This Date in Planelopnik History: Speed Round

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 04/24/2015 at 10:05 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history

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This is today’s Planelopnik History Speed Round , getting you caught up on milestones and important historical events in aviation from April 22 to April 24.

April 22, 1958 – The prototype of the Boeing Vertol 107, the precursor to the CH-46 Sea Knight, makes its first flight. Frank Piasecki was a pioneer in the development of tandem helicopters, and after changing his company’s name to Vertol in 1955, they began work on a new design for another tandem helicopter. After being absorbed by Boeing in 1960, the company was awarded the contract to produce the CH-46 in 1961. The Sea Knight was the primary medium lift cargo and troop carrying helicopter for the Navy and Marine Corps, and also conducted SAR missions and combat support. The Navy retired the Sea Knight in 2004 in favor of the MH-60S, and the Marine Corps retired the Sea Knight in 2014 in favor of the MV-22 Osprey.

April 23, 1988 – The US government bans smoking on flights of two hours or less. Originally advocated by Ralph Nader, the smoking ban first went into effect voluntarily on United Airlines in 1971. But with airlines and the tobacco industry fighting any regulation limiting smoking, Congress stepped in. The original ban was extended to flights of six hours or less in 1990, then extended to all domestic and international flights in 2000. Violating the smoking ban can lead to a fine of as much as $5000. There is still no regulation governing electronic cigarettes. It is up to the individual airlines to make their own policy.

April 23, 1965 – The first production C-141A Starlifter is delivered to the US Air Force Military Airlift Command. The Starlifter was designed as a replacement to the older, piston-engined C-124 Globemaster II, and first flew in 1963. 285 examples were built, with 1 given to NASA to be used as an airborne observatory. To specifically answer the Air Force’s needs, Lockheed designed the Starlifter with a cabin floor only 50 inches above the ground, and with side doors and a rear cargo door that could be opened in flight. The Starlifter could carry 71,000 pounds on short hauls, and up to 92,000 pounds in its configuration to carry the Minuteman missile. It could also carry 154 troops, 123 paratroopers or 80 litter patients. The C-141 served for over 60 years, finally being retired in 2006 with the introduction of of the C-17 Globemaster II.

April 23, 1956 – The first flight of the Douglas C-133 Cargomaster. The Cargomaster was designed to replace the C-74 Globemaster and the C-124 Globemaster II, both traditional low-wing cargo planes. It was the Air Force’s only production turboprop-powered strategic airlifter, and went straight into production without the construction of any prototypes. Fifty were built, and provided critical airlift duties during the Vietnam War. The Cargomaster was replaced by the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy in the early 1970s.

April 24, 2001 – An RQ-4 Global Hawk flies from the United States to Australia non-stop without refueling. The flight marked the longest point-to-point flight ever completed by an unmanned aircraft. It is also the first autonomous aircraft to cross the Pacific Ocean, taking 23 hours and 23 minutes to complete the flight. The Global Hawk has proven to be a versatile and powerful surveillance platform, flying at an altitude of up to 65,000 feet for as long as 35 hours and capable of imaging an area the size of Illinois in a single mission.

April 24, 1990 – Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-31, a mission to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, the HST has a 7.9 ft mirror and instruments to observe near ultraviolet, visible and near infrared spectra. While the HST is not the first space telescope, it is the first designed to be serviced in space by astronauts. Four missions have performed repairs or upgrades since 1990. A fifth mission was canceled after the Columbia disaster, but one final servicing mission was undertaken in 2009. The HST is still operating and providing !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of deep space, and will continue to operate until at least 2015, and perhaps 2020. It is scheduled be replaced by the James Webb Space Telescope in 2018.

April 24, 1980 – The launch of Operation Eagle Claw, the unsuccessful attempt to free the American hostages held in Tehran. Operation Eagle Claw was an extremely complex, multi-stage mission that called for participation from all four combat branches of the Armed Forces. On the first night of the operation, sandstorms and malfunctioning equipment created insurmountable obstacles for the rescue teams, and the mission was aborted. However, during the movement of aircraft at the first staging area, a collision between an RH-53 helicopter and an EC-130 cargo plane resulted in an explosion and fire that killed eight servicemen and one Iranian civilian. The debacle, and the ensuing investigation, led to much introspection in the US military, and resulted in the creation of the United States Special Operations Command to facilitate interservice coordination. The disaster also made clear the need for a long-range, V/STOL aircraft, leading to the development of the Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey.

April 24, 1933 – The first flight of the Grumman JF Duck. The Duck was an amphibious biplane operated by the US Navy and was introduced in 1935. The JF was only manufactured for two years before it was replaced by the improved J2F Duck. While an early version of the aircraft had provisions for a rear-firing machine gun and a single bomb rack under each wing, the JF Duck was used primarily for photographic missions, target towing, scouting and rescue work. The upgraded J2F was flown by each major branch of the US armed forces throughout World War II, primarily for utility and search and rescue duties.

thebigbossyboss > ttyymmnn 04/24/2015 at 10:08

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Interesting. Thanks for doing this.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/24/2015 at 10:19

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a neat hump, top mount wing, and is that a prop on the tail? I dig everything about this plane

Jcarr > ttyymmnn 04/24/2015 at 10:19

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The C-133 and -141 are two the of the most beautiful cargo aircraft ever, in my opinion. I had the privilege of seeing and walking through the Hanoi Taxi at Oshkosh a number of years ago.

Also, in this video of the final landing of the last airworthy Cargomaster, you can hear how deafening those turboprops are.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/24/2015 at 10:20

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tehse are still as fascinating as always

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 04/24/2015 at 10:30

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Thank you! I enjoy putting them together.

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 04/24/2015 at 10:31

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I think the node on the tail is some sort of antenna.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/24/2015 at 10:32

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the duck cutaway you posted yesterday was interesting, i didn’t think they used the float’s space at all.

ttyymmnn > thebigbossyboss 04/24/2015 at 10:34

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I’m glad you enjoy them!

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 04/24/2015 at 10:36

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I didn’t either. I came across those photos researching this post, and thought it deserved its own article. I’m not sure I would have wanted to sit in the belly of that thing, though.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/24/2015 at 10:39

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I was originally thinking perhaps one of those air flow electrical generators. I think some planes have air flow generators as a backup for creating hydraulic power too.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/24/2015 at 10:40

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yeah, that’s some seriously coach class tickets. can you imagine sitting in the belly of the plane AND having now windows

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 04/24/2015 at 10:41

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Most planes do have some sort of wind-powered generator, but those are usually deployed only in an emergency.

Jayhawk Jake > ttyymmnn 04/24/2015 at 10:47

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I'm still pissed the shuttle got cancelled partly because one planned mission was to go and retrieve Hubble to put in the Smithsonian

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 04/24/2015 at 11:28

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I think there are some small windows, but judging from the mock up, you’re also sitting directly behind a big fuel tank. No thanks. However, if you have just been plucked out of the Pacific Ocean, I think you’d be happy to be riding just about anywhere.

ttyymmnn > Jayhawk Jake 04/24/2015 at 11:29

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:(

user314 > ttyymmnn 04/25/2015 at 17:28

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As with most things, the ‘80s version of the MAC paint scheme was better.