Indice dei contenuti per November - December 2020 in Flight Journal

Just what is it about the Mustang and the warriors who flew it that make it so iconic and appealing? This combat machine has transcended its mechanized assemblies and sheet metal to mythic status. The magnificent lines, design, and unmistakable Merlin-powered sound of the Mustang continue to make it the ultimate aerial representative of the Second World War, and I’m sure it will remain so for many more decades to come. Through the years at Flight Journal, we have featured numerous war stories and technical articles on the Mustang that continue to withstand the test of time and are now classics in their own right. The words of those who have flown this warbird in combat continue to captivate us and will inspire future generations as well. And just when…

The Air Combat Museum boasts an impressive and growing collection of old iron, including the P-51 Mustang “Worry Bird” featured in this story. This 1944 model saw combat service during WW II and is painted as one flown by Bob Frisch of the 339th Fighter Group based at Fowlmere, England. The unique mission of the Air Combat Museum is to get you up close to the restoration process of vintage military aircraft. At any given time when you enter, you can expect the unexpected as it relates to the type of aircraft that are being restored and at what stage they may be in during the process. Wherever you look, there is quite an array of parts assembled on the floors and walls for current and future restorations. According to…

Conceived as a private venture and initially relying on internal funding only, the Northrop F-5 “Freedom Fighter” design (N-156) was initiated in the 1950s. The goal was to provide a lightweight, inexpensive, easy-to-maintain fighter aircraft. At first, it looked like the program was going to be less than a success, but that soon changed. As the U.S. Air Force was looking for a new trainer to replace their aging T-33As at the time, the N-156T (T = trainer and redesignated as the T-38) became a natural fit, making its first flight in June of 1956. It was low cost, had a supersonic ability, and was selected to replace the legacy Shooting Stars. The F-5 ABCs The N-156F (F = fighter and later designated YF-5A) first took to the skies just…

Combat aircraft assigned to ground fighting battalions, brigades and divisions of the Army belong to pure Army aviation—not the Air Force—and trace their origins to June 6, 1942, when the first fabric-covered light planes joined artillery units. The Cessna L-19 Bird Dog, probably the Army’s most famous airplane, resulted from a 1949 decision to replace the aging L-4 Piper Cub and L-5 Stinson Sentinel spotter planes that had served valiantly in WW II. The Pentagon wanted a plane that would support soldiers at the front by landing and taking off in 600 feet over a 50-foot obstacle. Although somewhat heavy at 1,200 pounds when empty, Cessna’s L-19 won a production contract just before the Korean War began on June 25, 1950. General Mark Clark chose the L-19’s name from a…

I grew up during an exciting time for aviation. My first recollection of flying was at about 10 years old when I shook Lucky Lindbergh’s hand. In fourth grade I won a model airplane contest, and the prize was my first ride in an open cockpit plane. I had no goggles. When I raised my head up above the windshield, the air felt like it blew in behind my eyeballs! When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, I was a freshman at Columbia University. By the time June came around, it seemed to me and a lot of the other guys that school was pretty darn irrelevant. A number of us decided to join the Army Air Corps. So, one July day in 1942, we went down to Whitehall Street in…

Harvey watched the first P-40 in the landing pattern sequence touch and immediately flip. Apprehensive, but with no other choice since every aircraft’s low-fuel-pressure light flickered red after an exhausting positioning flight, he lowered the “alighting gear.” Concentrating on landing shorter and slower, his 30-inch tires and oleo-pneumatic shock struts locked into place under the 37-foot, 3.5-inch wings. At contact, he, too, went upside down in a flurry of lacerated leaves, shredded bark and surprised ants. Bomb craters created by previous softening-up attacks had disturbed the water table and turned the ground engineers’ handiwork into gigantic mud pies. A desperate construction commander ordered Harvey’s P-40 pushed aside before the concussed pilot could extricate himself. The remaining squadron aircraft managed to find compact spots and finished their flights correct side up.…

Having flown in a variety of tactical aircraft, the first thing I realized is how complicated the strap-in process is compared to other more contemporary assets. If you do it every day or two, though, you can quickly master it. Once you get the hang of that part, the rest is easy. It seems like after you start up, in just a minute or two, you are taxiing out of the chocks and on your merry way to the furball in the wild blue yonder; you simply hop in and go. In other, more-complicated fighters, you may have to sit there five to 10 minutes from start up until the chocks are pulled. Interestingly, the F-5 canopy open/close system is manual, yet very functional, and uses a large hand operated…

“I had never seen so many Japanese fighters in one group.” Chimu fighter strip was on the portion of Okinawa closest to Japan. My squadron, VMF-224, had been sent to Chimu from Yontan Airfield for the purpose of early interception of aircraft in the event of enemy attack and for mounting fighter sweeps over Japan itself. On July 2, 1945, we flew our Corsairs equipped with auxiliary belly fuel tanks from Chimu on a sweep to Kyushu. Our goal was to draw the Japanese fighters into the air and engage them in a dogfight. I led one division of four planes from 224 and Major Mike Yunck of VMF-311 led a division of four from his squadron. The other three pilots in my division were Second Lieutenants Lowell Truex, Denver…

George Shepard was my wingman on April 17, 1945. We were issued the usual equipment and rode to our ships on the hood of a Jeep. The weather was fine that day. We took off about 9 a.m., formed up and headed to meet up with our assigned Bomb Group. I don’t recall any particulars on the escort. After the bombers started their run, the 339th Squadrons split up and went to various strafing targets. The 505th discovered and hit a dispersal area where enemy aircraft were dispersed and camouflaged over a large area, south of Pilsen in Germany near Pocking (in Passau). We attacked to destroy enemy aircraft and antiaircraft. On my pass over the targets, I was shooting and they were shooting back! I took a hit on…

During his initial exposure to Libyan skies as a Canadian with Royal Air Force 94 Squadron on March 23, 1942, 21-year-old Lt. James Francis Edwards, a former Saskatchewan farm boy, helped escort 12 South African Air Force Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers to an Axis-held airfield marked as Martuba on intelligence charts. From this dust-blown patch of sand and stone, enemy aircraft sauntered airborne to harass Maltabound convoys. Defended by walls of anti-aircraft guns and infested by Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Macchi 202s flown by Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica experten, reports described No. 94’s mission as “flying straight into the lion’s jaws.” Nevertheless, Edwards stabilized 50 yards behind a Bf 109. Shudders from finely tuned wing guns vibrated through the P-40’s airframe into fingers pressing the control stick trigger. Red flashes…

VMFT-401 Snipers A U.S. Marine Corps 4th Reserve squadron, the Snipers are based at MCAS Yuma, Arizona. The installation hosts WTI (Weapons Tactics Instructors) major exercises twice a year, plus they are instrumental in supporting USMC F/A-18 training scenarios, including the MCAS Miramar, California-based VMFAT-101 “Sharpshooters.” In addition, they make numerous adversary presentations to any squadrons looking for dogfight training, including Yuma’s F-35Bs. The Snipers are the only dedicated adversary squadron in the Corps. VFC-13 Saints A U.S. Navy Reserve squadron, the Saints are based at NAS Fallon, Nevada. Because NAS Fallon hosts Air Wing workups and deployments on an ongoing basis, the Saints are a natural fit to employ adversary training at the installation and local ranges. They are instrumental in supporting TOPGUN training events and adversary support to…

Aikens Airplanes LFG Roland C.II Walfisch $308.95 | aikensairplanes.com The LFG Roland C.II, known as the Walfisch (Whale), was an advanced German reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. It was manufactured by Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft G.m.b.H. LFG, that later changed their name to Roland. They were responsible for some of the most aerodynamic and innovative aircraft designs of the Great War. The Walfisch was designed to be as aerodynamically clean as possible, which resulted in a smooth fuselage with many compound curves and mounting the top wings to the fuselage to avoid drag from the cabane struts. It featured a monocoque fuselage built with an outer skin of two layers of thin plywood strips applied at an angle to each other (known as a Wickelrumpf, or “wrapped body” design). This both lowered…