Air Show, 1967

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
09/23/2020 at 12:35 • Filed to: wingspan, Planelopnik

All the air shows are canceled this year, so let’s set the Wabac Machine for 1967 and take a look at some Cold War Air Force hardware. Much of the USAF arsenal is represented here at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth. As you take a leisurely stroll down the flight line, how many can you ID?

Scroll down for the answer key.

Starting at the top is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , likely a D model based on the year and the tall pointy tail. First introduced in 1955, the B-52 is slated to get new engines and could end up serving for 100 years. Below the Buff is a bare aluminum !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , America’s first jet-powered aerial refueler which remains in service today, and a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! strategic cargo hauler. The Starlifter had only been in service for two years when this photo was taken, and didn’t retire until 2006. And below that is, of course, the remarkable !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Only two copies of this Mach 3 deep penetration bomber were built, and this was the sole remaining Valkyrie, as its sister ship was lost the year before in a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Starting from the left, it’s Fighter Row. First off is a brace of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The Thud was designed as a nuclear strike aircraft, but by 1967 it was dropping conventional bombs (and being shot down) over Vietnam. The F-105 was the only American aircraft withdrawn from service because it was so vulnerable to surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Next it’s a pair of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , an aircraft not much loved by the Air Force due in part to its relatively short range and small payload, but one that served widely with export countries.

After the Starfighters comes a lone !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , an early Century Series fighter that was initially designed as a bomber escort but found its true role as a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft. Then comes a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (McDonnell and Douglas merged the year this photo was shot). The F-4 was flown by all three fixed-wing services, but served in the greatest numbers with the Air Force. The multi-role Phantom eventually replaced the F-105 in the ground attack role in Vietnam, and served as an air superiority fighter, fleet defense fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft until it’s retirement 1981.

Moving down the line we come to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the last purpose-built interceptor flown by the Air Force. On its starboard wing is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , an earlier delta wing design which served as the basis for the F-106. It too was created as an interceptor, but struggled to break the sound barrier until its fuselage was redesigned to take advantage of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Towards the end of the line is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The Talon entered service as a supersonic trainer in 1961, and is still fulfilling that role nearly 60 years later.

Rounding the corner of the hangar we come across a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the reconnaissance variant of the bomber originally built in England but produced in the States by Martin. The B-57 was the first American jet bomber to drop bombs in anger, and still flies today with NASA in the research role. Closest to the camera is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , an interceptor variant of the ridiculously high-flying and fast !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! reconnaissance aircraft. The YF-12 was the fastest and heaviest interceptor ever built, but it never entered service. Across the tarmac we see another high-altitude spy plane, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , unofficially known as the Dragon Lady. The U-2 was America’s first answer to flying over Russia higher than interceptors could reach, but eventually proved vulnerable to SAMs. Nevertheless, the U-2 remains in service today. And above the U-2 is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a light bomber and ground attack aircraft that dates back to WWII. The K model flew in the counterinsurgency role in Vietnam, but only had two more years of service left on its venerable airframe.

Behind the B-26 is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! rocket, a launch system and sounding rocket that was cobbled together from a Thor ballistic missile and an Able second stage from the Vanguard program. It had been retired for seven years before this photo was taken. To the left of the rocket is the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a swing-wing tactical bomber that was intended for service with both the Air Force and Navy. The Navy passed on the Aardvark, but it had just entered Air Force service when this photo was taken and served until 1998.

Above the F-111 is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the first American bomber capable of speeds beyond Mach 2. Designed as a replacement for the Boeing B-47 Stratojet, the Hustler was difficult to fly, and the arrival of the surface-to-air missile compromised its high-speed mission and shortened its service life. And finally, tucked in behind the F-111, is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , either a mockup or an actual test article. This hypersonic rocket plane set records for speed and altitude that remain unbroken to this day. Some of the men who piloted the X-15 became America’s first astronauts when they exceeded 15 miles of altitude.

Now, go get yourself a beer and a hot dog. The flight demos are going to start soon

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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!!! .

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DISCUSSION (6)

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
09/23/2020 at 12:47

Hey! Winner-winner!

Somebody hit the Century Series Quinella!

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
09/23/2020 at 12:51

Your reply made me realize that I had originally mislabeled the RB-57 and forgot to swap out the corrected photo.

I also forgot I had scheduled the Stratovision repost, which is why there are two at a time. Oh well.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
09/23/2020 at 12:51

Also, this is such an extraordinary photo.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
09/23/2020 at 12:58

I actually was going to point that out (used to have an ex USAF buddy (RIP) who’d flown those in the 1960s and even 70s), but most days I’m too much of a pedant already.

ttyymmnn > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
09/23/2020 at 13:00

Please, pedant away. Those sorts of screwups really bug me. I noticed it when I was writing the copy, and corrected the photo, but then forgot to post it.

Corrections are always welcome.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > ttyymmnn
09/23/2020 at 13:09

There’s way more hardware out here than likely would have been likely even at the time, I’d think.

One has to assume that, by this stage, the ongoing ugliness in Vietnam was weighing on the forces... so there might have been a PR move at work here??? Just curious, but I’m shocked to see both the Valkyrie and an X-15 (must be a mock-up) sitting out there. And a YF-12?!?