Between Wars Classics by Stan Stokes.
During the
between Wars years two aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Curtiss, were
the dominant suppliers of fighter aircraft for the United States armed
forces. A series of Curtiss-manufactured hawk fighters was in service
from the mid-1920s until just before WW II. The P-6E was delivered
beginning in 1932 and was powered by a 675-HP Curtiss V-1570-23
Conqueror engine. This bi-plane fighter was highly maneuverable and
capable of almost 200-MPH. It was armed with twin forward-firing 0.3
inch Browning machine-guns. In many respects it represented the pinnacle
of American biplane fighter designs. In contrast the Boeing P-26
Peashooter was a very important transitional aircraft in the evolution
of the fighter. It embodied the transition from the WW I vintage highly
maneuverable biplanes to the sleek, very fast, all-metal, monoplane
fighters of WW II. Surprising is the fact that the P-26 was the last
fighter to be mass-produced by Boeing, the company founded in 1916 by
William Edward Boeing. The Companys first large contract was secured in
1919 for the MB-3A fighter for the USAAC. Boeing utilized a unique
welded tube fuselage in place of the original wood structure in the
original design. Success with this program lead to additional contracts,
and Boeing became a strong competitor to the much larger Curtiss Company
for fighter aircraft for both the Air Corps and the Navy. The
culmination of Boeings biplane fighters was attained with its Model 83
which became the Navys F4B, and the Air Corps P-12. In 1928 the company
began exploring the possibility of a monoplane fighter. The Model 200
Monomail was designed as a high-speed mail plane for Boeing Air
Transport (the precursor of today's United Airlines.)
The initial military version that evolved from this aircraft was
the P-26. The P-26 was 20% faster than Boeings P-12 biplane, but it had
a slower rate of climb and a lower service ceiling. Also, the high
landing speeds of the prototype resulted in production models of the
P-26 being equipped with landing flaps. Boeing engineers retained some
very conservative design elements in the Peashooters design such as a
fixed landing gear and an open cockpit. Many of these compromises would
doom the aircraft to a very short useful life, as the P-26 was quickly
made obsolete by the much faster Seversky P-35 and the Curtiss P-36
fighters which appeared in 1936. The USAAC accepted a total of 139
Peashooters in 1933-34. The Navy could not be convinced to order the
aircraft. Many P-26s sported the wild USAAC paint schemes which typified
the between Wars period. The P-26 would see some combat with the Chinese
and Philippine Air Forces. In Stan Stokes' painting a P-26 of the 94th
Pursuit Squadron Snow Owls lifts off from Selfridge Field while a
Curtiss Hawk it would soon be replacing taxis to its parking area.
Show of Strength by Stan Stokes.
Following The War to End All Wars military
expenditures were severely curtailed, and only limited funds were
available to support new military aviation projects. A number of
important issues, which would influence the future of aviation, were
debated in both public and private forums during this period. One
related to the general importance of the role of aircraft in
future military conflicts. A second was the relative importance
of bombers vs. pursuit aircraft, and another issue affecting aviation
was the rivalry between the Navy and the Army. One of the tactics
utilized by the Armys Air Corps during this period to generate positive
public support for its efforts, was the massing of large airborne
armadas to impress the general populace. Many such fly overs took place
during this period, and many were quite extravagant in terms of the
sheer number of aircraft assembled for the displays. In Stan Stokes
painting appropriately entitled A
Show of Strength, one of these fly overs takes place over Boston in
the mid-1930s. The aircraft featured in the scene is the Martin B-10
bomber. This aircraft, although a bit funny-looking by todays standards,
was unique in many respects. Designated by its designer as the Martin
Model 123, it was designed as a speculation by Martin, and a prototype
was given to the Air Corps for evaluation in 1932. Called the XB-907 by
the Army, the prototype could attain a top speed of 197-MPH. Later
modifications included more powerful, cowling-covered, Cyclone engines,
and a slightly larger wing surface. A gun turret was also added to the
nose, and the top speed was enhanced to 207-MPH, an impressive figure
for that time. Martin won the coveted Collier Trophy for this design,
but more important to the company was the award of an initial contract
for 48 production versions of the aircraft. The aircraft began to reach
operational units in 1935, and additional orders for more than another
100 B-10B variants were
placed. Powered by twin 775-HP 9-cylinder radials, the B-10B could carry
a maximum bomb load of 2,200 pounds, had a range of 590 miles, an
operational ceiling of 24,000 feet, and a maximum speed of 213-MPH. This
was a good sized aircraft for the time with its 71-foot wingspan and
45-foot length. In 1936 the Government authorized the B-10 for export
and more than one hundred B-10s were sold overseas, with the largest
numbers going to the Netherlands Antilles, Argentina, Turkey, and China.
Some of these models were modified to utilize one long green house
canopy instead of the two utilized on the fuselage of the standard
versions. The production life of the B-10 was cut short by the
introduction of the Douglas B-18 and Boeing B-17, which were more
advanced designs. Also shown in Stans painting escorting the B-10
bombers over Boston are two 1930 vintage Air Corps pursuit planes; the
Boeing P-26 pea shooter monoplane, and the Curtiss P-6 Hawk biplane.
Sparrowhawks of the Macon by Stan Stokes.
In
1924 the US Navy took delivery of the Los Angeles, which was built by
the Zeppelin Company in Germany. A partnership was formed between the
Goodyear Company and the Zeppelin Company for developing rigid airships
in the United States. Rear Admiral William A. Moffett was unquestioned
booster of the rigid airship program in the United States during the
1920s and 1930s. As chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics Moffet had
considerable influence. In 1926 he was successful at getting Congress to
allocate funds for the construction of two 758-foot long rigid airships
(the USS Akron and the USS Macon) with a capacity of 6.5 million cubic
feet of helium, more than twice the size of the Graf Zepplin which would
circle the globe in 1929. The Goodyear company commenced construction of
a huge hangar at Akron which would be used for construction of the first
of the two massive airships. Utilizing three keels and thirty-six
longitudinal girders, the Akron had a sturdy airframe. One of the most
novel features of these two new airships would be their ability to
launch and recover Curtis F9C-2 Sparrowhawks, making them the first
flying aircraft carriers. The Akron was completed in September of 1931,
but it would be nearly a year later before the Sparrowhawks were
deployed.
The Akron logged about 1,700 hours of flying time, but on the
night of April 1, 1933 the Akron crashed in the icy Atlantic off the New
Jersey shore with few survivors. Admiral Moffett was one of the
fatalities. It was the worst aviation disaster in history - at that
time. Construction of the Macon was completed only weeks after the loss
of its sister ship. Some improvements had been made to her design. She
was lighter and faster than the Akron, and could carry up to five
Sparrowhawks vs. only three for the Akron. Following testing of the new
airship in the New York- New Jersey area, the Macon was ordered to newly
named Moffet field in Sunnyvale, California. On July 18, 1934 the Macon
utilized its Sparrowhawks to intercept a pair of US Navy ships at
considerable distance off the Pacific Coast. The cruiser USS Houston was
carrying Franklin D. Roosevelt on a trip from Panama to Hawaii. Startled
to encounter aircraft at such a considerable distance from land, they
would be even more shocked when the Sparrowhawks would deliver
newspapers and mail for the President. In the late summer and fall of
1934 the Macon was sent east for fleet training exercises in the
Atlantic. Utilizing a simple radio homing beacon for the first time the
Macon proved beyond a doubt that the concept of air launched scouting
planes was feasible. However, in February of 1935 the USS Macon met the
same fate as its sister ship. While cruising up the California coast
near Point Sur, the great airship encountered turbulence and began to
break-up. Fortunately, only two of the eighty-three man crew were lost.
First Across the Pond by Stan Stokes.
During WW I, German U-boats took a substantial toll on
Allied shipping, and during the War military planners were anxious to
explore the possibilities of aircraft being developed which could thwart
this menace. Existing land-based patrol aircraft had given a fair
account of themselves, but because of their inability to patrol areas
far from land, they were of only limited use. What was needed was a very
long range flying boat capable of venturing far out to sea in search of
enemy shipping, and submarines. The U.S. Navy contacted aviation pioneer
Glen Curtiss who was at that time working on a small sea-worthy flying
boat for the United States Coast Guard. Curtiss produced two alternative
designs of a long-range flying boat for the Navy, and the smaller three
engine design was selected. The Navy commissioned work on four aircraft
to be designated NC 1 through 4. Incorporating the new Liberty engine,
these aircraft were completed at the close of hostilities. On November
27, 1918 one of these flying boats carried aloft a record-breaking 51
passengers. However, it appeared that the Wars end would slow or lead to
a discontinuance of the Navys long-range patrol aircraft plans.
Commander John Towers proposed that the NCs, or Nancy Boats as they were
often called, be utilized in an attempt at the first transatlantic
flight. Such a trip would
require a long flight to the Azores, with Navy ships stationed along the
route to provide navigational headings. On May 16, 1919 three of the
Navys NC aircraft departed Newfoundland on the first leg of this record
breaking trip. The three aircraft were forced to separate during the
long and dangerous flight. NC1, commanded by Lieutenant Commander
Bellinger became lost, and a decision was made to put the aircraft down.
Although NC1 landed successfully the crew had misjudged sea conditions,
which were too severe to attempt a takeoff. The crew of NC1 was rescued
by a Greek freighter, but the aircraft was lost. The NC3 faced a not too
dissimilar fate. Damaged during a forced landing, the aircraft drifted
for two days before taxing into the harbor at the Azores. The third
aircraft, NC4, was commanded by Albert Putty Read, and was piloted by
Walter Hinton. Although only a Lieutenant Junior Grade, Hinton was an
experienced aviator with significant flying boat experience. NC 4 was
faster than its sister ships, and ran into severe weather near the end
of its flight to the Azores requiring it to fly just above the wave
tops. NC4 reached the Azores after fifteen hours aloft, and was met with
great fanfare. The ship successfully journeyed on to Lisbon Portugal,
completing the first successful crossing of the Atlantic by air. As
pictured in Stan Stokes painting commemorating the 75th anniversary of
this important achievement, NC4 touches down in Lisbon Harbor late in
the day on May 27, 1919 becoming the first aircraft to cross the pond.
NC4 has been restored and is on display at the US Naval Museum in
Pensacola, Florida.
Fateful Voyage by Stan Stokes. Construction
of the dirigible Hindenburg began in 1931 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
The huge dirigible took nearly five years to complete. It was 804-feet
long, and at its widest point was 135-feet in diameter. The Hindenburgs
gas capacity (in 16 gas cells) was more than 7 million cubic feet. Each
cell was coated with a gelatin solution to insure its permeability
against the volatile hydrogen gas. The Hindenburgs frame was made of a
special alloy of aluminum and copper. The Hindenburg was powered by four
huge 16-cylinder diesel engines. Each engine provided 1300-HP of take
off power, and 850-HP for sustained cruising. A navigation room in the
control car contained two gyro compasses, a radio compass, and a
telephone switchboard. The radio room was directly above the control
car. In the bridge located in the control car were the controls for
controlling the engines, releasing ballast or hydrogen, and in adjusting
rudder or elevators. Each passenger had a 78 x 66 inch cabin consisting
of an upper and lower berth, a folding wash basin, and a collapsible
writing table with folding chair. Rooms were for sleeping as passengers
spent most of their time elsewhere on the ship. The lounge was decorated
with a huge mural and was fairly spacious. It included a baby grand
piano. The reading and writing room was a quiet area where passengers
could write letters, and the smoking room was the only area on the ship
that smoking was permitted. Kept under positive air pressure no hydrogen
could enter the smoking lounge. The largest space on the ship was the
dining room with promenade. On May 6, 1936 the Hindenburg departed
Germany with fifty passengers and a crew of fity-five on its maiden
voyage to America. The aircraft reached the Naval Air Station at
Lakehurst, New Jersey approximately 61 hours later. The huge ship was
eased into her hangar, and the passengers disembarked for a short plane
ride to Newark Airport. On its return trip the Hindenburg completed the
journey in less than 49 hours, unprecendented in the days of long
distance sea travel. The Hindenburg made ten round trip crossings in
1936. In 1937 the plans called for the Hindenburg to make 18 Atlantic
crossings. The first of the 1937 trips began on May 3. Thirty-six
passengers and a crew of sixty-one were onboard. Headwinds were very
strong on this voyage and it took three full days to reach the New York
area. It was late in the afternoon and thunderstorms were reported in
the area. The Hindenburg made a courtesy sightseeing tour of Manhattan
and at 7:00PM headed into Lakehurst for landing. At about 200-feet in
altitude a tongue of flame appeared at the stern. It spread rapidly and
within a few short seconds the Hindenburg was a giant fireball, falling
to earth tail first. The catastrophe was covered by film and radio
broadcasts, and to this day is one of the most devastating disasters
ever recorded. Miraculously, there were a fair number of survivors, but
the age of the dirigible was over.
Jimmys Record by Stan Stokes.Following
WW I the United States sharply curtailed its military budget, which
slowed the progress in aviation quite a bit. However, one bright spot
was the series of international race competitions, which lead to
improved aircraft designs, and more powerful and reliable aviation
engines. The greatest catalyst behind the technical improvements to
in-line, water-cooled engines between the wars was the Schneider Trophy
races. The 1925 Schneider Trophy contest was scheduled for Baltimore,
Maryland in October. The United States Army and the Navy agreed to work
together for the 1925 race and commissioned the construction of
three Curtiss R3C-2 racers. The Curtiss racers would utilize the proven
wood and plywood-skin construction with an upgraded engine capable of
generating more than 600-HP.
A new drop-forged, duraluminum Reed propeller was utilized, as
were a slight change in pontoon design. On September 11, 1925 the new
design was rolled out for its maiden test flight. Lt. Jimmy Doolittle of
the Army lost the toss to Navy Lt. Al Williams, so Williams took the new
bird off for its first flight. The site for the Schneider Cup was a 31
mile triangular course laid out over the Chesapeake Bay and an inlet to
Baltimore Harbor. The course would be flown seven times necessitating a
total of twenty-one pylon turns. The site had been built by the
Baltimore Flying Club from scratch. The weather on October 24 turned
awful with 60-MPH gusts. The decision was made to postpone the race
until Monday the 26th. The weather was moderate on the 26th with 2-3
waves on the Bay. By noon the water had calmed, the winds had died down
and the morning haze had burned off. It was perfect for racing. A Naval
Air Pageant proceeded the race, and a TC-5 Navy Airship soared into
position near the start/finish line. At 2:30 PM Lt. Doolittle left the
hangar ramp and taxied to the start line. Giving the Curtiss full
throttle Jimmy took off after a short run, and climbed quickly to about
300 feet. The other contestants followed at five minute intervals. From
the beginning it appeared that Doolittle would be a runaway winner.
Beating the previous record average race speed by a whopping 54-MPH,
Doolittle would complete the course with an average speed of 230-MPH.
The following day Doolittle would set a new world record for sea planes
with 246-MPH over a straight course. The British and Italian teams took
their defeat bitterly. Jimmy Doolittle, who lost only one race that he
entered during his racing career,
would go on to aviation greatness, leading the famous B-25 raid
on Tokyo, and as C.O. of the Eighth Air Force.
Lucky Lindy by Stan Stokes. Charles Augustus Lindbergh is generally acknowledged
to be the most famous American aviator of all time. Lindbergh was one of
a band of flying gypsies who discovered that following WW I there was
little interest by the military in aviation and very few jobs available
in the fledgling commercial aviation field. These pilots, who were
hooked on flying, flew the mail, offered rides at county fairs, and
barnstormed around the country in an attempt to eke out a small living
and cover the cost of flying. In 1919 a wealthy New York hotel owner had
established a prize of $25,000 for the first non-stop flight between New
York and Paris. By the mid-1920s, the technology appeared to be on the
verge of permitting a successful crossing. In 1926 the famous WW I
French fighter ace, Réné Fonck crashed his Sikorsky S-35 while
attempting to takeoff from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, killing two
of his four man crew. In April of 1927 a similar crash killed Noel Davis
and Stanton Wooster. On May 8, another WW I French fighter ace, Charles
Nungesser, and his copilot were killed when their flight from Paris to
New York disappeared over the Atlantic. Each of these tragedies further
aroused public interest in what seemed to be an impossible task. Charles
Lindbergh had lots of experience flying in difficult conditions and at
night from his years as a US Mail pilot. Unlike the others, Lindbergh
believed that he would need to fly alone, and he opted to go with a fuel
efficient single-engine aircraft. Lindbergh was an excellent planner,
and his second choice for a suitable aircraft for his journey was a Ryan
M-1 produced in San Diego. With much of his backing coming from St.
Louis businessmen, Lindbergh named his aircraft the Spirit
of St. Louis. The M-1 needed many modifications including an
enlarged fuel capacity, and was fitted with a 237-HP Wright J-5C engine.
To maintain the aircrafts center of gravity one of the additional fuel
tanks had to be fitted in the cockpit, blocking all visibility through
the windscreen. A small telescope was fitted to provide some forward
visibility. Bad weather delayed Lindberghs planned takeoff from
Roosevelt Field, but on the morning of May 20, 1927 a small break in the
weather allowed Lindbergh to attempt his takeoff. Barely missing power
lines and trees at the end of the muddy airstrip Lindbergh got airborne.
Less than 34 hours later he touched down at Le Bourget Field in Paris.
Throngs of people were present to greet the new hero. Overcoming bad
weather, disorientation, and fatigue, Lucky Lindy had overcome the odds,
and become one of the greatest American heroes of this century. An
interesting historical footnote to Lindberghs journey is the fact that
only two weeks after his flight, two others (Chamberlin and Levine) flew
non-stop from New York to Germany.
Miracle in the Sand Dunes by Stan Stokes.
Orville
and Wilbur Wright were two enterprising Americans from the Midwest who
made a living operating a bicycle shop. They were fascinated with the
possibility of flight and they built their first glider in 1900. They
were inspired by the work of a German, Otto Lilienthal, who had studied
the wing and had built effective gliders that had reached more than 1000
feet in altitude. Following Lilienthals death the torch of aeronautical
progress was passed to an American civil engineer named Octave Chanute.
The French-born Chanute had come to America in 1838, and only became
interested in flight in 1889. In 1894 he published a book entitled Progress
in Flying Machines, which became the reference manual for all
potential future aeronautical pioneers. Another early pioneer was Samuel
P. Langley. He was a professor who became Secretary of the Smithsonian
in 1887. In 1891 he began to experiment in aeronautics, and by 1896 he
had developed a number of large powered flying models that he launched
from a boat on the Potomac River. Langley received $50,000 from the War
Department in 1897 to build a man-carrying aircraft. By October of 1903
Langleys Aerodrome was completed and prepared for a catapult
launching on the Potomac. Despite careful preparations a line snagged
during take off and the craft immediately crashed. Two months later on
December 8, 1903 Langley made a final try with a rebuilt Aerodrome.
This time the aircraft split into two upon launching. The Wright
brothers developed a rudimentary wind tunnel to test their glider
designs. This also helped the Wrights understand how to control an
aircraft during flight, a small detail often overlooked by other early
pioneers – sometimes with fatal consequences. On December 17, 1903 the
Wright Brothers took their latest aircraft powered with a small petrol
engine to the Kill Devil Hills sand dunes at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Winning the coin toss Wilbur won the honors for the first flight. On a
cold and windy December morning the small engine was started and the
aircraft was launched down a short wooden monorail track. The machine
lifted into the air and remained airborne for about 12 seconds. Covering
a mere 120 feet. Three more flights occurred that day, the last lasting
nearly one minute and covering more than 850 feet. History would mark
this as the beginning of the aviation age, as the advent of controlled
powered flight in heavier than air aircraft. By 1908 the Wright Brothers
had received an Army contract for more than $30,000 to build Wright
Flyers. Unfortunately, the Wrights would spend most of their latter
years in legal patent fights with aviation pioneer Glen Curtiss. Curtiss
went on to build a successful aviation company, whereas the Wright
Brothers were relegated to a lesser role.
The Racing Age by Stan Stokes.From 1927 until the outbreak of WW II, America was
captivated by the sport of air racing. Daring young pilots flying the
fastest machines in the world competed for prestige and prize money. In
their all-out quest for speed the designers and builders of these racing
aircraft pushed the envelope of aircraft science, and were responsible
for much of the progress in aviation design during this period. The
Cleveland National Air Races were first held in late 1929 prior to the
Great Stock Market Crash. This ten-day long event drew several 100,000
attendees. One of the features of this show was a fifty-mile, all-out,
free-for-all, staged over a five-mile pylon course. This would prove to
be the first Thompson Trophy Race, and it was won by Doug Davis flying a
TravelAir R monoplane. Davis bested a field of military entrants by a
considerable margin. The success of this initial race caused the
Thompson Products Co. to petition the NAA with a proposal to make the
race a 100-mile event in 1930 with a purse of $10,000, which was an
enormous sum at that time. The 1932 Thompson Trophy Race is considered
one of the classics in the series. Eight aircraft participated in that
race, which was ultimately won by Jimmy Doolittle flying the Gee Bee R-1
racer built by the Granville Brothers in Springfield Massachusetts.
Roscoe Turner, one of the great aviation showmen of the era, flew a
Gilmore Oil Co. sponsored Wedell-Turner racer. Robert Hall flew his
newly designed Hall Bulldog. Jim Wedell participated in his Wedell 44,
as did Jim Haizlip flying a Wedell-92. Other participants included Lee
Gelbach flying the Gee Bee R-2, William Ong flying his new DGA-5 Ike,
and Ray Moore piloting an aluminum Rider R-1. The 1932 Thompson was the
only race in which the infamous Gee Bee Model R participated. This
aircraft was nasty to fly. Lowell Bayles had won the 1931 Thompson race
flying a Gee Bee Z racer. However, Bayles was killed in a flying
accident prior to the 1932 competition, and Bob Hall, who was formerly
the Granville Brothers chief designer, left the organization to strike
out on his own. Not to be left out of the 1932 race, the Granvilles
developed two race aircraft the R-1 and R-2. Although similar in
appearance, the R-2 was set-up for long distance racing whereas the R-1
was built for speed. The Granvilles sold the R-1 to Russell Boardman who
planned to pilot it in the 1932 race. Prior to the race Boardman was
hospitalized. Jimmy Doolittle became available to fly
the R-1 after he crash landed his Laird racer on the eve of the
races. If anyone could tame the difficult-to-fly R-1, Doolittle was
probably the man. When the race began at 5:20 PM Doolittle used half
power to maintain control during takeoff. On the first lap Jimmy took
the lead despite flying wide turns in order to maintain control. On the
second lap the R-1 began to emit a stream of gray-black smoke due to too
high rich a fuel mixture. Doolittle continued to pour it on attempting
to lap the entire field for a little frosting on his victory. The 1932
Thompson would be Doolittles last, and it was the only Thompson in which
the infamous R-1 would compete.
World Cruisers by Stan Stokes.On April 6, 1924 the US Army Air Service began the
first successful aerial circumnavigation of the World by
heavier-than-air aircraft. Planning for this mission began in early
1923. Aware that a failure would bring negative publicity to the
fledgling air service, the Army mustered a lot of resources to make this
event succeed. The most suitable aircraft available for the mission was
a Douglas DT-2, a Navy torpedo bomber. After modifying the aircraft for
the epic journey the aircraft were designated Douglas World Cruisers.
With only one engine, this two seat airplane, might at first appear to
be an unusual selection, but the DT-2s were rugged, had an excellent
reliability record, and could be quickly reconfigured from landing gear
to floats. With the lack of suitable airfields for the trip, the use of
floats would be mandatory for a good portion of the journey. The World
Cruisers were fitted with huge fuel tanks (773 gallons vs the normal
96.) In addition, a modification to the radiator allowed for the size to
be changed depending on the climate encountered during the
circumnavigation. Two different types of propellers were also used, one
with the landing gear configuration and another with the float
configuration. Four aircraft set out on the journey, and were named Chicago,
Boston, New Orleans, and Seattle.
The four aircraft departed from Prince Rupert, Washington in April. They
headed north making several stops in Alaska. The Seattle
was lost during a crash in Alaska, but the crew survived. The three
remaining aircraft followed the Aleutian Island chain, and had to make a
refueling stop at sea off the coast of Siberia. The aircraft then
proceeded southerly to Japan. Heading west to mainland Asia, they then
headed on a southwest course to Hong Kong, Saigon, and Rangoon. Arriving
in Calcutta, India the aircraft were then refitted with their normal
landing gear. Stops at Karachi, Pakistan, Baghdad took place. Once in
Europe the World Cruisers made stops in Paris and London. Refitted with
their floats in Yorkshire, the three planes headed northwest, with
Iceland being the next main landing area. The Boston
was lost during this portion of the journey, but the crew was rescued by
the USS Richmond. The two
surviving aircraft, Chicago
and New Orleans, which were
piloted by Leslie Arnold and John Harding, now headed to Greenland then
on to Canada. Arriving on September 8 in Boston, the two planes were
once again refitted with their normal landing gear. Flying across the
continent in short stages designed to maximize the publicity
opportunities, the two remaining World Cruisers returned to Seattle on
September 28, 1924. Their epic journey lasted 175 days, and covered
almost 27,000 miles. A total of 73 separate flight legs, covering an
average distance of 363 miles were flown. In Stan Stokes tribute to this
epic journey, the World Cruisers land in Alaska in April, 1924 during
the early stages of their journey.
Angels and Knights by Stan Stokes.
In
1946 Navy brass selected Lt. Cdr. Roy Butch Voris, a fighter pilot with
WW II experience, to organize a flight exhibition team. The
twenty-six-year-old Voris wasted no time in forming his team, and
developed an exciting low altitude acrobatic demonstration utilizing the
F6F Hellcat fighter. Recognizing the need for a minimum of distractions,
Voris selected only bachelors for his embryonic flight team. When the
group put on their first demonstration, Voris commanding officer called
them a bunch of crazy S.O.B.s who were going to kill themselves.
Nonetheless, the show was impressive and the Navy moved ahead. Lacking a
name for this new group a contest was held, but no names were submitted
which the pilots all liked. One day Voris #2 - Wick Wickendall - saw an
ad for a night club called the Blue Angel in a magazine. From that day
forward the name Blue Angels was official. The team quickly transitioned
to the faster F8 Bearcat, but when the Korean War began, the group was
temporarily disbanded, and its pilots formed the nucleus of VF-191
Satans Kittens. Following the war Voris was asked again to reactivate
the team, this time utilizing the Panther jet. In 1955 the Angels
transitioned to their first supersonic aircraft the F-8 Cougar. In 1957
they switched to the F-11, and in 1969 they began flying the F-4 Phantom
II. Plagued with maintenance difficulties the group dropped the F-4 in
1974 in favor of the diminutive A-4 Skyhawk. In 1985 the Blue Angels
began utilizing the McDonnel Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, one of the most
capable fighter and attack aircraft in the world. Flying at speeds in
the 400-500 MPH range with only 36 inches of separation during most of
their shows, the pilot are subject to G forces equal to eight times the
weight of gravity. However, the Blue Angels perform without the use of
G-suits. The Blues are made up of an all volunteer group. Pilots
typically have 8-10 years of fighter experience (1500 or more hours),
are carrier qualified, and have had time as instructors. The Blue Angels
follow an intensive training program. They fly six days a week, with
only a 2-3 week break in November of each year. The Blue Angel pilots
and their ground support crew spend about 300 days a year away from
home. The support team, which flies from show to show in a specially
modified C-130 nicknamed Fat
Albert, is of vital importance. A Blue Angels show has never been
canceled due to a maintenance or equipment problem, and no spectators
have ever been injured during a demonstration. In 1992 the Blue Angels
were given the opportunity of visiting the former Soviet Union to become
the first American flight demonstration team to perform over Moscow.
This was a significant event as it truly signified the change taking
place in the former Soviet Union, and the new post Cold War relationship
which was evolving. Lead by Cdr. Greg Wooldridge, the Blue Angels took
Moscow by storm. A series of exchange flights took place with the
Russian pilots having their first exposure to American-built aircraft,
and the Blue Angels having opportunity to fly in SU-27s and Mig-31s, two
of the hottest Russian aircraft.
As depicted in Stan Stokes highly-detailed painting entitled Angels
and Knights, a Blue Angel F/A-18 and a Russian Knight SU-27 make a
low altitude pass over Red Square, in a symbolic gesture signifying the
end of the Cold War
Thirsty Falcons by Stan Stokes. Aerial
refueling revolutionized aerial warfare. The first such documented
refueling took place in June of 1923 when a specially modified DH-4B
piloted by Lts. Virgil Hine and Frank Seifert took off from Rockwell
Field in San Diego and managed to refuel another DH-4 piloted by Capt.
Lowell Smith. The success of this aerial refueling permitted an attempt
at a world record of flight duration. Taking off again from Rockwell
Field Smith kept his aircraft airborne for more than 33 hours. Aerial
refueling remained a novelty until many decades later when the jet age
arrived. Modern jet-powered fighters are awesome machines, but they can
consume enormous amounts of fuel, especially when flying at maximum
speeds or climbing under maximum power. A jet taking off with a full
weapons load that climbs to 60,000 feet under full power may consume
more than half its fuel capacity. Aerial refueling was necessary to make
jet powered fighters and bombers a practical weapon. In the 1950s the
Air Force developed a flying boom method of refueling whereas the Navy
utilized a probe and drogue system. The former required a specially
trained boom operator but can pass fuel very quickly. The Navy system
could handle multiple aircraft at the same time, but required a higher
standard of flying. Both in Vietnam and later during the Gulf War,
aerial refueling proved invaluable to the success of the air campaigns.
In Stan Stokes painting, F-16 Falcons approach their tanker for
refueling. The F-16 Fighting Falcon, designed by Harry Hillaker, first
rolled out of the General Dynamics assembly line in Ft. Worth Texas in
October of 1976. The aircraft was originally built as a technology
demonstration exercise to show how much weight and cost could be
eliminated from the F-15 Strike Eagle. In 1975, at the Paris Air Show,
the F-16 prototype with test pilot Neal Anderson at the controls
competed in the Great Fighter Competition. To the winner; billions of
potential sales to countries like Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and
Norway. The F-16 duked it out against the French-built Mirage F1-E and
the Swedish Saab 37 Viggen. The F-16 was the winner.
Interest in a new lightweight, cost-effective,
fighter-interceptor evolved in the mid-1970s as a replacement for the
aging F-104. The F-16s outward appearance has remained the same for
twenty-five years while remarkable advances in technology have been
incorporated into the aircrafts internals. Improved engines, enhanced
radar and avionics, and superior missiles have kept the F-16 effective.
The F-16 can carry nearly ten tons of armament on its external stores
stations. This range of armament includes air-to-air missiles,
air-to-ground missiles, intelligent and traditional bombs, 6000 round
per minute Vulcan guns, and external fuel tanks.
Boeing E-3A Sentry by Michael Rondot Bearing all the familiar hallmarks of his powerful atmospheric
paintings, this dramatic winte5ry morning take-off portrayal of a Boeing
E3A AWACS aircraft of the NATO Airborne Early Warning Force is set at
Geilenkirchen, an area noted for leaden skies and long cold winters. With
his masterly technique, Michael has combined superb detail and technical
accuracy with an emotionally charged atmosphere that really captures the
essence of "heavy metal" in action. Michael Rondot pays tribute
to the multi-national crews of NATO E3s who have been involved in every
major air battle of the conflict over the former Yugoslavia.
Combat Rescue by Philip West Once downed by enemy fire in North Vietnam, surviving US pilots were
largely dependent on brave Skyraider FAC and HH-53 Super Jolly helicopter
crews to save them. On this occasion the crewman on the ground has just
broken cover and is about to be winched to safety by the Super Jolly
helicopter crew under the protective cover of the Douglas A-1 Skyraiders.