Name: UflyTV Shorts Blue Angels FatAlbert JATO Take Off @air2air
Uploaded: 2026-09-21T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: UflyTV Shorts Blue Angels FatAlbert JATO Take Off

UflyTV Shorts Blue Angels FatAlbert JATO Take Off

Air2Air 2026-09-21 | UflyTV Shorts Blue Angels FatAlbert JATO Take Off

Live Stream BROADCAST! Flying the Westland Lysander, June 15 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-06-16 | BEHIND-THE-SCENES INTERVIEW WITH DAVE HADFIELD
Chief Pilot/Lysander Historical Aviation/Vintage Wings of Canada

Perhaps the best-known role for the Westland Lysander during the Second World War was its use as a “spy taxi”, an aircraft capable of flying low under the radar and delivering secret agents, weapons and radio equipment to resistance fighters in France and Belgium. "Flying a Lysander is truly a remarkable experience. One gets the feeling that with 20 hours or so in the airplane you could do amazing things with it. Too bad they were never put on floats! Bush-flying with a Lysander would be eye-opening!"

Live Stream BROADCAST! Ace in a Day Maj. Archie Donahue, June 8 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-06-09 | Major Archie Donahue distinguished himself during World War II as a Marine Corps fighter pilot and leader. He shot down 14 enemy aircraft primarily flying the F4U Corsair and twice became an ‘Ace in a Day’ by downing five airplanes in one day.

Donahue’s reputation preceded him when he began training a new generation of U.S. Marine pilots to operate the Vought F4U-1D Corsair from aircraft carriers in 1944. At the ripe old age of 26, he was one of the early birds who had fought the Japanese in the Solomon Islands, enough in itself for the newer squadron members to regard “the Old Man,” as they called him, with reverence. Moreover, Donahue was one of only seven Marines credited with downing five enemy planes in one day—a distinction that may have been marred by one being listed as a “probable,” but which he would make up for later with a second quintuple victory. Regardless, it was Donahue’s reputation as a battle-seasoned flight leader that impressed his squadron mates the most. “The guys liked to fly with him,” said Philip S. Wilmot, “because they knew Archie always came home.” “Before each mission Archie used to put coins in a Buddha on his desk,” recalled Charles H. Hodson. “He said it covered all the luck we’d need.”

Live Stream BROADCAST! RED GIANT Kalinin K-7 and Boeing B-17 with Gary Sinise,

Air2Air 2023-06-02 | June 1 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST
The Giant Bomber of the 30’s – Kalinin K-7.
Even though speed, firepower and endurance have all been regarded as important factors of an aircraft, there is one feature that has always been regarded as cooler than most others – Size. Ever since we were small we have always wanted the largest possible of everything: large toys and large pieces of cake are to mention a few. And the Soviets liked size in particular. This specific airplane is actually the largest one to have ever taken off using propeller engines.

It was built by the Soviet Union and had its first flight in 1933, only 30 years after the Wright brothers made their first flight. It was to be used as a heavy bomber or civilian transport, although in the bomber mode it featured guns as well and so made it a gunship/bomber. It had an unusual construction with large underwing pods that housed fixed landing gears. Inside of these pods was also some of the machine guns mounted.

Live Stream BROADCAST! The Grumman F-14 Tomcat, May 25 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-05-24 | The Navy was seeking a replacement for the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom, which no longer had the range or weapons needed to protect carrier battle groups. Soviet advances in bombers and anti-ship cruise missiles required an interceptor that could fly far and fast, with long loiter time, powerful radar and brutish missiles that could strike far beyond the range of Sidewinders and Sparrows.

Grumman, which had worked with General Dynamics on the F-111’s variable-geometry wing, had already begun work on a fighter, the G-303, that became the Tomcat. It utilized the 111’s swing-wing concept as well as its Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines—unique in being the world’s first afterburning fighter turbofans.

Live Stream BROADCAST! Suspended Runways, May 18 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-05-19 | A Piper L-4, engine running, is ready for take-off while suspended from its cable. During World War II, like most red-blooded Americans, the Piper J-3 Cub was called to serve in the military. Classified as the L-4 by the Army but most commonly called “Grasshoppers,” more than 4900 were used to help spot and correct the fall of artillery shells over enemy lines and otherwise help coordinate troops. Well, it turned out that the Army needed these planes in some pretty inaccessible places, and that’s where the Navy came in.

Live Stream BROADCAST! The Story of Edward “Eddie” K. Simpson, May 11 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-05-12 | The 357th Fighter Group entered combat over Fortress Europe against the potent German Luftwaffe in February of 1944. “Eddie” Simpson soon became one of the 363rd Fighter Squadron’s rising stars. His aggressiveness in the air and superb flying abilities made him a favorite in the Squadron. Bill Overstreet remembers, “He was a good stick and guys just wanted to fly with him.” By the summer of 1944, the 357th Fighter Group had become one of the fiercest units in the Eighth Air Force Fighter Command. Several 357th FG pilots, including Simpson, were scoring victories against the Luftwaffe at a rapid pace. By August, “Eddie” Simpson had nearly finished his combat tour having achieved four and one half enemy aircraft destroyed, but his luck ran out on the afternoon of August 10, 1944 over the skies of Sens, France.

Hoot Gibsons Hangar Vodcast/Podcast S1 E12 Air Racing

Air2Air 2023-05-10 | Hoot Gibson's Hangar Vodcast/Podcast... Episode 12 Unlimited Class Reno Air Race Champion.
FREE ACCESS AND STREAMING NOW!
air2airtv.com/categories/hoot-gibsons-hangar-podcast
Dronescapes Youtube Channel: youtube.com/@Dronescapes

Live Stream BROADCAST! THE POD Fairchilds XC-120 Pack Plane, May 4 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-05-05 | The Fairchild engineers reasoned that a military cargo plane would be more efficient if it was equipped solely for the specific mission it was performing, and that the best way to accomplish that was for it to carry a different, specialized fuselage for each particular mission. They also regarded their C-119 as an ideal basis from which to develop such an aircraft.

Thus was born one of the most unusual transports to ever take to the air, the XC-120 “Pack Plane.” It retained the C-119’s twin-boom configuration, but with an entirely new, drastically reduced central fuselage. The new fuselage had a flat bottom to which a variety of specialized cargo pods could be attached, depending upon the mission. For instance, one pod could be optimized for the carriage of heavy cargo, while another could be set up for personnel. Other cargo pods could be configured for the delivery of troops or heavy equipment by parachute. Still others could serve as portable hospitals, radar stations, command centers or perform other specialized functions.

Live Stream BROADCAST! Warbirds Tribute: Charles Obie OBrien, April 27 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-04-28 | Cmdr. Charles “Obie” O’Brien (1928-2023)
We recently learned of the passing of Charles "Obie" O'Brien. He had become known in Hampton Roads military and veteran communities as “the Corsairs guy” — in reference to the plane he flew during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Over his 30-year Navy career, he amassed over 1,100 hours of flight time, including 70 hours of combat.

Live Stream BROADCAST! Combat Helicopters and Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, April 20 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-04-21 | Major Gen. Patrick Brady, (Retired) is the only living Army veteran of Vietnam to hold both the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross, our nation's second highest award. General Brady spent over 34 years in the Army serving in stations all over the world.

COMBAT HELICOPTERS
Dave Schmitz and Barry Hammarback purchased N14SD a 1962 HUEY (UH1D/H) in 2015 to bring attention to and support Vietnam Veterans, their families, and supporting organizations. Dave was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, flying C46s in the Marine Corp. Barry's cousin Lyle was a Special Forces Ranger working with the SOG (Special Operations Group). We support not only the participants, but also their families. We believe it is important able to show the sights and sounds of that war. Nothing is more closely associated with the Vietnam war than the Huey. Since the purchase of the Huey, we have put in hundreds of hours of demonstration flying time at Veterans events, airshows and for static display. We hope to share these adventures with you, hoping you will help us keep it flying. We're all in this together.

Live Stream BROADCAST! WWII Aircraft Nose Art with Owen Hughes, April 13 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-04-14 | The inscription of art work on military planes dates to World War I, when paintings were usually extravagant company or unit insignia. However, regulations were put in place after the war to stymie the practice. As the United States entered World War II, nose art regulations were relaxed, or in many cases totally ignored. WWII would become the golden age of aircraft artistry. Artwork was typically painted on the nose of the plane, and the term "nose art" was coined.

Owen Hughes was born in Freemont, Ohio, in 1919. After high school, he worked as a commercial sign painter and trained in hand lettering techniques. In anticipation of the draft, Owen joined the Army Air Force with hopes of becoming a flyer. After arriving for training in aerial photography in Patterson Field, Ohio, he was deployed overseas to England. Owen was stationed at Burtonwood Airfield and later went on to Paris, where he worked and lived in the airplanes beneath the Eiffel Tower. In his later years, he designed the nose art for Doc, one of only two B-29 bomber planes still flying today. Owen continues to attend air shows throughout the country.

Live Stream BROADCAST! Bud Anderson and The P-39 Old Crow, April 6 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-04-07 | Brigadier General C.E. "Bud" Anderson came to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022 where he was warmly embraced by a standing-room-only crowd as he was surrounded by special warbirds restored to represent three aircraft he flew during World War II. More than 1,000 enthusiastic fans packed the bleachers and the Warbirds in Review ramp on July 26, 2022, to see — and listen to — Bud. Sharing the ramp was the newly-repainted Commemorative Air Force P-39 Airacobra in the markings Bud Anderson used on his Airacobra during late stateside training in Casper, Wyoming. The event marked the rare P-39’s debut in its new identity as Old Crow, the name Bud continued to apply to several aircraft over the years.

Hoot Gibsons Hangar Vodcast/Podcast Trailer

Air2Air 2023-04-05 | All New Audio Podcasts from USA’s Greatest Living Aviator!
Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson is an aeronautical engineer, a fighter pilot (300 carrier landings in Southeast Asia; F-4’s & F-14’s), an astronaut (five Shuttle Missions, 36 days in space, Chief NASA Astronaut), an airline captain (Southwest Airlines), a homebuilder (Cassutt Formula I pylon racer), an Unlimited Class Air Race Champion and a highly sought-after aviation litigation expert witness. He is, simply, America’s Greatest Living Aviator.

Hoot Gibson’s Hangar, aviation’s premier podcast, hosted by America’s premier aviator, Hoot Gibson, “The Man That Can Fly Anything."

Don’t miss a single episode. Video podcast air exclusively on Air2AirTV and aviation’s premier Youtube channel - Dronescapes, producing aircraft documentaries, exclusive stories and interviews from veterans, pilots and aces, in their own words. WWII missions, Vietnam's stories and much more!

Hoot Gibson’s Hangar audio podcast can be downloaded from all top podcast directories: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, TuneIn Alexa, Overcast, PocketCast, Castro, Castbox, Podchaser and many more.

You can also download the audio podcast on Air2AirTV by clicking on the RESOURCE tab below each episode.

Live Stream BROADCAST! Warbird Profile: Douglas Bader, March 30 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-03-31 | Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader (1910-1982), CBE, DSO, DFC, FRAeS, DL, became a hero and was widely acknowledged as a legend in his own lifetime. When Douglas Bader accompanied his friend Adolf Galland to a dinner in Munich after the war, he was surprised to find the dining room filled with former Luftwaffe fighter pilots. 'My God,' Bader exclaimed, 'I had no idea we left so many of you @#$%& alive!'

Live Stream BROADCAST! The FAIREY GANNET, March 23 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-03-24 | The Fairey Gannet was a dedicated anti-submarine platform primarily serving the Fleet Air Arm of the British Royal Navy during the Cold War years. She was an aircraft design originating from a 1945 British Admiralty initiative (GR.17/45) requiring an advanced, carrier-based, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platform. Both Fairey Aviation Company and Blackburn Aircraft responded with prototypes "Fairey 17" and "B-54" respectively. Both were of outwardly similar design, sporting conventional monoplane wings, stout reinforced airframes, internal bomb bays and a tricycle undercarriage. The "gannet" name was derived from the species of large seabirds common to the North Atlantic, the southern regions of Africa and the South Pacific (near Australia and New Zealand). Their predatory nature is such that they dive, at speed, upon unsuspecting prey in the water and can continue the chase of said prey while remaining submerged.

General characteristics

Crew: 3
Length: 43 ft 0 in (13.11 m)
Wingspan: 54 ft 4 in (16.56 m)
Height: 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m)
Wing area: 483 sq ft (44.9 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23018; tip: NACA 23010
Empty weight: 15,069 lb (6,835 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 19,600 lb (8,890 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley ASMD.1 Double Mamba coupled turboprop engine, 2,950 shp (2,200 kW) equivalent
Propellers: 8-bladed Rotol contra-rotating propeller
Performance

Maximum speed: 310 mph (500 km/h, 270 kn)
Endurance: 5–6 hours
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Armament
Up to 2,000 lb of bombs, torpedoes, depth charges and rockets
Avionics
Ekco ASV Mk. 19 radar (ARI 5838)

Live Stream BROADCAST! Warbirds in Review: Capt. Thomas Hudner, March 16 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-03-16 | The annual Warbird Volunteer Winter Meeting on March 3-4 was a great success and a lot of fun for the 54 volunteers in attendance. Warbird Squadron 32 hosted the event that started late Friday afternoon at Wittman Field Terminal meeting room with “Dinner & A Movie”. The Korean Conflict film “Devotion” an inspirational true story of Jesse Brown, the first Black aviator in U.S. Navy history, and his enduring friendship with fellow fighter pilot Tom Hudner. The film is based on the 2015 book Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Warbirds in Review alum, Adam Makos.

Thomas Jerome Hudner Jr. (1924-2017) was a United States Navy officer and naval aviator. He rose to the rank of captain, and received the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his wingman, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. Hosted by Dr. Bill Harrison.

Live Stream RE-BROADCAST! The Incredible Winkle Brown, March 9 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-03-10 | Captain Eric Melrose "Winkle" Brown (1919 - 2016)
First pilot to land a pure jet on an aircraft carrier. First to land a tricycle gear airplane on a carrier. First to land a high-performance twin on a carrier. First deck landing of a twin-engine jet on a British carrier. First to land a tricycle gear airplane on a carrier. First to land a high-performance twin on a carrier. First deck landing of a twin-engine jet on a British carrier. A pilot with 487 different aircraft in his logbook, including 55 captured German planes in World War II. The only Allied pilot to fly the “suicidal” Messerschmitt Me-163B under rocket power. A naval aviator who saw combat over the Atlantic, survived being torpedoed and went on to become arguably the greatest test pilot of all time. No ordinary mortal then, this Captain Eric “Winkle” Brown, CBE, DSC, AFC, Royal Navy.

Live Stream BROADCAST! Warbirds Profile: Mike Anderson, March 2 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-03-03 | Mike is the current President of EAA Warbirds of America and has served on the Board of Directors for the past 15 years.
"How I personally got into flying Warbirds is that my cousin who was an airline pilot, flew F4U-Corsairs in airshows. He needed to get his Acro card renewed. So Steve Gustafson was here, many of you may know Steve, one of the founding members of the Aeroshell Team. So Steve was just doing a solo aerobatic routine at our airshow, and my cousin asked if he would check him out. So I rode with Steve and we actually observed my cousin doing his aerobatic routine from the air and to renew his card while I was riding in the back. Well, after that was over Steve practiced his full airshow routine with me in the back. And I just kind of fell in love with Warbirds after that." -Mike Anderson

Live Stream BROADCAST! The Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster, February 23 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-02-24 | In the early 1940s, Edward F. Burton began to investigate ways to simplify bomber aircraft. Burton was the Chief of Engineering at the Douglas Aircraft Company, and he had noted that each subsequent generation of bomber aircraft was substantially larger, more complex, and more expensive than the preceding generation. Burton and his team started with a clean sheet of paper and designed what would become the XB-42.

Charles Obie OBrien and the F4U 4 Corsair

Air2Air 2023-02-19 | The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts were given to Goodyear, whose Corsairs were designated FG, and Brewster, designated F3A.

The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft, and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy in late 1944 and early 1945. It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of World War II. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II and its naval aviators achieved an 11:1 kill ratio. Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the Grumman F6F Hellcat, powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's initial prototype in 1940. Instead, the Corsair's early deployment was to land-based squadrons of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy.

The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria. In addition to its use by the U.S. and British, the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, French Naval Aviation, and other air forces until the 1960s.

From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured in 16 separate models. Its 1942–1953 production run was the longest of any U.S. piston-engined fighter.

In February 1938 the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics published two requests for proposal for twin-engined and single-engined fighters. For the single-engined fighter the Navy requested the maximum obtainable speed, and a stalling speed not higher than 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). A range of 1,000 miles (1,600 km) was specified. The fighter had to carry four guns, or three with increased ammunition. Provision had to be made for anti-aircraft bombs to be carried in the wing. These small bombs would, according to thinking in the 1930s, be dropped on enemy aircraft formations.

O’Brien is known in the Hampton Roads military and veteran communities as “The Corsairs Man”—a reference to the aircraft he spent most of his time flying during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During his 30-year naval career, he flew over 1,100 hours, including 70 hours of combat.

O’Brien’s sky-high military career began in 1946. But his dreams of becoming a pilot were ignited years ago.

“My mom said that when I was coming home from the hospital where I was born, an airplane flew by and I raised my head to look,” O’Brien said, laughing.

O’Brien made his first air travel in 1937 in a Ford Tri-Motor in Ocean City, New Jersey. A 15-minute plane ride costs $2.50. Then at just 9 years old, O’Brien came up short and talked the pilot into taking the $1.75 he saved from working as a paper boy – he managed to secure a seat in the co-pilot’s chair in the process Stayed.

“When I got on that airplane, I wanted to be a pilot. But when I got out of that airplane, I knew I was going to be a pilot,” O’Brien said.

The 15-minute flight was all the direction he needed. O’Brien joined the Navy on 18 July 1946. World War II had ended two years before that.

“So as far as the war is concerned, I was out of luck,” O’Brien said with a sly grin. “But I was going to be a pilot whether the war was on or not.”

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 33 ft 8 in (10.26 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
Wing area: 314 sq ft (29.17 m2)
Empty weight: 9,205 lb (4,238 kg)
Gross weight: 14,670 lb (6,654 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 14,533 lb (6,592 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W radial engine, 2,380 hp (1,770 kW)
Propellers: 4-bladed
Performance

Maximum speed: 446 mph (717 km/h, 385 kn)
Cruise speed: 215 mph (346 km/h, 187 kn)
Stall speed: 89 mph (143 km/h, 77 kn)
Range: 1,005 mi (1,617 km, 873 nmi)
Combat range: 328 mi (528 km, 285 nmi)
Service ceiling: 41,500 ft (12,600 m)
Rate of climb: 4,360 ft/min (22.1 m/s)
Armament
Guns:
6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns, 400 rounds per gun or
4 × 0.79 in (20 mm) AN/M3 cannon, 231 rounds per gun
Rockets: 8 × 5 in (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets and/or
Bombs: 4,000 pounds (1,800 kg)

#veteran #f4u #aircraft

Live Stream BROADCAST! CANDY BOMBER Gail Halvorsen, February 9 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-02-10 | Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen (1920-2022), Variously known as “Candy Bomber, or “Uncle Wiggly Wings,” Halvorsen earned those nicknames during his service as a command pilot during the Berlin Airlift, which lasted from June 1948 until September 1949. During that period, the Soviet Union imposed a blockade on the zones of Berlin under the control of the United States, Britain, and France. As a result of the Soviet blockade, nearly 2.5 million German civilians had no access to medicine, fuel, and food. It quickly became the first major international crisis in the Cold War.

Prisoner in Vietnam. The Dewey Waddell Story of the downed F-105 Thunderchief and the Hanoi Hilton

Air2Air 2023-02-08 | Downed U.S. airman Dewey Waddell was taken captive by Vietnamese communist fighters in 1967, and he was released in 1973.
North Vietnam’s treatment of American airmen shot down and captured over North Vietnam was a subject of controversy and concern throughout the Vietnam War.

From the very beginning of the war, North Vietnam’s stated position was that American prisoners captured in North Vietnam were “war criminals” who had committed crimes against the North Vietnamese people in the course of an illegal war of aggression and that therefore the American prisoners were not entitled to the privileges and rights granted to prisoners of war (POW) under the terms of the Geneva Convention.
The Vietnamese were accused of brutally torturing their captives – beating them with fists, clubs, and rifle butts, flaying them with rubber whips, and stretching their joints with rope in an effort to uncover information about American military operations.
The Americans were forced to record taped “confessions” to war crimes against the Vietnamese people and to write letters urging Americans at home to end the war. Poor food and medical care were standard.
Prisoners were often isolated to prevent communication among each other, in addition to being denied communication with family members. American prisoners sometimes died in captivity, from wounds sustained in combat, or at the hands of their captors.
In Paris on January 27, 1973, American and Vietnamese representatives signed agreements for the cessation of hostilities and the repatriation of war prisoners. Operation Homecoming began the next month and ended in April.
During that period, 591 American P.O.W.s returned home. Representatives of the U.S. military debriefed returnees for information regarding the more than 2,000 Americans still listed as missing.
According to the government, none of the P.O.W.s were able to provide definite information about any remaining captives. Both the Nixon administration and the Vietnamese government concluded that all living P.O.W./M.I.A.s had been returned.
Wayne Waddell was born in 1935 in Bremen, Georgia. He was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC Program at Georgia Tech on June 9, 1956, and went on active duty beginning June 3, 1957. Lt Waddell completed Undergraduate Pilot Training and was awarded his pilot wings at Laredo AFB, Texas, in September 1958, and then completed all-weather interceptor training in the F-86 Sabre at Moody AFB, Georgia. He remained as an instructor pilot at Moody AFB until December 1960, and then served as an instructor at Craig AFB, Alabama, from January 1961 to June 1965. Capt Waddell then received an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to complete his Masters Degree at the University of Southern California from June 1965 to September 1966. After completing F-105 Thunderchief Combat Crew Training, he was assigned to the 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing at Takhli Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, in April 1967. Maj Waddell was forced to eject over North Vietnam and became a Prisoner of War while flying his 47th combat mission on July 5, 1967. After spending 2,070 days in captivity, he was released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973, and then attended Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Col Waddell then remained on the faculty of the Air War College until 1975, when he transferred to the Pentagon and worked on the Department of Defense Joint Service Committee on Air Munitions Standardization from 1975 to 1979. His final assignment was as director of U.S. Air Force Emergency Plans for the Eastern United States at Dobbins AFB, Georgia, from 1979 until his retirement from the Air Force on October 27, 1987. Col Waddell served as President of NAM-POWs Corp, the Organization of former Vietnam Prisoners of War, from 1981 to 1984.

00:00:00 Dewey Waddell
00:00:48 Growing Up In Georgia
00:02:22 F-105 Thunderchief
00:03:24 Vietnam
00:05:18 The Mission
00:06:57 Robin Olds
00:09:04 Mission: Railroad Yard
00:12:17 The 5th Of July 1967
00:17:39 Survival Training
00:21:32 Prisoner
00:29:48 "Hanoi Hilton"
00:30:38 "The Zoo"
00:31:48 Son Tav Raid
00:34:30 Tap Code
00:38:34 Name. Rank. Serial Number
00:45:42 "Today, you write your Autobiography."
00:53:27 Eternal Peace
00:55:53 Going Home
01:03:39 "It was the shock of Confirmation."
01:07:43 "I don't have a driver's license."
01:09:58 "Something that needed to be done."

#veterans #vietnam #veteran

P-61 Black Widow | The American Night Fighter | WW2 Twin Engine Named for the North American Spider

Air2Air 2023-02-06 | The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed specifically as a night fighter.

Named for the North American spider Latrodectus mactans, it was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design armed with four forward-firing 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano M2 autocannon in the lower fuselage, and four .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in a dorsal gun turret. Developed during the war, the first test flight was made on May 26, 1942, with the first production aircraft rolling off the assembly line in October 1943.

Although not produced in the large numbers of its contemporaries, the Black Widow was operated effectively as a night fighter by United States Army Air Forces squadrons in the European Theater, Pacific Theater, China Burma India Theater, and Mediterranean Theater during World War II. It replaced earlier British-designed night-fighter aircraft that had been updated to incorporate radar when it became available. After the war, the P-61 was redesignated as the F-61 and served in the United States Air Force as a long-range, all-weather, day/night interceptor for Air Defense Command until 1948, and for the Fifth Air Force until 1950. The last aircraft was retired from government service in 1954.

On the night of 14 August 1945, a P-61B of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron named Lady in the Dark was unofficially credited with the last Allied air victory before VJ Day. page needed] The P-61 was also modified to create the F-15 Reporter photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces and subsequently the United States Air Force.

In August 1940, 16 months before the United States entered the war, the U.S. Air Officer in London, Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons, was briefed on British research in radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging), which had been underway since 1935 and had played an important role in the nation's defense against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. General Emmons was informed of the new Airborne Intercept radar (AI for short), a self-contained unit that could be installed in aircraft and operated independently of ground stations. In September 1940, the Tizard Mission traded British research, including the cavity magnetron, that would make self-contained interception radar installations practicable, for American production.

General Emmons returned to the U.S. with details of the British night-fighter requirements, and in his report said that the design departments of the American aviation industry's firms could possibly produce such an aircraft.

Specifications (P-61B-20-NO)

Northrop P-61B Black Widow 3-view drawing
Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Northrop P-61 Black Widow.

General characteristics

Crew: 2–3 (pilot, radar operator, optional gunner)
Length: 49 ft 7 in (15.11 m)
Wingspan: 66 ft 0 in (20.12 m)
Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
Wing area: 662.36 sq ft (61.535 m2)
Airfoil: Zaparka
Empty weight: 23,450 lb (10,637 kg)
Gross weight: 29,700 lb (13,472 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 36,200 lb (16,420 kg)
Fuel capacity: 640 US gal (2,400 L) internal and up to four 165 US gal (625 L) drop tanks
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) each
Propellers: 4-bladed Curtiss Electric constant-speed feathering propellers, 12 ft 2 in (3.72 m) diameter
Performance

Maximum speed: 366 mph (589 km/h, 318 kn) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
Range: 1,350 mi (2,170 km, 1,170 nmi)
Ferry range: 1,900 mi (3,100 km, 1,700 nmi) with four external fuel tanks
Service ceiling: 33,100 ft (10,100 m)
Rate of climb: 2,540 ft/min (12.9 m/s)
Time to altitude: 20,000 ft (6,100 m) in 12 minutes
Wing loading: 45 lb/sq ft (220 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (0.25 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns: ** 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano AN/M2 cannon in ventral fuselage, 200 rounds per gun
4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in remotely operated, full-traverse upper turret, 560 rpg
Bombs: for ground attack, four bombs of up to 1,600 lb (726 kg) each or six 5-in (127 mm) HVAR unguided rockets could be carried under the wings. Some aircraft could also carry one 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb under the fuselage.
Avionics
SCR-720 (AI Mk.X) search radar
SCR-695 tail warning radar

#p61 #blackwidow #aircraft

Live Stream RE-BROADCAST! The Messerschmitt Bf 109, February 2 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-02-03 | Messerschmitt Me-109G-6s Erickson Aircraft Collection and Bruce “Doc” Winter Kurt Braat
Bf 109, also called Me 109, was Nazi Germany's most important fighter aircraft, both in operational importance and in numbers produced. In 1935 when it first flew, these aircraft were built by the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, were Willy Messerschmitt worked as a designer, hence the designation of “Bf.” In 1939 Willy became the new owner of the company and renamed it after his last name. It was arguably the best fighter in the world in 1940. It was faster than the Spitfire at high altitude, could dive more rapidly and carried a more effective armament of two cannon and two machine guns. The beginning of the end for the Me 109 as an unparalleled force of aviation began in August 1942 with the introduction of American heavy bombers, such as the B-17, that gave the Allies the ability to bring the fight into German territory. Gunther Rall, a frequent visitor to Oshkosh, with 275 victories was the 3rd leading Ace of all time. The majority of Gunther’s victories were on the Russian front at the controls of the Bf109. Kurt Braatz; Gunther’s good friend and the editor of his autobiography, “My Log Book” will join us via Zoom from Germany to share Gunther’s stories of flying the 109. Both aircraft on display are remarkable examples of years and thousands of hours of hard work by dedicated expert technicians. And both, without the support of their owners, would be lost. Bringing World War II's aircraft back to life is full of challenges and excitement. We thank all our Warbird members and teams of talented specialists that “Keep 'em Flying” preserving aviation history for future generations.

Tiltwing LTV XC-142 | Ling Temco Vought V/STOL Aircraft That Never Was

Air2Air 2023-01-31 | The Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) XC-142 was a tri-service tiltwing experimental aircraft designed to investigate the operational suitability of vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) transports. An XC-142A first flew conventionally on 29 September 1964, and on 11 January 1965, it completed its first transitional flight by taking off vertically, changing to forward flight and finally landing vertically. Its service sponsors pulled out of the program one by one, and it eventually ended due to a lack of interest after demonstrating its capabilities successfully.

In 1959 the United States Army, Navy and Air Force began work on the development of a prototype V/STOL aircraft that could augment helicopters in transport-type missions. Specifically they were interested in designs with longer range and higher speeds than existing helicopters, in order to support operations over longer distances, or in the case of the United States Marine Corps, from further offshore. On 27 January 1961, a series of DOD actions resulted in an agreement where all of the military services would work on the Tri-Service Assault Transport Program under the Navy's Bureau of Naval Weapons (BuWeps) leadership.

The original outline had been drawn up as a replacement for the Sikorsky HR2S, with a payload on the order of 10,000 lb (4,500 kg). BuWeps released a revised specification that specified the same payload, but extended the operational radius to 250 miles (400 km) and increased the cruising airspeed to 250–300 knots (460–560 km/h) and the maximum airspeed to 300–400 knots (560–740 km/h). However, for the Marine Corps mission, the requirement stated that the fuel load could be reduced so that the maximum gross weight would not exceed 35,000 pounds (16,000 kg), as long as a 100-nautical-mile (190 km) radius was maintained.

Vought responded with a proposal combining engineering from their own design arm, as well as Ryan and Hiller, who had more extensive helicopter experience. Their proposal won the design contest, and a contract for five prototypes was signed in early 1962 with first flight specified for July 1964. The design was initially known as the Vought-Ryan-Hiller XC-142, but when Vought became part of the LTV conglomerate this naming was dropped.

During the prototype development the Navy decided to exit the program. They were concerned that the strong propeller downwash would make it difficult to operate. Their existing HR2S fleet had a ground pressure of about 7.5 psi (500 hPa), and proved to blow people about on the ground and stir up considerable amounts of debris. The C-142 was predicted to have an even higher loading of 10 psi (700 hPa), which they believed would limit it to operations to and from prepared landing pads and was therefore unsuitable for assault operations.

During testing the aircraft's cross-linked driveshaft proved to be its Achilles heel. The shaft resulted in excessive vibration and noise, resulting in a high pilot workload. Additionally, it proved susceptible to problems due to wing flexing. Shaft problems, along with operator errors, resulted in a number of hard landings causing damage. One crash occurred as a result of a failure of the driveshaft to the tail rotor, causing three fatalities. One of the limitations found in the aircraft was an instability between wing angles of 35 and 80 degrees, encountered at extremely low altitudes. There were also high side forces which resulted from yaw and weak propeller blade pitch angle controls. The new "2FF" propellers also proved to generate less thrust than predicted.

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Capacity:
32 fully-equipped troops or
24 stretcher patients and 4 attendants or
8,000 lb (3,600 kg) cargo
Length: 58 ft 1 in (17.70 m)
Wingspan: 67 ft 6 in (20.57 m)
Height: 26 ft 1 in (7.95 m)
Wing area: 534.5 sq ft (49.66 m2)
Aspect ratio: 8.6:1
Empty weight: 22,595 lb (10,249 kg)
Gross weight: 34,474 lb (15,637 kg) (VTOL weight)
Max takeoff weight: 44,500 lb (20,185 kg) (STOL)
Fuel capacity: 1,400 US gal (1,200 imp gal; 5,300 L)
Powerplant: 4 × General Electric T64-GE-1 turboprops, 2,850 shp (2,130 kW) each
Propellers: 4-bladed Hamilton Standard variable-pitch propellers, 15.5 ft 0 in (4.72 m) diameter
Performance

Maximum speed: 431 mph (694 km/h, 375 kn) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
Cruise speed: 288 mph (463 km/h, 250 kn) at sea level
Combat range: 230–470 mi (370–760 km, 200–410 nmi)
Ferry range: 3,800 mi (6,100 km, 3,300 nmi)
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
Rate of climb: 6,800 ft/min (35 m/s)

#aircraft #vtol #XC142

Live Stream BROADCAST! WWII Pilots Mission: A Day In The Life, January 26 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-01-27 | William Lyons
"You're on tomorrow," Captain John Poyen, 357th Squadron intelligence officer, tells Bill Lyon the day before the mission. It's November 25, 1944, and he's a 20-year-old first lieutenant P-51 pilot from Brooklyn, New York, assigned to the 357th Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force, and based at Station 122, in Steeple Morden, England.

First Lieutenant Bill "Tiger" Lyons flew 63 combat missions over Europe in his P-51 Mustang fighter plane, "Tiger's Revenge" during World War Two. Bill flew his missions mostly long-range daylight escorts protecting B-17 and B-24 bombers over Germany.

By the end of the war, in 1945, Lyons had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters, five European Theater of Operations Battle Stars and two Presidential Unit Citations. But he denies being a hero.

William S. "Bill" Lyons completed his 300-combat-hour tour on March 28, 1945.He is credited with three aerial victories and among his honors are the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters, two Presidential Unit Citations and five battle stars to European Theatre ribbon.

Germanys Lost Planes: Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant, Arado 232 Millipede And More

Air2Air 2023-01-22 | The Amazing German transport planes of WW2 such as the Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant and the Arado Ar 232 Millipede. The Me 323, also known as the Gigant, was a six-engine transport plane that was one of the largest aircraft of its time. However, despite its impressive size, the Me 323 proved to be vulnerable to attack and many were lost in combat. The Arado Ar 232, on the other hand, was a twin-engine transport plane that was designed to operate from rough, unprepared fields. However, like the other transport planes used by Germany, the Ar 232 also suffered heavy losses during the war.

Overall, the transport planes of Germany played a crucial role in the war effort but the heavy losses sustained by these aircraft greatly hindered their effectiveness. Despite their advanced designs, many of these planes proved to be no match for the superior technology and tactics of the Allied forces.

During World War II, Germany utilized a variety of transport planes to move troops and supplies across Europe. However, many of these planes were lost during the war due to intense combat and strategic bombing campaigns by Allied forces.

One of the most widely used transport planes by Germany during the war was the Junkers Ju 52. This aircraft was known for its versatility and was used for a variety of roles including transport, reconnaissance, and even as a bomber. However, many Ju 52s were lost during the war due to heavy anti-aircraft fire and attacks by fighter planes.

Another transport plane used by Germany during the war was the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor. This aircraft was primarily used as a long-range transport and was also used for reconnaissance and anti-shipping operations. However, many Fw 200s were lost to Allied fighters and naval vessels.

The German military also utilized several other transport planes during the war such as the Heinkel He 111 and the Dornier Do 17, but these aircraft also suffered heavy losses.

The Arado Ar 232 Tausendfüßler "Millipede", sometimes also called Tatzelwurm, was a cargo aircraft, designed and built in small numbers by the German firm Arado Flugzeugwerke during World War II. The design introduced, or brought together, almost all of the features now considered to be standard in modern cargo transport aircraft designs, including a box-like fuselage slung beneath a high wing; a rear loading ramp (that had first appeared on the December 1939-flown Junkers Ju 90 V5 fifth prototype four-engined transport via its Trapoklappe); a high-mounted twin tail for easy access to the hold; and various features for operating from rough fields. Although the Luftwaffe was interested in replacing or supplementing its fleet of outdated Junkers Ju 52/3m transports, it had an abundance of types in production at the time, and did not purchase large numbers of the Ar 232.

The Me 323 was the result of a 1940 German requirement for a large assault glider in preparation for Operation Sea Lion, the projected invasion of Great Britain. The DFS 230 light glider had already proven its worth in the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium (the first ever assault by gliderborne troops), and would later be used successfully in the invasion of Crete in 1941.

However, in order to mount an invasion across the English Channel, the Germans would need to be able to airlift vehicles and other heavy equipment as part of an initial assault wave. Although Operation Sea Lion was cancelled, the requirement for a heavy air transport capability still existed, with the focus shifting to the forthcoming Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.

On 18 October 1940, Junkers and Messerschmitt were given just 14 days to submit a proposal for a large transport glider. The emphasis was still very much on the assault role; the ambitious requirement was to be able to carry either an 88 mm gun and its half-track tractor, or a Panzer IV medium tank. The Junkers Ju 322 Mammut reached prototype form, but was eventually scrapped due to difficulties in procuring the necessary high-grade timber for its all-wood construction, and as was discovered during the Mammut's only test flight, an unacceptably high degree of instability inherent in the design.

#Me323 #arado #gigant

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois / Huey Explained. Major General And Medal Of Honor Patrick Henry Brady

Air2Air 2023-01-21 | Medal of Honor Major General Patrick Henry Brady explains the Bell UH-1 Iroquois.
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helicopter in service with the United States military.

Development of the Iroquois started in the early 1950s, a major impetus being a requirement issued by the United States Army for a new medical evacuation and utility helicopter. The Bell 204, first flown on 20 October 1956, was warmly received, particularly for the performance of its single turboshaft engine over piston engine-powered counterparts. An initial production contract for 100 HU-1As was issued in March 1960. In response to criticisms over the rotorcraft's power, Bell quickly developed multiple models furnished with more powerful engines; in comparison to the prototype's Lycoming YT53-L-1 (LTC1B-1) engine, producing 700 shp (520 kW), by 1966, the Lycoming T53-L-13, capable of 1,400 shp (1,000 kW), was being installed on some models. A stretched version of the Iroquois, first flown during August 1961, was also produced in response to Army demands for a version than could accommodate more troops. Further modifications would include the use of all-aluminium construction, the adoption of a rotor brake, and alternative powerplants.

The Iroquois was first used in combat operations during the Vietnam War, the first examples being deployed in March 1962. It was used for various purposes, conducting general support, air assault, cargo transport, aeromedical evacuation, search and rescue, electronic warfare, and ground attack missions. Armed Iroquois gunships carried a variety of weapons, including rockets, grenade launchers, and machine guns, and were often modified in the field to suit specific operations. The United States Air Force also deployed its Iroquois to Vietnam, using them to conduct reconnaissance operations, psychological warfare, and other support roles. Other nations' armed air services, such as the Royal Australian Air Force, also dispatched their own Iroquois to Vietnam. In total, around 7,000 Iroquois were deployed in the Vietnam theatre, over 3,300 of which were believed to be destroyed. Various other conflicts have seen combat deployments of the Iroquois, such as the Rhodesian Bush War, Falklands War, War in Afghanistan, and the 2007 Lebanon conflict.

Patrick Henry Brady (born October 1, 1936), is a retired United States Army major general. While serving as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, he received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration for valor.

General characteristics

Crew: 1–4
Capacity: 3,880 lb (1,760 kg) including 11-14 troops, 6 stretchers and attendant, or equivalent cargo
Length: 57 ft 9+5⁄8 in (17.618 m) with rotors
Width: 9 ft 6+1⁄2 in (2.908 m) (over skids)
Height: 14 ft 5+1⁄2 in (4.407 m) (tail rotor turning)
Empty weight: 5,210 lb (2,363 kg)
Gross weight: 9,039 lb (4,100 kg) (mission weight)
Max takeoff weight: 9,500 lb (4,309 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft, 1,400 shp (1,000 kW) (limited to 1,100 shp (820 kW) by transmission)
Main rotor diameter: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
Main rotor area: 1,809.56 sq ft (168.114 m2)
Performance

Maximum speed: 127 mph (204 km/h, 110 kn) (at maximum takeoff weight; also Vne at this weight)
Cruise speed: 127 mph (204 km/h, 110 kn) (at 5,700 ft (1,700 m) at maximum takeoff weight)
Range: 318 mi (511 km, 276 nmi) (with maximum fuel, no reserves, at sea level)
Service ceiling: 12,600 ft (3,800 m) (at maximum takeoff weight)
Rate of climb: 1,600 ft/min (8.1 m/s) at sea level (at maximum takeoff weight)
Disk loading: 5.25 lb/sq ft (25.6 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.1159 hp/lb (0.1905 kW/kg)
Armament
various including:

7.62 mm machine guns
2.75 in (70 mm) rocket pods
See also: U.S. helicopter armament subsystems

#huey #helicopter #aircraft

Live Stream BROADCAST! NIGHT WITCHES, January 19 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-01-20 | NIGHT WITCHES: THE FEMALE PILOTS WHO STRUCK FEAR INTO THE NAZIS.

These pilots were nicknamed the Nächthexen, or Night Witches, by their enemies. The only warning the enemy had before the bombs hit was an ominous whooshing sound. The "whoosh" sound was due to the fact that the women would cut the planes' engines as they approached, gliding in stealthily before dropping their bombs.They were so feared that any German who downed one of their planes was automatically awarded the prestigious Iron Cross medal.

These women embraced their nickname, and it emboldened them to continue their dangerous and often deadly missions. Night Witches was a badge of pride. Their missions, across the Eastern Front, were incredibly dangerous, especially considering how the women were equipped.

The Twin Mustang | P-82 Aircraft

Air2Air 2023-01-15 | The North American F-82 Twin Mustang is the last American piston-engined fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the North American P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress in World War II. The war ended well before the first production units were operational.

In the postwar era, Strategic Air Command used the aircraft as a long-range escort fighter. Radar-equipped F-82s were used extensively by the Air Defense Command as replacements for the Northrop P-61 Black Widow as all-weather day/night interceptors. During the Korean War, Japan-based F-82s were among the first USAF aircraft to operate over Korea. The first three North Korean aircraft destroyed by U.S. forces were shot down by F-82s, the first being a North-Korean Yak-11 downed over Gimpo Airfield by the USAF 68th Fighter Squadron.

Initially intended as a very long-range (VLR) escort fighter, the F-82 was designed to escort Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers on missions exceeding 2,000 mi (3,200 km) from the Solomon Islands or Philippines to Tokyo, missions beyond the range of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and conventional P-51 Mustangs. Such missions were part of the planned U.S. invasion of the Japanese home islands, which was forestalled by the surrender of Japan after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the opening of Soviet attacks on Japanese-held territory in Manchuria.

The second prototype North American XP-82 Twin Mustang being flight-tested at Muroc Army Airfield, California

General characteristics

Crew: Two
Length: 39 ft 5 in (12.01 m)
Wingspan: 51 ft 3 in (15.62 m)
Height: 11 ft 10 in (3.61 m)
Wing area: 408 sq ft (37.9 m2)
Empty weight: 15,997 lb (7,256 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 25,591 lb (11,608 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine Allison V-1710-143, 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) in War emergency rating, RH rotation fitted to port
Powerplant: 1 × V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine Allison V-1710-145, 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) in War emergency rating, LH rotation fitted to starboard
Propellers: 4-bladed Aeroproducts A-542F-D1 constant-speed fully-feathering propeller (LHS)
Aeroproducts AL-542F-D1 constant-speed fully-feathering propeller (RHS), 10 ft 11 in (3.33 m) diameter
Performance

Maximum speed: 461 mph (742 km/h, 401 kn) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
Cruise speed: 286 mph (460 km/h, 249 kn)
Range: 2,240 mi (3,600 km, 1,950 nmi)
Service ceiling: 38,900 ft (11,900 m)
Armament
Guns: 6 .5 in (12.7 mm) M3 Browning machine guns
Rockets: 25 5 in (130 mm) rockets
Bombs: 4 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs

Live Stream RE-BROADCAST! John Lucky Luckadoo, January 12 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2023-01-13 | The 100th Bomb Group flew their first combat mission on 25th June 1943 and its last on 20th April 1945. During those 22 months they were credited with 8630 missions with the terrible loss of 732 airmen and 177 aircraft. The group would go several months without any casualties and then on one mission might lose half the group.

Major John "Lucky" Luckadoo
“Lucky,” a fitting moniker bestowed by his men, would be one of the fortunate few to beat the odds and finish a tour, but certainly not before the war left an indelible mark.

October 8, 1943 was my 22nd mission. Flying over Bremen, we experienced the heaviest anti-aircraft defense we had ever seen. The Germans had moved in some 300 88mm guns to protect their targets. We had never seen them throw up such a heavy barrage of defenses.

I lost an engine due to a flak hit, and the plexiglass nose was blown out. I looked around and suddenly realized I was the only flight leader out of the entire group that was still flying. So, I fired a flare and the other five ships that were still airborne rallied around me and we came in with the 95th Bomb Group, which had lost an entire squadron. We tucked in with them and that’s how we got home.

Live Stream BROADCAST! Warbirds Christmas: NORAD Santa Tracker, December 22 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2022-12-23 | NORAD Satellites, Fighter Pilots Help Track Santa

Every December, millions of families around the world track Santa's Yuletide journey through the North American Aerospace Defense Command's Santa Tracker. "NORAD Tracks Santa" is a holiday tradition that started from humble origins — and as a fluke — but has now grown into a massive volunteer operation. Kids across the U.S. have grown accustomed to following Santa's journey by tracking his flight path online or by making a good, ol'-fashioned phone call to find out where he is. They're also able to play games and watch videos of his progress through the mobile "NORAD Tracks Santa" app. They can do all this thanks to the hard-working folks at NORAD, who start the task of tracking Santa each November when NORADSanta.org starts getting inquiries from families. About 70 contributors help set up the site, apps and phone lines, while more than 500 uniformed personnel, Defense Department civilians, their families and supporters volunteer time on Christmas Eve to answer children's questions on Santa's whereabouts.

Hawker Sea Fury F.10 MK X | The British Fighter

Air2Air 2022-12-15 | This Hawker MK X F.10 Sea Fury is owned by Don and Erin Chappel and piloted by Bernie Vasquez.
The Hawker Sea Fury is a British fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. It was the last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, and one of the fastest production single reciprocating engine aircraft ever built. Developed during the Second World War, the Sea Fury entered service two years after the war ended. It proved to be a popular aircraft with a number of overseas militaries and was used during the Korean War in the early 1950s, and by the Cuban air force during the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion.

The Sea Fury's development was formally initiated in 1943 in response to a wartime requirement of the Royal Air Force (RAF), with the aircraft initially named Fury. As the Second World War drew to a close, the RAF cancelled their order for the aircraft; however, the Royal Navy saw the type as a suitable carrier aircraft to replace a range of increasingly obsolete or poorly suited aircraft being operated by the Fleet Air Arm. Development of the Sea Fury proceeded, and the type began entering operational service in 1947.

The Sea Fury has many design similarities to Hawker's preceding Tempest fighter, having originated from a requirement for a "Light Tempest Fighter"; both the Sea Fury's wings and fuselage originate from the Tempest but were significantly modified. The production Sea Fury was fitted with the powerful Bristol Centaurus engine and armed with four wing-mounted Hispano V cannons. While originally developed as a pure aerial fighter aircraft, the definitive Sea Fury FB.11 was a fighter-bomber, the design having been found suitable for this mission as well.

The Sea Fury attracted international orders as both a carrier and land-based aircraft. It was operated by countries including Australia, Burma, Canada, Cuba, Egypt, West Germany, Iraq, and Pakistan. The type acquitted itself well in the Korean War, fighting effectively even against the MiG-15 jet fighter. Although the Sea Fury was retired by the majority of its military operators in the late 1950s in favour of jet-propelled aircraft, a considerable number of aircraft saw subsequent use in the civil sector, and several remain airworthy in the 21st century as heritage and racing aircraft.
The Hawker Fury was an evolutionary successor to the successful Hawker Typhoon and Tempest fighters and fighter-bombers of the Second World War. The Fury's design process was initiated in September 1942 by Sydney Camm, one of Hawker's foremost aircraft designers, to meet the Royal Air Force's requirement for a lightweight Tempest Mk II replacement; the Tempest, while a successful aircraft, had been viewed as being heavy and oversized for typical fighter duties. Developed as the "Tempest Light Fighter (Centaurus)", the semi-elliptical wing of the Tempest was incorporated but was shortened in span by eliminating the central bay of the wing centre-section, the inner part of the undercarriage wells now extending almost to the aircraft centreline, instead of being situated level with the fuselage sides. The fuselage was broadly similar in form to that of the Tempest, but was a fully monocoque structure, while the cockpit level was higher, affording the pilot better all-round visibility.

The project was formalised in January 1943 when the Air Ministry issued Specification F.2/42 around the "Tempest Light Fighter". This was followed up by Specification F.2/43, issued in May 1943, which required a high rate of climb of not less than 4,500 ft/min (23 m/s) from ground level to 20,000 feet (6,096 m), good fighting manoeuvrability and a maximum speed of at least 450 mph (724 km/h) at 22,000 feet (6,705 m).

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 34 ft 8 in (10.57 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 4.75 in (11.7031 m)
Height: 15 ft 10.5 in (4.839 m)
Wing area: 280 sq ft (26 m2)
Empty weight: 9,240 lb (4,191 kg)
Gross weight: 12,350 lb (5,602 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 14,650 lb (6,645 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Bristol Centaurus 18 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 2,480 hp (1,850 kW) for take-off
Propellers: 5-bladed constant-speed propeller
Performance

Maximum speed: 460 mph (740 km/h, 400 kn) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Range: 780 mi (1,260 km, 680 nmi)
Ferry range: 904 mi (1,455 km, 786 nmi) with two drop tanks
Service ceiling: 35,800 ft (10,900 m)
Rate of climb: 4,320 ft/min (21.9 m/s)
Armament
Guns: 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Hispano Mk V autocannon
Rockets: Up to 16 x 3 inch rockets
Bombs: 2,000 lb (910 kg) of bombs

#fighteraircraft #Hawker #SeaFury

The Flying Tigers | FULL DOCUMENTARY + The Legacy Episode | Narrated by Gary Sinise | WW2 History

Air2Air 2022-12-14 | MISSIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAR: The Flying Tigers FULL DOCUMENTARY Plus THE LEGACY Episode (4/4). Narrated by Gary Sinise.
The American volunteer flyers who fought for China against the Japanese invasion were known as the ‘Flying Tigers.’ They saw their first combat on December 20th, 1941. They had originally thought this would be earlier, but various delays meant that it happened a few days after the US and Japan were officially at war.
In China’s most desperate hour, Chiang Kai-Shek turns to the United States for help. The Japanese are bombing Chinese population centers mercilessly. China’s decimated air force is powerless to stop them. Chiang dispatches his American consultant - former U.S. Army Air Corps officer Claire L. Chennault - to obtain the airplanes and pilots needed to defend China. Tex Hill resigns his Navy Commission and volunteers.
a small group of American aviators fought in their first battle in World War II.
Their mission was unusual: They were mercenaries hired by China to fight against Japan.
They were called the American Volunteer Group and later became known as the Flying Tigers. Though only in combat for less than seven months, the group became famous at the time for its ability to inflict outsize damage on Japan's better-equipped and larger aircraft fleet.
Their victories came when Japan seemed unstoppable. The AVG was a bright spot in history when everything was bleak and black, and they have received a lot of recognition for that.
In the West, 1939 is considered the start of World War II. But in Asia, China and Japan had been at war since 1937.

China was already fighting its own civil war between the Nationalists of Chiang Kai-shek and Communist forces. The two sides came to a truce to fight against the Japanese. China, however, had little air power to fend off Japanese bombings.
Enter Claire Lee Chennault, a U.S. Army aviator, instructor and tactician, once described by Time magazine as "lean, hard-bitten, taciturn." Health problems and disputes with his superiors pushed him into retirement from his position with the Army Air Corps in 1937, at age 43.
But he quickly got a lucrative job offer with the Chinese Air Force, which was operating under Chiang's Nationalist government. Chennault was asked to come survey the readiness of its fleet.
"Chiang Kai-shek thought he had 500 airplanes," says Nell Chennault Calloway, who is Chennault's granddaughter and CEO of the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum in Monroe, La. "Chennault said, 'You have 500, but you only have 91 that fly.' That's how far behind they were in aviation."
Once the war with Japan officially broke out that summer, China hired Chennault as an adviser to its air force. He became its de facto commander.
Claire Lee Chennault first went to China to survey the Chinese Air Force's readiness, and stayed on to lead the creation of the American Volunteer Group.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
By 1940, after losing backing from the Soviets, China desperately needed more planes. At the time, the U.S. was not officially part of World War II. But President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was concerned about the prospect of Japan defeating China and turning its sights on the U.S.
Chennault traveled back to the U.S., pulling what strings he could to get planes. With the help of T.V. Soong, a Chinese official who was also Chiang's brother-in-law, a deal was worked out to allow China to buy 100 American-made Curtiss P-40 fighter planes.

"He managed to get Roosevelt to allow some of our military pilots — that was the original AVG — to resign their commissions in the U.S. military and go to China as mercenaries, basically, because it was against the international rules for any American military person to be involved in the conflict over there,".
It was neither the first time, not the last, when brave Americans have fought for the freedom of other peoples. It was Jefferson’s US Navy that took on and ultimately routed the Libyan pirates wreaking havoc on Mediterranean shipping in the early 1800s. It was US forces that tipped the balance in two World Wars, and it was a US-led coalition that liberated Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm. What was different about the Flying Tigers was that they were volunteers, fighting an enemy superior in numbers and equipment.
The Flying Tigers received many honours American and Chinese. About to celebrate their 50th reunion in 1992, they were retroactively recognized as members of the U.S. military services during the seven months in combat against the Japanese. Their team was then awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for "professionalism, dedication to duty, and extraordinary heroism." And in 1996 their pilots received the Distinguished Flying Cross and their ground crew were all awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

#Flyingtigers #veterans #WW2

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit

Air2Air 2022-12-14 | Designed during the Cold War as the world’s first low-observable or “stealth” strategic bomber, the B-2 Spirit harkens back to the designs of revalutionary engineer Jack Northrop. His “flying wing” design first debuted in 1949 as the YB-49 but was not adopted by the Air Force at the time. The B-2 Spirit is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions. The bomber represents a major milestone in the U.S. bomber modernization program and brings massive firepower to bear anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses.

The B-2 provides the penetrating flexibility and effectiveness inherent in manned bombers. Its low-observable characteristics give it the unique ability to penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets. Its capability to penetrate air defenses and threaten effective retaliation provides a strong, effective deterrent and combat force well into the 21st century.

The 100 Years Old WWII Triple Ace Fighter Pilot Bud Anderson | Promoted To Brigadier General | P51d

Air2Air 2022-12-11 | Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson is a WWII Triple Ace. He served from 1942 to 1972. Some of his decorations include: two Legion of Merits, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 16 Air Medals and the Bronze Star Medal. After retiring from active duty, Anderson worked at the F-15 test facility at Edwards Air Force Base.
this year he turned 100 years old and just gor promoted (Dec. 6th 2022) to Brigadier General.
“[Bud’s] kind of a wrecking ball of a guy and I think for many of us, probably wouldn't want to have him behind us shooting us down—he had a distinguished career,” Brown said. “It was really good to have a chance just to read through and for me personally to reflect on the impact you had on our history of our Air Force.”
A large crowd of more than 200 people were in attendance to honor Anderson, as well as members of Congress, local district representatives and retired military.
“To all the young people that have the ambition to join the Air Force,” Anderson said, “have at it! You can be what you want to be and you should know that when you like what you do, you can excel, be a better person at your job to do it better.”
Before the ceremony, Anderson was asked how it feels to receive this honor; he said he was too overwhelmed to answer that question.
Anderson was born January 13, 1922. He is a retired officer in the United States Air Force, a triple ace of World War II, and the highest scoring living American fighter ace. During the war he was the highest scoring flying ace in his P-51 Mustang squadron. Towards the end of Anderson's two combat tours in Europe in 1944 he was promoted to major at 22, a young age even for a highly effective officer in wartime. After the war Anderson became a well regarded fighter test pilot, and a fighter squadron and wing commander. He served his wing commander tour in combat in the Vietnam War. He retired as a full colonel in 1972, after which he worked in flight test management for McDonnell Douglas. A member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, Anderson has remained a sought-after speaker at aviation and military events well into his 90s.
The 357th Fighter Group was stationed at RAF Leiston, and the group was equipped with the North American P-51 Mustang in January 1944. Anderson flew his first mission on February 5, 1944. On March 3, 1944, he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 that was attacking a straggling B-17 Flying Fortress over Berlin, his first aerial victory. Anderson continued to score aerial victories until he shot down a Bf 109 over Frankfurt, his fifth aerial victory, thus making him a flying ace.

On June 29, 1944, Anderson shot down three Focke-Wulf Fw 190s over Leipzig. In July 1944, he took leave and returned to the United States. In Fall 1944, he returned to 357th FG and continued to score aerial victories. He scored his final aerial victories on December 5, 1944, when he shot down two Fw 190s over Berlin.

Anderson flew two tours of combat against the Luftwaffe in Europe while with the 363d Fighter Squadron of the 357th Fighter Group, based at RAF Leiston, England, and was the group's third leading ace with 16+1⁄4 aerial victories. The others only flew one tour so they had less time in the air. His P-51 Mustang, (P-51B-15-NA AAF Ser. No. 43-24823) the P-51D-10-NA Mustang, AAF Ser. No. 44-14450 B6-S, again nicknamed Old Crow (after the whiskey of the same name), carried him safely through 116 missions without being hit by fire from enemy aircraft and without Anderson ever having to turn back for any reason.
Anderson returned to the U.S. in January 1945, serving at Perrin Field, Texas, until October 1945, when he was assigned as a recruiter in Ohio. Anderson served as a test pilot at Wright Field from May 1948 to February 1953. During this time, he took part in the FICON project, a concept to increase the effective combat radius of jet fighters by attaching them to a propeller-driven bomber, one hooked up to each wingtip. The hope was that it would not only increase fuel efficiency and effective range, but also allow the bomber to carry its own fighter escort deep into enemy territory.

Anderson attended Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, from September 1954 to August 1955, and then was assigned as Director of Operations for the 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea, from August 1955 to February 1956 and commander of the 69th Fighter-Bomber Squadron of the from February to August 1956.

#p51mustang #wwii #aircraft

B-47 Stratojet | Six Engined Nuclear Capable Strategic Bomber | Upscaled Documentary

Air2Air 2022-12-10 | The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. The primary mission of the B-47 was as a nuclear bomber capable of striking targets within the Soviet Union.

Development of the B-47 can be traced back to a requirement expressed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in 1943 for a reconnaissance bomber that harnessed newly developed jet propulsion. Another key innovation adopted during the development process was the swept wing, drawing upon captured German research. With its engines carried in nacelles underneath the wing, the B-47 represented a major innovation in post-World War II combat jet design, and contributed to the development of modern jet airliners. Suitably impressed, in April 1946, the USAAF ordered two prototypes, designated "XB-47"; on 17 December 1947, the first prototype performed its maiden flight. Facing off competition such as the North American XB-45, Convair XB-46 and Martin XB-48, a formal contract for 10 B-47A bombers was signed on 3 September 1948. This would be soon followed by much larger contracts.

During 1951, the B-47 entered operational service with the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command (SAC), becoming a mainstay of its bomber strength by the late 1950s. Over 2,000 were manufactured to meet the Air Force's demands, driven by the tensions of the Cold War. The B-47 was in service as a strategic bomber until 1965, at which point it had largely been supplanted by more capable aircraft, such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The B-47 was also adapted to perform a number of other roles and functions, including photographic reconnaissance, electronic intelligence, and weather reconnaissance. While never seeing combat as a bomber, reconnaissance RB-47s would occasionally come under fire near or within Soviet air space. The type remained in service as a reconnaissance aircraft until 1969. A few served as flying testbeds up until 1977.

The B-47 arose from an informal 1943 requirement for a jet-powered reconnaissance bomber, drawn up by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) to prompt manufacturers to start research into jet bombers. Boeing was among several companies to respond to the request; one of its designs, the Model 424, was basically a scaled-down version of the piston-engined B-29 Superfortress equipped with four jet engines. In 1944, this initial concept evolved into a formal request-for-proposal to design a new bomber with a maximum speed of 550 mph (480 kn; 890 km/h), a cruise speed of 450 mph (390 kn; 720 km/h), a range of 3,500 mi (3,000 nmi; 5,600 km), and a service ceiling of 45,000 ft (13,700 m).

In December 1944, North American Aviation, Convair, Boeing and the Glenn Martin Company submitted proposals for the new long-range jet bomber. Wind tunnel testing had shown that the drag from the engine installation of the Model 424 was too high, so Boeing's entry was a revised design, the Model 432, with the four engines buried in the forward fuselage. The USAAF awarded study contracts to all four companies, requiring that North American and Convair concentrate on four-engined designs (to become B-45 and XB-46), while Boeing and Martin were to build six-engined aircraft (the B-47 and XB-48). The powerplant was to be General Electric's new TG-180 turbojet engine.

In May 1945, the von Kármán mission of the Army Air Forces inspected the secret German aeronautics laboratory near Braunschweig.
General characteristics

Crew: 3
Length: 107 ft 1 in (32.64 m)
Wingspan: 116 ft 0 in (35.36 m)
Height: 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m)
Wing area: 1,428 sq ft (132.7 m2)
Aspect ratio: 9.42
Airfoil: NACA 64A(.225)12 mod (BAC145)
Empty weight: 80,000 lb (36,287 kg)
Gross weight: 133,030 lb (60,341 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 221,000 lb (100,244 kg)
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0148 (estimated)
zero-lift drag coefficient area: 21.13 ft2 (1.96 m2)
Powerplant: 6 × General Electric J47-GE-25 turbojet engines, 7,200 lbf (32 kN) thrust each
Performance

Maximum speed: 607 mph (977 km/h, 527 kn)
Cruise speed: 557 mph (896 km/h, 484 kn)
Combat range: 2,013 mi (3,240 km, 1,749 nmi) with 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) bombload
Ferry range: 4,647 mi (7,479 km, 4,038 nmi) with underwing tanks
Service ceiling: 40,500 ft (12,300 m)
Rate of climb: 4,660 ft/min (23.7 m/s)
Wing loading: 93.16 lb/sq ft (454.8 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.22
Armament
Guns: 2 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M24A1 autocannon in a remote controlled tail turret with
Bombs: 25,000 lb (11,340 kg) of ordnance, including:
2 × Mk15 nuclear bombs (3.8 megaton yield each), or
4 × B28 nuclear bombs (1.1–1.45 megaton yield each), or
1 × B41 nuclear bomb (25 megaton yield), or
1 × B53 nuclear bomb (9 megaton yield), or
28 × 500 lb (227 kg) conventional bombs

#b47 #stratojet #aircraft

Live Stream RE-BROADCAST! Bud Anderson Honorary Promotion, December 8 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2022-12-09 | Clarence Emil "Bud" Anderson (born January 13, 1922) was promoted to the honorary rank of Brigadier General by Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the Air Force Chief of Staff, December 2, 2022, during a ceremony hosted by the Aerospace Museum of California. Anderson, clad in his Air Force dress blues, sat while he took his oath of office. The crowd stood up and erupted into applause after he finished reciting it. "It's a little overwhelming for me," Anderson told the crowd at the Aerospace Museum of California during his brief remarks. "It truly blew my mind to see the chief of staff himself come to do this ... I do thank you very much." Footage courtesy Aerospace Museum of California and Connie Bowlin.

The Doolittle Raid Part 3 | Great Raids on WWII | Jimmy Doolittle | Documentary Film

Air2Air 2022-12-05 | The Doolittle Raid Part 3/4 | Post Pearl Harbor Missions
The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first air operation to strike the Japanese archipelago. Although the raid caused comparatively minor damage it demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attacks. It served as retaliation for the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and provided an important boost to American morale. The raid was planned by, led by, and named after Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle (later a Lieutenant General in the US Army Air Forces and the US Air Force Reserve).

Under the final plan, 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, each with a crew of five, were launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet, in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan. There was to be no fighter escort. After bombing military and industrial targets in Japan, the B-25 crews were to continue westward to land in China.

The raid on Japan killed about 50 people and injured 400, including civilians. Damage to Japanese military and industrial targets was minimal but the raid had major psychological effects. In the United States, it raised morale; in Japan, it raised fear and doubt about the ability of military leaders to defend the home islands, but the bombing and strafing of civilians also steeled Japanese resolve to gain retribution, and this was exploited for propaganda purposes.[4] It also pushed forward Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's plans to attack Midway Island in the Central Pacific, an attack that turned into a decisive defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) by the US Navy in the Battle of Midway. The consequences were most severely felt in China, where Japanese reprisals caused the deaths of 250,000 civilians and 70,000 soldiers.

Of the 16 USAAF crews involved, 14 complete crews of five returned to the United States or to US forces elsewhere, except for one who was killed in action.[5][6] Eight aviators were captured by Japanese forces in Eastern China and three of these were later executed. All but one of the B-25s were destroyed in crashes, while the 16th landed at Vladivostok, in the Soviet Union. Because the Soviet Union was not officially at war with Japan, it was required, under international law, to intern the bomber's crew for the duration of the war, and their B-25 was confiscated. However, within a year, the crew was secretly allowed to leave the Soviet Union, under the guise of an escape, and they returned to the United States, or US units elsewhere, by way of Allied-occupied Iran and North Africa.

Doolittle initially believed that the loss of all his aircraft would lead to his court-martial, but he instead received the Medal of Honor and was promoted two ranks to brigadier general.

When planning indicated that the B-25 was the aircraft that best met all of the requirements of the mission, two were loaded aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet at Norfolk, Virginia, and were flown off the deck without difficulty on 3 February 1942. The raid was immediately approved and the 17th Bombardment Group (Medium) was chosen to provide the pool of crews from which volunteers would be recruited. The 17th BG had been the first group to receive B-25s, with all four of its squadrons equipped with the bomber by September 1941. The 17th not only was the first medium bomb group of the Army Air Corps, but in early 1942, also had the most experienced B-25 crews. Its first assignment following the entry of the United States into the war was to the U.S. Eighth Air Force.

The 17th BG, then flying antisubmarine patrols from Pendleton, Oregon, was immediately moved cross-country to Columbia Army Air Base at West Columbia, South Carolina, ostensibly to fly similar patrols off the East Coast of the United States, but in actuality to prepare for the mission against Japan. The group officially transferred effective 9 February 1942 to Columbia, where its combat crews were offered the opportunity to volunteer for an "extremely hazardous", but unspecified mission. On 19 February, the group was detached from the Eighth Air Force and officially assigned to III Bomber Command.

The Flying Tigers | Part 4/4 | Amazing Stories Of World War 2 | Claire L. Chennault And His Men

Air2Air 2022-12-04 | FLYING TIGERS EPISODE 4/4

MISSIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAR: The Flying Tigers Part 2.
Narrated by Gary Sinise.
In China’s most desperate hour, Chiang Kai-Shek turns to the United States for help. The Japanese are bombing Chinese population centers mercilessly. China’s decimated air force is powerless to stop them. Chiang dispatches his American consultant - former U.S. Army Air Corps officer Claire L. Chennault - to obtain the airplanes and pilots needed to defend China. Tex Hill resigns his Navy Commission and volunteers.
A small group of American aviators fought in their first battle in World War II.
Their mission was unusual: They were mercenaries hired by China to fight against Japan.
They were called the American Volunteer Group and later became known as the Flying Tigers. Though only in combat for less than seven months, the group became famous at the time for its ability to inflict outsize damage on Japan's better-equipped and larger aircraft fleet.
Their victories came when Japan seemed unstoppable. The AVG was a bright spot in history when everything was bleak and black, and they have received a lot of recognition for that.
In the West, 1939 is considered the start of World War II. But in Asia, China and Japan had been at war since 1937.

China was already fighting its own civil war between the Nationalists of Chiang Kai-shek and Communist forces. The two sides came to a truce to fight against the Japanese. China, however, had little air power to fend off Japanese bombings.
Enter Claire Lee Chennault, a U.S. Army aviator, instructor and tactician, once described by Time magazine as "lean, hard-bitten, taciturn." Health problems and disputes with his superiors pushed him into retirement from his position with the Army Air Corps in 1937, at age 43.
But he quickly got a lucrative job offer with the Chinese Air Force, which was operating under Chiang's Nationalist government. Chennault was asked to come survey the readiness of its fleet.
"Chiang Kai-shek thought he had 500 airplanes," says Nell Chennault Calloway, who is Chennault's granddaughter and CEO of the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum in Monroe, La. "Chennault said, 'You have 500, but you only have 91 that fly.' That's how far behind they were in aviation."
Once the war with Japan officially broke out that summer, China hired Chennault as an adviser to its air force. He became its de facto commander.
Claire Lee Chennault first went to China to survey the Chinese Air Force's readiness, and stayed on to lead the creation of the American Volunteer Group.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
By 1940, after losing backing from the Soviets, China desperately needed more planes. At the time, the U.S. was not officially part of World War II. But President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was concerned about the prospect of Japan defeating China and turning its sights on the U.S.
Chennault traveled back to the U.S., pulling what strings he could to get planes. With the help of T.V. Soong, a Chinese official who was also Chiang's brother-in-law, a deal was worked out to allow China to buy 100 American-made Curtiss P-40 fighter planes.

As for who would fly and maintain them, many of the pilots in China's existing air force were poorly trained. So Chennault sent recruiters to U.S. military bases.

"He managed to get Roosevelt to allow some of our military pilots — that was the original AVG — to resign their commissions in the U.S. military and go to China as mercenaries, basically, because it was against the international rules for any American military person to be involved in the conflict over there,".

This was mid-1941 — before Pearl Harbor and before the U.S. declared war on Japan.

My dad witnessed the horror of Pearl Harbor firsthand. But his letters never let on
HISTORY
My dad witnessed the horror of Pearl Harbor firsthand. But his letters never let on
"By using Chinese funds to buy the aircraft and supplies and pay the salaries of the proposed crews, the U.S. government could retain a façade of neutrality, while helping China against the Japanese," the Department of Defense's history of the Flying Tigers explained.

To make recruitment easier, pilots and mechanics were offered pay that was often more than double what they were making before.

So in summer and fall of 1941, 99 pilots — 59 from the Navy, seven Marines, and 33 from the Army — traveled to Asia, along with about 200 support crew, according to the DOD's history. About a dozen of them were Chinese Americans, says Yue-him Tam, a Macalester College history professor who studies China and Japan.

#Flyingtigers #veterans #WW2

Aircraft Carrier | Controlled Chaos

Air2Air 2022-12-02 | Controlled Chaos. Aircraft carriers are the most lethal weapons in the Navy. If needed, they can put 70 of the most lethal airplanes into the skies in a very short period of time. To make this idea even more impressive, with four catapults and landing areas, they can both launch and recover aircraft at the same time. If you can imagine this, you can see why I call it “controlled chaos.” This video will give you a clear sense of that.
It is not excessive to call the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in the middle of a launch-and-recover mission the most dangerous place to work in the world. The complexities of launching, recovering, refueling, and rearming fighter planes, aerial controller planes, refueling planes, etc. are almost beyond belief. While the flight deck of a carrier may appear huge, it is, in real terms, very small for what actually takes place there.
Just launching or recovering one plane is complex enough, but when there is a need to launch one after another on a mission, those complexities become exponential. In order to keep things clear and in order, the flight deck crews have dozens of completely unique responsibilities, and they must be carried out in unison.
In a very real way, the art of doing this is an extremely complex dance, a ballet, that must be choreographed with minute precision. Everything has to work properly, in its own fashion and its own timing. It has to be meticulously coordinated, or things can go very wrong.
As is explained here in the video, the flight deck crews all wear different colored shirts to signify their specific duties and responsibilities. The purple shirts, for example, are the fuelers, the red shirts are in charge of aircraft bullets, bombs, missiles, and rockets on the flight deck, the green shirts are maintenance personnel maintaining launch and recovery equipment and aircraft, and the white shirts are in charge of the safety and quality assurance of each launch.
The blue shirts are plane handlers, under the direction of yellow shirts, who help in maneuvering planes up to and around the flight deck. The brown shirts are solely responsible for preparing and inspecting individual planes for flight, and the yellow shirts are the officers and other crew who act as supervisors. They are the “big cheeses” on the flight deck, like the Aircraft Handling Officer, or the Catapult and Arresting Gear Officer.
You can clearly see here in this video how incredibly controlled this chaos is during launch-and-recovery operations on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. This video will bring back some memories to those who have worked on the flight deck of one of our nation’s aircraft carriers.
These flight deck crews have good reason to be proud of their role in one of the most critical missions of the United States Military. It is their work that makes the United States Navy one of the most respected and effective fighting machines in the world.
The Veterans Site honors all who serve and who have served as flight deck crews on our United States Navy’s aircraft carriers. We can imagine that the pilots that you launch and recover have a special respect for each and every one of you. You are the best!

#aircraft #aircraftcarrier #airplanes

Live Stream BROADCAST! The MiG-25 Foxbat, December 1 at 6pm CST / 7pm EST

Air2Air 2022-12-02 | The MiG-25 terrified the West until a defector exposed its true nature. The once-top-secret Soviet interceptor turned out to be a Potemkin Village of an airplane. The same kind of surveillance failure behind the so-called “missile gap” that John F. Kennedy exploited during the 1960 presidential campaign was also responsible for “Foxbat hysteria.” The Foxbat interceptor did achieve its mission in one way, though. It kept the SR-71 out of Soviet airspace for several years while the West pondered the big MiG’s true capabilities. And big it was. The Foxbat was the size of a World War II heavy bomber — 9 feet longer than an Avro Lancaster, two and a half feet taller than a Consolidated B-24 and with a gross weight almost 27,000 pounds heavier than a Boeing B-17. Photographs of MiG-25s looming over its swarms of technicians and ground crews suggested that the airplane was maintained by toddlers.

The Flying Tigers | Part 3/4 | Amazing Stories Of World War 2 | Claire L. Chennault And His Men

Air2Air 2022-11-24 | FLYING TIGERS EPISODE 3/4

MISSIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAR: The Flying Tigers Part 2.
Narrated by Gary Sinise.
In China’s most desperate hour, Chiang Kai-Shek turns to the United States for help. The Japanese are bombing Chinese population centers mercilessly. China’s decimated air force is powerless to stop them. Chiang dispatches his American consultant - former U.S. Army Air Corps officer Claire L. Chennault - to obtain the airplanes and pilots needed to defend China. Tex Hill resigns his Navy Commission and volunteers.
A small group of American aviators fought in their first battle in World War II.
Their mission was unusual: They were mercenaries hired by China to fight against Japan.
They were called the American Volunteer Group and later became known as the Flying Tigers. Though only in combat for less than seven months, the group became famous at the time for its ability to inflict outsize damage on Japan's better-equipped and larger aircraft fleet.
Their victories came when Japan seemed unstoppable. The AVG was a bright spot in history when everything was bleak and black, and they have received a lot of recognition for that.
In the West, 1939 is considered the start of World War II. But in Asia, China and Japan had been at war since 1937.

China was already fighting its own civil war between the Nationalists of Chiang Kai-shek and Communist forces. The two sides came to a truce to fight against the Japanese. China, however, had little air power to fend off Japanese bombings.
Enter Claire Lee Chennault, a U.S. Army aviator, instructor and tactician, once described by Time magazine as "lean, hard-bitten, taciturn." Health problems and disputes with his superiors pushed him into retirement from his position with the Army Air Corps in 1937, at age 43.
But he quickly got a lucrative job offer with the Chinese Air Force, which was operating under Chiang's Nationalist government. Chennault was asked to come survey the readiness of its fleet.
"Chiang Kai-shek thought he had 500 airplanes," says Nell Chennault Calloway, who is Chennault's granddaughter and CEO of the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum in Monroe, La. "Chennault said, 'You have 500, but you only have 91 that fly.' That's how far behind they were in aviation."
Once the war with Japan officially broke out that summer, China hired Chennault as an adviser to its air force. He became its de facto commander.
Claire Lee Chennault first went to China to survey the Chinese Air Force's readiness, and stayed on to lead the creation of the American Volunteer Group.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
By 1940, after losing backing from the Soviets, China desperately needed more planes. At the time, the U.S. was not officially part of World War II. But President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was concerned about the prospect of Japan defeating China and turning its sights on the U.S.
Chennault traveled back to the U.S., pulling what strings he could to get planes. With the help of T.V. Soong, a Chinese official who was also Chiang's brother-in-law, a deal was worked out to allow China to buy 100 American-made Curtiss P-40 fighter planes.

As for who would fly and maintain them, many of the pilots in China's existing air force were poorly trained. So Chennault sent recruiters to U.S. military bases.

"He managed to get Roosevelt to allow some of our military pilots — that was the original AVG — to resign their commissions in the U.S. military and go to China as mercenaries, basically, because it was against the international rules for any American military person to be involved in the conflict over there,".

This was mid-1941 — before Pearl Harbor and before the U.S. declared war on Japan.

My dad witnessed the horror of Pearl Harbor firsthand. But his letters never let on
HISTORY
My dad witnessed the horror of Pearl Harbor firsthand. But his letters never let on
"By using Chinese funds to buy the aircraft and supplies and pay the salaries of the proposed crews, the U.S. government could retain a façade of neutrality, while helping China against the Japanese," the Department of Defense's history of the Flying Tigers explained.

To make recruitment easier, pilots and mechanics were offered pay that was often more than double what they were making before.

So in summer and fall of 1941, 99 pilots — 59 from the Navy, seven Marines, and 33 from the Army — traveled to Asia, along with about 200 support crew, according to the DOD's history. About a dozen of them were Chinese Americans, says Yue-him Tam, a Macalester College history professor who studies China and Japan.

#Flyingtigers #veterans #WW2

XF-85 Goblin Parasite Fighter | Strange Experimental Aircraft

Air2Air 2022-11-23 | The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin is an American prototype fighter aircraft conceived during World War II by McDonnell Aircraft. It was intended to deploy from the bomb bay of the giant Convair B-36 bomber as a parasite fighter. The XF-85's intended role was to defend bombers from hostile interceptor aircraft, a need demonstrated during World War II. McDonnell built two prototypes before the Air Force (USAAF) terminated the program.

The XF-85 was a response to a USAAF requirement for a fighter to be carried within the Northrop XB-35 and B-36, then under development. This was to address the limited range of existing interceptor aircraft compared to the greater range of new bomber designs. The XF-85 was a diminutive jet aircraft featuring a distinctive egg-shaped fuselage and a forked-tail stabilizer design. The prototypes were built and underwent testing and evaluation in 1948. Flight tests showed promise in the design, but the aircraft's performance was inferior to the jet fighters it would have faced in combat, and there were difficulties in docking. The XF-85 was swiftly canceled, and the prototypes were thereafter relegated to museum exhibits. The 1947 successor to the USAAF, the United States Air Force (USAF), continued to examine the concept of parasite aircraft under three related projects following the cancellation: MX-106 "Tip Tow", FICON, and "Tom-Tom."

During World War II, American bombers such as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator, and Boeing B-29 Superfortress were protected by long-range escort fighters such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and North American P-51 Mustang. These fighters could not match the range of the Northrop B-35 or Convair B-36, the next generation of bombers developed by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The development cost for longer-ranged fighters was high, while aerial refueling was still considered risky and technologically difficult. Pilot fatigue had also been a problem during long fighter escort missions in Europe and the Pacific, giving further impetus to innovative approaches.

The USAAF considered a number of different options including the use of remotely piloted vehicles before choosing parasite fighters as the most viable B-36 defense. The concept of a parasite fighter had its origins in 1918, when the Royal Air Force examined the viability of Sopwith Camel parasite fighters operating from their 23-class airships. In the 1930s, the U.S. Navy had a short-lived operational parasite fighter, the Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk, aboard the airships Akron and Macon. Starting in 1931, aircraft designer Vladimir Vakhmistrov conducted experiments in the Soviet Union as part of the Zveno project during which up to five fighters of various types were carried by Polikarpov TB-2 and Tupolev TB-3 bombers. In August 1941, these combinations flew the only combat missions ever undertaken by parasite fighters – TB-3s carrying Polikarpov I-16SPB dive bombers attacked the Cernavodă bridge and Constantsa docks, in Romania. After that attack, the squadron, based in the Crimea, carried out a tactical attack on a bridge over the river Dnieper at Zaporozhye, which had been captured by advancing German troops. Later in World War II, the Luftwaffe experimented with the Messerschmitt Me 328 as a parasite fighter, but problems with its pulsejet engines could not be overcome. Other late-war rocket-powered parasite fighter projects such as the Arado E.381 and Sombold So 344 were unrealized "paper projects".

On 3 December 1942, the USAAF sent out a Request for Proposals (RfP) for a diminutive piston-engined fighter. By January 1944, the Air Technical Service Command refined the RfP and, in January 1945, the specifications were further revised in MX-472 to specify a jet-powered aircraft. Although a number of aerospace companies studied the feasibility of such aircraft, McDonnell was the only company to submit a proposal to the original 1942 request and later revised requirements. The company's Model 27 proposal was completely reworked to meet the new specifications.

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 14 ft 10 in (4.52 m)
Wingspan: 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m) wings spread
Height: 8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)
Wing area: 90 sq ft (8.4 m2)
Empty weight: 3,740 lb (1,696 kg)
Gross weight: 4,550 lb (2,064 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 5,600 lb (2,540 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Westinghouse XJ34-WE-22 turbojet engine, 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust
Performance

Maximum speed: 650 mph (1,050 km/h, 560 kn) estimated
Endurance: 1 hour 20 minutes
Service ceiling: 48,000 ft (15,000 m)
Rate of climb: 12,500 ft/min (64 m/s)
Wing loading: 51 lb/sq ft (250 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.66
Armament
4 x .50 cal in (12.7 mm) M3 Browning machine guns

#goblin #XF85 #aircraft

F7F Tigercat | Restoration & Flying, Including A Landing Gear Accident | Keep Them Flying!

Air2Air 2022-11-19 | The Grumman F7F Tigercat is a heavy fighter aircraft that served with the United States Navy (USN) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) from late in World War II until 1954. It was the first twin-engine fighter to be deployed by the USN. While the Tigercat was delivered too late to see combat in World War II, it saw action as a night fighter and attack aircraft during the Korean War.

Designed initially for service on Midway-class aircraft carriers, early production F7Fs were land-based variants. The type was too large to operate from older and smaller carriers, and only a late variant (F7F-4N) was certified for carrier service.

Based on the earlier Grumman XP-50 that was eventually canceled, the company developed the XP-65 (Model 51) further for a future "convoy fighter" concept. In 1943, work on the XP-65 was terminated in favor of the design that would eventually become the F7F.The contract for the prototype XF7F-1 was signed on 30 June 1941. Grumman's aim was to produce a fighter that outperformed and outgunned all existing fighter aircraft, and that had an auxiliary ground attack capability.

An F7F-3N of VMF(N)-513 at Wonsan, Korea, in 1952.
Performance of the prototype and initial production aircraft met expectations; the F7F was one of the fastest piston-engine fighters, with a top speed significantly greater than single-engine USN aircraft — 71 mph faster than a Grumman F6F Hellcat at sea level.Captain Fred Trapnell, one of the premier USN test pilots of the era, stated: "It's the best damn fighter I've ever flown." The F7F was to be heavily-armed — four 20 mm cannon and four 50 caliber (0.50 in; 12.7 mm) machine guns, as well as underwing and under-fuselage hardpoints for bombs and torpedoes. This speed and firepower was bought at the cost of heavy weight and a high landing speed, but what caused the aircraft to fail carrier suitability trials was poor directional stability with only one engine operational, as well as problems with the tailhook design. The initial production series was, therefore, used only from land bases by the USMC, as night fighters with APS-6 radar.

While the F7F was initially also known as the Grumman Tomcat, this name was abandoned, because it was considered at the time to have excessively sexual overtones;(from the 1970s, the name Tomcat became commonly associated with, and officially used by the Navy for, another Grumman design, the F-14 twin-jet carrier-based interceptor). The first production variant was the single-seat F7F-1N aircraft; after the 34th production aircraft, a second seat for a radar operator was added and these aircraft were designated F7F-2N.

A second production version, the F7F-3, was modified to correct the issues that caused the aircraft to fail carrier acceptance, and this version was again trialled on the USS Shangri-La. A wing failure on a heavy landing caused the failure of this carrier qualification as well. F7F-3 aircraft were produced in day fighter, night fighter, and photo-reconnaissance versions.

Airworthy
F7F-3
80374: based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
80375: based at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
80390: based at Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.
80411: based at Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.
80425: privately owned in Seattle, Washington.
80483: privately owned in Houston, Texas.
80503: based at Lewis Air Legends in San Antonio, Texas.
80532: privately owned in Bentonville, Arkansas.

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 45 ft 4 in (13.82 m)
Wingspan: 51 ft 6 in (15.70 m)
Height: 16 ft 7 in (5.05 m)
Wing area: 455 sq ft (42.3 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 23015; tip: NACA 23012
Empty weight: 16,270 lb (7,380 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 25,720 lb (11,666 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-34W Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 2,100 hp (1,600 kW) each
Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed fully-feathering propellers
Performance

Maximum speed: 460 mph (740 km/h, 400 kn)
Range: 1,200 mi (1,900 km, 1,000 nmi)
Service ceiling: 40,400 ft (12,300 m)
Rate of climb: 4,530 ft/min (23.0 m/s)
Armament
Guns:
4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) AN/M3 cannon (200 rpg, wing roots)
4 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun (400 rpg, in nose) (normal fighter versions only; replaced by radar unit in the -3N nightfighter)
Bombs:
2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs, or
8 x 127mm unguided rockets under wings and
1 x 150 gallon fuel or napalm tank under fuselage, or
1 × torpedo under fuselage (day fighter only)
Avionics
AN/APS-19 radar

The final production version, the F7F-4N, was extensively rebuilt for additional strength and stability, and did pass carrier qualification, but only 12 were built.

#F7F #TigerCat #aircraft

The Doolittle Raid Part 2 | Great Raids on WWII | Jimmy Doolittle | Documentary Film

Air2Air 2022-11-18 | The Doolittle Raid Part 2/4 | Post Pearl Harbor Missions
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The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first air operation to strike the Japanese archipelago. Although the raid caused comparatively minor damage it demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attacks. It served as retaliation for the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and provided an important boost to American morale. The raid was planned by, led by, and named after Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle (later a Lieutenant General in the US Army Air Forces and the US Air Force Reserve).

Under the final plan, 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, each with a crew of five, were launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet, in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan. There was to be no fighter escort. After bombing military and industrial targets in Japan, the B-25 crews were to continue westward to land in China.

The raid on Japan killed about 50 people and injured 400, including civilians. Damage to Japanese military and industrial targets was minimal but the raid had major psychological effects. In the United States, it raised morale; in Japan, it raised fear and doubt about the ability of military leaders to defend the home islands, but the bombing and strafing of civilians also steeled Japanese resolve to gain retribution, and this was exploited for propaganda purposes.[4] It also pushed forward Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's plans to attack Midway Island in the Central Pacific, an attack that turned into a decisive defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) by the US Navy in the Battle of Midway. The consequences were most severely felt in China, where Japanese reprisals caused the deaths of 250,000 civilians and 70,000 soldiers.

Of the 16 USAAF crews involved, 14 complete crews of five returned to the United States or to US forces elsewhere, except for one who was killed in action.[5][6] Eight aviators were captured by Japanese forces in Eastern China and three of these were later executed. All but one of the B-25s were destroyed in crashes, while the 16th landed at Vladivostok, in the Soviet Union. Because the Soviet Union was not officially at war with Japan, it was required, under international law, to intern the bomber's crew for the duration of the war, and their B-25 was confiscated. However, within a year, the crew was secretly allowed to leave the Soviet Union, under the guise of an escape, and they returned to the United States, or US units elsewhere, by way of Allied-occupied Iran and North Africa.

Doolittle initially believed that the loss of all his aircraft would lead to his court-martial, but he instead received the Medal of Honor and was promoted two ranks to brigadier general.

When planning indicated that the B-25 was the aircraft that best met all of the requirements of the mission, two were loaded aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet at Norfolk, Virginia, and were flown off the deck without difficulty on 3 February 1942. The raid was immediately approved and the 17th Bombardment Group (Medium) was chosen to provide the pool of crews from which volunteers would be recruited. The 17th BG had been the first group to receive B-25s, with all four of its squadrons equipped with the bomber by September 1941. The 17th not only was the first medium bomb group of the Army Air Corps, but in early 1942, also had the most experienced B-25 crews. Its first assignment following the entry of the United States into the war was to the U.S. Eighth Air Force.

The 17th BG, then flying antisubmarine patrols from Pendleton, Oregon, was immediately moved cross-country to Columbia Army Air Base at West Columbia, South Carolina, ostensibly to fly similar patrols off the East Coast of the United States, but in actuality to prepare for the mission against Japan. The group officially transferred effective 9 February 1942 to Columbia, where its combat crews were offered the opportunity to volunteer for an "extremely hazardous", but unspecified mission. On 19 February, the group was detached from the Eighth Air Force and officially assigned to III Bomber Command.

F-22 Raptor Stealth Tactical Fighter

Air2Air 2022-11-16 | The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was designed as an air superiority fighter, but also has ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence capabilities. The prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, built most of the F-22's airframe and weapons systems and conducted final assembly, while Boeing provided the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and training systems.

Additional footage includes the story of the YF-23, the F-22 Raptor competitor and a video collection of some of the army's aircrafts and amphibious vehicles

The F-22 first flew in 1997 and was variously designated F-22 and F/A-22 before it formally entered service in December 2005 as the F-22A. Despite its protracted development and operational difficulties, USAF considers the F-22 a critical component of its tactical airpower. The fighter's combination of stealth, aerodynamic performance, and mission systems enable unprecedented air combat capabilities.

The USAF had originally planned to buy a total of 750 ATFs. In 2009, the program was cut to 187 operational aircraft due to high costs, a lack of air-to-air missions due to the focus on counterinsurgency operations at the time of production, a ban on exports, and development of the more affordable and versatile F-35, with the last F-22 delivered in 2012.

In 1981, the U.S. Air Force identified a requirement for an Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) to replace the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Code-named "Senior Sky", this air-superiority fighter program was influenced by emerging worldwide threats, including new developments in Soviet air defense systems and the proliferation of the Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker"- and Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum"-class of fighter aircraft. It would take advantage of the new technologies in fighter design on the horizon, including composite materials, lightweight alloys, advanced flight control systems and avionics, more powerful propulsion systems, and most importantly, stealth technology. In 1983, the ATF concept development team became the System Program Office (SPO) and managed the program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The demonstration and validation (Dem/Val) request for proposals (RFP) was issued in September 1985, with requirements placing a strong emphasis on stealth and supercruise. Owing to the immense investments required to develop the technology needed to achieve performance goals, teaming between companies was encouraged. Of the seven bidding companies, Lockheed and Northrop were selected on 31 October 1986...

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 62 ft 1 in (18.92 m)
Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m)
Height: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)
Wing area: 840 sq ft (78.04 m2)
Aspect ratio: 2.36
Airfoil: NACA 6 series airfoil
Empty weight: 43,340 lb (19,700 kg)
Gross weight: 64,840 lb (29,410 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 83,500 lb (38,000 kg)
Fuel capacity: 18,000 lb (8,200 kg) internally, or 26,000 lb (12,000 kg) with two 2× 600 US gal tanks
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 augmented turbofans, 26,000 lbf (116 kN) thrust each dry, 35,000 lbf (156 kN) with afterburner
Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 2.25, 1,500 mph (2,414 km/h) at altitude
Mach 1.21, 800 knots (921 mph; 1,482 km/h) at sea level
Mach 1.82, 1,220 mph (1,963 km/h) supercruise at altitude
Range: 1,600 nmi (1,800 mi, 3,000 km) or more with 2 external fuel tanks
Combat range: 460 nmi (530 mi, 850 km) clean with 100 nmi (115 mi, 185 km) in supercruise
590 nmi (679 mi, 1,093 km) clean subsonic
Ferry range: 1,740 nmi (2,000 mi, 3,220 km)
Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (20,000 m)
g limits: +9.0/−3.0
Wing loading: 77.2 lb/sq ft (377 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 1.08 (1.25 with loaded weight and 50% internal fuel)
Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan rotary cannon, 480 rounds
Internal weapons bays:
Air-to-air mission loadout:
6× AIM-120 AMRAAM
2× AIM-9 Sidewinder
Air-to-ground mission loadout:
2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) JDAM or 8× 250 lb (110 kg) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs
2× AIM-120 AMRAAM
2× AIM-9 Sidewinder
Hardpoint (external):
4× under-wing pylon stations can be fitted to carry weapons, each with a capacity of 5,000 lb (2,270 kg) or 600 U.S. gallon (2,270 L) drop tanks
4x AIM-120 AMRAAM (external)
Avionics
AN/APG-77 or AN/APG-77(V)1 radar: 125–150 miles (201–241 km) against 1 m2 (11 sq ft) targets (estimated range), more than 250 miles (400 km) in narrow beams
AN/AAR-56 Missile Launch Detector (MLD)
AN/ALR-94 electronic warfare system: 250 nautical miles (460 km) or more detection range for radar warning receiver (RWR)
Integrated CNI Avionics
MJU-39/40 flares for protection against IR missiles

#f22 #f22raptor #raptor

AD Skyraider | American single-seat attack aircraft

Air2Air 2022-11-15 | The Douglas AD Skyraider, also known as the A-1 Skyraider is an American single-seat attack aircraft in service from 1946 to the early 1980s. The Skyraider had a remarkably long and successful career well into the Jet Age (when most piston-engined attack or fighter aircraft were replaced by Jet aircraft) thus becoming known by some as an "anachronism". The aircraft was nicknamed "Spad", after the French World War I fighter.

It was operated by the United States Navy (USN), the United States Marine Corps (USMC), and the United States Air Force (USAF), and also saw service with the British Royal Navy, the French Air Force, the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF), and others. It remained in U.S. service until the early 1970s.

The jet powered A-10 Thunderbolt II was based on specifications for a modernized Skyraider with a heavy payload and good endurance.

The piston-engined propeller Skyraider was designed during World War II to meet United States Navy requirements for a carrier-based, single-seat, long-range, high performance dive/torpedo bomber, to follow on from earlier aircraft such as the Douglas SBD Dauntless, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver and the Grumman TBF Avenger. Designed by Ed Heinemann of the Douglas Aircraft Company, prototypes were ordered on 6 July 1944 as the XBT2D-1. The XBT2D-1 made its first flight on 18 March 1945, and the USN began evaluation of the aircraft at the Naval Air Test Center (NATC) in April 1945. In December 1946, after a designation change to AD-1, delivery of the first production aircraft to a fleet squadron was made to VA-19A.

The AD-1 was built at Douglas's El Segundo plant in Southern California. In his memoir The Lonely Sky, test pilot Bill Bridgeman described the routine yet sometimes hazardous work of certifying AD-1s fresh off the assembly line at a rate of two aircraft per day for delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1949 and 1950.

A Douglas XBT2D-1 Skyraider prototype
The low-wing monoplane design started with a Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engine which was later upgraded several times. The aircraft had distinctive large straight wings with seven hardpoints apiece. The Skyraider had excellent maneuverability at low speed, and carried a large amount of ordnance over a considerable combat radius. It had a long loiter time for its size, compared to much heavier subsonic or supersonic jets. The aircraft was optimized for ground attack and was armored against ground fire in key locations, unlike faster fighters adapted to carry bombs, such as the Vought F4U Corsair or North American P-51 Mustang, which were retired by U.S. forces before the 1960s.

Shortly after Heinemann began designing the XBT2D-1, a study was issued showing that for every 100 lb (45 kg) of weight reduction, the takeoff run was decreased by 8 ft (2.4 m), the combat radius increased by 22 mi (35 km) and the rate-of-climb increased by 18 ft/min (0.091 m/s). Heinemann immediately had his design engineers begin a program for finding weight savings on the XBT2D-1 design, no matter how small. Simplifying the fuel system resulted in a reduction of 270 lb (120 kg); 200 lb (91 kg) by eliminating an internal bomb bay and hanging external stores from the wings or fuselage; 70 lb (32 kg) by using a fuselage dive brake; and 100 lb (45 kg) by using an older tailwheel design. In the end, Heinemann and his design engineers achieved more than 1,800 lb (820 kg) of weight reduction on the original XBT2D-1 design.

The Navy AD series was initially painted in ANA 623 glossy sea blue, but during the 1950s, following the Korean War, the color scheme was changed to light gull grey and white (Fed Std 595 27875). Initially using the gray and white Navy scheme, by 1967 the USAF began to paint its Skyraiders in a camouflaged pattern using two shades of green, and one of tan.

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 38 ft 10 in (11.84 m)
Wingspan: 50 ft 0.25 in (15.2464 m)
Height: 15 ft 8.25 in (4.7816 m)
Wing area: 400.33 sq ft (37.192 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 2417; tip: NACA 4413
Empty weight: 11,968 lb (5,429 kg)
Gross weight: 18,106 lb (8,213 kg)
Fuel capacity: 380 US gal (320 imp gal; 1,400 l) internal tanks
Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-3350-26WA Duplex-Cyclone 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 2,700 hp (2,000 kW)
Propellers: 4-bladed Aeroproducts constant-speed propeller
Performance

Maximum speed: 322 mph (518 km/h, 280 kn) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Cruise speed: 198 mph (319 km/h, 172 kn)
Range: 1,316 mi (2,118 km, 1,144 nmi)
Service ceiling: 28,500 ft (8,700 m)
Rate of climb: 2,850 ft/min (14.5 m/s)
Wing loading: 46.6 lb/sq ft (228 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.149 hp/lb (0.245 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns: 4x 20 mm AN/M3 cannon with 200 rounds per gun
Hardpoints: 15 external hardpoints with a capacity of 8,000 lb (3,600 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Other: bombs, torpedoes, mine dispensers, unguided rockets, and gun pods.

#skyrider #aircraft #warplane

The Flying Tigers | Part 2/4 | Amazing Stories Of World War 2 | Claire L. Chennault And His Men

Air2Air 2022-11-14 | FLYING TIGERS EPISODE 2/4

MISSIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAR: The Flying Tigers Part 2.
Narrated by Gary Sinise.
In China’s most desperate hour, Chiang Kai-Shek turns to the United States for help. The Japanese are bombing Chinese population centers mercilessly. China’s decimated air force is powerless to stop them. Chiang dispatches his American consultant - former U.S. Army Air Corps officer Claire L. Chennault - to obtain the airplanes and pilots needed to defend China. Tex Hill resigns his Navy Commission and volunteers.
A small group of American aviators fought in their first battle in World War II.
Their mission was unusual: They were mercenaries hired by China to fight against Japan.
They were called the American Volunteer Group and later became known as the Flying Tigers. Though only in combat for less than seven months, the group became famous at the time for its ability to inflict outsize damage on Japan's better-equipped and larger aircraft fleet.
Their victories came when Japan seemed unstoppable. The AVG was a bright spot in history when everything was bleak and black, and they have received a lot of recognition for that.
In the West, 1939 is considered the start of World War II. But in Asia, China and Japan had been at war since 1937.

China was already fighting its own civil war between the Nationalists of Chiang Kai-shek and Communist forces. The two sides came to a truce to fight against the Japanese. China, however, had little air power to fend off Japanese bombings.
Enter Claire Lee Chennault, a U.S. Army aviator, instructor and tactician, once described by Time magazine as "lean, hard-bitten, taciturn." Health problems and disputes with his superiors pushed him into retirement from his position with the Army Air Corps in 1937, at age 43.
But he quickly got a lucrative job offer with the Chinese Air Force, which was operating under Chiang's Nationalist government. Chennault was asked to come survey the readiness of its fleet.
"Chiang Kai-shek thought he had 500 airplanes," says Nell Chennault Calloway, who is Chennault's granddaughter and CEO of the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum in Monroe, La. "Chennault said, 'You have 500, but you only have 91 that fly.' That's how far behind they were in aviation."
Once the war with Japan officially broke out that summer, China hired Chennault as an adviser to its air force. He became its de facto commander.
Claire Lee Chennault first went to China to survey the Chinese Air Force's readiness, and stayed on to lead the creation of the American Volunteer Group.
Fox Photos/Getty Images
By 1940, after losing backing from the Soviets, China desperately needed more planes. At the time, the U.S. was not officially part of World War II. But President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was concerned about the prospect of Japan defeating China and turning its sights on the U.S.
Chennault traveled back to the U.S., pulling what strings he could to get planes. With the help of T.V. Soong, a Chinese official who was also Chiang's brother-in-law, a deal was worked out to allow China to buy 100 American-made Curtiss P-40 fighter planes.

As for who would fly and maintain them, many of the pilots in China's existing air force were poorly trained. So Chennault sent recruiters to U.S. military bases.

"He managed to get Roosevelt to allow some of our military pilots — that was the original AVG — to resign their commissions in the U.S. military and go to China as mercenaries, basically, because it was against the international rules for any American military person to be involved in the conflict over there,".

This was mid-1941 — before Pearl Harbor and before the U.S. declared war on Japan.

My dad witnessed the horror of Pearl Harbor firsthand. But his letters never let on
HISTORY
My dad witnessed the horror of Pearl Harbor firsthand. But his letters never let on
"By using Chinese funds to buy the aircraft and supplies and pay the salaries of the proposed crews, the U.S. government could retain a façade of neutrality, while helping China against the Japanese," the Department of Defense's history of the Flying Tigers explained.

To make recruitment easier, pilots and mechanics were offered pay that was often more than double what they were making before.

So in summer and fall of 1941, 99 pilots — 59 from the Navy, seven Marines, and 33 from the Army — traveled to Asia, along with about 200 support crew, according to the DOD's history. About a dozen of them were Chinese Americans, says Yue-him Tam, a Macalester College history professor who studies China and Japan.

#Flyingtigers #veterans #WW2

The Doolittle Raid Part 1 | Great Raids on WWII | Jimmy Doolittle | Documentary Film

Air2Air 2022-11-11 | The Doolittle Raid Part 1/4 | Post Pearl Harbor Missions
Watch more Air2AirTV's documentaries at:
air2airtv.com

The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first air operation to strike the Japanese archipelago. Although the raid caused comparatively minor damage it demonstrated that the Japanese mainland was vulnerable to American air attacks. It served as retaliation for the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and provided an important boost to American morale. The raid was planned by, led by, and named after Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle (later a Lieutenant General in the US Army Air Forces and the US Air Force Reserve).

Under the final plan, 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, each with a crew of five, were launched from the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet, in the Pacific Ocean, off Japan. There was to be no fighter escort. After bombing military and industrial targets in Japan, the B-25 crews were to continue westward to land in China.

The raid on Japan killed about 50 people and injured 400, including civilians. Damage to Japanese military and industrial targets was minimal but the raid had major psychological effects. In the United States, it raised morale; in Japan, it raised fear and doubt about the ability of military leaders to defend the home islands, but the bombing and strafing of civilians also steeled Japanese resolve to gain retribution, and this was exploited for propaganda purposes.[4] It also pushed forward Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's plans to attack Midway Island in the Central Pacific, an attack that turned into a decisive defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) by the US Navy in the Battle of Midway. The consequences were most severely felt in China, where Japanese reprisals caused the deaths of 250,000 civilians and 70,000 soldiers.

Of the 16 USAAF crews involved, 14 complete crews of five returned to the United States or to US forces elsewhere, except for one who was killed in action.[5][6] Eight aviators were captured by Japanese forces in Eastern China and three of these were later executed. All but one of the B-25s were destroyed in crashes, while the 16th landed at Vladivostok, in the Soviet Union. Because the Soviet Union was not officially at war with Japan, it was required, under international law, to intern the bomber's crew for the duration of the war, and their B-25 was confiscated. However, within a year, the crew was secretly allowed to leave the Soviet Union, under the guise of an escape, and they returned to the United States, or US units elsewhere, by way of Allied-occupied Iran and North Africa.

Doolittle initially believed that the loss of all his aircraft would lead to his court-martial, but he instead received the Medal of Honor and was promoted two ranks to brigadier general.

When planning indicated that the B-25 was the aircraft that best met all of the requirements of the mission, two were loaded aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet at Norfolk, Virginia, and were flown off the deck without difficulty on 3 February 1942. The raid was immediately approved and the 17th Bombardment Group (Medium) was chosen to provide the pool of crews from which volunteers would be recruited. The 17th BG had been the first group to receive B-25s, with all four of its squadrons equipped with the bomber by September 1941. The 17th not only was the first medium bomb group of the Army Air Corps, but in early 1942, also had the most experienced B-25 crews. Its first assignment following the entry of the United States into the war was to the U.S. Eighth Air Force.

The 17th BG, then flying antisubmarine patrols from Pendleton, Oregon, was immediately moved cross-country to Columbia Army Air Base at West Columbia, South Carolina, ostensibly to fly similar patrols off the East Coast of the United States, but in actuality to prepare for the mission against Japan. The group officially transferred effective 9 February 1942 to Columbia, where its combat crews were offered the opportunity to volunteer for an "extremely hazardous", but unspecified mission. On 19 February, the group was detached from the Eighth Air Force and officially assigned to III Bomber Command.