This Date in Aviation History: May 7 - May 10

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
05/10/2016 at 12:35 • Filed to: planelopnik, planelopnik history

Welcome to This Date in Aviation History , getting you caught up on milestones, important historical events and people in aviation from May 7 - May 10.

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May 10, 1972 – The first flight of the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. On the night of August 20, 1968, half a million !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! soldiers and thousands of tanks and armored vehicles !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , taking control of the country in a single night and putting an end to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . That watershed event in the Cold War showed the West that the massed might of Soviet armor was a serious and perhaps imminent threat, and one that land power alone was not prepared to deal with. It would take air power to stop the hordes of tanks, but at that time, there was no specialized aircraft to do the job. Close air support (CAS) had become somewhat of a lost art. But that hadn’t always been the case. One of the first tank busters, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , was a regular fighter armed with a pair of 40mm cannons which proved devastatingly effective against German tanks in WWII. For their part, the Germans developed the heavily armed !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the first aircraft specifically designed for close air support. Like the Germans in WWII, the NATO allies realized that they needed a purpose-built CAS aircraft, one that could fly low and slow over the battlefield, be rugged enough to sustain battle damage, and have the firepower to knock out tanks in a single pass. In 1966, the US Air Force created the Attack Experimental (A-X) program office to find a suitable aircraft, and by 1970 a specific request for proposals was made to the defense industry. The new aircraft would have a maximum speed of only 460 mph, but it would be capable of carrying 16,000 pounds of external stores (by comparison, a loaded !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! carried 20,000 pounds of bombs). Most importantly, the new aircraft would be developed around the massive !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! 30mm cannon, a seven-barrel Gatling gun that could fire over 4,000 rounds per minute. Compared to other guns in use in CAS aircraft at the time, the Avenger had twice the range, took half the time to reach the target and could deliver three times the mass of projectiles to the target.

The General Electric GAU-8 Avenger cannon — and a little friend

The Air Force selected two finalists, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the Fairchild Republic YA-10. The YA-9 was a relatively traditional aircraft with fuselage-mounted engines and a shoulder wing, roughly comparable to the Russian !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The YA-10, however, was a radical departure from traditional design, with a low, straight wing for excellent maneuverability, engines mounted in pods above the fuselage to protect them from ground fire, and twin tail fins for redundancy. Twelve hundred pounds of titanium armor protected the pilot and avionics. To deal with the recoil from the gun that could force the aircraft off target, the cannon was mounted slightly off-center, with the firing barrel in the nine-o’clock position directly on the aircraft’s centerline. Its position underneath the cockpit also helped prevent the ingestion of gun gases into the engines. Following a fly-off between the two competing designs, the Air Force selected the YA-10 as the winner in April 1973, and took delivery of the first production A-10s in March 1976. At first, some Air Force pilots balked at the idea of flying low and slow over the battlefield. But in the Gulf War of 1991, the Thunderbolt II showed how it was truly worthy of its WWII namesake, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . During the war, A-10s destroyed more than 900 Iraqi tanks, 2,000 military vehicles, and 1,200 artillery pieces. A-10 pilots even shot down two enemy helicopters. The Thunderbolt II maintained a stellar 95.7 percent mission-capability rate over 8,100 sorties. The Air Force was so impressed, they dropped any ideas of replacing the twenty-year-old aircraft. However, that love affair may be coming to an end. Despite continued excellent service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and with no true dedicated successor, the Air Force is looking to retire the A-10 to free up money for development and production of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , a multi-role stealth aircraft that has yet to prove that it can live up to its !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! namesake, or effectively perform the CAS role that is so brilliantly carried out by the A-10. The US Congress has stepped in, trying to compel the Air Force to keep the A-10 flying, but it is a political and budgetary battle that is far from over. (US Air Force photos)

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Short Take Off

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May 7, 1992 – The first flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour , the sixth and final Space Shuttle built and the fifth flown into space by NASA ( Enterprise , the first shuttle, was used for static testing and glide tests). Following its first flight in 1992, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , Endeavour served until 2011, flying a total of 25 missions before its retirement following !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Construction of Endeavour began in 1987 as a replacement to the Space Shuttle Challenger which was lost, along with its crew, in 1986. Endeavour was named for British explorer !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (hence the British spelling), and it accomplished a number of firsts, including carrying the first African American woman astronaut to space, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and completing the first mission to repair the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Following its retirement, Endeavour was moved to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in Los Angeles where it is on display. (NASA photo)

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May 7, 1946 – The first flight of the Handley Page Hastings, a British troop transport and general cargo plane that served the Royal Air Force as a replacement for the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The Hastings was powered by four !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! radial engines and was capable of carrying up to 50 troops, 35 paratroops, 32 stretchers or 20,000 pounds of cargo. The Hastings first saw service as part of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 1948, where it was used primarily to deliver coal to the blockaded city. The Hastings also served during the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in 1956, and was finally retired in 1977 and replaced in RAF service by the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . A total of 151 Hastings were produced from 1947-1952. (Photo by Mike Freer via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

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May 9, 1967 – The first flight of the Fokker F28 Fellowship, a short range jet airliner developed by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Initially designed to accommodate 50 passengers, production aircraft eventually carried 65 passengers, and future variants were expanded to carry as many as 79 passengers. Similar in appearance to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the Fellowship was powered by a pair of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! low-bypass turbofans that gave the F28 a cruising speed of about 520 mph and a range of up to 1200 miles, depending on the variant. A total of 241 aircraft were produced from 1967-1987, and the type remains in limited service. (Photo by Rolf Wallner via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

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May 9, 1962 – The first flight of the Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe (S-64 Skycrane), a heavy-lift helicopter that 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!!! which served as the basis for the CH-54. The Tarhe could lift up to 20,000 pounds, either in a detachable pod or slung beneath the fuselage, and the crew of three allowed one pilot to sit in a rear-facing seat to control the helicopter 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. (US Army photo)

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May 9, 1926 – Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett make the first flight over the North Pole. While some historians credit Byrd and Bennett 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) in their !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , fly over the Pole, and return. However, evidence of erasures in Byrd’s personal diary cast doubt on whether the team actually reached the Pole before returning to Spitsbergen. Nevertheless, Byrd and Bennett were hailed as national heroes and awarded the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Three days later, a flight by the airship !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , 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. (Photo author unknown)

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May 10, 2012 – The death of Evelyn Bryan Johnson. Johnson was born in Corbin, Kentucky on November 4, 1909 and began her flying career with the US Army Air Corps in 1944. By the time she quit flying at the age of 96 she had logged 57,635.4 flying hours, earning her the international record for the greatest number of flying hours logged. Johnson 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 and 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 !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and other famous flyers. (Photo by Wade Pane via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

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May 10, 1991 – The first flight of the Bombardier CRJ100. The CRJ traces it roots back to 1989 with the beginning of the Canadair Regional Jet program which sought to develop a medium-range jet airliner to seat up to 52 passengers. The design was originally developed as a stretched variant of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! business jet, and following the CRJ100's entry into service it was quickly developed into the CRJ200 ER and LR, each with increased range. The CRJ100, along with its larger CRJ200 variant, have proven very popular with smaller airlines, as well as some large airlines who use the regional jet to serve smaller airports. A total of 935 aircraft of both variants have been produced, and while production has ended, the airliner remains in service. (Photo by Arpingstone via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

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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 to compete with the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for the lucrative export market. Since the Mirage 2000 was based on an existing aircraft, the prototype was ready for its first flight in just 27 months. The Mirage 2000 displayed superb handling for a delta-wing aircraft, impressing spectators when it was unveiled at the 1978 !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , 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. (US Air Force photo)

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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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DISCUSSION (29)

scoob > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 12:41

Why these posts never get any FP recognition is beyond me.

ttyymmnn > scoob
05/10/2016 at 12:42

I got one FP share about a year ago, but I guess it didn’t generate enough traffic. I figured they’d be good for FA, but they didn’t get picked up there either. Oh well. Jalopnik’s loss is Oppo’s gain.

Thanks for the kind words.

DanimalHouse > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 12:57

MMMMM DAT DELTA WING

Kinja'd!!!

Chasaboo > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 12:59

Hey, I’m still at work. You shouldn’t be allowed to post A-10 air pr0n until it’s dark out.

Brian, The Life of > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 13:00

I don’t remember the exact year but I know it was in the late ‘70s, when my mom was working on the B-1A program for North American Rockwell during the flight test phase at Dryden. She took me to work with her on several occasions when something cool was happening on base. On this particular occasion, they were planning a live fire demo of the newest attack aircraft. They’d set up some viewing stands and set out about a half dozen old tanks out on the range as targets. The stands held the biggest collection of AF brass I’d ever seen, several obviously high-level “industry” folks and ... me. I had never even heard of the A-10 before, let alone seen one. When it came into the range area I remember thinking, “What the deuce is this pokey looking thing?” before it started in on the tanks. The sudden “BRRRAAAAAPP” emitting from The Gun was unexpected. Two passes and all the tanks were “dead” in < one minute. We got to go out and take a close look at one of the tanks afterwards. That remains the most indelible memory of any flight demo I’ve ever seen.

ttyymmnn > Brian, The Life of
05/10/2016 at 13:07

It sounds trite to say, “Cool story,” but that really is a cool, awesome, fantastic story. Thanks for adding it here. I have heard countless recordings and videos of that Avenger, but I’ve never heard it in person.

ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 13:09

I love these aviation posts.

ttyymmnn > ESSSIX GmbH - Accountant/Wagon Thumper
05/10/2016 at 13:10

Thank you! And thanks for reading.

scoob > Chasaboo
05/10/2016 at 13:12

It’s dark somewhere!

Wheelerguy > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 13:16

That lede pic... Gotta wonder which mod is in which plane, and who they’ll be BRAAAAAAPing.

Which reminds me... Should I drop a (nuclear fusion) pipe bomb in the current state of Oppo?

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 13:17

would be capable of carrying 16,000 pounds of external stores (by comparison, a loaded Boeing B-29 Superfortress carried 20,000 pounds of bombs)

WOWZA! what a comparison!

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 13:21

this three engined design is odd :P

Kinja'd!!!

especially considering the far engine appears to have twice the blades on it!

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle
05/10/2016 at 13:25

It’s just a trick of the angle. It’s got four engines.

Kinja'd!!!

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle
05/10/2016 at 13:28

Compare it to the B-17:

Short range missions (<400 mi): 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)

Long range missions (800 mi): 4,500 lb (2,000 kg)

Overload: 17,600 lb (7,800 kg)

And to even further blow your mind, the Douglas A-1 Skyraider , with one radial engine, albeit a big one, could carry as much as the B-17 (8,000 lbs)

ttyymmnn > Wheelerguy
05/10/2016 at 13:28

If it stops the theme posts, go ahead.

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle
05/10/2016 at 13:29

I just noticed the :P Silly me.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn
05/10/2016 at 13:41

nobody believes your lies!

Kinja'd!!!

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn
05/13/2016 at 12:06

No love for the Enterprise ? It may have never made it to space, but it still deserves some recognition as a Space Shuttle IMO. Even though she didn’t fly, they did put it on the pad at least a couple times. First at KSC for fit checks on launch pad 39A:

Kinja'd!!!

This time was at Vandenberg in California for fit checks on the never used (for Shuttle launches) SLC-6.

Kinja'd!!!

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
05/13/2016 at 12:13

I think you have brought this up before, and I issued a mea culpa and gave Enterprise some love. I’ve got to head out to lunch with my wife right now, but I’ll look into it when I get back. No space shuttles in today’s post, but there is a passing mention of Buran .

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
05/13/2016 at 16:19

Having re-read the post, I’m not sure Enterprise warrants a mention here. However, the first flight of Enterprise on the back of the SCA was the maiden installment for this entire series of Aviation History posts back on February 18, 2015. So, it deserves all the love—or all the blame—for this manic project that has consumed 15 months of my life and continues to do so.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/february-18-19…

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn
05/13/2016 at 16:31

May 7, 1992 – The first flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour , the fifth and final Space Shuttle built and flown by NASA.

While it may not have made it to orbit, the Enterprise was the first Shuttle built, which would make the Endeavour the sixth Space Shuttle built. In my mind the Enterprise counts as a Space Shuttle even if it didn’t actually go to space. Besides all the fit testing and SCA testing it was used for, the Enterprise was used as a flight test article, to prove that the design was capable of gliding to a landing. While it may not have launched, the Enterprise did fly.

Kinja'd!!!

While as constructed it couldn’t have been used as an orbiter, it had been intended to be refitted to be space-rated. In the end it was cheaper to build new orbiters from existing partially constructed test articles and spare structures than to refit the Enterprise for orbital duty.

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
05/13/2016 at 16:34

Well, then I missed it. You are right, it deserves to be added.

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
05/13/2016 at 16:38

I have edited this post to reflect the Endeavour’s place in the Shuttle lineup, and will add Enterprise’s first light for posterity.

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
05/13/2016 at 16:44

Let me also add that I always appreciate corrections and additions from readers. I am not proud, and I know that I often miss things. Hell, I almost missed the loss of the Challenger , and it was only because the post was scheduled for after January 28 that I was able to catch it and hurriedly write about it. Please keep after me. I really do appreciate, and rely on, the knowledge of the commentariat to keep me honest.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn
05/13/2016 at 18:40

You do an awesome job with these, and there is so much material that it is easy to miss things.

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
05/13/2016 at 18:49

Thanks. It’s still frustrating. And my source for events isn’t always accurate, or comprehensive.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn
05/13/2016 at 18:53

Yeah, even Wikipedia doesn’t always count Enterprise as a Space Shuttle. Not that Wikipedia is the premier source, but it’s just too easy to use as a quick reference. Now I’m wondering what NASA’s stance on Enterprise is. I personally count it as a Space Shuttle, but I suppose if NASA doesn’t that would put me in the wrong and I’m standing here with egg on my face.

ETA: I’m safe. All the NASA articles refer to it as Space Shuttle Enterprise.

ETA: the link I meant to post in the original edit. http://nasasearch.nasa.gov/search?utf8=&…

ttyymmnn > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
06/08/2016 at 19:41

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/this-date-in-a…

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > ttyymmnn
06/08/2016 at 20:24

I saw that. Very nice!