This Date in Aviation History: September 26 - September 29

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 09/29/2015 at 11:35 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history

5

14

Welcome to This Date in Aviation History , getting you caught up on milestones and important historical events in aviation from September 26 through September 29.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 26, 1965 – The first flight of the LTV A-7 Corsair II. Throughout the history of military aircraft design, there have been a handful of aircraft that were named after mighty predecessors, such as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . And while the jury is still out on the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the others have more than lived up to the fame of their namesakes. One other that has done so is the LTV (Ling-Temco-Vought) A-7 Corsair II, named after the rugged, effective and deadly !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of WWII and Korea. Beginning in 1962, the US Navy began looking for a new attack aircraft to replace the venerable !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , specifically one with greater range and payload. By 1963, they finalized their requirements and announced the VAL (heavier-than-air, attack, light) competition, and to save money, the new aircraft was to be based on an existing design. Vought already had the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a supersonic air superiority fighter produced for the Navy, so they based the new plane on that, shortening and broadening the fuselage, and removing the variable incidence wing and afterburner, since the new attack aircraft was not intended to be supersonic. Selected the winner of the competition in 1964, the Corsair II was deployed only three years later and immediately saw action in the skies over Vietnam. Later versions would see increases in engine performance as the original turbojet was replaced with a turbofan. Though originally a Navy design, the Corsair II was also pressed into service with the US Air Force, when they found they, too, needed a powerful and sturdy subsonic ground attack aircraft. Reluctant at first to take the Navy airplane, the Air Force relented under pressure from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, with the stipulation that their version would have a still more powerful engine and an M61A1 rotary cannon rather than the two single-barreled 20mm cannons on the Navy version. This aircraft would be designated the A-7D, and was later adopted by the Navy as the A-7E. By the end of the Vietnam War, the Air Force began passing the Corsair II over to the Air National Guard in favor of the F-4 Phantom II, but the Navy continued flying theirs, seeing action over Grenada, Libya, and even limited use in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. The ANG finally retired their Corsair IIs in 1993, but the Greek Hellenic Air Force flew the A-7 until 2014. (US Navy photo)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 27, 1964 – The first flight of the BAC TSR-2. Following WWII, the general doctrine of aerial bombardment, either nuclear or conventional, was to fly as high as possible to avoid enemy fighters. But the surface-to-air missile changed all that, and a new breed of attack aircraft would come the fore, known as “interdictors,” designed to fly deep into enemy territory at low level and high speed to harass enemy logistics or strike specific targets such as airfields. To that end, the British government issued Operational Requirement 399 (GOR.399) in 1956 that called for an all-weather aircraft that could deliver tactical nuclear weapons, provide reconnaissance in all weather and also deliver conventional bombs and rockets. In January 1959, the Ministry of Supply announced that a consortium of Vickers and Armstrong, along with English Electric, would produce what would be called the TRS-2 (Tactical Strike Reconnaissance, Mach 2). The new aircraft would be designed around the strengths of each company, with Vickers building the front half of the aircraft and wings while English Electric built the rear. The TSR-2 was powered by two Bristol-Siddeley Olympus turbojets developed from those used on the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and which would eventually power the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . It was capable of a sustained cruise of Mach 2.05, with a dash speed of Mach 2.35, and a theoretical top speed of Mach 3. With the completion of the first prototype, testing commenced, and despite some early difficulties, test pilots reported that the TSR-2 flew well, and would clearly be capable of performing the tasks for which it was designed. However, spiraling costs made a political issue out of the aircraft, and the cancellation of the project was announced on April 6, 1965, the day scheduled for the maiden flight of the second prototype. Rather than develop their own interdictor, even considering all the development money already spent, the British would buy the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! instead. Within six months of cancellation, all uncompleted aircraft, plus all tooling, were scrapped, and only two aircraft survived, neither of which is complete. The two finished aircraft, including the one that took part in testing, were used as targets to test for weaknesses in the airframe to gunfire and shrapnel. (Photo by Mike Freer via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

September 29, 1954 – The first flight of the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. Following the US Air Force’s experience with tactical bombing in WWII and Korea, it became clear that the Air Force needed a fighter that could protect strategic, and later tactical, bombers on long-range missions. In February 1951, the USAF issued an operational requirement for a fighter that could accompany the Convair B-36, and McDonnell was chosen to provide an aircraft for the mission. Based on the earlier !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a penetration fighter that never entered production, the F-101 would serve as an interim escort for Cold War bombers, mainly because it had only one-fifth the range of the giant bomber it was meant to accompany, and by 1952 its designation of penetration fighter was changed to strategic fighter , with a greater emphasis placed on delivery of a single nuclear weapon in addition to its escort role. After entering production, the first aircraft were delivered to the Strategic Air Command in 1957, before being transferred to the Tactical Air Command later in the year in a nod to its changed role. But despite its range shortcomings, the Voodoo was still nearly twice as powerful as other fighters of its day (in December 1957 the F-101 set a speed record of 1,207.6 mph), and its range could be augmented with three external fuel tanks. Though the Voodoo’s career as a tactical fighter was relatively brief, the reconnaissance version, the RF-101, saw extensive service in the Vietnam War, and also took part in reconnaissance missions over Cuba during the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The Voodoo would be retired by frontline USAF units by 1972, but would go on to serve the Air National Guard for ten more years. The F-101 also flew with the Royal Canadian Air Force as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , replacing the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The RCAF finally replaced their Voodoos in 1984 on the arrival of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . (US Air Force photo)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Short Take Off

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 26, 2011 – All Nippon Airways takes delivery of the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. ANA was the launch customer for the first 787, Boeing’s latest and most advanced, composite-construction widebody airliner. The first 787 entered service with ANA on October 26, 2011, and 318 aircraft have been built as of July 2015. (Photo by Spaceaero2 via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 26, 1986 – The first flight of the Piaggio P.180 Avanti , an Italian-made executive aircraft that features two turboprop engines in a pusher configuration, and is notable for its triple control surfaces: forward canard, main wing, and traditional T-tail. The Avanti seats up to nine passengers and can be flown with a crew of either one or two pilots. (Photo by Tibboh via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 26, 1951 – The first flight of the de Havilland Sea Vixen. Following the success of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , all twin-boom, single engine jet fighters, the Sea Vixen was a carrier-based fleet defense fighter that featured two engines, a two-man crew, and was the first British two-seater capable of supersonic speed. 145 aircraft were produced, and they served the Royal Navy until 1972. (Photo by Lmgaylard via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 28, 2007 – The first flight of the Kawasaki P-1. A domestically produced maritime patrol aircraft designed to replace the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the P-1 entered service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in 2013. Outfitted with a magnetic anomaly detection boom, sonobuoys, bombs and missiles, thirty-three aircraft have been produced to date, and Kawasaki are in talks to sell the P-1 to the RAF to replace their aging fleet of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . (Photo by Toshiro Aoki via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 28, 1988 – The first flight of the Ilyushin Il-96 . A long-haul, widebody, four-engine airliner, the Il-96 entered service with Aeroflot in 1992. Twenty-nine aircraft have been produced, and the largest variant, the Il-96-400, can accommodate up to 436 passengers in a single-class configuration. (Photo by E233renmei via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 28, 1952 – The first flight of the Dassault Mystère IV. The first transonic fighter to enter service with the French Air Force, the Mystère IV was an evolutionary development of the earlier !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and served from 1953 until the mid-1980s. The Mystère IV saw action in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of 1956, and also served in the air forces of Israel and India. (Photo author unknown)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 29, 1988 – The launch of Space Shuttle Discovery , the first Shuttle mission following the the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger . After the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of the Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was declared the “Return to Flight” mission after an almost three-year hiatus of Shuttle missions. It was the first flight to have all crew members wear pressure suits and with a crew bailout contingency since !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , as well as the first mission since !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! where all crew members had been on at least one previous space mission. (NASA photo)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

September 29, 1948 – The first fight of the Vought XF7U-1 Cutlass. Allegedly based on design concepts captured from the German !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! during WWII, the Cutlass had a short, checkered career with the US Navy, with serious handling problems, underpowered engines and difficulty with carrier landings leading to numerous !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and pilot fatalities. Introduced in 1951, the Cutlass served for only eight years before being replaced by the extremely successful !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . (US Navy photo)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

If you enjoy these Aviation History posts, please let me know in the comments. And if you missed any of the past articles, you can find them all at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

RallyWrench > ttyymmnn 09/29/2015 at 12:41

3

Great stuff as always. I’ve always loved the A7, since I built a model of one as a kid. Just a neat, purposeful looking aircraft. Built a model of a Voodoo too, I liked that one because it was easy to hold by the tail and “fly” around the house, whereas jets with nacelles in the back were hard to hold with kid hands. The Sea Vixen sure is a cool looking machine, I hadn’t heard of it before. Thanks!

T5Killer > RallyWrench 09/29/2015 at 13:04

0

I love the A-7 too. My local ANG (NM ANG) flew them during the ‘70s and ‘80s so I used to see them when I was a kid until they got replaced with F-16s in ‘92.

T5Killer > ttyymmnn 09/29/2015 at 13:12

1

The Sea Vixen is such a cool aircraft. I love the offset cockpit for the radar operator so unique!

ttyymmnn > RallyWrench 09/29/2015 at 13:29

1

You’re welcome, and thanks for reading! Looking back, it’s interesting to remember the events that got me interested in airplanes. I have a very clear memory of seeing Pennsylvania ANG A-7s at the Pittsburgh airport many years ago as we were taxiing. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, as they were taxiing alongside, painted in Vietnam green camouflage, with the cockpits open so we could see the pilots. I think “purposeful” is an excellent description. As I was reading about the A-7, I was struck by how the USAF realized the need for subsonic attack aircraft in Vietnam, so they got the A-7, then subsonic attack aircraft in the ‘80s, so they got the A-10, but now, if they retire the A-10, they’ll be without such a platform. You would think that lessons hard-learned would be lessons remembered. I guess not.

As for the Sea Vixen, I hadn’t noticed until I posted the photo that the right seat pilot is practically inside the fuselage, his canopy pretty much flush. There’s only one remaining in flying condition, and after a stint on the air show circuit in sponsored Red Bull livery, it was returned to the RAF and restored to 899 Sqdn colors (colours?).

ttyymmnn > T5Killer 09/29/2015 at 13:31

1

Radar operators always tend to get buried inside the aircraft. I suppose having less sunlight helps them see their scopes. The first F-4 Phantom barely had any cockpit glass at all for the RIO. He got a proper canopy for the production airfraft.

RallyWrench > ttyymmnn 09/29/2015 at 13:41

0

Like this?

Man, that camo does make it look seriously tough.

That Vixen is stunning in RB livery, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing that doesn’t look good those colors.

ttyymmnn > RallyWrench 09/29/2015 at 13:43

0

Yup. No shark mouth, though. I almost used that photo for the article, but I wanted to use a USN livery since they got it first.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn 09/29/2015 at 14:38

1

The 50’s and 60’s were such an interesting time in aircraft development. It truly was an era of throw anything at the wall and see what sticks that led to some incredible (and incredibly strange) machines seeing the light of day. You can’t help but wonder what could have been with some and others you have to wonder how they actually made it into service.

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 09/29/2015 at 14:52

0

I agree. It’s my favorite era of aviation. In so many cases, the aerodynamics were ahead of the engines—I can’t remember how many times I’ve written “underpowered” or “later given a more powerful engine.” By comparison, modern aviation development is rather boring—though safer for the test pilots—since everything is so rigorously tested on computers and simulators before the aircraft ever takes to the sky. Back then, it was all about going faster and faster, and as you say, just seeing what will work. Coming so close on the heels of the heyday of the piston engine, everything they tried was new. It was a very exciting time, and I would wager, a great time to be an aero engineer. Thanks for reading.

user314 > ttyymmnn 09/29/2015 at 21:34

1

I got to see one of the PA ANG SLUFs at the Westmorland County Airshow in ‘91, or ‘92, even picked up the kit from Testors (which could be marked as a bird from the 146th) while we were there.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 14:21

1

How this thing made it to the service with so many flaws is a mystery to me.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > ttyymmnn 10/01/2015 at 14:30

1

Great post, as always. The A-7 is such an under appreciated aircraft. It’s slow and simple, but those attributes made it such a versatile aircraft, and one well suited to close air support. I don’t think such an aircraft could be produced these days, let alone ‘forced’ on the Air Force despite their (illogical) opposition. The fact that its a descendant of my favorite Navy fighter is a bonus.

I also love the look of the Sea Vixen. Post war British aircraft of all types were so distinctively designed. The split tail and staggered cockpit arrangement is so cool. It also seems massive, even next to something large like a F-4 Phantom. I have no idea how the British flew them off of their small carriers.

ttyymmnn > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 10/01/2015 at 14:48

1

Thanks. I think we do have the heir to the A-7 in the A-10, but the USAF has forgotten the reason why they found the need for the A-7 in the first place: supersonic air superiority fighters are great for commanding the air but lousy for commanding the ground. Some jobs are best done by a purpose-built aircraft, and even though we live in the jet age, sometimes even props still get the job done better. I’m thinking specifically of the P-3 Orion. Sure, it’s not as fast as the Poseidon, but it’s got a hell of a lot longer range, can loiter at slower speeds, etc. The answer isn’t always found in speed.

ttyymmnn > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 10/01/2015 at 14:48

1

Especially coming on the heels of the F6U.....