The Alabama Air National Guard in Europe, 1952

The Alabama boys of the 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron present a nice 4-ship of RF-80s.
Later during their service in Germany, the 160th TRS fancied up their aircraft with the addition of lightning bolts.
The indital destination of the 160th TRS was Toul Rosières Air Base in France. Owing to the base’s less than modern facilities (seen here), the 160th was sent to Neubiberg in Germany. The squadron’s parent group, the 117th, remained at Toul flying RB-26s.
RB-26 of the 1st TRS. The pierced steel planking is evidence of why the 160th and their RF-80 jets opted for a more suitable environment for jet aircraft.
Neubiberg was now home to a couple hundred Alabamians.
RF-80s, a T-33, and several F-84s of the 86th Fighter Bomber Wing.
Maintenance men of the 160th.
Pilots of the 160th.
Colonel Jackson, commander of the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Group confers with Colonel Laven of the 86th Fighter Bomber Group.
I doubt this was a booster for anyone’s career.
There are three aircraft involved, but all were repaired and put back in service.
The 38th TRS was also at Neubiberg. They later acquired many of the 160th’s aircraft.
Another Neubiberg outfit was the 525th FBS.
F-84E’s of the 86th FBG.
A lone F-84E of the 526th FBS.
One of the nice things about flying a recce fighter is you get to take great pictures and then use them to prove the other guy is not as hot a pilot as the thinks.
Visiting B-29.
Another visitor was this RAF PR 10 (WB156) of No. 541 Squadron, RAF Bückeburg, Germany.
The C-119’s were kept busy during the Germany deployment.
Like many of the men at Neubigerg, this Stinson L-5 Sentinal was a World War II veteran.
The “Skyblazers”, the US Air Force’s in Europe aerial demonstration team.
The 160th could put on a good show as well.

When the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Group(TRG) of the Alabama Air National Guard was activated during the Korean War, its squadrons spent about six months in Europe. Initially deployed to Toul Rosières Air Base in France, the unit found the steel matting and dirt flightline less-than optimal for the 160th TRS and its FOD-sucking RF-80s. (It was fine for the 1st TRS – they had RB-26s). It was decided to send the 160th to Neubiberg Air Base in Germany, where they would share the facilities with the base’s host unit, the 86th Fighter Bomber Group, and their F-84Es. The 160th remained at Neubiberg until de-activated in July 1952. Loaded with souvenir beer steins and lots of memories, they returned home to Alabama. 

Boom to Bust: The Alexander Aircraft Company

In the late 1920s, the future looked promising to J. Don Alexander and his aircraft business. In the years 1928-29, Alexander sold more planes than anyone else in the world, but unfortunately, the company became plagued with troubles. A 1928 fire destroyed their manufacturing plant killing eleven workers (J. Don Alexander and his brother were found liable), and even after constructing another facility,  new aircraft projects ran into problems as well. The Great Depression finished off Alexander in 1932. The company’s most successful product, the Eaglerock, is seen in these photos.

No Secrets Here

From the official (and heavily redacted) CIA history of their U-2 operations, published in 1998.

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”

Horace T. Pentecost posing proudly with his invention, the HX-1.
The world envisioned by Mr. Pentecost.

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.

Boeing’s Forgotten Bomber, the B-50

The B-50’s R-4360 radials were the culmination of piston engine technology.
49-360 was assigned to the 93rd Bomb Wing.
The “Lucky Lady II” of the 43rd Bomb Group was famous for its non-stop flight around the world.

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.  

World War 1 USN Airship Operations

Caption reads “The original 15 airship pilots and USN enlisted men at Royal Airship Station, Cranwell, England, winter or 1917-18”. Two of those pilots, R. Keily, and C.D. Anderson (2nd row, 4th & 5th from the left) wear Royal Flying Corps pilot wings.
This photo’s caption states that this “British Patrol Dirigible”, the R-31 was flown by Lt. (j.g.) Eugene Wolfe and other American pilots.
Another airship flown by USN naval aviators in WW1 was the French Chalais-Meudon T-2.
Home base for the USN airship pilots in France was Naval Air Station Paimbœuf.

Boeing Model 40

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NC 5390 of Pacific Air Transport hauled mail on the CAM (Contract Air Mail) 8 route (Seattle-Los Angeles) before crashing in 1931.
NC 10339 of Boeing Air Transport parked at its home base in Seattle.
First Class accommodations.
Model 40s were also built by Boeing Canada as the Model 40H-4. CF-AMQ stayed busy flying the skies of British Columbia before crashing at Dawson Creek in 1937.
NC 269 was a Model 40B that flew the skies for Boeing Air Transport/United Airlines. CAM 18 was the mail route between San Francisco and Chicago.
A Model 40B of United Air Lines.
NC 292 obviously had an “eventful” arrival, but it was repaired and put back into service.

Skyraiders Before The Storm

An A-1H of VA-215 while on a visit to NAS Whidbey Island. This Skyraider, 135366, was shot down in 1967.
AD-5 (133929) at NAS Seattle in 1961. The aircraft crashed later that year.
AD-5 ( 132669) of NAS Seattle in 1961. This plane later transferred to the SVNAF, then to the USAF before being shot down in 1965.
Another AD-5 of NAS Seattle that later transferred to the USAF. 132412 was shot down in 1966 while serving with the 602nd Air Commando Squadron.
A-1H (13539) of VA-215 was also transferred to the USAF for service in Vietnam. It was shot down in 1969.
AD-5 (133876) at Seattle before going off to the SVNAF, USAF, and being destroyed in combat.
A-1H (139797) of VA-215 before it was transferred to the USAF, and then to the SVNAF where it was lost during the war.
The first AD-7 (142010) was not lost in Vietnam, however, it crashed in 1962 while operating from USS Ranger.

Pictured in peacetime, none of these Skyraiders survived the 1960s or the Vietnam War.

The “Flying Whale”

B-10B of the 31st Bomb Squadron roars into Boeing Field in 1936.
Still wearing its flight to Alaska markings from the previous year, a B-12A coasts in to Boeing Field, August 7, 1935.
Another B-12A arrives at Boeing Field on the same date.
B-10B of the 11th Bomb Squadron, Boeing Field, July 1936.
August 1936, and another B-10B arrives at Boeing Field.
Martin’s revolutionary bomber attracted instant attention everywhere it went. (Once again, Boeing Field, and once again, August 1936.
B-10B of the 11th Bomb Squadron.
This B-10B seen at Boeing Field wears the markings of the 7th Bomb Group and was the personal plane of LtCol. Clarence Tinker. (Again, the photo’s location is Boeing Field)
Bolling Field.
Aircraft of the 9th Bomb Group, Mitchel Field, NY.
Same aircraft as before. Below them is the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge.

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.

“Miss Sonic Boom”

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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 simply could not resist. (Obviously, she would only take part in the tour if she could wear a bathing suit and high heels.) Upon her arrival, the Nellis pilots were so impressed with their visitor that they 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 a movie opposite Elvis. She is now 90 years old.