Aircraft
of the FAA and its Predecessors, Part III 1940-1944
In late 1939 President Franklin
Roosevelt had the Bureau of Budget begin another study on the organization
of the federal government's aviation regulatory body. The Bureau recommended
that the Air Safety Board be abolished and re-established as the Civil
Aeronautics Board (CAB) within the Department of Commerce. The new CAB
would also have the economic regulatory authority of the current Civil
Aeronautics Authority (CAA). The Bureau of Budget also recommended that
all the administrative functions of the CAA be charged to the Administrator
of the CAA and that this agency be placed back within the Department of
Commerce. Roosevelt implemented the recommended changes with two reorganization
plans and the new Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and CAB were established
in May 1940.
Aircraft operations continued
to expand, particularly with additional airway inspection requirements
imposed by the advent of radio navigation aids and continued growth of
airway mileage. (By July 1941, nearly 31,000 miles of airways had been
established.) Each CAA regional office maintained its own flight
inspection program and was assigned older Stinsons and new
Cessna Bobcats for that purpose. Regional offices also were assigned aircraft
for transportation, both by regional administrators and aeronautical inspectors.
. . .
|
Fairchild M-62 (civilian version of PT-19A) used for
crosswind evalution.
(William T. Larkins) |
The
"Little Puddle-Jumper" Who Could and Did!
Piedmont Airlines (now part
of the family tree of USAirways) had its beginnings in Winston-Salem, N.C.
in 1940 when founder, Tom Davis, purchased Camel City Flying Service (with
the aid of Tobacco heir, Richard Reynolds Jr., who helped with the
financing), and renamed it Piedmont Aviation.
On Feb. 20, 1948, Piedmont
Airlines started operating a DC-3 from Wilmington, NC to Cincinnati with
four intermediate stops. The two companies were kept autonomous and separate
under the Piedmont Aviation banner.
Piedmont's original temporary
certificate, as a feeder carrier in 1947, permitted operation only under
VFR during daylight hours for the first 90 days.
In the late 1940s, life for
former military pilots was not easy. Flying jobs were very hard to find
and many veteran military aviators neither knew nor wanted any other career.
Piedmont's first 12 pilots
reported to work during the summer of 1947, grateful to obtain flying work.
They didn't earn much. Piedmont pilots made about $400 per month during
their first year probationary period. Copilots earned about $240 per month,
while Eastern Airlines pilots were earning about $800 per month.
Throughout the summer of
1947, while awaiting final CAB approval, the pilots took on added chores
such as carpenters, painters and ground-keepers, in sprucing up Piedmont's
HQ in an old army barracks at the Winston-Salem Airport.
Piedmont was very particular
about who they hired as pilots. They looked for a particular kind of personality
-- calm and from a stable background. Piedmont's success in finding
calm, stable and adaptable flight crews resulted in remarkably low turnover
among Piedmont employees, many of whom spent most of their working lives
with the company. This care in hiring produced a certain spirit among Piedmont
people. With Davis' meticulous and demanding, but cool-headed and
warm-hearted leadership, the employees commitment to
and pride in their company was passed on to new hires,
year after year. The Piedmont Spirit became an obvious and well-known quality
over the years.
|
YS-11A entered service with Piedmont in May 1969.
(Piedmont photo) |
The
Soviet Union's First Cold War Jet Bomber - A Copied Boeing B-29 Superfortress?
Japan's invasion of Manchuria
was triggered by the "Mukden Incident" on September 18, 1931, and the following
invasion of North China threatened the Soviet Union's Far East border.
Japan's military leaders recognized the need to counter the Soviet Union's
Far East Army. On November 25, 1936, Japan and Nazi Germany signed the
Anti-Comintern Pact in Berlin. For Japan, the Anti-Comintem Pact's
"Secret Protocols" was important for its security in the Far East.
"Agree to consult on what
measures to take to safeguard their common interests (Germany and Japan)...take
no measures which tend to ease the situation of the Soviet Unio..and..neither
nation make any political treaties with Russia contrary to the spirit of
the agreement without mutual consent."' In the Summer of 1938, units of
the Soviet Far East Army clashed in Manchuria with Japanese units over
a strategic section of high ground which Soviet forces controlled and could
view movements of Japanese troops. During the short engagement Soviet land
and air forces mauled Japanese Army units. A tenuous truce between
the two forces was announced, but tensions continued. Approximately ten
months later, military conflict along the border flared up again. The Soviet
Army inflicted approximately 50,000 causalities on the Japanese.
Because Japan's expansion in Manchuria was blunted it turned toward the
heartland of China. Even more disconcerting to Japan was the agree- ment
signed by Germany and the Soviet Union on August 23, 1934, referred to
as a "Non-Aggression Treaty."
Japan renewed negotiations
with Germany to improve its previous agreement against the Soviet Union.
The Soviet-German Nonagression Pact seemed an effort by the Soviet Union,
to Japan, to keep the Japanese Empire from expanding further into Manchuria.
On September 27, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite
Pact in Berlin. The agreement, on the surface, was aimed directly at the
United States. This part of the Tripartite Pact was aimed to... "Force
the United States to act more prudently in carrying out her plans against
Japan.,.and..-prevent a war between the two countries." Secondarily, it
increased Japan's diplomatic pressure on the Soviet Union to reach a similar
agreement with the Japanese Empire. The Japanese military desperately wanted
to reach an agreement with the Soviet Union to free its military movement
within its China theater of operations.
Historically, the Soviet
Union tenaciously maintained its international agreements. On April
13, 1941, the Soviet union and Japan signed the Russo-Japanese Neutrality
Pact. The Russo-Japanese Neutrality Pact stated: "The Soviet Union
and Japan would remain neutral in case the other got . . . .
|
Soviet produced Tupolev Tu-4 Bull on display
outside of Moscow.
(John Sloan Collection) |
Adventures
with Junior - Part V Conclusion
Intercepted!—Radar
had been installed on Taboga Island and we flew several calibration missions
(in larger, faster, long range aircraft) during the installation as well
as subsequent missions to train intercept controllers. During this period
I became acquainted with one of the radar intercept controllers who would
come fly with us any time he was not on duty. First Lieutenant Doug Loog
was from Louisiana and "monitored" flights, mostly inbound ones, as well
as directing fighters to intercept unidentified flights for the XXVI Fighter
Command. I felt much better making overwater hops to Rey Island and Jaque
in Junior after the radar was installed and operational. At least if Junior
went "off the scope", the radar observer would have a "fix" on my position
which could help any rescue operations.
One day I was returning to
Albrook from Jaque and found out just how accurate the radar was. We were
below a solid overcast at around 3,000 feet, with a very even base.
In order to pick up a bit of a following wind promised by the forecaster,
I climbed Junior to the very base of the overcast and levelled off with
his rudder practically in the clouds. The air was smooth as silk and I
was completely relaxed.
Then, off to my left, I noticed
a few specks which quicklv became large enough to be recognized as a flight
of four . . . . . .
|
|
"Moonlight
Requisition"
Victorious Allied operations
had finally forced the tenacious Teutonic forces out of North Africa and
up into the boot of Italy, and in this rapid northward sweep, the Commander
of the 12th Air Force advanced his headquarters to the city of Foggia.
Due to the constantly changing pattern of operations, along with shortages
of personnel and equipment, Hq. 12th AF was being supported by elements
of the 90th Photo Recon Wing based in San Severe, a nearby town about 17
miles to the north. This arrangement worked fairly well, but required continual
communication and courier services. Another prime headache was the erratic
Italian electric current that constantly fluctuated in voltage output,
and played havoc with the sensitive photo equipment. This galling situation
had the Hq 12th Supply Officer climbing the wall and had him constantly
on the prowl for mobile electric generators, which of course were in critical
shortage throughout the entire combat zone.
The Luftwaffe too, weren't
very cooperative either, and managed to sneak a few aircraft over at night,
which caused the area to be blacked out. The Germans were most persistent
in these efforts, and after the third nightly foray that had
shut off his lights, the Commander of the Twelfth
Air Force gnashed his teeth in the inky blackness and vowed. "THIS has
got to stop right now!" Early next morning he summoned his supply officer
and roared, "Culpepper, if you don't come up with a generator like right
now, you've had it!" The harried A-4 nodded and mumbled grimly, "We
had one but it was moonlight requisitioned." The General waved him angrily
out of the office, and then pressed PHOTO on his intercom andspoke softly
and quickly, "Captain, I'm tapping into your generator until A-4 gets his
thumb out of his ear and gets one." Photo came right back, "Yes Sir, is
there anything else?" "That's enough," snapped the General, "Just be damned
sure I got lights, you understand?" Again Photo came back, "Yes Sir!"
but now the General's tone grew silky, "Captain, I get the word that you
are a gentleman who knows how to get things done. You think you might find
a generator for me?" The Photo man sighed . . . . . .
|
|
The
C-2A Greyhound - An Aerial Link to the Fleet
The aircraft carrier has established
its place in Naval Aviation. Less M. recognized are the Naval units
that routinely support the logistics needs of the carrier and the fleet.
Vital needs and services that are often performed under adverse conditions,
where "routine" involves multiple carrier traps and catapult launches.
It is difficult to adequately
describe the sensation of a carrier trap and a catapult launch. However,
this article will attempt to convey the thrill of the "ultimate E ticket."
Grumman
C-2A Greyhound — The Grumman C-2A
Greyhound
is an aerial link between shore stations and aircraft carriers at sea.
Its primary role is "carrier onboard delivery" (COD), and it delivers vital
cargo, personnel and mail between shore installations and the fleet.
The arrival of a COD on deck is a welcome sight to the ship's crew mainly
because it can deliver up to 2,000 pounds of mail a day while deployed
at sea.
The odd multi-tailed C-2A
Greyhound
is a transport version of the E-2 Hawkeye, a carrier based airborne early
warning (AEW) aircraft. The prototype Hawkeye flew for the first time in
October 1960. This was followed by the first flight of the
C-2A version in November 1964. Production of the original series
of 17 C-2As ended in 1967.
In mid-1978, when the C-2As
had been in fleet service for over 10 years, they were approaching their
authorized operational service life limit. This prompted development
of the "C-2A Service Life Extension Program (SLEP)." Included in
the program were replacements of wing center section lower skins; structural
modifications due to stress corrosion: new wiring components; and upgraded
electrical and avionics systems.
In Southern California, the
COD assignment belongs to VRC 30, a SanDiego-based Navy logistics support
. . . . .
|
Grumman C-2A on final approach to USS Stennis.
(Jim Turner Photo) |
From
Skytrains to Commandos: Commandeering Airline Airplanes 1940-1945, Part
IV
During 1940, the 359 transports
in service on the domestic lines carried 2,727,820 passengers and 3,850
tons of cargo, the whole totaling 108,800,436 revenue miles.
Among the multi-engine aircraft
employed in this transportation, the Douglas DC-3 and the Lockheed Lodestar
predominated. The Douglas DC-3 incorporated a long sequence of engineering
improvements evolved during the production of the series. Of all-metal,
low-wing, cantilever construction, it measured 16 feet in height, 64 feet
in length and 95 feet in wing span. With a weight empty of approximately
15,000 pounds, it was capable of carrying a useful load of 8,740 pounds.
The maximum speed of the DC-3 was 212 mph at an altitude of 6,800 feet
and the cruising speed, 180 mph at 10,000 feet.
The Lodestar was one of the
series of commercial airplanes developed by Lockheed. This all metal, mid-wing
monoplane approximated 50 feet in length, 12 feet in height, and 66 feet
in wing span. With a weight empty of 17,500 pounds and a useful load of
6,400 pounds, it could be constructed as either an executive or 14-passenger
corporation model. At an altitude of 7,000 feet using 750-BEP engines,
the maximum speed was240 mph. With 900-BHP engines at 7,900 feet, the rate
was increased to 252 mph. In November 1940, a Lodestar flew from
Burbank, California to Jacksonville, Florida with but one stop for refueling,
in 9 hours and 30 minutes, a record breaking flight.
Although the commercial airlines
apparently did not lack vehicles for aerial transportation of personnel
and express, this certainly was not true in the Air Corps. In fact, with
the acceleration of the war preparedness program, the dearth of this type
of aircraft became more and more obvious. In addition to providing transports
for the performance of customary services, which were rapidly expanding,
the Air Corps was called upon to furnish them for new and unprecedented
activities. To maintain aircraft production, transports were necessary
for the conveyance of Government furnished equipment and other essential
accessories to contractors. As evidence of this critical requirement, in
September 1940, Brigadier . . . . .
|
Douglas C-47 formation flight.
(Douglas photo from Harry Gann Collection)
|
Messerschmitt,
The Fighter and the World's Speed Record
During World War II Messerschmitt
was almost a household name. Feared as much as the Spitfire, Mustang and
Zero, the Bf 109 had a very skeptical beginning.
In 1927, Dipl.-ing. Willy
Messerschmitt had been contracted by Luft Hansa, the German airline, to
design and build ten single-engine passenger transports. After two crashes,
Erhard Milch, the Director of Luft Hansa, declined to accept further airplanes.
Willy then took Milch and Luft Hansa to court. The German Court
favored Messerschmitt and Milch was forced to accept and pay for the airplanes.
This was a situation that Milch never forgot.
When The Third Reich came
to power, Milch was put in charge of the Technical Ministry for Air (RLM)
with responsibility to accelerate the buildup of the Luftwaffe. Messerschmitt
was on the verge of bankruptcy and to keep the doors open, a technical
aid contract was accepted from Rumania for a passenger transport.
When the delivery occurred, Milch was in jeopardy by allowing a German
company to do business with a foreign country especially when airplanes
were badly needed. Willy's excuse was that he wasn't getting contracts
from the RLM and he solicited and accepted those from foreign countries
to keep his staff . . . . .
|
Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 world speed holder.
(Diamler-Benz Aerospace AG)
|
Exploits
of the Gooney Bird
During the DC-3's over half century
of service, its countless exploits have been the subject of many
stories. Although some of the stories may not be true or may have been
embellished in the retelling, all are interesting. They paint a picture
of a vehicular superman whose adventures are larger than life. The following
are but a few of many tales about the "Grand Old Lady," an aircraft whose
unabridged adventures would fill several volumes.
THE DC-2 1/2—During World
War II, enemy aircraft caught a China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC)
DC-3 on the ground just after landing at Suifu, China. The pilot. Captain
Woods and his passengers hid in nearby woods and watched helplessy as the
exploding bombs laced the field. A 100-Kilo bomb fell through the right
wing of the DC-3 and exploded beneath it, blowing the wing to splinters
and severely damaging the rest of the aircraft. The only available wing
was in Hong Kong, that of a DC-2, which was in the shop for overhaul. Although
the wing had the same root shape and chord as that of a DC-3, it was five
feet shorter. Nevertheless, thewing was secured beneath the fuselage of
a DC-2 and dispatched to Suifu along with its regular overload of passengers
and cargo. (This ingenious air freight arrangement was used several times
later in the war to salvage downed aircraft.)
At Suifu the wing was quickly
installed and other essential repairs made. After a short test flight,
the aircraft flew back to Hong Kong, picking up a full load of passengers
at Chungking on the way. The DC-2 1/2, as . . . . .
|
XC-47 Duck, one of five modified with the addition
of Edo floats.
|
Flight
Testing the Atlas ICBM Radio Guidance System
The history of the Cold War has recently
gained increased interest but the technological competition between the
US and the USSR, an integral part of this history, remains a largely untold
story. A centerpiece of this competition was the race to develop the ICBM.
At the end of WW II the U.S.
got von Braun and company while the Russians commandeered their own cadre
of rocketeers and both countries built on V2 technology. The Russians beat
us into space with Sputnik while the Navy Vangard program faltered so for
awhile we appeared to be second in a race with only one prize.
By the mid-50s missile technology
had progressed to the point where ICBM feasibility was no longer in doubt;
the challenge was implementation and the finer points of warhead sophistication.
The Atlas, built by General Dynamics using Rocketdyne engines was the first
ICBM to become operational and actually deployed by the U.S. The official
weapon system designation for Atlas was WS107A.
Early in the development
of the Atlas the type of guidance system to be used was a critical issue.
Onboard inertial guidance was the ultimate goal but the state-of-the-art
for inertial platforms could not guarantee the required accuracy, therefore
two systems were funded. Work on inertial continued. . . . . .
|
|
Beckley
College School of Aviation, The First Class
Beckley College, located
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1918 by its president, Charles
R. Beckley. Until 1929, the private college was basically a business
school offering courses in accounting, economics, commercial
law, political science and typing, leading to diplomas in commerce, finance,
or secretarial science.
During the 1920s, all America
was infatuated with airplanes—inspired by the bamstormers, air races, and
especially by the 1927 transatlantic flight by Charles A. Lindbergh. Witnessing
the entrance of aviation into the world of industry and commerce, Mr. Beckley
foresaw the demand for trained people who would be capable of carrying
the new industry to its rightful place in the world. Therefore, it was
decided the time was right to institute an aviation course at the college.
After many conferences with
the heads of the various aeronautic branches of the Department of Commerce
at Washington, D.C., the aviation school of Beckley College was developed
by President Beckley, Dean Charles S. Smith, and Walter A. Hoffman. Many
curriculum outlines were considered, including those of Army and Navy courses,
but even those had to be rearranged to conform to the state educational
system requirements.
Plans finalized, the Beckley
College School Of Aviation offered a series of courses over a two-year
period beginning with the 1929-1930 school year which, when successfully
completed, would result in the student receiving a diploma in Aeronautical
Engineering.
First year study courses
included Airports & Airways, Air Commerce Regulations, Fabric Work
Laboratory, Motors, History of Aviation, Internal Combustion Engines,
Lubrication, Mathematics/Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Drawing, Physics,
Practical Surveying, Theory of Aircraft, . . . .
|
Beckley's students learn how to build wings.
(1931 Phoenician, Beckley College Year book) |
