This Date in Planelopnik History: Speed Round

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 05/12/2015 at 10:05 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history

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This is today’s Planelopnik History Speed Round , getting you caught up on milestones and important historical events in aviation from May 9 through May 12.

May 9, 1962 – The first flight of the Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe heavy-lift helicopter. The CH-54 traces its lineage back to the Sikorsky S-56 (military !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ), an early heavy lifter which was then developed into the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The S-60 introduced the unique design of a helicopter that was basically spine, engine and cockpit with no internal cargo space. The S-60 was further developed into the S-64, which bore the military designation CH-54. The CH-54 could lift up to 20,000 pounds, either in a detachable pod or slung beneath, and the crew of three allowed one pilot to sit in a rear-facing seat during loading operations. Just over one hundred Tarhes were built and saw extensive service in Vietnam, and while the military retired the type in 1991, many are still used by private firms for heavy lift operations and firefighting.

May 9, 1926 – Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett make the first flight over the North Pole in a Fokker F.VIIa-3m. While Byrd and Bennett are credited with this milestone in aviation exploration, there remains significant controversy surrounding their accomplishment. With Bennett as pilot, Byrd planned to take off from Spitsbergen (Svalbard), fly over the Pole, and return. However, evidence of erasures in his personal diary cast doubt on whether Byrd actually reached the Pole before returning to Spitsbergen. Nevertheless, Byrd and Bennett were hailed as national heroes and awarded the Medal of Honor. Three days later, a flight by the airship Norge , lead by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , flew from Spitsbergen to Alaska, so there can be no doubt that they crossed the Pole. The debate continues as to which explorer was actually first.

May 10, 2012 – The death of Evelyn Bryan Johnson, the women’s international record holder for number of flight hours logged in a lifetime. Johnson began her flying career with the US Army Air Corps in 1944, and by the time she quit flying at the age of 96 she had logged 57,635.4 flying hours. She was a colonel in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and also a flight instructor, garnering the distinction of being the oldest instructor pilot in the world, training more pilots and giving more FAA exams than any other instructor. On July 21, 2007, Johnson was inducted into the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , joining Amelia Earhart, Jacqueline Cochran, Sally Ride and other famous flyers. (Photo by Wade Pane via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

May 10, 1978 – The first flight of the Dassault Mirage 2000. Based on the delta wing !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the Mirage 2000 was developed in the 1970s as a lightweight fighter that could compete with the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon for the lucrative export market. Since the Mirage 2000 was based on an existing successful aircraft, the prototype was ready for its first flight in just 27 months. Displaying superb handling for a delta-wing aircraft, the Mirage 2000 impressed spectators at the 1978 Farnborough Airshow, demonstrating that it was indeed a viable competitor to its American challenger. The Mirage 2000 entered service in November of 1982, and over 600 examples were produced, with many sold to Dassault’s export customers.

May 10, 1972 – The first flight of the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. The American experience in the Vietnam War showed the Air Force that it needed a dedicated ground-attack aircraft that could carry sufficient armament to destroy ground targets, was slow enough for accurate delivery of weapons, yet resilient enough to protect the pilot. In 1970, the Air Force issued an updated version of its A-X requirement, calling for the inclusion of a 30mm GAU-8 Avenger Gatling gun intended to defeat Soviet armor. Both Fairchild Republic and Northrop developed prototypes, with the YA-10 beating !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in a flyoff in 1973. A total of 713 A-10s were produced, and true to its namesake, the P-47 Thunderbolt, the Thunderbolt II has been hailed as the greatest ground attack aircraft ever produced. Despite those plaudits, and despite continuing service in Afghanistan and elsewhere, budget constraints have led to calls for the A-10’s retirement, a subject of fierce debate in the US government.

May 12, 1954 – The introduction of the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak. Republic hoped to challenge the performance of the F-86 Sabre by adding swept wings and a more powerful engine to its already-successful !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The new aircraft was originally designated the XF-96A, but when it was ordered into production it was given the designation F-84F due to the great amount of commonality with its predecessor. Though its first flight took place in 1950, difficulties in production delayed its introduction until 1954. While the Thunderstreak did enter active service, its phaseout began almost immediately, and its frontline service ended in 1958, though it served with the Air National Guard until 1972.

May 12, 1936 – The first flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer (“Destroyer”). Initial development of the Bf 110 began when the Aviation Ministry, prodded by Hermann Göring, issued a request for an aircraft that would be designated Kampfzerstörer (battle destroyer). The new aircraft would have two engines for increased range and speed, an internal cannon for heavy firepower, and an internal bomb bay. Messerschmitt decided to eliminate the bomb bay and focus on increased speed and firepower. Their design was considerably faster than the entries offered by Focke-Wulf, Henschel and Arado, and they won the contract. Though not truly suitable as a dogfighter, and outmatched by the Hurricane and Spitfire, it could be flown to good effect by skilled pilots, and was especially deadly when converted to a night fighter.

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May 9, 1981 – The HMS Hermes reenters service, the world’s first carrier equipped with a ski-jump takeoff ramp. Hermes would see action in the 1982 Falklands War, launching Sea Harriers for attack and fleet protection.

May 9, 1967 – The first flight of the Fokker F28 Fellowship , a Dutch-built short-range airliner designed to carry 60-65 passengers.

May 9, 1912– The first flight off the deck of a moving ship , as Lieutenant Commander Charles Samson takes off from HMS Hibernia in a Short S.38.

May 10, 1972 – Lt. Randy Cunningham (pilot) and Lt. (JG) William P. Driscoll (RIO) become the last US Navy aces , downing five enemy planes, including three MiG-17s in one day, in their McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II during the Vietnam War.

Leon711 > ttyymmnn 05/12/2015 at 10:15

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whoarder is tellurium > ttyymmnn 05/12/2015 at 10:17

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Great post ttyymmnn!

ttyymmnn > whoarder is tellurium 05/12/2015 at 10:18

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Thanks! The next one drops at the same time on Friday.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > ttyymmnn 05/12/2015 at 10:35

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Heeellllooo beautiful.

OPPOsaurus WRX > ttyymmnn 05/12/2015 at 10:52

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this thing is carrying a whole lot of freedom

ttyymmnn > OPPOsaurus WRX 05/12/2015 at 11:09

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And that’s a 40-year-old load of dumb iron bombs. Here’s something a little more recent.

Racescort666 > ttyymmnn 05/12/2015 at 11:16

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I was going to say that it doesn’t look like it has a real gun plus the AOA boom is a dead giveaway of this being a development aircraft.

user314 > ttyymmnn 05/12/2015 at 14:20

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Because I love it so, more pictures of Skycranes skycraning:

ttyymmnn > user314 05/12/2015 at 14:23

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I considered using the picture with the house or the F-4, but I liked the double Huey lift. Plus it was in color. It's a truly amazing machine. I think the Chinook can lift more, though. But I haven't checked.

SalsaShark > ttyymmnn 05/26/2015 at 20:39

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I’m just gonna go ahead and pretend that’s a House Stark sigil on the engine cover. You’re damn right, The North Remembers....

ttyymmnn > SalsaShark 05/26/2015 at 20:54

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My wife got me hooked on that relentlessly depressing show. :/