Men of the 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (SRW) on deployment to Albrook AFB, Panama Canal Zone, pose for a group photo before heading home. The reason for their trip to Albrook was classified: they were monitoring French nuclear tests in the South Pacific. When this photo was taken in ’66, the 100th SRW was new to the “spy plane” world – they had just gained the mission, personnel, and aircraft of the deactivated 4080th SRW (the men are wearing that patch, not the 100th).
The Ohio Air National Guard’s 166th Fighter Bomber Squadron at Lockbourne AFB. Many of these planes enjoyed a long career with both the 166th and later, the 112th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
F-84F 51-1346 was the fourth “F” model produced and is now on display at Rickenbacker ANGB in Ohio. (Photo was taken later in its life: not the A-7 in the background)
Sad end for this F-84: 51-9344 was dumped in a field for some sort of testing or target work.
“ZELMAL” (Zero-Length Launch and Mat Landing) was supposed to solve the problem of having one’s runway cratered and thus reducing the status of one’s squadron to “all dressed up with no place to go”.
A pilot of the 166th FIS is seen, no doubt pondering the eventful takeoff that comes with being shot into the blue from a missile launcher grafted to a truck trailer.
F-100 pilots of the 18th FBW stand ready to uphold their unit’s honor. The Super Sabre in the background, 55-3631, was later shot down over Vietnam (1965).
The same men now wear the patch “PACAF Fighter Weapons Team” signifying they have beaten all other PACAF units and will represent that command in the Air Force-wide meet.
The lucky dogs of the 65th Bomb Squadron pose with the individual they have ascertained to best represent the unit’s interests, Miss Myrna Dell. The date is July 21, 1950, the place, Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, the aircraft, a Boeing B-50. When not fulfilling her role as “Miss Bombshell”, Myrna Dell was a regular in Hollywood films of the era (she once co-starred with Ronald Reagan).
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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?
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…
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.
F-86A (49-1244) of George AFB’s 94th Fighter Interceptor Squadron flares for landing.
F-84E of the 158th Fighter Bomber Squadron which was assigned to George during the Korean War.
F-86A of the 94th FIS
George AFB closed in the early 90s, but even then the flightline had changed very little from when this photo was taken almost 70 years ago. The hangars still stand today, but now the ramp is crowded with civil aircraft.
Here’s the man who took most of the photos. Unfortunately, we do not know his name. He sits in squadron CO, Major Carl D. Peterson’s bird.
F-94s of the 339th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. Serials are 51-5460, 465, and 470. The latter crashed in 1954.
51-5452 zooms past a T-33.
51-5467 of the 339th FIS.
467 gets its guns armed for another mission.
The 339th “Gremlins”.
F-80s of the 41st Fighter Interceptor Squadron. 49-774 leads the way.
49-433 of the 41st FIS
Hurrying past the camera are 49-430 and 473 of the 41st FIS. are
A couple of 25th FIS birds: 49-700 and 739.
“Hawg” was name given to 49-775 of the 35th FIW.
F-80 of the 35th FIW glides in on short final.
A couple of hard working maintenance men show off their strength.
A P2V Neptune of VP-1 forms the backdrop for 49-514 of the 41st FIS.
VP-1 P2V on deployment from NAS Whidbey Island.
A pair of visiting F9F-5 Panthers of VF-192. On this deployment to the Far East in 1953-4, VF-192 had a starring role in the immortal film “The Bridges at Toko-ri”. No doubt these are two of the aircraft seen in that picture.
An F-51 Mustang gets a quick engine change while a C-47 waits its turn.
Sikorsky H-19 of the 39 Air Rescue Squadron visits Johnson AB. The remains of this aircraft are currently in an Arizona salvage yard.
Line up of A-26s of the 6th Tow Target Squadron.
Another visitor to Johnson AB was “Rough Knight” (44-35388), an A-26 of the 13th Bomb Squadron. This aircraft was shot down in 1951.
Pass in review for men of the 35th Fighter Interceptor Wing. SA-16s in the background.
Flown by 56th Special Operations Wing at Nakhon Phanom Air Base, Thailand, this Skyraider (52-139598) had its picture taken while on display at nearby Korat Air Base in 1970. Unfortunately, time was running out for 598: On 24 December of that same year, the aircraft was lost while escorting rescue helicopters deep into hostile country. The pilot, Major Albro L. Lundy, was killed, his body being recovered and identified decades later. R.I.P.
Considered by many as one of the worst aircraft designs of all time, the “strut-less, wings like a bird” Christmas Bullet had (surprise!) an annoying habit of shedding those unsupported wings immediately after takeoff. Two were built, both lost their visible means of support. Note: Dr. William Christmas designed the aircraft with an idea in mind that it could be used to fly over to Germany and kidnap Kaiser Wilhelm II during WW1. No, I did not make that up.
The artist might have sketched a hard-working engineer that did not look like a mad scientist in his laboratory.
On Independence day, it is well to remember those who have ensured that such liberty endures. One such man is the immortal General Curtis E. LeMay. General LeMay will be long remembered for his revolutionary concepts on airpower strategy and doctrine. As the absolute boss of Strategic Air Command, he put those theories to the test. He was always willing to find out what worked, or did not. Furthermore, from the B-29 to the SR-71, LeMay always knew a good aircraft when he saw one.
In his day, LeMay’s personality and strong beliefs caused him to be a terror in the minds of many. While he was incredibly firm, he was also incredibly fair. He knew what he wanted, and in case one did not know what that was, he would tell you in no uncertain terms. Intimidating though he was to those in the 1950s & 60s, in today’s juvenile-minded political & societal environment he would cause many of his fellow Americans to wet their pants. That being their sole means of expressing their inability to argue with the man.
44-92060 had, by today’s standards, a brief life. Delivered in 1949, and assigned to the 92nd Bomb Wing at Fairchild AFB in 1951, it did its part for five years until it was scrapped in 1956. Made for a lot of pots and pans.
The patch of the 92nd during the B-36 days at Fairchild. B-52s arrived in 1957, and, alas, this patch design was done away with.
The patches worn on the hats of these maintenance men tells us they are members of the 30th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. Looks like a typical rainy day for Germany, and especially for Spangdahlem.
With its tail number of 47-084, this B-45A was a natural choice for assignment to Langley AFB’s 47th Bomb Group, 84th Bomb Squadron. The unit later moved to RAF Sculthorpe in the UK.
The B-45 was, of course, America’s first jet bomber, and like many of those early jets it had a checkered career (of the 143 B-45s built, almost one-third of them were destroyed in crashes and other mishaps). There are very few survivors, and 47-084 is not one of them: it ended its days in 1958 at Ramstein Air Base as an instructional airframe for training firemen. In other words, a charred and smashed wreck.
When this photo was taken, T-37 58-1896 was fresh off the assembly line
A photo to show to the folks back home.
T-37A 56-3563 has a long life ahead of it. Today, it is on display in the appropriately named town of Jet, Oklahoma.
The number of pilots who trained in the “Tweet” is beyond counting.
Rainy (and humid) afternoon at Graham Air Base.
By the book, or “Buy the Farm”.
With bulging briefcases, students of the 3300th Pilot Training Group prepare to march.
He is about to be trusted with a multi-million dollar aircraft.
These shots were taken at Graham Air Base, Florida, in the latter half of 1959. The aircraft are the T-34 and, of course, the then new T-37 “Tweet”. Graham was an air force training base, but was operated primarily by civilian contractors and not air force personnel. As such, it did not carry the title “Air Force Base”. By 1959, the era of civilian operated training schools was coming to a close, and Graham Air Base closed the following year.
58-6960 sports the VC-137’s original markings on an early test flight prior to its delivery to the USAF.
58-6970 cruises the skies of Western Washington in the late 50s. It is now at the Museum of Flight in Seatle.
62-6000 undergoes final checks prior to delivery.
62-6000 takes to the skies.
62-6000 is, of course, the most famous of the Air Force Ones. It was this aircraft President Kennedy flew to Dallas in 1963. The plane is now at the Air Force Museum.
F-102A on a visit to Paine AFB, WA, circa 1959. Stationed just down the road at McChord AFB, 56-0972 bears the rather simple yet satisfying markings of the 317th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS).
Another 317th FIS bird (56-0958) poses with a predecessor, a replica Spad.
Early F-102A of the 327th FIS.
Another early bird, 53-1817 of the Air Proving Ground Command, 1956. This aircraft was withdrawn from service in 1962 and was then displayed for decades at Lackland AFB, Tx. It is now on exhibit with the Florida Air National Guard, Jacksonville, Fl.
The Washington Air National Guard’s 116th FIS flew the F-102 for only 3 years, 1966-69. This aircraft, 56-0985, is currently on display at McEntire Air National Guard Base, SC.
Speaking of South Carolina, here are a brace of 102’s from that state’s 157th FIS, 57-0859 and 57-0818.
The year is approximately 1955 (The F-89, 53-2568, was written off in 1956), and it’s one of those great airshows of the era. We can only guess at what other aircraft graced the ramp of this unidentified base, so we will have to content ourselves with this gaggle of birds. The 58th FIS Scorpion is from Otis AFB, the B-29 (45-21800), from Langley. A well-known aircraft, this B-29 did the air drops of big name test airplanes way back when (The X-1, Chuck Yeager, being just one of many).
C-123 (54-577) brings up the rear. Scarcely visible behind the F-89 are F-84s of the USAF Thunderbirds. Like I said, one of those great old time airshows.
Here are a few Boeing designs that never made it too far off the drawing board : the Models 436, 461, 474, and 704. Although these models were never flown, you can see a lot of their elements in the B-47’s and B-52’s that were.