This Date in Aviation History: Speed Round

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
06/12/2015 at 11:05 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history

This is today’s Aviation History Speed Round , getting you caught up on milestones and important historical events in aviation from June 10 through June 12.

June 10, 1967 – The first flight of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23. The MiG-23 (NATO reporting name Flogger) is a third-generation fighter which, in spite of its variable-sweep wing, can be considered roughly analogous in mission to the earlier US McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Unlike earlier generations of Russian fighters, the Flogger was the first fighter designed with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! radar, meaning that the radar was capable of picking out a target below the radar’s horizon and against the clutter of the ground beneath. It was also the first Soviet fighter to be armed with beyond visual range missiles. The developers of the MiG-23 hoped to improve on the shortcomings of earlier generation fighters, particularly in the areas of range and weapons load. Shorter take offs were also a requirement, and the MiG-23 was fitted with variable geometry wings to increase lift at slower speeds. While a definite improvement over earlier Soviet designs, the Flogger still suffered from poor radar performance, and the fighter proved difficult to fly and expensive to maintain, suffering particularly from a short service life from its engines. Over 5000 were produced, and it was phased out of Russian service by 1999, though many still serve export countries.

June 11, 1926 – The first flight of the Ford Trimotor. While Henry Ford’s name is synonomous with automobiles, Ford also had a foray into aircraft manufacturing when he, along with others, invested in the Stout Metal Airplane Company. In 1925, Ford bought the company, along with its designs. The Trimotor was based on an earlier, unsuccessful Stout design, and was also heavily influenced by designs of German Junkers aircraft, so heavily influenced that Junkers successfully sued to block sales of the Trimotor in Europe. Like the Junkers aircraft, the Trimotor was constructed of corrugated metal for strength, and Ford marketed the Trimotor as “the safest airliner around.” While the corrugated metal skin did make the plane stronger, it also made it slower. The arrival of the Trimotor had an immediate impact on civilian air transport in the US. Passengers could now fly in relative comfort and (for the day) safety, and transcontinental air travel was now possible, albeit supplemented by railroads at certain points. Trimotors were also flown by Pan Am to Cuba and other destinations in Central and South America. The rapid advance of aircraft technology quickly surpassed the Trimotor, and Ford left the airplane business, though his company did produce aircraft under license during WWII. The Trimotor would fly into the 1960s, primarily as a rugged, dependable cargo aircraft.

June 12, 1994 – The first flight of the Boeing 777. In the 1980s, Boeing had a problem. Their 747 and 767 were both proven successes, but they had a gap in their fleet between the two larger airliners in range and capacity. To close the gap, Boeing first proposed a modified 767 with a stretched fuselage and longer wings, but the airlines weren’t interested, saying that they wanted an even wider fuselage with more interior options, intercontinental range and lower operating costs. So Boeing went back to the drawing board and used computer-aided design for the first time to develop their first fly-by-wire airliner. United Airlines became the 777’s launch customer in 1990 and made very specific route requirements for the new airliner, saying that it must be able to reach Europe and Hawaii from United’s hubs in Denver and Chicago. Entering service with United in 1995, the 777 is the world’s largest twin-jet, able to seat up to 451 passengers depending on configuration, and has a range of up 9,695 miles. It also sports the largest-diameter turbofan of any aircraft in service today. Boeing has received more 777 orders than any other wide-body airliner with almost 1300 aircraft currently in service. Boeing also has plans for further development of the 777 with its 777x program, which will see new carbon-fiber-reinforced wings for greater efficiency, and folding wingtips for complete airport gate compatibility. The cabin will also be widened and enhanced based on experience learned from development of the 787. The 777-8X and 777-9X are expected to enter service in 2020.

June 12, 1944 – The first V1 flying bomb falls on England. The Germans began work on an unmanned flying bomb in late 1936, and despite development problems and cancelations, the V1 was ready for operation by 1941, finally gaining Hitler’s approval in 1944 . The V1, known as the buzz bomb or doodlebug by the Allies, was developed at the Peenemünde Army Research Center in Northern German near the Polish border, and the first combat launch was carried out one week after the Allied invasion of France on D-Day. At the peak of operation, more than 100 V1s a day were fired at southeast England, but due to problems with guidance systems and engine reliability, only about 25 percent of the buzz bombs actually hit their intended targets. In addition to the ground-launched bombs, about 1,176 V1s were air-launched from modified Heinkel He 111s. The Allies employed anti-aircraft guns, fighters and barrage balloons in an effort to stop the flying bombs, often using fighters to tip the wing of the flying bombs and send them off course. As the Allies began taking more ground in Germany and overrunning the launch sites, the number of attacks dwindled. Towards the end of the war, V1s were launched against Antwerp and other sites in Belgium before the final launch site was captured in October 1944. While the bombs themselves weren’t terribly effective, the attacks did cause the Allies to divert about a quarter of their bomber force to attack the V1 launch sites, often without effect. By the end of V1 operations, 9,521 had been launched against England and Belgium.

Short Take Off

June 10, 1989 – Capt. Jacquelyn Parker graduates from the US Air Force Test Pilot School, becoming the first female USAF test pilot . Parker was also the first American woman to be combat qualified in the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

June 12, 1979 – The first flight of the Rutan Long-EZ, a clean sheet, scaled up derivation of Burt Rutan’s groundbreaking homebuilt VariEze aircraft.

June 12, 1972 – The Gossamer Albatross becomes the first human-powered aircraft to cross the English Channel to claim the £100,000 Kremer Prize.

June 12, 1934 – The Air Mail Act of 1934 is enacted , reintroducing competitive bidding for lucrative air mail routes and preventing aircraft manufacturers from operating passenger airlines. To circumvent the new restrictions, manufacturers simply changed their names, resulting in the creation of American Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, Eastern Airlines and United Air Lines.

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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!!! .

All photos are Public Domain or taken by the author unless otherwise credited.

DISCUSSION (11)

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn
06/12/2015 at 11:57

Man the Mig 23 is an unfortunate looking fighter.

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch
06/12/2015 at 12:08

So many Russian warplanes can be classified as “brutally utilitarian.” Aircraft don't have to look good to work, but seems that Western designs usually took aesthetics into consideration. That's why I think we have the F-22 instead of the F-23.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn
06/12/2015 at 12:13

I don’t mind butt ugly planes...but it doesn’t make them not ugly.

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch
06/12/2015 at 12:16

An upcoming post has a paragraph about the Tu-104. Now THAT was a pretty airplane.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn
06/12/2015 at 12:18

yeah, she’s got lines.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > ttyymmnn
06/12/2015 at 12:35

Maybe I’m in the minority, but I found the YF-23 to be the prettier.

ttyymmnn > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready
06/12/2015 at 12:37

Then I’m in the minority with you. I think the F-23 may have been stealthier. But the USAF doesn’t fly “ugly” jets.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > ttyymmnn
06/12/2015 at 12:49

Agility and looks outweighs stealth and speed, I guess.

ttyymmnn > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready
06/12/2015 at 13:05

I have to wonder if we are rapidly approaching an era where stealth will be obsolete. Detection technology will inevitably catch up with it, if it hasn’t already.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > ttyymmnn
06/12/2015 at 13:14

Good point, I wonder if they were anticipating that when they chose YF-22.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > HammerheadFistpunch
06/12/2015 at 16:25

It’s classic Soviet crudeness, but I’ve always thought they looked pretty good.