This Date in Aviation History: November 5 - November 8

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 11/08/2016 at 12:35 • Filed to: Planelopnik, planelopnik history

6

6

Welcome to This Date in Aviation History , getting of you caught up on milestones, important historical events and people in aviation from November 5 through November 8.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 5, 1981 – The first flight of the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II. The aviators of the United States Marine Corps have a storied history of providing close air support, an affinity with the Marines on the ground that they symbolize through their camouflage flight helmet covers. So it’s not surprising that they showed an interest in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , an aircraft that could take off vertically and operate from bases close to the ground troops, or from amphibious assault ships of the US Navy. The AV-8B Harrier II is, as its name suggests, the second generation of the AV-8A Harrier, a plane that traces its development back to the British-built !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . While the original Harrier was a groundbreaking design, it suffered from a relatively short range and small payload (the AV-8A could carry only half the load of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ), and the designers of the Harrier II sought to address these shortcomings. Beginning in 1973, McDonnell Douglas and Hawker Siddeley began a joint program to develop a more robust version of the jump jet; however, that initial project was terminated due to costs and engineering difficulties with the new larger !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! engine. Both companies forged ahead independently, with Hawker Siddeley working on improvements such as a larger wing that could be retrofitted to existing first generation Harriers. The USMC, facing the daunting task of developing an aircraft that the Navy didn’t didn’t want to pay for, hoped that the original Harrier could be upgraded without a new engine. McDonnell Douglas focused on improving the wings, air intakes, and other aerodynamic structures, but those changes did not provide the desired increase in speed, though payload and range were increased to acceptable levels.

Then, in 1981, the British, in the form of the newly formed !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (BAe), rejoined the project in a work-sharing role, giving it a much needed boost. Refinements to the aircraft continued, and the Harrier II eventually received larger air intakes with a redesigned inlet, and a redesign of the underside of the fuselage allowed the Harrier II to use reflected engine exhaust to augment the lifting power of the engine. A redesigned !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! reduced drag in transonic flight, and a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (HOTAS) helped reduce pilot workload. The latest and most powerful !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! engine provides 23,800 lbf of thrust, and a greater fuel capacity increases the range to 1,400 miles, while the payload was increased to 9,200 lbs carried on six underwing pylons. The first production AV-8Bs entered service with Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 in 1983 and, after extensive testing, it joined the rest of the Marine Corps in 1985. The Harrier II has since become a workhorse of Marine aviation, serving extensively in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of 1990-1991, the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia during !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and throughout the conflict in Afghanistan and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . In addition to service with the USMC, the Harrier II also serves the navies of Spain (EAV-8B) and Italy, while the British retired the BAe Harrier II in 2011 ahead of its pending replacement by the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 2019. Further upgrades produced the AV-8B Plus, which includes additional armaments and night fighting capability. (US Navy photos)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 6, 1935 – The first flight of the Hawker Hurricane. There is an undeniable glamour in being a fighter pilot, whizzing above the clouds, in one-to-one combat with your enemy. For that reason, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! got all the glory for the high-flying exploits of its dashing pilots, but much of the yeoman’s work was done at lower altitudes, down on the deck, or slugging it out with waves of incoming bombers, and that work was done by the Hawker Hurricane. It wasn’t the most glamorous fighter in the RAF, and its design hearkened back to an earlier era of aviation, but it was a hard hitting workman of an airplane that ultimately downed more enemy aircraft than all other British aircraft types combined. Development of the Hurricane traces its roots back to the earlier !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , both biplanes with fixed-pitch wooden propellers. Famed Hawker designer !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! began an in-house project to develop a new fighter by creating a cantilever monoplane with fixed landing gear, before further refining the design to include retractable gear. He also replaced the underpowered !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! engine with the more powerful PV-12, which would later become the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , one of the greatest aircraft engines to come out of the war. With work having progressed so far on the fighter, the Air Ministry simply wrote Specification F.36/34 to match the new airplane and the Hurricane was born.

Hawker Hurricane prototype. Note the fixed-pitch propeller

When it entered service in 1937, the “Hurry” was the first monoplane fighter to serve the RAF. During the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the Spitfire got much of the press for its high speed and high altitude performance against German fighters, while the Hurricane, which was 30-40 mph slower, took care of the German bombers. In the Mediterranean, the Hurricane became outclassed with the arrival of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but still remained a potent ground attack aircraft, and were instrumental in the pivotal British victory at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Hurricanes also played a vital role in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and nearly 3,000 were delivered to the Soviet Union, but its use solely as a day fighter were over by 1943. Interestingly, the Hurricane was more agile than the Spitfire at altitudes below 20,000 feet, having a tighter turning radius and a superior roll rate. The prototype came with a stressed fabric skin and a two-bladed wooden propeller, but with the addition of a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , metal wings and armor plating, the aircraft that was known as the “Mk 1 (revised)” became the primary production model of the Hurricane, forming the backbone of the RAF throughout the war and serving in every theater of the conflict. To address the high altitude performance issues in the original Hurricane, Hawker developed the Hurricane II which had a two-stage supercharger, a strengthened wing and the addition of more attachment points for external stores. Other variants would follow, including the Sea Hurricane which was modified for carrier operations. Over 14,000 Hurricanes were produced and served with 25 different nations. (UK government photos)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Short Takeoff

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 5, 1917 – The birth of Jacqueline Auriol, a pioneering French aviatrix. Auriol aided the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! during WWII, earned her pilot license in 1948, and performed as a stunt flier and test pilot. After earning her military pilot license in 1950, Auriol qualified as one the first female test pilots, and became one of the first women to break the sound barrier. She went on to set five world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s. Auriol is a four-time winner of the prestigious !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for outstanding achievements in aviation, and a founding member of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Auriol died on February 11, 2000 at the age of 82. (Photo by Sieg94 via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 5, 1911 – Calbraith Rodgers completes the first coast-to-coast flight across the United States. Hoping to claim a $50,000 prize purse offered by publishing magnate !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , Rodgers set out from Sheepshead Bay, New York on September 7 flying a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! named the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! after its soft drink company sponsor. Rodgers headed for Texas to skirt the Rocky Mountains, and eventually landed in Pasadena, California having missed the deadline, and the prize money, by 19 days owing to 70 stops due to mechanical troubles and crashes along the way. Rodgers died just 5 months later when he flew into a flock of birds and crashed while making an exhibition flight. (Photo authors unknown)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 6, 1957 – The first flight of the Fairey Rotodyne. Though resembling a helicopter, the Rotodyne was actually a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a class of aircraft where forward propulsion is provided through conventional engines while lift is provided by short wings and a large powered rotor. The Rotodyne’s rotor was powered by jets on the rotor tips which were powered for takeoff, landing and hovering, but were unpowered during flight. In this way, the Rotodyne acted as an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Intended for civilian or military transport, the Rotodyne was canceled after the construction of one prototype as no customers were found, and also amid concerns over the noise produced by the rotor’s tip-jets. (Photo author unknown)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 6, 1945 – The first landing of a jet airplane on a US Navy aircraft carrier. The rather unfortunately named !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was a mixed-power aircraft, having both a radial engine and an early turbojet engine, as jet engines were still untrusted. The first aircraft to enter US Navy service to include a jet engine, the Fireball made the first jet landing unintentionally, when US Marine Corps pilot J.C. West landed aboard the escort carrier !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (CVE-65) under jet power alone after his radial engine failed. The Fireball proved fragile and unsuited to carrier operations, often breaking apart on landing. Only 71 were built. (US Navy photo)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 6, 1942 – The first flight of the Heinkel He 219. A very advanced aircraft for its day, the He 219 Uhu (Eagle Owl) was used by the Luftwaffe primarily as a night fighter in the closing stages of WWII. The 219 was fitted with a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! VHF radar, and was the first operational Luftwaffe warplane to use a tricycle landing gear and the first operational aircraft to have an ejection seat. Coming late in the war, the He 219 fought well, claiming five RAF bombers shot down on its first night of operation. However, with less than 300 produced, there were not enough of them to make a significant impact on the outcome of the war. (Photo via San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 7, 2001 – The Concorde resumes passenger flights. On July 25, 2000, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (F-BTSC) crashed shortly after takeoff from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The official cause of the crash was cited as debris on the runway that damaged a tire and lead to a fuel leak and catastrophic fire. Though it was the only crash in the history of Concorde operations, all Concordes were grounded during the investigation, and remaining aircraft were updated with Kevlar-lined fuel tanks and burst-resistant tires before retuning to service. Ultimately, the Concorde could not overcome a downturn in air travel following the the Flight 4590 crash and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , as well as high maintenance and fuel costs, and all Concordes were retired in 2003. (Photo by Alexander Jonsson via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

November 8, 1935 – The death of Charles Kingsford Smith. Kingsford Smith, known by his nickname “Smithy,” began as a motorcycle dispatch rider during the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! before joining the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 1917. Following the war, he worked as a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in the US and flew airmail in Australia, but found fame for completing the first crossing of the Pacific Ocean in 1928, flying from California to Australia with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! named !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . He followed that with the first flight across Australia and the first flight across the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! from Australia to New Zealand in 1928, and a westward crossing of the Atlantic Ocean from Ireland to Newfoundland in 1930. He made the first eastward crossing of the Pacific in 1934 in a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! named !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . During an attempt to break the record for flying from England to Australia, Kingsford Smith and co-pilot John Pethybridge, flying the Lady Southern Cross , disappeared over the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and their bodies were never found. (Photos via Australian Government)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Recent Aviation History Posts

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!! 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!!! .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

user314 > ttyymmnn 11/08/2016 at 13:54

0

Wasn’t the AV-8B the first plane with an all-composite wing? I seem to remember hearing that in the Discovery Wings episode, lo these many years ago.

ttyymmnn > user314 11/08/2016 at 14:11

0

The wing is almost exclusively composite, yes, but I don’t know if it was the first.

user314 > ttyymmnn 11/08/2016 at 14:23

1

I’ll have to rewatch it when I get home (beats watching election returns...).

ttyymmnn > user314 11/08/2016 at 14:27

0

I’ve got a whole bunch of episodes of Wings—on VHS. I can’t bring myself to throw them away. I would imagine that many of them are on YouTube now.

user314 > ttyymmnn 11/08/2016 at 16:16

1

So did I, until I finally got around to ripping them anyway. Like you said, most of them are on the ‘Tube, but seeing (and grabbing for posterity) the period commercials was a nice bonus.

ttyymmnn > user314 11/08/2016 at 16:27

1

They used to run a Wings marathon overnight on New Years, IIRC. I set my alarm to get up and change the tapes in the VCR. That was such a great show: informative, interesting, great video, not glitzy or exciting, just good, solid history. I also enjoyed Wings of the Luftwaffe and Wings of the Red Star. Peter Ustinov was fantastic as the narrator.