The Air Force/U.S. Government has long insisted that the U-2 is a reconnaissance aircraft, not a “spy plane”. That sounds very nice and pretty too. But back in 1957, the U-2 seen here belonged to the CIA and that meant it was very much in the business of spying. No doubt the CIA would call that “intelligence gathering”, but to scoop up such info, they still needed to do what is known as the age-old act of “spying”.
Thanks to Max Pashnev for this photo taken from the original negative.
The “Hoppi-Copter”
On this Pentecost Day, it is only fitting we mention a man whose name is linked with taking to the heavens and returning to earth: Horace T. Pentecost. In the postwar era, Pentecost toiled on what he thought was sure to be an invention of great value to the people and the military, a lightweight/personal helicopter. A fine idea, but their were difficulties. Among those challenges confronting Pentecost and his HX-1 backpack helicopter was the fact anything less than a perfect takeoff or landing resulted in a disastrously dangerous event involving shards of rotor blades screaming in a hundred different directions. The HX-1 was also very difficult to control, so much so, the only flights made had the machine and its pilot tethered to the earth.
Later models were more stable due to the incorporation of wheels and place to sit, but the late 1940s public (and military) were drawn to the helicopters that were coming off the line from such big name companies such as Bell and Sikorsky.
Mr. Pentecost was no crank inventor; he was an educated man, a wartime Boeing engineer. His dream of a small, lightweight personal means of flight was no different than those who later invented the Ultralight.
The HX-1 was donated to the Smithsonian, and is now on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Arizona.
A Brace of Ducks
The TSA in the 1920s
The aircraft is a Junkers F 13, the place is Southern California. The rest of the story is a mystery.
Boeing’s Model 80
Boeing’s Forgotten Bomber, the B-50
Although a solid aircraft in every respect, the B-50 was overshadowed (figuratively and literally) by the giant B-36, and the newer and more exciting jet aircraft then taking to the skies.
P-36 Hawks of Selfridge Field, Mich.
World War 1 USN Airship Operations
Boeing Model 40
1935: Explorers of the Future
Need to explore the remotest headwaters of a mysterious river but don’t have the time? Forward thinkers in 1935 already had the answer: Fill a boat with adventurers, attach it to an airplane, then drop it and its passengers like a bomb.
Almost Forgot: March is “International Women’s Month”.
Skyraiders Before The Storm
Pictured in peacetime, none of these Skyraiders survived the 1960s or the Vietnam War.
Korean War Skyraiders
The “Flying Whale”
Despite its unflattering name, the Martin B-10/12 was an absolutely outstanding aircraft for its time. This is especially so when one considers the bombers it replaced: The Keystone series with its (standard for the period) fabric-covered, open cockpit and double-winged aircraft. Whereas most aircraft eased into the transition from the earlier designs (thinking of the P-26), Martin dispensed with the in-between and went next generation.
Travel Airs
“Miss Sonic Boom”
According to this photo’s caption, actress Debra Paget was in Las Vegas and when asked if she would like a tour of nearby Nellis AFB, she couldn’t resist. (Obviously, she told them that she would only take part in the tour if she could wear a bathing suit and high heels.) Upon her arrival, the Nellis pilots immediately named her “Miss Sonic Boom.”
Miss Paget/Sonic Boom was quite the starlet back in the day, featuring in films like The Ten Commandments, and did a movie opposite Elvis. She is now 89 years old.
The “Ideal costume for Aviator”
Such survival suits are still in use today with the Air Force, Navy, etc. (“Poopy Suits,” we called them). This ad poses a bit of a question: what type of mechanical difficulties might necessitate “getting into cold water” some “10 miles off coast” to effect repairs to your aircraft? You would be in the open sea; what are you going to fix bobbing around like a cork? But this ad dates from 1919; flying machines had a bad habit of suddenly not working, and one had to be ready for anything.
The “Aluminum Overcast”
An aluminum suppliers dream, a single B-36 rolled and flattened to the thickness of household aluminum foil, would cover over 20 million square feet of property. Many thanks to Mr. Del Chasteen, a good ol’ Texas boy, who supplied most of the photos.