This Date in Aviation History: June 27 - June 30

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 06/30/2020 at 12:35 • Filed to: wingspan, Planelopnik, TDIAH

3

17

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Welcome to This Date in Aviation History , getting of you caught up on milestones, important historical events and people in aviation from June 27 through June 30.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

A Lockheed C-5B Galaxy lands at Fairford, England in 2012

June 30, 1968 – The first flight of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. It’s unclear as to whether it was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! who made the famous observation on military logistics that “An army travels on its stomach,” though it is a truism that continues from the earliest days of war into our modern jet age. However, an army doesn’t only need beans; it needs bullets, all manner of materiel, and it also needs to get soldiers to the battle. WWII, fought in two theaters on opposite sides of the planet, demonstrated the need for truly global logistics, and the US Air Force joined the age of strategic jet transport following the war when the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! entered service in 1965. But even before the Starlifter took flight, Lockheed was working on a larger hauler, and what they ended up with was one of the largest aircraft in the world at the time.

The second C-5 to be built undergoing a test flight in California in 1969

Work on a bigger hauler began in 1961 when manufacturers took part in a program to develop an aircraft that would serve as both a replacement for the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! turboprop cargo aircraft and as a complement to the C-141. The Air Force needed something that could carry larger vehicles and equipment and have a maximum takeoff weight (MOT) of 600,000 pounds, but could still operate from the same runways used by the Starlifter. That requirement was then amended to an aircraft that could deliver a payload of 125,000 pounds at a distance of 8,000 miles, essentially doubling the payload for half the distance of the original requirement. Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed all submitted proposals in 1964, and General Electric began work to develop an engine that was capable of moving a plane with a 700,000 pound MOT. Though Boeing’s design was deemed better than Lockheed’s, Lockheed won the contract, in large part because they were the lower bidder. The Air Force awarded a production contract to Lockheed in 1965, and the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! high-bypass turbofan was chosen at the same time.

A Lockheed C-5A Galaxy in “Europe 1" camouflage circa 1980. Originally, all C-5s were painted white over grey. (US Air Force)

Following the Galaxy’s maiden flight, the first production aircraft were delivered in December 1969, and 81 C-5As were delivered by the end of 1973. The new heavy lifter immediately showed its mettle by carrying personnel and materiel to Europe and Southeast Asia, and provided logistical support in the waning years of the Vietnam War. The Galaxy played a major role in transporting soldiers and materiel during the Gulf War, and it continues to support operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The C-5 is also the largest aircraft to fly to the Antarctic. It’s low cargo deck, with doors in both front and back, allows drive-through loading, and its wide girth meant that the Military Airlift Command could now transport any vehicle in the US inventory and twice as much payload as the C-141. The Galaxy can accommodate two !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! main battle tanks plus two !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , or up to six !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! attack helicopters. The main deck can transport up to 270 troops.

With the nose of the aircraft raised above the flight deck and rear clamshell doors open, airmen of the US Air Force unload a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy at the Balad Air Base in Iraq in 2008 (US Air Force)

The Galaxy has proven to be a cargo workhorse, but all that heavy lifting meant that the wings needed replacing by the 1980s to extend their service life, and the C-5 AMP program will refit existing aircraft with modern avionics, and Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP) will fit new !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! turbofans and make other upgrades to the airframe. These new aircraft are dubbed the C-5M Super Galaxy, and the updated aircraft are expected to serve until at least 2040.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Short Takeoff

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

June 27, 1976 – The hijacking of Air France Flight 139. Air France Flight 139, an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (F-BVGG), departed Tel Aviv, Israel carrying 246 passengers and flew to Athens, Greece where hijackers secretly boarded the plane along with other passengers. After departing for Paris, the hijackers took over the plane and flew it first to Libya, then Entebbe, Uganda. The hijackers demanded $5 million and the release of Palestinian militants, many of who were held in Israeli jails. On July 4, following unsuccessful negotiations, Israeli commandos stormed the airport where the hostages were being held and killed the hijackers, along with three hostages who were caught in the crossfire. One commando was killed by Ugandan soldiers as the hostages boarded planes to be flown out of the country.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

June 29, 2011 – KLM is the world’s first airline to operate a flight using biofuel. Aviation currently represents 12% of global !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! emissions, a number that is !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in the coming years, having already accounted for an 87% rise in greenhouse gas emissions in Europe alone between 1990-2006. One method sought to reduce these emissions is through the use of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and NASA research has shown that a 50/50 mixture of aviation biofuel can cut air pollution caused by air traffic by as much as 70%. Following successful aviation industry tests which began 2007, KLM was the first to fly revenue passengers from Amsterdam to Paris in a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! powered by used cooking oil. Work is continuing in the field in the hopes of producing a sustainable source of fuel that does not compete with the production of food or consume too much agricultural land.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

June 29, 2007 – The first flight of the Piasecki X-49, an experimental !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! designed to provide increased range and speed over traditional helicopters. Because of the limitations of their design, traditional helicopters are limited to about 260 mph, and the US Army’s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , its standard utility helicopter, has a top speed of only 183 mph. The X-49 is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that has been fitted with a vectored thrust ducted propeller (VTDP) and short swept wings in the hopes that the helicopter can reach speeds of up to 230 mph or more. The X-49 has made more than 80 test flights, and the concept remains under development.  

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

June 29, 1995 – The first flight of the Bell 407, a civil utility helicopter that was derived from the extremely successful !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Where the earlier 206 employed a two-bladed rotor, the 407 employs a four-bladed rotor and hub that was developed as part of the US Army’s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! program. The rotor blades and hub, constructed from lightweight composites, have no life limits, and a more powerful !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! engine increases the maximum takeoff weight and improves performance in hotter temperatures and at higher altitudes. Over 1,000 have been built, and the 407 remains in production, proving popular with civil authorities, offshore transport, and as an air ambulance.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

June 29, 1963 – The first flight of the Saab 105, a two-seat training aircraft that began as a private venture by Saab in hopes that the Swedish Air Force would select it to replace the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Adopted by the Swedish Air Force in 1967 as the Sk 60, the 105 features side-by-side seating for better communication between the pilots and, though originally designed as a trainer, the 105 can be outfitted with either ground attack or air-to-air munitions depending on the mission. In addition to the crew of two, a small bench behind the pilots can accommodate two passengers. Following an engine upgrade, the 105 remains in service with Sweden and Austria, though Sweden is currently investigating a replacement for their older aircraft. Just under 200 were built between 1963-1972.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

June 29, 1962 – The first flight of the Vickers VC10, a long-range airliner that was developed to operate on long-distance routes while still having the capability to operate from shorter runways and in hotter temperatures than contemporary airliners. The VC10 was powered by 4 !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! turbofan engines mounted on the tail and, with a top speed of 580 mph, the VC10 holds the record for the fastest atlantic crossing by a subsonic airliner. The VC10 was introduced with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (BOAC) in 1964, and proved enormously popular for its load capacity, speed, and relatively quiet operation compared to other airliners. The VC10 also served the RAF as a transport, VIP and aerial tanker. A total of 54 were built, and it was retired from RAF service in 2013.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

June 30, 1977 – President Jimmy Carter cancels the Rockwell B-1 Lancer. Following the cancellation of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! program to develop a supersonic successor to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the process was restarted under the Nixon Administration and work on a new supersonic bomber began anew. But with the arrival of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and its !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! successor with look-down shoot-down radar, the viability of the new bomber was put into question, and the program was canceled by the Carter Administration in the face of spiraling budgets and the development of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The program was subsequently restored by the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 1981, with the development of the more advanced B-1B which first flew in 1974 and remains in service today.  

June 30, 1956 – Two airliners collide in midair over the Grand Canyon. At approximately 10:30 am, TWA Flight 2, a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! en route from Los Angeles to Kansas City collided in midair with United Airlines Flight 718, a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! flying from Los Angeles to Chicago. The wreckage rained down on a remote part of the Grand Canyon and resulted in the deaths of all 128 passengers and crew on both flights. Evidence indicates that at least one of the airliners spotted the other and initiated unsuccessful evasive maneuvers before the aircraft collided, and investigators indicated that the pilots likely did not see each other in time due to clouds, poor cockpit visibility, and high cockpit workload. The crash was the deadliest to date on US soil, and led to the creation of the Federal Aviation Agency (later the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) in 1958 to give the office total authority over American airspace. The disaster also helped spur the modernization of air traffic control.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Connecting Flights

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

!!! 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. You can find more posts about aviation history, aviators, and aviation oddities at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

user314 > ttyymmnn 06/30/2020 at 13:06

3

Best C-5 livery:

Also, a very good demonstration of the Galaxy’s size.

Second Best:

What might have been:

Also, Richard Hammond’s Big - C-5M

ttyymmnn > user314 06/30/2020 at 13:26

1

The MAC livery is a classic. I’ve got this in my Matchbox Air Force. Colors are swapped, but you get the idea. It’s a little worse for wear, but I like it. All metal, metal wheels, it’ll last a long time. 

Future next gen S2000 owner > user314 06/30/2020 at 13:38

1

The C-5 is a Monster.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 06/30/2020 at 13:44

0

The X-49 presents some interesting challenges. Rotorcraft have significant speed limitations due to the rotor. On the right side, the advancing blade’s speed is the sum of the rotational speed and the forward speed of the aircraft. On the other side, the retreating blade’s speed is the rotational speed minus the forward speed of the aircraft. At slow speeds, that creates differential lift on either side of the aircraft which can be compensated for by changing the blade pitch from one side to the other. At higher speeds, the tip of the advancing blade can exceed the speed of sound even though the aircraft is flying much slower. The solution is to slow down the rotor, but that is counter-productive if you’re trying to fly fast with your only source of forward thrust being the rotor.

The pusher prop adds forward thrust, but it doesn’t solve the advancing blade problem. That’s one reason for the X-Wing on the Sikorsky S-72 . The idea was to slow the rotor to a stop so it could act as a wing instead. This would eliminate the problems with a rotor in high-speed forward flight. Unfortunately, the program was cancelled before they could make any test flights with the X-Wing rotor.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2020 at 13:51

3

All of this is to say that this is the reason we have the Osprey.

user314 > ttyymmnn 06/30/2020 at 14:02

1

Oooh. Part of me says strip and repaint in the correct colors, but i t’s too unique looking to do that. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 06/30/2020 at 14:55

1

As you observed, it’s easier to rotate the engines and rotors than it is to fly fast with a rotor on your roof. 

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2020 at 15:01

0

A lot more complicated though. And autorotation is a bitch. 

facw > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2020 at 15:04

3

Which is of course why the X-49 has those wings providing more balanced lift. And why the S-97 (and its relatives) have co-axial rotors :

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 06/30/2020 at 15:12

0

That comment prompted me to go digging on the handling characteristics during autorotation. I learned a lot more than I anticipated. Basically, it’s possible to autorotate, but it’s really, really difficult to get it right.

https://www.verticalmag.com/features/20112-flying-the-v-22-html/

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2020 at 15:31

0

One of the biggest problems we’ve had in the [pilot] community is getting past the idea that it’s a helicopter that flies fast. It’s not. It’s an airplane that hovers. And if you fly the airplane like a helicopter, yes, it’s very difficult to fly as a helicopter. And if you do that, you have a very good chance of having a problem with controllability because of the way the aircraft operates. If you fly it like an airplane and you are willing to take the time to understand the capabilities of it in helicopter, it’s a very, very easy airplane to fly.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > facw 06/30/2020 at 16:38

0

That, is sweet looking.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 06/30/2020 at 16:41

1

Yep. That’s one of the striking points in the article. It’s all fly by wire, so the controls are adaptive to the mode and there are autopilot modes that can even let it hover hands-off if the winds are  relatively calm.

ttyymmnn > TheRealBicycleBuck 06/30/2020 at 17:01

1

I’m reminded of a conversation I had with a Texan II pilot at an air show. He said that the T-6 is the primary trainer for jet jockeys, and that they learn little to no prop plane theory. Nothing about propeller pitch, propeller speed,  etc. because the computer takes care of all of that. It acts kind of like a baby jet.

facw > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 06/30/2020 at 17:17

1

The Black Hawk replacement based on it (Sikorsky/Boeing SB-1 Defiant) is a bit chunkier:

Meanwhile it’s competitor (Bell V-280 Valor) is definitely a cool looking bird:

The Army is interested in a whole bunch of aircraft based on these layouts (There might also be X-49 based entrants):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Vertical_Lift

JMR-Light: Scout version to replace the OH-58 Kiowa ; introduction planned for 2030. Implemented as the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft program in 2018.

JMR-Medium-Light

JMR-Medium: Utility and attack versions to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache ; introduction was planned for 2030. Implemented as the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program in 2019.

JMR-Heavy: Cargo version to replace the CH-47 Chinook ; introduction planned for 2035, although Boeing expects 2060. [15]

JMR-Ultra: New ultra-sized version for vertical lift aircraft with performance similar to fixed-wing tactical transport aircraft, such as the C-130J Super Hercules and the Airbus A400M Atlas ; introduction planned for 2025

The S-97 would evolve into a scout entrant:

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 06/30/2020 at 17:42

1

There’s not a lot of discussion about propellers for the private pilot exam either. It’s not until you get into planes that have a constant-speed prop that you start learning about it. I did learn about prop wash and its effects on aerodynamics, but we didn’t learn much more than that. We spent a lot more time talking about carbureted   engines and conditions which can lead to carb ice.

Dusty Ventures > ttyymmnn 06/30/2020 at 18:49

1

As someone who’s lived his entire life with C-5s overhead I’m particularly fond of this installation