Plane Tales

There are many things that one might want to be remembered for. A fine physician, a pioneer aviator, a renown aeronautical researcher, an inspired inventor but perhaps not as the greatest charlatan ever to see his name associated with an airplane, even though his scout fighter the Christmas Bullet had a perfect kill record… it killed everyone who ever tried to fly it!

The AEA Redwing

One of Christmas’s Patents

The Christmas Bullet

The Christmas Bullet

The Liberty 6 Engine

Dr Christmas

Images under creative commons licence with thanks to the Library of Congress, US Gov, US Patent Office and the USAF.

Back in 1997, on a sliver of land wedged between a gas station and a car park, a lone C130 Hercules could be found. It was mounted there near the entrance to the National Security Agency at Fort Mead in Maryland for a good reason. Not the original aircraft, as that crashed on foreign soil, it had been painted with the tail number 60528 to represent it.

The memorial to the crew of 60528

The C130 airborne

The plot of 60528 and the track of the intercepting fighters.

A Mig 17

Gun camera film from the attacking Mig17s

Gun camera film from an attacking Mig 17 showing the C130 in flames

The crash site of 60528

A USN Neptune

A Mig15

An LA11

An RAF Lincoln

The U2 spy plane

Gary Powers

The memorial to the crew of the C130

Arlington Cemetery

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the NSA, Soviet Defence Archives, 1Lt Kucharyaev, Soviet Air Force, Kirill Pisman, Adam Jones, Garry Goebel, RIA Novosti archive and IP Singh.

If you are anything like the usual aviation enthusiast you’ll have a list of famous names in your head that you can quote at parties to bore your friends like, Wilbur and Orville, Bleriot, Richthofen, Lindbergh, Sikorsky, Whittle, Yeager and such but I wonder if you can place some of the others who deserve recognition.

Charlie Taylor

Hans Von Ohain

Ohain’s HeS8 jet engine

The He178

The He280

Gloster E-28

Olive-Ann and TravelAir

The Staggerwing

Doolittle and the Mystery Ship

Louise Thaden

Bessie Coleman

Mae Jemison

Houdini

Colin Defries

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the USAF, the Air Force Research Lab, Embryriddle, RAF/IWM, SDASM, Flugkerl2, BAC, NASA, Museums Victoria,

He is dead now but you’ll find no stone to mark his grave since he has neither grave nor marker, which is a little odd for a much decorated American hero who fought for his country with outstanding bravery… but it was his wish and his family accepted that.

Boeing B-17D

The 509th

Project Alberta

The Trinity Test tower

The world’s first atomic bomb just prior to the Trinity Test

The Trinity Test fireball

Little Boy

The mission map

Detonation

Hiroshima just after detonation

The Hiroshima Damage estimation map

Enola Gay returns

Tibbits in Enola Gay

Tibbits is decorated by Gen Spaatz

Enola Gay in the Udvar Hazy

Paul W Tibbits

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the USAF, US Gov, Project Alberta, Mr98, Berlyn Brixner, US Gov DOD, Jack W Aeby, United States Department of Energy, George R Caron, U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Armen Shamlian and elliottwolf.

In 1941 the German Navy commissioned its latest submarine, the U-134 and as it slid out of harbour to join the 5th U boat flotilla, Captain-Lieutenant Rudolf Schendel keenly anticipated the mission ahead. You may be wondering why this Type 7C U Boat should feature in a Plane Tale but bear with me as I introduce the K-74. Built a year after the U-134, the K 74 came from a company with an interesting origin, the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation. This is their intriguing story.

The Type VIIc U-Boat

One of the few U Boats to survive the war.

Zeppelins over London

A British recruitment poster

The Goodyear Zeppelin Airdock

The Airdock interior

The Goodyear K Class blimp

K-Class blimp arrives in Gibraltar

The U-134’s last patrol

The U-134 survives an attack

A K-Class on patrol

Attack report of the engagement between K-74 and U134

A K-Class is loaded with Depth Charges

The K-Class crew man their gun

HMS Rother finally sinks U-134 with all hands

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to NSA, UK National Archives, Darkone,  US Library of Congress, the Goodyear Zeppelin company, USN, Grossnick Roy A, Royal Navy and the US Naval Institute.

The ejector seat is still a subject of fascination for a lot of pilots, mainly those who have never been strapped to one. It’s often the opinion of folk not part of the small fast jet community that an ejection is a simple matter, you just pull the handle and ‘boom’ you’re safe.

The B58 Hustler

An ejector seat from the B-58 Hustler

Smarter than the average bear!

North American Aviation test pilot George Smith.

The F100

Vought A-7E-5-CV Corsair II

The USS Constellation during her 1964–1965 WESTPAC cruise

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to J Clear, USAF, USAF National Air Museum, US Navy archives, US Gov, Hanna–Barbera and Robert L. Lawson.

On April the 1st 2011, a little known story of intrigue and tension within the usually calm and placid country of Canada came to light.  This little known affair which brought the United States and Canada to a breaking point revolved around the purchase of an unusual Fighter for the RCAF. This drama of the 1960s has become notorious in government circles and is variously referred to as, “The Stab in the Back-yard”, “The Fishbed Flap” “The Redhawk Incident” or more ominously “The Canuck Invasion Crisis”.

The Arrow is rolled out.

The Arrow is cancelled and cut up into scrap.

Scrapped portions of the Avro Arrow.

The Mig 21.

The first Canadian CF-121, Redhawk.

441 Sqn, the Stratocasters, are reformed with their Migs.

441 Sqn deploy to their new home in Cold Lake.

The first Redhawk is lost.

A grainy photograph reveals the truth!

The story is out.

Little evidence remains of the CF-121 Redhawk.

The old Cold Lake gate guard.

The truth is finally revealed.

Images published under Creative Commons licence with many thanks to parfaits, the Government of Canada and the amazing Vintage Wings of Canada.

I’ve talked a lot about alcohol over the past few Plane Tales and mainly about the negative aspects but it remains one of the few socially acceptable drugs that we can imbibe. With our propensity for travelling the world, fighter jocks, trash haulers, airline crews and the rest, have always managed to find some fascinating watering holes to frequent to let the stress of the day gently drain away in convivial company over a drink or two. With that in mind I asked the crew to tell me about one or two of their favourite establishments.

The brewing and consumption of beer has a long and interesting history.

The Royal Navy rum tub of HMS Cavaller.

Steph’s Ski Bar.

Inside Molly’s.

Great views of the slopes.

The entrance to Rick’s Aero Club of East Africa.

The smell of bourbon, cigarette smoke, aviation gasoline and Wood polish.

The walls are adorned with fascinating artifacts.

And memories of pilots long past.

Because old pilots never die…

One of Jeff’s favourites the Diego Garcia Officer’s Club.

And the Randolph Officers Club.

Under which is found the wonderful old Auger Inn.

The tall windows of the Big Room in the Royal and Ancient golf club.

An evening out in Narita started in the Flyers Bar.

Moved on to the Bon Cafe for all you can eat teppanyaki.

Then to the Barge Inn.

And finally the infamous Truck (Trailer).

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the Library of Congress, Hammersfan, Steph, Rick, Jeff, Nick and Gordon McKinlay.

Flying is an environment where the pilot’s senses, coordination and mental faculties are vital to the safe conduct of a flight. Getting airborne having taken something that might impair one’s flying ability is a complete anathema to the vast majority of aviators so it is vital that we look at ourselves and our fellow pilots to recognise those who might need help.

The route taken by Aero 311.

The Bay of Bothnia.

An Aero DC3.

The crash site of Aero 311.

The JAL 8054 DC8 Freighter.

The DC8 crash site.

The Aeroflot Flight 821 crash site.

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the NTSB, Alma Media Suomi Oy, Jjm2311, Ritvara,  Aktug Ates, MAK,

When the gentlemen aviators of the First World War were looking for protective clothing to wear whilst doing battle over the trenches of the Somme, they visited establishments such as Alfred Dunhill’s where they were invited to alight for the best equipment.  This is the story of such wonderful flying garb as the Sidcot Suit, the Irving jacket and the classic American flight and bomber jackets.

A 1930 ‘Sidcot’ suit.

The G1 Navy Flight Jacket.

Steve McQueen in his A2.

Chuck Yeager in his B10.

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the FAST Archive, the Imperial War Museum, Solicitr, USAF, Dunhill’s and Robinson and Cleaver.