This Date in Aviation History: April 16 - April 19.

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 04/19/2016 at 12:35 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history

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Welcome to This Date in Aviation History , getting you caught up on milestones, important historical events and people in aviation from April 16 through April 19.

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April 18, 1942 – The Doolittle Raid carries out the first attack on the Japanese homeland of WWII. Nobody likes to take a sucker punch, and when it happens, one’s first instinct is usually to punch back. When the Japanese carried out their deadly sneak attack against American military stations in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, the US was desperate to hit back in any way it could. In a meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff just two weeks after the Japanese raid, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed a desire to attack Japan at the earliest possible time. He knew the attack would have little affect militarily, but the boost to American morale would be immeasurable. He also hoped that it would show the Japanese people that they were not invulnerable to attack on their island, and that their leaders, who had promised to win the war, were not infallible. The idea for the raid was formulated by Navy Captain Francis Low, who had seen bombers practicing takeoffs from simulated carrier decks painted on the tarmac at Naval Air Station Norfolk. But in order to reach Japan, the bombers would have to have extreme range, since the carriers couldn’t get too close to Japan for fear of discovery. A handful of aircraft were considered, including the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but none of those were as suited to the job as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , whose high power, carrying capacity for fuel and bombs, and relatively short wingspan proved perfect for the mission. However, the B-25 had not yet been tested in battle. In order to have the necessary range for the flight, the Mitchells were heavily modified. The lower turret gun was removed, some radios were taken out to reduce weight, and auxiliary fuel tanks were added in the bomb bay. The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was removed, likely to prevent it’s falling into enemy hands. It was replaced with a homemade sight that cost 20˘ to produce, and actually proved to be quite accurate. After three weeks of intensive training, sixteen of the specially modified bombers were flown by their crews to NAS Alameda and loaded on board !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (CV-8) for the journey west. Upon reaching Hawaii, Hornet was joined by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (CV-6) which would provide fighter cover for the mission since all of Hornet’s fighters were stowed belowdecks to accommodate the bombers. Each of the bombers carried four munitions: three 500-pound bombs and one 500-pound incendiary bomb. The crews affixed Japanese “friendship” medals to five of the bombs. The medals had been awarded to US servicemen before the war, and Doolittle’s men saw fit to return them, given the current state of hostilities. Early in the morning of April 18, the fleet was spotted by a Japanese picket boat roughly 433 miles from Japan. The cruiser !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (CL-43) quickly sank the boat, but fearing that it had radioed Japan, Doolittle decided to take off earlier than originally planned. Following guidelines painted on the flight deck to make sure the bombers’ wings cleared the carrier’s island, the bombers struggled into the air and turned towards Japan. Though it was the first time the pilots had actually taken off from a carrier, the takeoffs proceeded without incident. Arriving over Japan at low level at about noon, the bombers dropped their bombs and strafed ground targets. None of the bombers was seriously hit by antiaircraft fire, and defensive gunners managed to dispatch at least three Japanese fighters. After dropping their bombs, the crews continued into China. Without enough fuel to reach their intended landing points, the crews all bailed out or crash landed. One crew flew to Russia. Of the 80 airmen who flew the mission, three were killed in action and eight were captured by the Japanese. Of the POWs, three were executed, one died in captivity, and the others were eventually repatriated. The rest of the airmen were rescued by Chinese civilians and handed over to the Chinese government, though many of the civilians were executed by the Japanese for helping the Americans. Though the raid caused relatively insignificant damage, it gave the American public the first positive news of the war, and the fact that medium-range bombers had attacked Japan hastened Japanese plans to capture Midway Island, bringing about the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that ultimately shifted the balance of power in the Pacific over to the Americans. (US Navy photo)

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April 18, 1943 – The death of Japanese general Isoroku Yamamoto. In military terms, “decapitation” is the tactic of killing the commander of an army in hopes of rendering it ineffective, and it has been discussed my military theorists as far back as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . If you remove the commander of an army, you could speed the ultimate victory in the conflict, or at least sow confusion to gain a tactical edge. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was the commander-in-chief of the Japanese !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! during WWII and the mastermind behind the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. So when American code breakers learned that Yamamoto would be making an airborne tour of Japanese military bases, they jumped at the chance to eliminate Japan’s leading military strategist. There can be little doubt that this would be more than just a decapitation mission, but also retribution for Pearl Harbor, which likely explains why the mission was codenamed Operation Vengeance . On April 14, US Navy listening stations intercepted coded messages that were sent to Japanese bases in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea alerting the personnel to the planned arrival of Admiral Yamamoto as part of a morale-boosting inspection tour following the Japanese loss of Guadalcanal. The messages were decoded by Navy cryptographers (one of whom was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a future US Supreme Court Justice), who were able to determine the exact timetable and location for Yamamoto’s tour. The information was relayed to Washington, where President Roosevelt ordered the Secretary of the Navy to “Get Yamamoto,” and the mission was authorized on April 17. Now that the US knew where Yamamoto would be, they needed a way to get to him. Navy fighters, such as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! didn’t have the necessary range to reach the target from Guadalcanal. So the mission fell to the US Army Air Corp’s 339th Fighter Squadron and their !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . To complete the 1,000 mile flight, extra fuel tanks and drop tanks were fitted to the aircraft. And to make sure they didn’t miss their chance, the Americans sent eighteen Lightnings (two returned due to mechanical problems) to intercept the two !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! “Betty” bombers that carried Yamamoto and his staff. Four aircraft were designated as the “killers,” while the other P-38s would provide cover and fight off the six !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! fighters that were sent as escorts. When Yamamoto’s flight was intercepted, the Americans turned to the attack and quickly shot down the first bomber, which crashed in the jungle. The second Betty tried to flee out to see, but it too was shot down into the ocean. The Americans also claimed two Zero fighters shot down, but those were not confirmed. The next day, a Japanese search and rescue party found the wreckage of Yamamoto’s plane in the jungle. A post-mortem examination determined that Yamamoto had been struck by two bullets, one of which hit him in the head, killing him. To this day, though, there remains much debate—and acrimony—over who actually shot down Yamamoto’s plane. Initially, Capt. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was given credit. But differing accounts led to a counterclaim by Lt. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and to this day, the Navy officially gives them each half a credit for the shoot down. As a result of Yamamoto’s death, the Japanese had lost one of their most capable military leaders, and the Americans gained yet another major morale boost, incidentally coming exactly one year to the day after the audacious Doolittle Raid on Japan. (Illustration author unknown)

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April 19, 1960 – The First flight of the Grumman A-6 Intruder. During the Korean War, the US Navy found that the vast majority of sorties flown were ground attack missions, and they soon realized that they needed a dedicated ground attack jet that could carry heavier bomb loads than piston-powered aircraft such as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . In 1955, the Navy issued requirements for an all-weather, jet-powered tactical strike aircraft, and no less than eleven designs were submitted by Bell, Boeing, Douglas, Lockheed, Martin, North American, Vought and Grumman. Grumman already had a long history and solid reputation for building naval aircraft, and on January 2, 1958 the Navy awarded a contract for development of what Grumman had designated the G-128. Unlike most aircraft of its size, the Intruder accommodated its two-man crew in a side-by-side configuration, more like a traditional bomber, rather than in tandem like a fighter. This allowed for better communication between pilot and bombardier/navigator (B/N) and, in practice, the B/N often became as much copilot as weapons officer, helping the pilot monitor aircraft systems and radios, and providing an extra set of eyes in the cockpit. The canopy covering the wide cockpit provided excellent visibility, and the bulbous nose section originally housed the Digital Integrated Attack/Navigation Equipment (DIANE). This system provided the crew with a digital display of both targets and terrain features and allowed attack missions in day or night, all weather, or other low-visibility conditions. The A-6's large wing was designed for both low-speed maneuverability and large weapons load, and the Intruder was capable of carrying as much as 15,000 pounds of munitions, including a single nuclear weapon. Later variants were capable of carrying up to 18,000 pounds of stores. Power for the Intruder was provided by a pair of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! non-afterburning turbojets which propelled the Intruder to a top speed of 685 mph in a clean configuration, and a range of just under 2,000 miles fully loaded with weapons. On the original prototype of the Intruder, the jet nozzles could be swiveled downward to provide extra lift on takeoff from the carrier. This system was dropped in the production aircraft, but the engine nozzles were still given a permanent slight downwards deflection. The Intruder entered service with the US Navy and US Marine Corps in 1962, becoming the primary all-weather attack platform throughout that conflict and into the 1990s. Intruders operating from US Navy carriers off the cost of Vietnam flew 35,000 sorties during the Vietnam War with the loss of sixty-nine Intruders were to enemy fire. The A-6's excellent low-level maneuverability often allowed the pilot to out-turn incoming surface-to-air missiles, and the majority of Intruder losses were attributed to anti-aircraft fire. The Intruder also proved to be a very rugged aircraft that could absorb significant punishment and still return its crew to the carrier, showing yet again why Grumman had earned the nickname “Iron Works.” Following Vietnam, the Intruder saw action in support of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 1983 and over Libya in 1986. During the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of 1990-1991, the Intruder flew 4,700 sorties against enemy targets. In the mid-1980s, Grumman proposed a significantly upgraded Intruder, the A-6F Intruder II, which would replace the original turbojets with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! turbofans, the same engine flown in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The radar would also receive a significant upgrade, and weapons load was increased. However, the Navy passed on the Intruder II, focusing instead on the development of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which was slated as the A-6's replacement, though the A-12 was ultimately canceled. Following the Intruder’s retirement in 1997, its mission briefly passed to specially equipped !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and then to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The Navy retired the Intruder in 1997 following a production run of nearly 700 aircraft, though the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! electronics warfare derivative would serve until 2015. (US Navy photo)

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Short Take Off

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April 16, 1988 – The first flight of the McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk, a fully carrier-capable trainer developed from the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to replace the older !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for the US Navy and US Marine Corps. Used for intermediate and advanced pilot training in carrier operations, the Goshawk became operational in 1991 and, with upgrades, is expected to be in service until at least 2035. (US Navy photo)

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April 16, 1949 – The first flight of the Lockheed F-94 Starfire. Developed from the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the all-weather, day/night interceptor entered service in 1950 to replace the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The Starfire was the first operational US Air Force fighter to employ an afterburning engine and the first all-weather fighter to see service in the Korean War. Though produced in large numbers, the Starfire served for just 8 years in frontline service before being replaced in the interceptor role by the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . (US Air Force photo)

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April 16, 1912 – Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly across the English Channel. In 1911, Quimby was the first woman to earn a pilot’s license in the United States, and her exploits were an inspiration to many women of her day who railed against male-dominated society. Quimby’s cross-Channel flight was unfortunately overshadowed by news of the sinking of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! just one day after her historic flight. Quimby was killed on July 1, 1912 when, for unknown reasons, her !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! monoplane suddenly pitched forward, ejecting both her and her passenger at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Ironically, the plane came to earth relatively undamaged. (Library of Congress photo)

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April 17, 1973 – Federal Express delivers its first package. Starting with 14 aircraft and 389 employees, Federal Express began operations from Memphis, TN, delivering packages to cities on the East Coast of the United States. Adopting the name FedEx in 2000, the company now employs 300,000 employees and operates a fleet of 669 aircraft. FedEx’s first airplane, a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! nicknamed Wendy , is on display at the Smithsonian’s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! near Washington, DC. (Photo by the author)

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April 17, 1969 – The first powered flight of the Martin Marietta X-24A, the fourth in a series of experimental aircraft developed to explore the concept of lifting body design following the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Built without traditional wings, lifting bodies rely on the aerodynamic shape of the fuselage to generate lift and allow for controlled flight. The X-24A was carried aloft by a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! mothership, then released to fly under rocket power before gliding back to Earth. Data gleaned over the course of twenty-eight X-24A flights, along with the other lifting body aircraft, would be used in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to develop landing characteristics for the unpowered Shuttle landings. (US Air Force photo)

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April 17, 1934 – The first flight of the de Havilland Dragon Rapide, a short-range biplane airliner built primarily of plywood that had accommodations for six to eight passengers. Designed as a successor to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the Dragon Rapide was a scaled down derivative of the larger four-engine !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and entered service in 1934, providing flights around England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. During WWII, the Rapide was pressed into service with the RAF and Royal Navy for passenger and communications duties, where it was known as the Dominie. A total of 731 Rapides were produced, and it became one of the most successful small airliners of the 1930s. (Photo by Trevor Marron via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

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April 17, 1934 – The first flight of the Fairey Swordfish. Designed in the 1930s, the Swordfish torpedo bomber was clearly obsolete by the start of WWII. However, the “Stringbag” continued in front line service throughout the war. It’s most significant victory came in the hunt for the German battleship !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , when Swordfish pilots crippled the ship by disabling her rudder with a torpedo strike, rendering the ship unmaneuverable. Bismarck was then sunk by ships of the Royal Navy. Nearly 2,400 Swordfish were produced, and it was retired at the end of the war. (Photo by Tony Hisgett via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

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April 17, 1886 – The birth of Glenn L. Martin. Born in Macksburg, Iowa, Martin was an early American aviation pioneer who founded his own aircraft company in 1912. His first successful aircraft was the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a large biplane bomber that served in WWI. Martin went on to create many successful aircraft during WWII, notably the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! bombers, as well as large flying boats such as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Following the war, Martin found success in the aerospace industry, building the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! rocket, the first American rocket built specifically for orbital launch. Martin followed the Vanguard with the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! series of larger rockets. Following Martin’s death in 1955, his company merged to form !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and that company eventually merged with Lockheed to form !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 1995. . (Photo via San Deigo Air and Space Musem)

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April 17, 1847 – The birth of Nikolay Yegorovich Zhukovsky, a Russian scientist who is considered the founding father of modern aero- and hydrodynamics. Zhukovsky was the first to undertake the study of airflow in the hopes of one day creating a flying machine, and he created the world’s first Aerodynamic Institute near Moscow in 1904. He was the first to explain mathematically the origin of lift, and the first to determine that the amount of lift of a body is proportional to its velocity and the circulation around it. Zhukovsky also built Russia’s first wind tunnel.

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April 18, 1973 – The Fairchild YA-10 is chosen over the Northrop YA-9. In 1966, the US Air Force issued a request for a low-cost attack aircraft, one that would have long loiter time, good low-speed maneuverability, tremendous firepower and excellent survivability. Both planes would be built around the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! 30mm rotary cannon. Northrop offered the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , while Fairchild Republic offered the YA-10. After a fly off between the two prototypes, the Air Force selected the YA-10, which would become known as the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The YA-9 prototypes were given to NASA for testing, but were quickly retired. (US Air Force photos)

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April 18, 1952 – The first flight of the Convair YB-60, a jet powered, swept-wing version of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . With a 72% parts commonality with the B-36, it was considerably cheaper to produce than the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , its unofficial competitor. However, the YB-60 was 100 mph slower than the YB-52, and had severe handling problems. While it could carry a heavier bomb load, the Air Force didn’t see that as a major factor to favor it over the YB-52. The YB-60 test program was canceled in January 1953 after just 66 hours of flight testing, and both prototypes, one unfinished, were scrapped. (US Air Force photo)

April 19, 1922 – The birth of Erich Hartmann, the most successful fighter pilot in history with 352 victories to his credit. All but seven of his victories came against Russian aircraft. Over the course of 1,404 sorties, Hartmann crash landed 14 times. However, these were all due to mechanical problems or damage to his fighter caused by debris from the aircraft he shot own. Hartmann was never shot down or forced down by enemy fire. Following the war, Hartmann spent 10 years in Soviet prison camps before his release in 1955, and the following year he joined the newly-formed West German Luftwaffe as the first commander of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , appropriately named after !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , better known as the Red Baron. Hartmann resigned from the Luftwaffe in 1970 over his opposition to the Luftwaffe’s adoption of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and died of natural causes in 1993. (Hartmann photo author unknown; Bf 109 illustration by Jerry Crandall)

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Recent Aviation History Posts

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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!!! .

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MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 12:43

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looks like:

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 12:44

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The Doolittle Raid makes me America so fucking hard.

The assassination of Yamamoto was troubling as far as how it set a precident of military and political assassinations that marred our reputation during the cold war and continues today with drones, but taken in isolation? With the obvious exception of internment (which was done to Americans who were ethnically Japanese, not done to the Japanese), I don’t really have any moral hangups regarding the acts the US performed in the Pacific Theater. Sucker-punching punk deserved to be shot in the back.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 12:47

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I cannot imagine how terrifying it would be to suit up and take off in an exposed biplane with a torpedo on the bottom during the war when everyone else on the airfield were getting into so much more modern planes

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 12:49

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interesting how similar the solutions from the two companies were to the same request.

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 04/19/2016 at 13:01

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Similar cockpits, but I think that’s where the similarities end. The Northrop design is almost a total knockoff of the Su-25 Frogfoot. The A-10 seems to be a completely “outside of the box” solution. Both planes would likely have done the job well, but the A-10 was so batshit insane a design that it worked brilliantly. It’s almost like Northrop said, “We’ll take a pretty normal aircraft, add some armor and the big gun, and that’ll do.” But Republic, with the history of the P-47 behind them, said, “Let’s take the gun and build around it, but let’s do every possible thing we can to make it successful in its mission.” And what came out of that was a very odd design as far as aircraft go, but one that has been unmatched on the battlefield ever since it was put into service.

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 04/19/2016 at 13:04

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I’d rather not think about it either. Bravery is not the lack of fear. It is being afraid but going anyway.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 13:11

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I assume the similar cockpits are likely a result of both sitting above the gun.

but I dunno, two underslung engines, very boxy wing designs (wonder if that is part of durability), similar sizes overall.

but certainly yes, the A-10 in the end was completely out of the box. And the result is a truly unique aircraft.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 13:35

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Hartmann? Pffft, Marseille is where it’s at. Hartmann made his 352 kills on the Eastern Front, where the strategy was “throw stuff at the Germans, eventually we’ll overwhelm them” (not saying the Russians didn’t have skilled pilots, but for the most part they were far inferior to the Germans both in equipment and skill). Marseille made his 158 in North Africa, where both men and machines were far more closely matched. Hartmann’s main strategy was “get in close enough to touch the enemy”. Marseille was a deflection shooter. Hartmann frequently sustained major damage, mainly from flying through the debris of his victims because he came so close, and had 18 crashes due to that cause. Marseille (is claimed) to have never been hit. By anything. His death was the result of having an engine fire, bailing out and getting blown into the tail. That said, I’m not saying Hartmann wasn’t good—he took the standard fighter pilot tactics and honed them into an incredibly effective weapon—but Marseille was just better. I mean, we’re talking about the pilot who had a natural talent for what is basically science fiction to fighter pilots—deflection shooting. We’re talking about the pilot who was known to drop 18 enemy aircraft in a day, and who’s victory count contained only 4 of those relatively easy targets otherwise known as “bombers”. Put the 2 of them side by side on the Eastern front, and barring engine or mechanical failure, you’d have Hartmann’s record blown out of the water.

...And breath. Sorry, but anytime I get the chance to express my amazement with the skill of Hans-Joachim Marseille I have to take it :)

ttyymmnn > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 04/19/2016 at 13:40

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Well said. You may have just written the first guest article for Aviation History.

-this space for rent- > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 13:56

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From the Doolittle reunion 2012

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 13:59

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*blush*

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/19/2016 at 14:03

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There’s a difference, I think, between bumping off someone who you don’t like and eliminating a great strategic asset of your enemy. Such as Yamamoto.

JustAnotherG6 > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 14:03

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I hear there is an opening on FA...

ttyymmnn > -this space for rent- 04/19/2016 at 14:05

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ttyymmnn > JustAnotherG6 04/19/2016 at 14:06

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There is, but I’m definitely not the man for the job. I’m a historian with zero connections in the defense industry.

JustAnotherG6 > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 14:09

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I’d think from a pure content point of view, articles like these would be welcome there.... but that’s me. My opinion + $2.50 will get you a small coffee these days.

-this space for rent- > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 14:14

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2010

ttyymmnn > JustAnotherG6 04/19/2016 at 14:17

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I was hoping it might be picked up as a recurring feature, and it has been shared once (maybe twice) to the FP, probably just to see how many hits it got. I’ve had more luck with a couple of one-off posts, ones that I never thought would get shared up and that I hadn’t spent as much time on. So it goes.

ttyymmnn > -this space for rent- 04/19/2016 at 14:20

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I’ve only ever seen ‘em one at a time. I took this shot at the Central Texas Air Show in Temple a couple of years ago. Sadly, I will be unable to attend this year.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/19/2016 at 14:26

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Killing an enemy general is not an assassination when it occurs during a declared war. That is just sound strategy. Destroy your enemies leadership and it will become much more difficult for them to wage war.

facw > MonkeePuzzle 04/19/2016 at 14:45

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The only good news is that Germany didn’t have any operational carriers, so in the Atlantic they only had to worry about AAA, but not superior German fighters.

facw > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 14:48

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The F-35 is supposed to be able to carry 18,000 lbs in a “dirty” configuration, same as the A-6, which is probably not a coincidence. A lot of people forget that when the F-35 was being designed, we still had the A-6, A-7, F-4, etc. still in service, and the F-35 was being designed with replacing those in mind just as much as replacing the F-16 and F/A-18.

ttyymmnn > facw 04/19/2016 at 14:59

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Replacing all those aircraft with one is quite a tall order. I fear we will either end up with the most capable fighter in history, or a jack of all trades yet master of none. Like the A-10, I figure the A-6 would still be effective today, at least in the lower intensity conflicts in which we currently find ourselves. That Intruder II might have been a bad-ass bird if it had been built. No need to keep reinventing the wheel.

Aero > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 16:08

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I love the WWII history. Growing up we had hundreds of books related to aviation, mostly pre-war to early jet age stuff, so it’s my favorite era.

ttyymmnn > Aero 04/19/2016 at 16:27

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Mine, too. I’m not sure how I latched on to it. I think it started with a love of airplanes, then my dad gave me a huge book that had belonged to my grandparents, Life’s Picture History of World War II . You can still find copies of it pretty cheap. It’s a coffee table book of the highest order, with some of Time Life’s best photographs of the war, and I still own it. In fact, when wildfires were threatening Austin a few years ago, that book was in my “go box.” There is also an excellent two-volume history of WWII aviation titled Airwar by Edward Jablonski. You can find it for peanuts on Amazon or other used book sites. I’ve read the whole thing two or three times. The straight up history posts, like Doolittle or Yamamoto, are my favorite to write mostly because I already know a lot about the events. Writing about the backstory of an airplane can be tedious at times. But writing about history always gets me excited.

Thanks for reading.

-this space for rent- > ttyymmnn 04/19/2016 at 17:50

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http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video…

ttyymmnn > -this space for rent- 04/19/2016 at 18:21

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Awesome. Only word for it.

64Mali > ttyymmnn 04/22/2016 at 12:56

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Totally forgot to reply to this last week. I had been waiting for you to write about Harriet Quimby. As a relative in my family I grew up learning about her and lamenting how she got shafted due to the sinking of the Titanic. Glad to see she got recognized.

ttyymmnn > 64Mali 04/22/2016 at 14:17

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I always try to highlight achievements by women pilots since they are so underrepresented in history and in this field. That’s neat that you are related!