Aviation History 2017-01

rocketdyne f-1: Mighty motor that conquered the moon

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Spitfire vs. Junkers WWII’s highest aerial combat

SUPER SPYPLANE After 60 years of service, Lockheed’s high-flying U-2 still REVEALS SECRETS

Dutch treat: ’Splash-and-go’ in a combat veteran PBY Catalina American ace shoots down a U.S. transport… and earns a medal for it

HistoryNet.com

JANUARY 2017

SIMON SMITH ‘Commemorating the Allied liberation of Europe’

THE SPOILS OF WAR

The men of Easy Company reflect on their recent action after overpowering two companies of battle-hardened German SS troops in Holland, 5 October 1944. The edition is personally signed by Easy Company and 101st Airborne veterans who fought in Holland.

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DEPARTMENTS 5 MAILBAG 6 BRIEFING 12 RESTORED

The 300th PBY Catalina built is the oldest airworthy example extant. By Jon Guttman

view from on high Ice forms around the canopy of a U-2 flying over California in 2016.

features

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20 DRAGON LADY

Lockheed’s venerable U-2 is still providing valuable intelligence 60 years after entering service. By Stephan Wilkinson

30 THE LUFTWAFFE’S HIGH-FLYING DIESEL

Junkers Ju-86s flew with impunity over England and Egypt until the British modified Spitfires for high-altitude interception. By Pete Lehmann

36 THE DREAM OF STEAM

William and George Besler made history in 1933 when they achieved practical steam-powered flight. By John J. Geoghegan

14 EXTREMES

The pilot provided the sole source of power for William Gerhardt’s Cycleplane. By Robert Guttman

16 AVIATORS

How a Phantom pilot ended up in Neil Armstrong’s boots. By Mike Murphy

18 LETTER FROM AVIATION HISTORY 58 REVIEWS 63 FLIGHT TEST 64 AERO ARTIFACT

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42 APOLLO’S STALLIONS

The most powerful engine ever built, Rocketdyne’s F-1 underwent trial-and-error development before it launched astronauts to the moon. By Mark Carlson

52 TRIPLE-AXIS ACE

Victorious over German, Italian and Japanese opponents, U.S. fighter pilot Louis Curdes next downed an American transport. By Don Hollway

ON THE COVER: A Lockheed Martin U-2S of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing flies over the desert near Beale Air Force Base in California. The high-altitude U-2 spyplane, which entered service in 1957, has most recently been used to locate and track ISIS fighters in the deserts of the Middle East. Cover: Lockheed Martin/Kevin Robertson.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: U.S. AIR FORCE; JOHN REDEKER; NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM; NASA

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JANUARY 2017 / VOL. 27, NO. 3

Aviation History

Online

You’ll find much more from Aviation History on the Web’s leading history resource: HistoryNet.com

CARL VON WODTKE EDITOR NAN SIEGEL ASSOCIATE EDITOR PARAAG SHUKLA SENIOR EDITOR JON GUTTMAN RESEARCH DIRECTOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS WALTER J. BOYNE, STEPHAN WILKINSON ARTHUR H. SANFELICI EDITOR EMERITUS

STEPHEN KAMIFUJI CREATIVE DIRECTOR BRIAN WALKER GROUP ART DIRECTOR DIT RUTLAND ART DIRECTOR GUY ACETO PHOTO EDITOR

DRAGON LADY DOWN Mike Hua pulled off a remarkable deadstick landing at night during a training flight in a Lockheed U-2A.

AMERICA’S ACE OF ACES In the course of 500 combat hours in P-38 Lightnings, Dick Bong racked up 40 victories and seven probables.

ACROSS THE HYPERSONIC DIVIDE Bridging the gap between the air and space ages, the North American X-15 tested the limits of speed and altitude for winged aircraft.

ONLINE BONUS

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© 2017 HISTORYNET, LLC

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: 800-435-0715 OR SHOP.HISTORYNET.COM YEARLY SUBSCRIPTIONS IN U.S.: $39.95 Aviation History (ISSN 1076-8858) is published bimonthly by HistoryNet, LLC 1919 Gallows Road, Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182-4038, 703-771-9400 Periodical postage paid at at Tysons, Va., and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER, send address changes to Aviation History, P.O. Box 422224, Palm Coast, FL 32142-2224 List Rental Inquiries: Belkys Reyes, Lake Group Media, Inc. 914-925-2406; [email protected] Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 41342519, Canadian GST No. 821371408RT0001 The contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of HistoryNet, LLC

PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA

LOCKHEED MARTIN

Follow our step-by-step instructions to build this issue’s dual “Modeling” project, the Junkers Ju-86R-2 and modified Supermarine Spitfire Mark IX featured in “The Luftwaffe’s High-Flying Diesel” (P. 30).

mailbag

Ike’s Connie courteous and generous to a fault, and this additional knowledge from your article adds to the respect I have for the memory of this fine officer and gentleman. R. Bruce Robillard Danville, Va.

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n 2008 a friend and I flew down to the Marana, Ariz., airport for breakfast. On leaving we noticed a boneyard with several old four-engine types (DC-6s or -7s), so we taxied over. I took a few photos and would have explored a bit further, but the wasps were more aggressive than I was. At any rate, your September “Restored” article about Columbine II was very interesting. Attached is a photo I took that day. John Lee Sun City, Ariz.

Dennymite Memories

I thoroughly enjoyed Robert Guttman’s fascinating article in the November issue, “Drones: The Hollywood Connection.” In the 1930s as a boy living in Newark, N.J., I was entranced, as were many of my friends, with the whole concept of aviation and model airplanes. As young model builders, we longed for the day when we could replace our rubber band–powered models with the newly emerging gas-powered model engines. The two most reliable engines we yearned for were one of the Brown Junior series or the elegant Class C Dennymite. However, they were completely beyond our reach as they sold for the then-astonishing price of $21.50. I never held a Dennymite, but I looked at them in the glass display case at the model shop and wondered if I would ever own one. As it turned out, I ended up owning and flying more than a dozen different engines, but not the

Dennymite, a fact I still fret a bit over. Even today they are virtually unavailable on the collectors’ market. Your article filled in some longmissing gaps in the treasure of my memory bank. Gordon H. Millar Port Orange, Fla.

Toko-Ri Flight Leader

Upon reading your September issue [“The Real ‘Bridges at Toko-Ri’”], I was amazed to learn about the role my friend, the late Cmdr. Bob Schreiber, played in this battle. I knew he had flown in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, but like most heroes of his generation he never spoke about the specifics of his service. Upon his retirement from the Navy, he indulged his love of the sea, and many times single-handed his 42-foot sloop all along the West Coast from the Sea of Cortez to the Inside Passage. In his 80s he enrolled in the National Maritime Academy and earned an unrestricted Master’s ticket—any vessel, any ocean. He was always

Goose Down

The article on Addison Pemberton’s Grumman Goose [“Briefing,” November] and mention of Charles Blair’s Antilles Air Boats prompted me to send the attached Grumman Goose image [above]. The aircraft pictured is a former U.S. Coast Guard JRF-5G. It was U.S. Navy BuNo 84816 prior to transfer to the Coast Guard. My photograph was taken at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, on February 28, 1971. At the time the aircraft was registered as N7777V. Sadly, on September 2, 1978, Charles Blair lost his life while piloting N7777V due to a loss of power in the left engine and subsequent ditching.

The picture of “Sully” and instructor standing in front of the Aeronca 7DC in 1968 reminded me of a picture of me in front of the same airplane in 1943. The story speaks for itself—it couldn’t be better. The Major Herrick story [“A P-38 Pilot Remembered”] brought back fresh memories of my P-38 experience in the Philippines in 1945. Your November issue was a winner for me, as I’m sure it was for many others. Thank you. Keep the best flying magazine “flying.” Robert L. Wieman St. Paul, Minn.

Minutes, Not Seconds

Enjoyed (as usual) your September 2016 issue. Lots of interesting articles—most on older stuff that appeals to me since I am an older U.S. Air Force retiree. Your article on the F7U [“Vought’s Visionary Fighter”] was a little confusing, however, when it stated on page 43, “despite its twin engines, the Cutlass possessed too little thrust,” yet on page 40 the specs indicate that it was capable of climbing at a phenomenal 865,200 feet per minute (14,420 feet per second)! Sounds pretty powerful to me.

Joseph G. Handelman Annapolis, Md.

Keep it Flying

The November issue was a masterpiece of aviation history—exactly what you’re all about. The interview with Chesley Sullenberger [“Sully Speaks Out”] was of great interest to me because we were in the same business (me about 30 years earlier).

Jack Wolfe Cabot, Ark.

Yes, that is mighty powerful. We meant 14,420 feet per minute, of course, and are chagrined to have made the same error in the specs for the Horten Ho IX in the November issue. Thanks to all who brought the errors to our attention; we won’t make that mistake again.

SEND LETTERS TO

Aviation History Editor, HistoryNet 1919 Gallows Road, Suite 400, Vienna, VA 22182-4038 703-771-9400 OR EMAIL TO [email protected]

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briefing

Award-Winning MiG

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low pass Jon Blanchette’s MiG-17PF flashes past the crowd during the Community Days airshow at Lancaster Airport in Pennsylvania.

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hen Jon Blanchette tired of restoring cars, he turned to airplanes. A retired General Motors mechanical engineer, he had already restored a number of automobiles—“whatever came along,” he says—including the famous EX-122 1956 V8 Corvette prototype, which _I[\PM^MZaÅZ[\¼>M\\MIJTM to do a burnout. So when Blanchette turned to aviation, he started at the top: a Polish license-built MiG-17PF

radar-equipped interceptor. The aircraft broker in Poland who found the jet for Blanchette in a scrapyard said the airplane “would need a little work” before it was ÆaIJTMJ]\\PI\_I[IUIRWZ understatement. (Admittedly, Blanchette paid only $16,000 for the basket case.) “They disassembled it for shipping on one of the coldest days of the year, and the guys KW]TLV¼\LW\PMRWJNI[\ enough,” reports Blanchette. “They did enough damage in an hour that it took me years

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OPPOSITE: JOE OSCIAK; ABOVE RIGHT: U.S. AIR FORCE; TOP FAR RIGHT: BOEING; BOTTOM FAR RIGHT: RAYTHEON

of two ex–Polish air force technicians who came in for a week at a time to handle the PIZLKWZM[\]‫]*ٺ‬bbV]UJMZ 620 is actually one of four 5Q/[\PI\*TIVKPM\\MPI[ owned—a MiG-15UTI twoseater, two radar-equipped 8.[IVLI
next-gen trainer Above: Boeing hopes its new T-X trainer will replace the T-38 Talon. Below right: Raytheon’s T-100 is also vying for the contract.

Boeing Unveils T-X Trainer

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n September 14, Boeing unveiled the first two demonstration prototypes of its contender to replace the U.S. Air Force’s aging jet trainer— designed and built in St. Louis in collaboration with Saab. Flight testing will proceed in St. Louis for the remainder of the year toward an $11 billion contract for 300 aircraft. Powered by a GE 404 engine and featuring twin vertical stabilizers and a software system that is integrated with ground training equipment, the Boeing T-X will compete with the Raytheon/Leonardo T-100, the Lockheed Martin T-50 and a design yet to be announced by Northrop Grumman. The airplane they are meant to replace, the Northrop T-38 Talon, entered service in 1961 and is one of the few supersonic training aircraft in the world. By the time production ceased in 1972, 1,187 had been built and they have served as advanced trainers for more than 50,000 USAF pilots—and counting. Portuguese, Taiwanese and South Korean pilots trained on them until the 1990s, and German and Turkish pilots still do.

Jon Guttman

Air Quotes

“I WAS A PILOT FLYING AN AIRPLANE, AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED THAT WHERE I WAS FLYING MADE WHAT I WAS DOING SPYING.” –U-2 PILOT FRANCIS GARY POWERS

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BRIEFING By the Numbers

RECORD-BREAKING SPACEFLIGHTS

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Jerry L. Ross and Franklin Chang-Diaz

879

437.7

days over 5 missions Gennady Padalka

days Valeri Polyakov Mir, January 9, 1994, to March 22, 1995

LONGEST TIME ON LUNAR SURFACE

days, 16 hours Samantha Cristoforetti International Space Station, 2014-2015

days, 23 hours Valery Bykovsky Vostok 5, June 14-19, 1963

hours, 59 minutes, 40 seconds Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt Apollo 17, after landing on December 11, 1972

FASTEST HUMAN FLIGHT

OLDEST PERSON IN SPACE

MOST SPACEWALKS

24,790

77

199

mph Eugene Cernan, John Young and Thomas Stafford Apollo 10, on May 26, 1969

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LONGEST SPACEFLIGHT

LONGEST SOLO SPACEFLIGHT

LONGEST SINGLE FLIGHT BY A WOMAN

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MOST TIME IN SPACE

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John Glenn STS-95, on October 29, 1998

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totaling 77 hours, 41 minutes Anatoly Solovyev

Milestones

RED BARON’S REDLETTER DAY

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ne hundred years ago, on January 12, 1917, Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen of 2IOL[\I‫ٺ‬MT 2 was awarded the Orden 8W]ZTM5uZQ\M—the “Blue Max”—for having shot down 16 Allied aircraft since September 1916. Four days later, the late Oswald Boelcke’s star pupil received orders to replace Rudolf Lang as commander of Jasta 11, which had not scored a single victory since its inception on October 11. After Richthofen took charge, however, the squadron’s fortunes would take an abrupt turn. Its pilots went on to score a German record WN KWVÅZUML^QK\Wries by November 1918— 64 of them racked up by the “Red Baron” himself.

ALL SPACEFLIGHT PHOTOS: NASA, EXCEPT VALERY BYKOVSKY: BUNDESARCHIV BILD 183-T0905-107, PHOTO KLAUS FRANKE; ABOVE: COURTESY OF JON GUTTMAN

MOST FLIGHTS IN SPACE

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BRIEFING airship revival Lockheed’s P-791 makes its maiden flight in 2006 (left), and Hybrid Air Vehicles’ Airlander 10 makes a hard landing in 2016 (below).

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\ISMW‫ٺ‬TIVLQVOWZUIVM] ^MZQVO#IVLIVIQZK][PQWV TIVLQVO[a[\MU7ZQOQVITTa LM[QOVMLNWZ\PM=;)ZUa as a Long Endurance 5]T\Q1V\MTTQOMVKM>MPQKTM \PM8!LMUWV[\ZI\WZ UILMQ\[ÅZ[\ÆQOP\I\\PM Palmdale, Calif., plant on 2IV]IZa)N\MZ\PM )ZUaKIVKMTML\PM4-5> XZWRMK\PW_M^MZQ\_I[ UWLQÅMLI[IKQ^QTKIZOW KIZZQMZKIXIJTMWN \W\QVOI \_WUIVKZM_IVLMQ\PMZ XI[[MVOMZ[WZ\WV[WN  cargo to remote locations IVLZMUIQVQVOIQZJWZVM

NWZI\TMI[\Å^MLIa[)\\PM 8IZQ[)QZ;PW_QV2]VM Lockheed announced that \PM450PILXI[[MLITT .))KMZ\QÅKI\QWVZMY]QZM ments and its marketer, 0aJZQL-V\MZXZQ[M[_I[ accepting orders. This past March, Straightline Aviation signed a letter of intent for

Future american Bomber’s Name Honors Past

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new long-range bomber—currently in the engineering and manufacturing development stage to reequip a U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command whose most current equipment is 27 years old—has been given a name inspired by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle’s April 1942 carrier-launched B-25 Mitchell raid on Japan. On September 19, 2016, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James announced that the new bomber will be designated the B-21 Raider and mentioned three people who submitted the “winning” name: Lt. Col. Jaime I. Hernandez, Tech Sgt. Derek D. White and retired Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, Doolittle’s former copilot and at age 100 the sole living participant in the Tokyo Raid.

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b-2 replacement Northrop Grumman’s B-21 heavy bomber, currently under development, has been named the Raider.

LEFT: U.S. AIR FORCE; TOP: LCOKHEED MARTIN; BOTTOM; ©PA IMAGES/ALAMY

Airships Duel For Potential Market

IQZ[PQX[NWZI\W\ITWN    UQTTQWV1V;MX\MUJMZXTIV[ _MZMIVVW]VKML\WWXMZI\M \PMÅZ[\450W^MZ)TI[SI 5MIV_PQTM\PM_QVVMZWN  \PM4-5>KWUXM\Q\QWV\PM 0)>LM^MTWXMLJa0aJZQL )QZ>MPQKTM[4\LI\+IZL lington, England, has also reemerged in civilian guise as \PM0)>)QZTIVLMZ ,Q‫ٺ‬MZQVONZWUQ\[)UMZQKIV ZQ^ITQVPI^QVO\_WP]TT[ QV[\MILWN \PZMM¸OQ^QVO its rear an appearance that has earned it several nick VIUM[QVKT]LQVO\PM¹.TaQVO *]Uº¸\PM)QZTIVLMZ KWUXTM\MLQ\[ÅZ[\\M[\ÆQOP\ IZW]VL+IZLTQVO\WV)QZÅMTL WV)]O][\)\ feet long, the Airlander is \PMTIZOM[\IQZKZIN\ÆaQVO \WLIa,]ZQVOQ\[[MKWVL ÆQOP\\PMIQZ[PQXOIZVMZML ]V_IV\MLI\\MV\QWVQV\PM XZM[[IN\MZIVIOWVQbQVOTa [TW_UW\QWVPIZLTIVLQVO north of London. While neither of these aerial rivals approaches the size of the zeppelin Hindenburg, one, \PMW\PMZWZJW\PUIaR][\ revive the airship concept NWZIVM_OMVMZI\QWV Jon Guttman

How to Be Cut Off From Civilization When it’s you against nature, there’s only one tool you need: the stainless steel River Canyon Bowie Knife—now ONLY $49!

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ou are a man of the wilderness. The only plan you have is to walk up that mountain until you feel like stopping. You tell your friends that it’s nothing personal, but this weekend belongs to you. You’ve come prepared with your River Canyon Bowie Knife sheathed at your side. This hand-forged, unique knife comes shaving sharp with a perfectly fitted hand-tooled sheath. The broad stainless steel blade shines in harmony with the stunning striped horn, wood and bone handle. When you feel the heft of the knife in your hand, you know that you’re ready for whatever nature throws at you. This knife boasts a full tang blade, meaning the blade doesn’t stop at the handle, it runs the full length of the knife. According to Gear Patrol, a full tang blade is key, saying “A full tang lends structural strength to the knife, allowing for better leverage ...think one long steel beam versus two.” With our limited edition River Canyon Bowie Knife you’re getting the best in 21stcentury construction with a classic look inspired by legendary American pioneers. What you won’t get is the trumped up price tag. We know a thing or two about the hunt–– like how to seek out and capture an BONUS! Call today and you’ll outstanding, collector’s-quality knife that also receive this genuine leather sheath! won’t cut into your bank account. This quintessential American knife can be yours to use out in What customers are saying the field or to display as the art piece it truly is. But don’t wait. about Stauer knives... A knife of this caliber typically cost hundreds. Priced at an  amazing $49, we can’t guarantee this knife will stick around for “First off, the shipping was fast long. So call today! and the quality is beyond what Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Feel the knife in your I paid for the knife. Overall I hands, wear it on your hip, inspect the craftsmanship. If you don’t feel like we cut you a fair deal, send it back within 60 days am a satisfied customer!” for a complete refund of the sale price. But we believe that once — D., Houston, Texas you wrap your fingers around the River Canyon’s handle, you’ll be ready to carve your own niche into the wild frontier.

River Canyon Bowie Knife

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• Full tang 4 ¼" stainless steel blade, 9" overall length • Genuine horn, wood and bone handle • Polished brass guard and spacers • Includes leather sheath

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restored

Dutch Cat’s Nine Lives

THE OLDEST CONSOLIDATED PBY-5A CATALINA CELEBRATES ITS 75TH BIRTHDAY IN AIR AND ON WATER BY JON GUTTMAN

F

lying boats are a relative rarity today compared to their heyday, the 1920s through ’40s, when passengers traveled the world aboard Boeing Clippers, and Short Sunderlands hunted U-boats in the Bay of Biscay. Arguably the most iconic was the versatile and reliable Consolidated CataTQVIWN _PQKPIXXZW`QUI\MTa_MZMJ]QT\QVJW\PÆaQVO JWI\IVLIUXPQJQW][KWVÅO]ZI\QWV[JM\_MMV2]VM!IVL May 1945. On the 75th anniversary of its debut, the oldest surviving PBY recently resumed passenger service with the Stichting Exploitatie (Foundation Operating) Catalina PH-PBY, after six months of overhaul and winter maintenance. For ÆQOP\[NZWU4MTa[\IL)QZXWZ\QV\PM6M\PMZTIVL[XI[[MVgers pay 180 Euros for a 30-minute trip that includes a ¹[XTI[PIVLOWºWV\PM1R[[MTUMMZIZ\QÅKQITTISMQV_PQKP\PM IUXPQJQIVITUW[\ITQOP\[[SQX[ITWVOWVQ\[P]TT[\MXIVL\PMV TQN\[W‫ٺ‬IOIQV)T[WW‫ٺ‬MZML\PQ[aMIZQ[I[XMKQITÆQOP\NWZ Euros that includes a full-stop landing, after which passengers M`Q\\PZW]OPI[QLMJTQ[\MZIVLIZMXQKSML]XJaUW\WZJWI\

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It is undoubtedly a novel M`XMZQMVKM\WÆaIJWIZL a 75-year-old amphibian, but even as Catalinas go, this one has a unique history. Emerging from the NIK\WZaWV6W^MUJMZ !8*A)*]ZMI]6W 41-2459 was the 300th Catalina built, and it’s the oldest fully airworthy example still in existence. )[[QOVML\W=;6I^aXI\ZWT [Y]ILZWV>8IVLÅZ[\ JMIZQVO\PMQLMV\QÅKI\QWV code 73-P-9, the Cat was WXMZI\QVONZWU:MaSRI^QS on August 20, 1942, with 4\RO:WJMZ\*0WXOWWL

joy ride Top: PBY-5A No. 41-2459 skims the Ijsselmeer during a “splash-and-go” flight. Above: Passengers board the historic amphibian at Lelystad Airport.

in the pilot’s seat when it I\\IKSMLU-464, a Type XIV “Milchkuheº¹UQTSKW_ºI[ the Germans called their 10 specialized supply submarines), southeast of Iceland, SQTTQVO\_WUMVIVLZMVLMZing it unable to submerge.
PHOTOS: JOHN REDEKER

sub, after which he was subsequently taken prisoner with the surviving 51 crewmen. They were more fortunate than the 46 men aboard U-582—caught southwest of Iceland by 2459 on October 5, it went to the bottom with all hands. Around that time VP-84 arrived to relieve VP-73 at Reykjavik, but 2459 transferred to the new unit as 84-P-7. On April 28, 1943, the Catalina seriously damaged U-528, which was subsequently sunk on May 11 by a Handley Page Halifax in collaboration with the Royal Navy sloop HMS Fleetwood. On June 24, 1943, Lieutenant Joseph W. Beach, piloting 2459, located U-194 and used a homing torpedo to sink the sub with all 54 hands. U-194, which had just tested the latest Balkon (“balcony”) sonar gear, was WVTaLIa[QV\WQ\[ÅZ[\ combat cruise when it fell prey to Beach’s Cat. On September 1, 1943, 2459 was relived of patrol duties, spending the rest of the war as a transport until it was struck from the Navy rolls on October 31, 1945. By then its combat record made it the war’s single most successful sub-killing PBY. That was far from the end of the story, of course. Rio Ten Airways operated the Catalina as a civilian airliner until 1953, when it was sold to Canada and registered in Field Aviation as CF-HHR. In 1963 it UILMQ\[ÅTULMJ]\IXXMIZing in the movie version of Flipper. Converted to a water bomber in 1972, it fought ÅZM[QV+IVILIIVL;W]\P America for Avalon Aviation until 1988, when it was retired and stored at Parry Sound, Ontario. In 1995, however, the veteran Cat got yet another lease on life. Bought by a pri-

by the time it was struck from the navy rolls, this pby’s combat record made it the war’s most successful sub-killing catalina. vate group of Dutch investors, it was overhauled and ZMKWVÅO]ZMLI[IXI[[MVOMZ \ZIV[XWZ\ZMÅVQ[PMLQVXZM 1942 Royal Netherlands Navy markings and transferred to the Netherlands in April of that year. On February 6, 1997, it was registered as PH-PBY, and in 2004 was given 1950s Dutch markings (code Y-74). As such it was operated by

Stichting Catair until the company folded. It was then that the Dutch Neptune Association stepped in to preserve the Cat as a living historic monument. Taken to Naval Air Station Valkenburg for full restoration, it was assigned the code 16-218 and christened Karel Doorman by the late rear admiral’s widow. Among the problems that surfaced during that fouryear process was a heavy oil leak in one of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines. The troublesome radial was ultimately replaced by a spare found in Canada. Arrangements also had to be made for a permanent home for the amphibian, resolved when work was completed on a new hangar at Lelystad in October 2010. The Cat now shares that space with DDA Classic Airlines and its two Douglas DC-3s. On April 3, 2013, the

Dutch Catalina foundation was authorized to ZM[]UMKWUUMZKQITÆQOP\[ in PH-PBY, and the old amphib was soon carrying sightseers on daytrips, lunch ÆQOP\[IVLUQV]\M[XTI[P and-go hops in, around and over the Ijsselmeer. A recent overhaul in the winter of 2015-16 has breathed new life into an old water bird that shows no sign of quitting. Looking far less martial with its front machine gun turret removed, PH-PBY represents a wealth of civil aviation history in itself. One can only speculate how many of the passengers who PMTXÅVIVKMQ\[KWV\QV]ML ÆaQVOKIZMMZN]TTaOZI[XR][\ how much history has been witnessed from the side blisters in this PBY-5A’s truly remarkable lifetime. For more information, including LM\IQT[WVJWWSQVOIÆQOP\ check out catalina-pby.nl. 

looking forward The Catalina’s side blister provides a panoramic view of the Dutch countryside.

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extremes

disaster ahead William F. Gerhardt’s Cycleplane taxis toward celluloid immortality.

Dreams of HumanPowered Flight THE EXPERIMENTAL GERHARDT CYCLEPLANE MADE HISTORY IN 1923, BUT TODAY IS BEST REMEMBERED AS AN ICONIC AVIATION FAILURE BY ROBERT GUTTMAN

M

W[\M^MZaWVMPI[[MMV\PMÅTUKTQXWN IU]T\Q_QVOML IQZXTIVM\Z]VLTQVO\W_IZL\PMKIUMZI_Q\PIKW]XTM WN UMV[]XXWZ\QVOQ\[ÆQU[aTWWSQVO_QVO[]V\QT\PM \W_MZQVOKWV\ZIX\QWV[]LLMVTaKWTTIX[M[QVIPMIX
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\PMPMILWN \PM)MZWVI]\QKIT ,MXIZ\UMV\I\\PM=VQ^MZ[Q\a WN 5QKPQOIV?QTTQIU.ZML MZQKS/MZPIZL\J]QT\IVLÆM_ PQ[+aKTMXTIVMI[PMKITTMLQ\ QV!I\5K+WWS.QMTLQV ,Ia\WV7PQW\PMV\PMPWUM WN \PM=;)ZUa)QZ;MZ^QKM -VOQVMMZQVO,Q^Q[QWV¼[I^QI \QWVM`XMZQUMV\I\QWVIVL ÆQOP\\M[\QVO[\I\QWV -^MVIN\MZXW_MZMLKWV \ZWTTMLÆQOP\JMKIUMIZMITQ\a MIZTaQV\PM\PKMV\]ZaI NM_IQZKZIN\LM[QOVMZ[[\QTT [W]OP\\WMU]TI\MJQZL[Ja IKPQM^QVOP]UIVXW_MZML ÆQOP\*]\KWUXIZML_Q\P W\PMZNWZU[WN XZWX]T[QWV LM^MTWXQVOIÆaQVOUIKPQVM XW_MZML[WTMTaJaQ\[XQTW\ XZM[MV\[ILI]V\QVOKPIT TMVOM
M`\ZMUMTaTQOP\_MQOP\J]\ PI^M_QVO[\PI\LM^MTWXI OZMI\LMITWN TQN\ :ML]KQVO[\Z]K\]ZIT _MQOP\QV^IZQIJTaZM[]T\[QV IQZXTIVM[\PI\IZMZMTI\Q^MTa ÆQU[a
PHOTOS: HISTORYNET ARCHIVE

edly became airborne under its pilot’s power, albeit for a distance of only about 20 feet at an altitude of 2 feet—a modest accomplishment, to [Ia\PMTMI[\J]\[]‫ٻ‬KQMV\ for its creators to claim the distinction of building the ÅZ[\P]UIVXW_MZMLIQZKZIN\ \WÆa The Cycleplane was the subject of an article in the October 1923 issue of Popular Science Monthly, accompanied by a photograph purport MLTa[PW_QVOQ\IQZJWZVM1\ was also referenced in the February 21, 1924, issue of Flight magazine in an article Ja5I\PM_*;MTTMZ[¹
arrangement of its seven VIZZW_KPWZL_QVO[_I[ based on a design previously patented by Gerhardt and 1[IIK54ILLWVNWZITIZOMZ XW_MZMLU]T\QXTIVM
TMOIKaWN /MZPIZL\¼[+aKTM plane has been that one sad JQ\WN ÅTU\PI\PI[IU][ML I]LQMVKM[NWZOMVMZI\QWV[1V retrospect, perhaps his inven tion should be remembered _Q\PUWZMZM[XMK\)N\MZITTQ\ can be seen as a precursor to UWZM[]KKM[[N]TM‫ٺ‬WZ\[ [XMKQÅKITTa\PW[MIKPQM^MLJa ;W]\PIUX\WV=VQ^MZ[Q\aIVL \PM0I\ÅMTL5IV8W_MZML Aircraft Club in Britain in the early 1960s, as well as by Paul MacCready’s AeroVironment QV\PM=VQ\ML;\I\M[L]ZQVO \PM![7V6W^MUJMZ! !I\4I[PIU)QZÅMTLQV Britain, Derek Piggott made \PMÅZ[\W‫ٻ‬KQITTaZMKWOVQbML \ISMW‫ٺ‬IVLTIVLQVOWN I P]UIVXW_MZMLIQZKZIN\0Q[ TWVOM[\ÆQOP\QV;W]\PIUX\WV =VQ^MZ[Q\a¼[5IV8W_MZML Aircraft stretched 650 meters, more than 100 times the dis tance of the Cycleplane’s

keeping it light With paper-covered wooden wings stacked 19 feet high, the Cycleplane was an accident waiting to happen (below).

ITTMOML!PWX*]\Q\ _W]TLZMUIQVNWZ5IK Cready’s Gossamer Condor to truly demonstrate con \ZWTTMLP]UIVXW_MZML ÆQOP\WV)]O][\!Ja KWUXTM\QVOIÅO]ZMMQOP\ KW]Z[MW^MZILQ[\IVKMWN  UQTM[
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aviators phantom fliers Mike Murphy (right) poses with pilot W. Drex Bradshaw aboard USS Kitty Hawk. Below: Neil Armstrong dons a pressure suit and boots—though not the ones Murphy inherited.

Neil Armstrong’s Boots

A FORMER PHANTOM CREWMAN REMEMBERS THE PRICELESS ARTIFACT HE INHERITED AS A NAVAL OFFICER, AND LAMENTS LOST TREASURES BY MIKE MURPHY

T

he other night a trailer for the new Batman v Superman movie sparked memories of my long-lost collection of KWUQKJWWS[QVKT]LQVOI;]XMZUIVÅZ[\Q[[]MNZWU 1938, and piqued my curiosity about what they might be worth today. A quick search online revealed that a ÅZ[\Q[[]MZMKMV\Ta[WTLNWZ UQTTQWV1JZ][PMLI[QLMI \MIZI[1ZMKITTML\PMNI\MWN UaKWTTMK\QWVIVL_I[ZMUQVLML WN IVW\PMZOZMI\\ZMI[]ZM1IKY]QZMLL]ZQVOUa=;6I^a days—also long since gone. )[IaW]VO[\MZQV\PMMIZTa![1IK\Q^MTa\ZILMLIVL KWTTMK\MLKWUQKJWWS[IVL\PI\¼[PW_1MVLML]X_Q\PI ;]XMZUIVÅZ[\Q[[]M*a\PM\QUM1W]\OZM_\ZILQVOKWUQK[

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1PILI[\IKSIJW]\INWW\ high sitting in my closet. There they sat, all through high school and college, J]OOQVOUaUWU?PMV1 TMN\NWZ\PM6I^a[PMUIZKPML that horrible eyesore out to \PM\ZI[P1SVW_\PMZM_I[ IJ[WT]\MTaVWUITQKMJ]\1 also know it made her day. 1V\PM![1[MZ^MLI[I ZILIZQV\MZKMX\W‫ٻ‬KMZÆaQVO

McDonnell F-4 Phantom 11[[\I\QWVMLI\5QZIUIZ 6I^IT)QZ;\I\QWVVMIZ;IV Diego. Three months before 1_I[L]M\WTMI^M\PM6I^a 1NMTTQV\WIV]V][]ITUQ[sion. My pilot that day was IT[WINZQMVL2WM2MZPW‫¸ٺ‬I minor celebrity in our circle JMKI][MPMPILJMMV\PMÅZ[\ and youngest naval aviator [MTMK\ML\WÆa\PM8PIV\WU

OPPOSITE: (TOP) COURTESY OF CDR. W. DREX BRADSHAW (U.S. NAVY, RET.), (BOTTOM) NASA; RIGHT: COURTESY OF MIKE MURPHY

2MZPW‫ٺ‬PIL\_WVQKSVIUM[" ¹2M\2WMºNWZPQ[ÆaQVO[SQTT[ IVL¹5W\WZ5W]\PºNWZPQ[ KWV[\IV\KPI\\MZ ?MPILR][\ZM\]ZVMLNZWU IUWV\P8IKQÅKKZ]Q[MWV =;;Kitty HawkPI^QVO[XMV\ NW]ZUWV\P[QV\PM;W]\P +PQVI;MIW‫>ٺ‬QM\VIUIVL _MJW\P\PW]OP\_M_MZM XZM\\a[IT\a1V\Z]\P_M_MZM R][\IKW]XTMWN SQL[¸1_I[ 2WM¸_PMV\PM6I^a [MV\][W‫ٺ‬QVI UQTTQWV [\I\MWN\PMIZ\RM\\PMXZM UQMZÅOP\MZQV\PM_WZTL 7]ZUQ[[QWV_I[XZM\\a [\ZIQOP\NWZ_IZL?M_MZM\W TI]VKPNZWU5QZIUIZIVLÆa W]\W^MZ\PM8IKQÅKQVWZLMZ \WKITQJZI\M\PMTIVLZILIZ *]\\PMZM_MZMIKW]XTMWN  KI\KPM[.QZ[\_M_W]TL\ISM W‫ٺ‬I\IU\WMV[]ZM\PM UQVQU]UV]UJMZWN IQZ KZIN\_MZMQV\PMIZMIL]ZQVO W]ZÆQOP\;MKWVL[QVKM\PM UQ[[QWVXZWÅTMKITTMLNWZ IT\Q\]LM[W^MZNMM\ _MPIL\W_MIZN]TTXZM[[]ZM []Q\[
Even though the boots I wore that day were two sizes too large for me, I loved them because they had Armstrong’s name in gold lettering. XW]ZML][QV\W\PMIQZKZIN\ 4]KSQTa_MIT_Ia[ÆM_ JZMI\PQVOXMZKMV\W`a OMV[W_M[WJMZML]XQVI ZMITP]ZZa 7VKM_M_MZMZMILa\WÆa 2WM_I[ITTJ][QVM[[)JW]\ PITN_IaLW_V\PMZ]V_Ia PMPQ\N]TTIN\MZJ]ZVMZIVL \PW[M\_QV/-2!MVOQVM[ _W]VLZQOP\]X\W\PMQZ UI`QU]UXW]VL[WN  \PZ][\MIKP
VIVKM¸XT][_MPILTM[[\PIV IN]TTTWILWN N]MT[W_MTMN\ \PMMIZ\PTQSMI
)ZU[\ZWVO¼[VIUMQVOWTL TM\\MZQVO1KIZZQML\PMU\W 6M_AWZS_PMZM1I\\MVLML OZIL]I\M[KPWWTIVLTI\MZ JIKS\W+ITQNWZVQI
waterlogged logbook Murphy’s logbook includes an entry for his high-altitude flight with pilot Joe Jerhoff.

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Propulsive Force BY CARL VON WODTKE

O fired up Top: An F-1 rocket engine’s gas generator is tested after decades in storage. Above: Members of the team that brought it back to life shake hands in front of the gas generator at Marshall Space Flight Center.

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ne horsepower versus 32 million horseXW_MZZWKSM\¼[.ÅZ[\[\IOM MVOQVM1V\PQ[Q[[]M_MKW^MZJW\PMVL[WN  \PI\[XMK\Z]UIVL[M^MZIT_IaXWQV\[QVJM\_MMV 1VQ\[[QUXTM[\NWZUI[[MMVQVIZWKSM\WZUQ[[QTM PMI^QMZ\PIVIQZÆQOP\ZMY]QZM[\PZ][\¸IXZWX]T[Q^MNWZKM[]‫ٻ‬KQMV\\WTQN\\PM_MQOP\WN \PM^MPQKTM JaW^MZKWUQVOOZI^Q\aIVLI\UW[XPMZQKLZIO1V IVIQZXTIVMTQN\_WZS[\WW^MZKWUM_MQOP\_PQTM \PZ][\_WZS[IOIQV[\LZIO
RM\[XZM^IQTMLJa[]XXTaQVO\PM\PZ][\IVLXW_MZ \W_MQOP\ZI\QWVMKM[[IZaNWZM^MZaLIaÆQOP\ ?PQKPJZQVO[][\W\PMUQOP\a:WKSM\LaVM. \PMUW[\XW_MZN]T[QVOTMKPIUJMZZWKSM\MVOQVM M^MZ\WÆaXZWL]KQVOIKWUJQVMLUQTTQWVXW]VL[WN \PZ][\NWZûUQV]\M[¸MVW]OP\W TQN\\PM\WV^MPQKTMUQTM[IJW^M\PMMIZ\P¼[ []ZNIKM_PMZM\PM[MKWVL[\IOM\WWSW^MZ)[5IZS +IZT[WV_ZQ\M[QV¹)XWTTW¼[;\ITTQWV[º8\PM [\WZaWN Q\[LM^MTWXUMV\¹Q[I[IOI_WZ\PaWN \PM ?ZQOP\JZW\PMZ[WZ+PIZTM[4QVLJMZOPJ]\WVI NIZOZIVLMZ[KITMºAM[Q\TQ\MZITTaQV^WT^M[ZWKSM\ [KQMVKM¸VW\\PM][]ITAviation HistoryNIZM¸J]\ +IZT[WVPI[[]KKMMLMLQVUISQVO\PQ[\MKPVQKIT []JRMK\IKKM[[QJTM\WM^MV\PMUW[\\MKPVWTWOa I^MZ[M1\¼[INI[KQVI\QVO[IOIWN \ZQITIVLMZZWZ M`XMZQUMV\I\QWVQVIXZMLQOQ\ITIOM\PI\_QTTJM WN [XMKQITQV\MZM[\\WIVaWVM_PWNWTTW_ML6);)¼[ )XWTTWMZIIKPQM^MUMV\[ )T\PW]OPLM^MTWXMLUWZM\PIVaMIZ[IOW \PM . ZMUIQV[ I UIZ^MT WN  MVOQVMMZQVO¸[W U]KP[W\PI\Q\PI[ZMKMV\TaJMMV[\]LQMLJaIVM_ OMVMZI\QWVWN MVOQVMMZ[_WZSQVO\WLM[QOVZWKSM\ MVOQVM[\WXW_MZ)UMZQKI¼[N]\]ZM;XIKM4I]VKP ;a[\MU
PHOTOS: NASA

LETTER FROM AVIATION HISTORY

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ong ago, we made a vow: We would not produce a five-opal anniversary ring until two very specific conditions were met. First, the opals had to be of superior quality, with the joyous iridescence to delight all who saw the precious stone’s colors dance in the light. Second, the price had to be right, so that we could provide the value Stauer clients expect from us. So when The New York Times style section called Ethiopian opal the “undisputed winner” of the 2014 Gem Show, we decided to pounce. The result is the astoundingly beautiful Five-Star Opal Anniversary Ring. All five of these exotic beauties possess the radiant rainbow of color we’ve been looking for. Arranged in a sterling silver setting finished in lustrous gold, this ring is a beautiful tribute to your lasting love. So how about our price promise? We EXCLUSIVE met that too. We want you to know there is absolutely no reason to overpay for luxury gemstones. The big name jewelers have Five Star Opal been deceiving the public long enough, Stud Earrings charging as much as $16,000 for an -a $199 value- Ethiopian opal ring. We won’t trump up with purchase of the price to make you think it’s luxurious. Five Star Opal Ring This ring is just as luxurious (if not more) than the big designer name rings, AND it’s yours for under $100. I think it’s safe to say we more than met our price promise. We exceeded it... by about 16,000%!

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Five­Star Opal Anniversary Ring $399* Offer Code Price Only $99 + S&P Save $300! Plus, FREE opal stud earrings, a $199 value You must use the insider offer code to get our special sale price.

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1.5 ctw Ethiopian opal • Gold­finished .925 sterling silver setting • Whole ring sizes 5–10

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LATEST MODEL Built in 1982, Lockheed TR-1A 80-1070 was transferred to Warner Robins Air Force Base in 1995, where it was reconfigured as a U-2S.

DRAGON LADY SIXTY YEARS AFTER ITS INTRODUCTION, LOCKHEED’S U-2 SPYPLANE CONTINUES TO SERVE AS AMERICA’S EYES IN THE SKY OVER DISTANT BATTLEFIELDS BY STEPHAN WILKINSON ja n ua ry 2 0 1 7

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HIGH SPY U-2A 56-6703 entered service in 1957 and flew over Vietnam before crashing in Arizona on September 18, 1964, killing pilot Bob Primrose.

BEHOLD THE LOCKHEED U-2, AS IMPERFECT AN AIRPLANE AS HAS EVER FLOWN. )PI[\QTaLM[QOVML[\WXOIXQV\MVLML\WÆaNWZ\_WWZXMZPIX[ NW]ZaMIZ[I\UW[\Q\[NZIOQTQ\aIVL\Z]K]TMVKMILM[\ZWaMZWN  IQZNZIUM[IVLSQTTMZWN XQTW\[I\IV]VXZMKMLMV\MLZI\M)VIQZXTIVM[WLQ‫ٻ‬K]T\\WTIVL\PI\AW]<]JMQ[ÅTTML_Q\P^QLMW[WN  KIZMMVQVO=[JMQVOKPI[MLJaTIVLQVOKWIKPM[QV+IUIZW[ IVL.QZMJQZL[)Y]I[QUQTQ\IZa[XaXTIVM\PI\_I[WZQOQVITTa WZLMZMLIVLXIQLNWZJaKQ^QTQIV[¸\PI\QVNIK\_I[TIZOMTaXW[\]TI\MLIVLTIQLW]\Ja51<IVL0IZ^IZLIKILMUQK[IVLI +IUJZQLOMMV\ZMXZMVM]ZVIZaIXQTW\VWZIMZWVI]\QKITMVOQVMMZIUWVO\PMU ;WUMQV\PM=;)QZ.WZKMKITTMLQ\\PM=[MTM[[,M]KMaM\ \PM=JMKIUMWVMWN \PMUW[\QUXWZ\IV\IQZKZIN\M^MZ\WÆa
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UMIV\\PM=;_W]TLI[[]ZMLTaLM[\ZWa\PM=;;: ;Q`\aaMIZ[IN\MZ\PM=) MV\MZML [MZ^QKM \PM TI\M[\ UWLMT\PM=;IVQUXZW^ML ^MZ[QWVWN \PMPQOPTaUWLQÅML =:KWV\QV]M[\WNTaKIZZaQVO[MV[WZ[]VLZMIUMLWN  L]ZQVO\PM=¼[XPW\WZMKWV OTWZaLIa[1\[QV\MVLML[]KKM[[WZ \PM ;: Y]QKSTa KIUMIVL_MV\I\5IKPIVL Q[\WLIaXIZSMLQVU][M]U[ ;]Z^MQTTIVKM [I\MTTQ\M[ \PI\ []XXW[MLTaKW]TLZMILTQKMV[M XTI\M[NZWU[XIKMPI^MaM\\W N]TTaZMXTIKM\PM=IVL\PQ[ ZMUIZSIJTM ZMKWVVIQ[[IVKM XTI\NWZU¼[ZMIT[]KKM[[WZ_QTT JMILZWVM¸I=)>JI[MLWV aM[\PM=: ]ZQVO?WZTL?IZ11 ZMVM_ML QV\MZM[\ QV XPW\WZMKWVVIQ[[IVKM TML\W\PMKWV^MZ[QWV WN  NQOP\MZ[ IVL JWUJMZ[ \W [XMKQITQbML ZMKWV [PQX[ AM\ \PMZM_I[[\QTTVW[]KP\PQVO I[ I LMLQKI\ML =; ZMKWVVIQ[[IVKM LM[QOV \PW]OP 0W_IZL 0]OPM[¼ @. [QVOTM[MI\MZIVL:MX]JTQK¼[ NW]ZMVOQVM@.:IQVJW_ _MZM JMVQOP\ML I\\MUX\[ \W ÅTT\PI\ZWTM1V\PMUQL![ [\ZI\ MOQK IMZQIT ZMKWVVIQ[[IVKM VMIZ IVL [WUM\QUM[ W^MZ MVMUa \MZZQ\WZa _I[ [\QTTKIZZQMLW]\JaKWV^MZ\ML JWUJMZ[\PMUW[\[XMKQITQbML WN  \PMU JMQVO \PM 5IZ\QV :*, IVL .¸JQO_QVO PQOPIT\Q\]LM^MZ[QWV[WN \PM -VOTQ[P -TMK\ZQK +IVJMZZI ;\QTT\PM*PIL\WÆaI\IT\Q\]LM[QV\PMUQL[\PM NQVIT :*. ^MZ[QWV KW]TL ]VLMZQLMITKWVLQ\QWV[KZ]Q[M I\NMM\_PQKPTMN\Q\ ^]TVMZIJTM\WQV\MZKMX\QWV -V\MZ\PM4WKSPMML= \PM^MZaÅZ[\LMLQKI\ML=; ZMKWV \aXM M^MZ \W OW QV\W XZWL]K\QWV1\[OMVM[Q[KIVJM \ZIKMLJIKS\WIXIXMZ_ZQ\\MV QV!JaIUQLTM^MTW‫ٻ‬KMZ I\ \PM )QZ .WZKM¼[ ?ZQOP\ 8I\\MZ[WVLM^MTWXUMV\KMV\MZ5IRWZ2WPV;MIJMZO0M

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PREVIOUS PAGES, OPPOSITE TOP & ABOVE RIGHT: LOCKHEED MARTIN; OPPOSITE BOTTOM: GUY ACETO COLLECTION; RIGHT: U.S. AIR FORCE

postulated that rapidly improving turbine-engine technology plus high-aspect-ratio wings on a very light airframe could achieve cruise altitudes high enough to be—at least at the time— immune from interception. Successful WWII reconnaissance aircraft such as the de 0I^QTTIVL5W[Y]Q\WIVL8:;XQ\ÅZMPILZMTQMLWV[XMMLI[\PMQZ [IT^I\QWV[QVKM\PMaKW]TLV¼\ÆaIVaPQOPMZ\PIV[XMKQITQbML /MZUIVÅOP\MZ[8Q[\WVMVOQVM[IVL\PMXZWXMTTMZ[\PMaLZW^M met immutable altitude limitations at about 45,000 feet for an operational airplane. But jets would continue to breathe every molecule of oxygen that existed in the stratosphere. Seaberg believed that jet engines would soon achieve high enough power outputs that even though only a tiny percentage of their sea-level thrust would be available at extreme altitudes, just 7 percent WN \W\ITXW_MZKW]TL[][\IQVIVWX\QUQbMLPQOPIT\Q\]LMRM\IQZcraft. If a jet produced 10,000 pounds of thrust at sea level, 700 pounds at altitude would be enough to power a light, low-drag airplane with a high-altitude wing and airfoil, and to power it at what in the U-2 turned out to be 0.80 Mach. Three key elements of Seaberg’s proposal were that light weight could be achieved by ignoring military requirements, since a high-altitude recon airplane would have no air combat mission; by building the aircraft to very low load standards, for the same reason; and by eliminating the heavy landing gear entirely. Lockheed Skunk Works engineers, led by the innovative 3MTTa2WPV[WVZMUIQVML\Z]M\W\PMÅZ[\\_WUQ[[QWV[IVL\ZQML to attain the third by designing the simplest possible single-strut main gear, which ended up weighing just 206 pounds. 1\_I[\PW]OP\\PM=_W]TLÆa\WWPQOPNWZ;W^QM\ZILIZ\W \ZIKSQ\0W_KW]TL\PQ[JM[QVKM\PM=_W]TLJMÆaQVOR][\ miles up—certainly within the range of even the most primitive ZILIZ'*]\[]Z^MQTTIVKMZILIZXWQV\[I\\PMPWZQbWVVW\[\ZIQOP\ ]XIVL\PM+1)ÅO]ZML\PM\WXWN Q\[[_MMX_I[IJW]\LMOZMM[ IJW^MPWZQbWV\IT;Q`\aUQTM[W]\KW^MZIOM_I[IJW]\NMM\ of altitude per degree, or 55,000 feet, and the closer an airplane got to the radar station, the more that ceiling lowered. Unfortunately for the U.S., the Soviets were improving their radar faster than anticipated, at least in part by using captured German technology. Ranges of 80 miles and more were being achieved, which would have put the top of the scan at U-2 alti\]LM;W=W^MZÆQOP\[WN -I[\MZV-]ZWXMIVL\PM;W^QM\=VQWV were tracked from the very beginning. Lockheed tried a variety of radar-foiling measures on the LOCKHEED LEGEND Kelly Johnson chats with Powers.

FIRST DOWN Francis Gary Powers’ U-2 was downed by a Soviet SAM in May 1960.

Fairchild and Martin to submit proposals for a high-altitude ZMKWVXTI\NWZUÅO]ZQVO\PI\ smaller companies would give the project more serious attention and that Lockheed had plenty on its plate, what _Q\P\PM+0MZK]TM[IVL F-104 programs both active. Kelly Johnson inevitably got wind of the deal, however, and submitted a Lockheed concept: the CL-282. Never called U-2, it was a stripped XF-104 fuselage, cockpit and <\IQTMUXMVVIOMÅ\\ML_Q\P U-2, from radar-absorbent [IQTXTIVM[QbM "I[XMK\ foam-rubber coatings to net- ratio wings and using the 104’s works of antenna wire tuned XW_MZN]T /- 2 MVOQVM \W[XMKQÅKZILIZNZMY]MVKQM[ albeit shorn of its afterburner. The Air Force had already but none worked. If nothing else, it convinced Johnson that accepted the Bell design, the only way to achieve true called the X-16 to make radar invisibility was to design snoops assume that it was an airframe from the outset just another Bell research for stealth, which is exactly X-plane. They rejected the what Lockheed would do with CL-282, largely because of doubts about the suitability of the A-12/SR-71 Blackbird. Q\[]VXZW^MV2MVOQVM
THE U-2 KEPT US OUT OF WORLD WAR III WITH THE SOVIET SECRETS IT REVEALED DURING THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS.

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TECH NOTES LOCKHEED MARTIN U-2S

INTAKE COMPRESSOR FACE ECM AERIAL

WINGTIP SENSOR POD

WING INTEGRAL FUEL TANKS

OUTRIGGER WHEEL LEADING-EDGE NOSE RIBS

UHF EQUIPMENT ASTROINERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM CANOPY

EJECTION SEAT ADC EQUIPMENT RADAR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING EQUIPMENT

RADAR MOUNTING

INTAKE DUCT

SIDE-LOOKING RADAR ANTENNA

MAIN LANDING GEAR

CAMERA PACK EQUIPMENT BAY

SPECIFICATIONS ENGINE One General Electric F118-101 turbofan generating 17,000 lbs. of thrust WINGSPAN 103 feet

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WING AREA 1,000 square feet LENGTH 63 feet HEIGHT 16.7 feet FUEL CAPACITY 2,950 gallons

WEIGHT 16,000 lbs. (empty) 40,000 lbs. (maximum)

CEILING Above 70,000 feet

PAYLOAD 5,000 lbs.

RANGE More than 6,000 miles

CRUISING SPEED 475 mph

Loading an A-2 camera on a U-2A.

FIN TOP SENSORS

GE F-118-101 TURBOFAN

TAILCONE ECM EQUIPMENT BAY

TURBOFAN EXHAUST CASE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT BAY LEFT AIRBRAKE STEERABLE TAILWHEEL UNIT

WING TORSION BOX ASSEMBLY

GLASS-FIBER NOSE CONE

SUPER POD INSTALLATION

Q-BAY CAMERA PACKS OUTRIGGER (“POGO”)

TYPE B 36-INCH CAMERA PACK

ILS MULTISPECTRAL CAMERA PACK

RC-10 WIDEANGLE METRIC CAMERA

ITEC PANORAMIC (HORIZON-TOHORIZON) OPTICAL BAR CAMERA

HR-732 HIGHRESOLUTION CAMERA ILLUSTRATION: ALEXANDER PANG PHOTO: U.S. AIR FORCE

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THE MARGIN OF AIRSPEED AT ALTITUDE BETWEEN STALLING AND OVERSPEEDING WAS ONLY 7 KNOTS.

SEA DRAGON Above: A U-2R undergoes takeoff and landing tests aboard the carrier America in 1969. Opposite: The wreckage of a U-2 flown by Major Rudolph Anderson Jr., the sole fatality of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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their view, with an armored and pressurized cockpit and sturdy tricycle landing gear. Perhaps someday it could carry guns and bombs. But the second engine added weight and doubled the KPIVKMWN IÆIUMW]\WZMVOQVMNIQT]ZM1VMQ\PMZM^MV\]ITQ\a the airplane would have been lost over Soviet territory, since it would have had to descend to MiG-21 altitude—probably around 35,000 feet—either to cruise on half power or to attempt a restart. This, in fact, remained a concern with the singleMVOQVM=1\[KPW[MVXW_MZXTIV\_I[[][KMX\QJTM\WÆIUMW]\[ at altitude. A number of U-2s disappeared over China during \PM![IVLÆIUMW]\[KW]TL_MTTPI^MJMMV\PMZMI[WV 1VIVaKI[M2WPV[WVIVLPQ[[UITT\MIUWN ;S]VS?WZS[MVOQneers went back to their drawing boards and designed an all-new airplane, which became the U-2. They threw out everything .·LMZQ^MLIVLI[2WPV[WVTI\MZ_ZW\MQVPQ[I]\WJQWOZIXPa “The only equipment we might retain from the F-104 might be the rudder pedals.” The Air Force continued to resist the Lockheed proposal. *]\\PM=PILNIV[I\\PM+1)\PW]OP\PMKQ^QTQIVIOMVKa¼[ top leadership still needed some convincing. The spooks had learned to their dismay that the Air Force had little interest in TI]VKPQVOZMKWVÆQOP\[QVIV[_MZ\W\PM+1)¼[VMML[WZ[KPML]TM[ The spies needed their own air force. ?PI\\]ZVML\PMWLL[QV4WKSPMML¼[NI^WZ_I[IKWV[MV[][IUWVO[WUMQVÆ]MV\QIT[KQMV\Q[\[_PWPIL\PMMIZWN \PM Eisenhower administration. Key among them was the Beacon 0QTT;\]La/ZW]XIKW\MZQMWN 51<IVL0IZ^IZLIKILMUQK[ plus engineer/entrepreneur Edwin Land, inventor of the 8WTIZWQLKIUMZI1V2]VM!\PM*MIKWV0QTTJIVL]ZOML the government to develop a vehicle to surveil the Soviet Union from a very high altitude with a good turn of speed, carrying the highest-resolution cameras possible. +1)LQZMK\WZ)TTMV,]TTM[PMTXMLXMZ[]ILM8ZM[QLMV\,_QOP\ -Q[MVPW_MZ\PI\;W^QM\W^MZÆQOP\[_W]TLJM[INMJMKI][MQN I

U-2 was shot down, the crash from such a height would renLMZ\PM_ZMKSIOM]VQLMV\QÅable and the pilot would never []Z^Q^M8W_MZ[¼LW_VQVOQV ! XZW^ML ,]TTM[ _ZWVO on both counts, but it is baffling to think that he somehow assumed every dataplate, serial number and manufacturer marking would be ^IXWZQbML6M^MZ\PMTM[[1SM bought into the story. Actually, U-2s that were shot down or experienced airframe failures typically maple[MMLMLLW_VQVIÆI\[XQV_Q\P one wing gone and the other intact, and hit the ground with low forward speed and a relatively low rate of descent, leaving lots of instantly identiÅIJTMXQMKM[NWZ,]TTM[IVLPQ[ gang to ponder. The U-2 had three equally important major components: a light and low-drag singleseat airframe, an engine that KW]TLXZWL]KM[]‫ٻ‬KQMV\\PZ][\ to keep it airborne at extreme altitude and a camera-suite payload that would make the mission worthwhile. Harvard I[\ZWVWUMZ 2IUM[ *ISMZ

PHOTO PROOF An early U-2 flight revealed the Tyuratam SS-6 missile site in the Soviet Union.

designer of the U-2’s optical systems and lenses, told Johnson that without superb cameras the U-2 was nothing more than a powered sailplane. Johnson in turn reminded Baker that if 4WKSPMMLKW]TLV¼\SMMX\PMOZW[[_MQOP\]VLMZKWV\ZWT\PMÅVest cameras in the world wouldn’t be going anywhere. The Eisenhower administration had become galvanized by the Soviet Union’s explosion of a hydrogen bomb in August 1953, long before anybody expected them to. Less than a year later, the existence of the Myasishchev M-4 intercontinental bomber, NATO code-named Bison, became public. The Bison was assumed to be the equivalent of the Boeing B-52, and rumors spread that the Soviets had hundreds of them (they actually had 20). This plus the Beacon Hill report persuaded Eisenhower to approve development of the U-2, since he needed to know for sure whether there truly was a bomber OIXJM\_MMV;W^QM\IVL=;ÆMM\[)VLQ\_I[\PMXZM[QLMV\_PW ordered that the CIA control the airplane. Air Force chief of [\I‫ٺ‬/MVMZIT6I\PIV<_QVQVO_I[N]ZQW][0MLMUIVLML\PI\ Strategic Air Command run the show, but Eisenhower pointed W]\\PI\QN I=;).XQTW\ÆM_W^MZ\PM;W^QM\=VQWVQ\_W]TLJM IVIK\WN _IZ4QM]\MVIV\/MVMZIT+]Z\Q[4M5Ia\PMVQVKPIZOM of SAC, said he had no interest in any case in an airplane that didn’t have bombs or guns. PM+1)QVQ\QITTa\ZQML\W\ZIQV6)<7XQTW\[\WÆa\PM =
OPPOSITE: LOCKHEED MARTIN; ABOVE RIGHT: U.S. AIR FORCE; RIGHT: BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES

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airspeed at altitude between [\ITTQVOIVLW^MZ[XMMLQVO¸ KITTML¹KWNNQVKWZVMZº¸_I[ typically only 7 knots, sometimes as little as 4. At 70,000plus feet, simply turning a U-2 was a feat. Bank just slightly too steeply and the inside wing would stall while the outside wing went through never-exceed speed. Either a stall or busting maximum Mach would almost certainly lead to the airplane’s shedding its wings or empennage, the latter a unit held to the \IQTKWVMJa\PZMMÅ^MMQOP\P[ inch bolts. The wings were also bolted to the fuselage, like many a sailplane’s, without a through-spar, and they were ribless, which is one reason they were so light and fragile. A U-2 wing consisted of three spars, some aluminum tubing to stiffen the structure and thin skins. On some parts of the fuselage, the skinning was R][\  QVKPM[ \PQKS¸\PM thickness of three sheets of printer paper. The lack of a continuous wing spar allowed the original U-2 to have a substantial and unobstructed payload bay

for big cameras right on the airplane’s center of gravity. One of the simple but imaginative features of that camera JIa_I[\PI\\PMÅTU¸I^MZa light Mylar-based stock develWXMLJa3WLISNWZ\PM=¸ unspooled in one direction for the right-side oblique cameras and in the opposite direction for the left cameras. Since there was more than a mile of ÅTUWVMIKP[QLM\PI\_W]TL PI^M UMIV\ I LZI[\QK +/ KPIVOML]ZQVOIÆQOP\_Q\PW]\ the counterbalancing payout. U-2 pilots wore the world’s ÅZ[\[XIKM[]Q\[IVL\PMa_MZM both pioneering and imperfect. Initially made of unyielding rubberized fabric, those partial-pressure suits created rubbing points all over a pilot’s body, particularly on the neck, where the helmet attached to the suit. Since every highaltitude mission required an hour and a half of pre-breathing pure oxygen to purge the body of nitrogen, a U-2 pilot could easily spend 12 hours totally sealed into his suit and helmet. The suits had no provisions for urinating or defecating, so some pilots wore

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LOCKHEED MARTIN U-2S COCKPIT 1. Up-front control/display (UFCD) 2. Center multi-function display (MFD), currently displaying the primary flight display (PFD) page 3. Standby flight display (SFD) 4. Left MFD, currently displaying the moving map page 5. Right MFD, currently displaying the engine system page 6. Main/tail gear indicators (there is no pogo indicator;

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mobile pilot observes pogos from chase vehicle) 7. Left/right canopy thrusters (for canopy ejection) 8. Landing gear control lever 9. Cabin climate control 10. Light control panel w/angle of attack (AOA) indicator 11. Fuel control panel 12. Electrical shed handle 13. Left/right rudder pedals 14. Nose pressure handle 15. Emergency gear release handle 16. Flaps control

17. Throttle quadrant 18. Spoiler manual trim power switch 19. Pilot yoke housing 20. Bus control display unit (BCDU) 21. Throttle handle with speed brake, spoiler and mic switches 22. Autopilot ORIGINAL ARTICLE A U-2R cockpit prior to avionics upgrades.

OPPOSITE PHOTOS: U.S. AIR FORCE; ABOVE RIGHT: NASA

diapers, while others used a catheter. (The suits were improved and are today far more comfortable full-pressure suits.) The U-2 was famously demanding to land, in part because Q\KIUMI\\PMMVLWN ITWVOLQ‫ٻ‬K]T\ÆQOP\QVIJTQ[\MZUISQVO []Q\IVLIKWKSXQ\_Q\PUQVQUIT^Q[QJQTQ\a\ZIXXMLQVIÅ[PJW_T helmet. But even at idle, the J57 had enough thrust in ground M‫ٺ‬MK\\WSMMX\PM=ÆaQVONWZM^MZ7VMXQTW\ZMXWZ\MLTa[IQLQ\ _I[¹TQSM\ZaQVO\WTIVLIXW\I\WKPQXº
ONE PILOT REPORTEDLY SAID THAT LANDING THE U-2 WAS “LIKE TRYING TO LAND A POTATO CHIP.”

COCKPIT SELFIE NASA pilot Tom Ryan photographed himself during a test flight in an ER-2 U-2 variant in 2011.

ticated as spy satellites are, it \ISM[\QUM\WIT\MZ\PMQZWZJQ\ if reconnaissance of a speKQNQK[Q\MQ[VMMLML6WZKIV [I\MTTQ\M[NTaKWUXTM`\ZIKS[# they are limited to straightline surveillance. U-2s can be LMXTWaMLZIXQLTaIVLÆa_PI\ever course is needed. It should come as no surXZQ[M\PMV\PI\\PM)QZ.WZKM duction, which happened in recently admitted U-2s are \PMUQL![IN\MZWN \PM operating against ISIS milioriginal 55 U-2s had been lost tants in Iraq and Syria, probto accidents and shootdowns. IJTaÆaQVOW]\WN \PM=VQ\ML Johnson had been prescient )ZIJ -UQZI\M[ 6W\PQVO enough to squirrel away all the else, they have decided, can U-2 tooling and jigs in a ware- I[MNNMK\Q^MTa\ZIKSIVLNQVL house, and when more U-2s the rebels amid tens of thouwere needed, he was ready to sands of square miles of desoÅZM]X\PM;S]VS?WZS[XZW- late desert, not even the big duction line again. 6WZ\PZWX /Z]UUIV :9 Some say the U-2R and /TWJIT0I_S[XaLZWVM[ re-engined U-2S constitute John Seaberg, the Boston a third reopening of the U-2 JW‫ٻ‬V[IVLM^MV3MTTa2WPV line, but they are entirely dif- son couldn’t have imagined ferent airplanes despite their what they started.  resemblance to the original =6M^MZ\PMTM[[\PM=; For further reading, contributis universally referred to today ing editor Stephan Wilkinson recommends: Spyplane: The I[¹\PM=º )T\PW]OP \PM JI[QK = =0Q[\WZa,MKTI[[QÅML, by KWVKMX\ Q[ ITZMILa  aMIZ[ Norman Polmar; 4WKSPMML old, the U-2S and its descen- U-2, by Jay Miller; and Dragon dants will be with us for the 4ILa"
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THE LUFTWAFFE’S HIGH-FLYING DIESEL A RUSSIAN PRINCE PILOTING A MODIFIED SPITFIRE FOR THE RAF TARGETED A JUNKERS JU-86R DURING WORLD WAR II’S HIGHEST AERIAL COMBAT BY PETE LEHMANN

LUFTKRIEG.NET

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n the summer of 1940, a challenging new opponent appeared in the skies over Britain. A prototype German reconnaissance airXTIVMQ\ÆM_I\ITMQ[]ZMTaUXPJ]\KW]TL KTQUJ\WIVIT\Q\]LMWN NMM\¸_MTTW]\ WN ZMIKPWN \PM:WaIT)QZ.WZKM¼[JM[\QV\MZKMX\WZ\PM;]XMZUIZQVM;XQ\ÅZM

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HIGHER AIMS On September 12, 1942, Sergeant Horst Götz (top) and 2nd Lt. Erich Sommer (above) were surprised to find their Ju-86R-2 (below) intercepted at altitude by an RAF Spitfire.

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altitude research during the 1930s, building two M`XMZQUMV\ITIQZKZIN\QVIVM‫ٺ‬WZ\\WLM^MTWXXZM[surized cabins. In addition, by 1939 the company _I[LM^MTWXQVOIPQOPIT\Q\]LM^MZ[QWVWN \PM Jumo 205 diesel engine, the 900-hp Jumo 207A equipped with two superchargers. Seeking a market opportunity for their now obsolescent bomber airframes, in September 1939 Junkers proposed to the German Air Ministry a UWLQÅKI\QWVWN \PMJI[QK2] ,JWUJMZNWZ][MI\ high altitude. The prototype featured the new die[MT[LZQ^QVO\PZMMJTILMXZWXMTTMZ[IVL\PMUQTQ\IZa _WZTL¼[ÅZ[\XZM[[]ZQbMLKWKSXQ\
reduced their range. Still, the success of the proto\aXM[ZM[]T\MLQVIKWV\ZIK\NWZ\PMKWV^MZ[QWVWN  2] ,[QV\W\_W^IZQIV\[WN \PM8UWLMT"\PM 8JWUJMZKIXIJTMWN KIZZaQVONW]ZXW]VL JWUJ[IVL\PM8]VIZUMLZMKWVVIQ[[IVKM^MZ[QWV*W\PKW]TLZMIKPR][\ UXPI\IT\Q\]LM J]\TQSM\PMU]KPTI\MZ4WKSPMML=[\WZa8 they relied on their high-altitude performance for immunity from interception. ,]ZQVO\PM[]UUMZWN !WVMWN \PMXZW\W \aXM[_I[I[[QOVML\W\PM4]N\_I‫ٺ‬MPQOPKWUUIVL for operational trials, in the course of which it ZMIKPMLNMM\L]ZQVOI[WZ\QMW^MZ-VOTIVL Throughout the winter of 1940-41, both the reKWVVIQ[[IVKMIVLJWUJMZ^MZ[QWV[ÆM_IPIVLN]T WN UQ[[QWV[W^MZ*ZQ\IQV_Q\PW]\VW\IJTM[]KKM[[ By the spring of 1941, most of those aircraft had JMMV\ZIV[NMZZML\W\PM-I[\_PMZM\PMaKWVL]K\ML ZMKWVVIQ[[IVKMÆQOP\[W^MZ\PM;W^QM\=VQWV ,M^MTWXUMV\WN \PMPQOPÆaQVO2] KWV\QV]ML in anticipation of better-performing enemy interKMX\WZ[
OPPOSITE PHOTOS & BOTTOM RIGHT: AFIRSOV; TOP RIGHT: FLY AWAY PRO

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fter most Ju-86 units had been diverted to support preparations for Operation Barbarossa in the winter of 1940-41, Britain enjoyed a prolonged respite NZWU\PMW^MZÆQOP\[*aUQL!PW_M^MZ_Q\P Germany increasingly targeted by British raids, \PM4]N\_I‫ٺ‬M[W]OP\\WZM\ITQI\MQN WVTa[aUJWTQKITTa1V)]O][\Q\JMOIV[MVLQVO2] :JWUJers over southern England, never more than two I\I\QUM[QUXTaKW]TLV¼\ZMIKP\PMIT\Q\]LMVMKM[[IZa\WI\\IKS\PMJWUJMZ[
THE JU-86P FLEW SO HIGH THE GERMANS CONSIDERED DEFENSIVE ARMAMENT UNNECESSARY.

CUSTOMIZED SPIT The light blue Spitfire Mark IX (top) in which Emanuel Galatzine (above) intercepted Sommer and Götz had been specially modified for the task.


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TECH NOTES *]\VW_\PI\\PM4]N\_I‫ٺ‬MZMITQbML\PM2] [_MZM ^]TVMZIJTM\WQV\MZKMX\QWV\PMa_MZMVM^MZ[MV\ IKZW[[\PM+PIVVMTIOIQV

I

JUNKERS JU-86R

HEIGHT 15 feet 5 inches

CEILING 47,000 feet

ENGINES Two 1,000-hp Junkers Jumo 207B-3/V diesels

WEIGHT 14,800 lbs. (empty) 25,420 lbs. (max)

RANGE 980 miles

WINGSPAN 105 feet

MAXIMUM SPEED 260 mph above 30,000 feet

SPECIFICATIONS

WING AREA 883 square feet LENGTH 54 feet

CLIMB 900 feet per minute

STRETCHED WING In addition to a 105-foot wingspan, the Ju-86R featured nitrous oxide injection and four-blade propellers, to increase the performance of its diesel engines at altitude.

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VKWUXIZQ[WV\W\PMQZV]Q[IVKMZIQL[W^MZ *ZQ\IQV2] [XZM[MV\MLINIZUWZM\IVOQJTM [\ZI\MOQK\PZMI\QV\PMMI[\MZV5MLQ\MZZIVMIV [I KPIVKM\WZMIKP\PMPQOPÆaQVO2]VSMZ[
ARMAMENT Two cameras (R-1) 1,000 kg. bombs (R-2) Three MG 15 7.92mm machine guns

OPPOSITE: ©PF (SDASM3)/ALAMY; ILLUSTRATION: STEVE KARP; ABOVE RIGHT PHOTOS: LUFTKRIEG.NET

ever-cooler air remains relatively dense as altitude increases, providing adequate oxygen for engines as they climb. But upon reaching the stratosphere, aircraft performance rapidly dwindles. Since the altitude of the performance-robbing tropopause varies inversely with latitude, at Egypt’s lower latitude the tropopause occurs at a higher altitude than it does over England. That meant the Mark V’s maximum ceiling was considerably higher over Egypt than it was over England. As in Britain, significant modifications were ZMY]QZML\WQVKZMI[M\PM;XQ\ÅZM¼[XMZNWZUIVKM The RAF’s 103 Maintenance Unit made the UWLQÅKI\QWV[I\)JW]SQZVMIZ)TM`IVLZQI_PMZM \PZMM;XQ\ÅZM5S>J[_MZM[\ZQXXMLWN ITTM`\ZIneous equipment, beginning with their armor. The four machine guns were removed, and the heavy 20mm cannons replaced with two lighter .50-caliber guns. A four-blade propeller took the place of the standard three-blade prop, and the engine’s compression ratio was increased. Finally, \PM_QVO[_MZMM`\MVLMLJaÅ\\QVO\PM5IZS>1¼[ pointed tips. 7V)]O][\WVMWN \PMUWLQÅML;XQ\[ÆW_V Ja.TaQVO7‫ٻ‬KMZ/MWZOM:MaVWTL[MVKW]V\MZML I2] VMIZ+IQZWI\NMM\
THE SPITFIRE MARK V’S MAXIMUM CEILING WAS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER OVER EGYPT THAN OVER ENGLAND.

EYES IN THE SKY Above left: The camera ports (top) and pressurized hatch (bottom) of the Ju-86P. Above right: Luftwaffe personnel stand beside a Ju-86R undergoing testing in Germany.

employed them as part of a two-aircraft team. Each fully lightened “Striker” would be accompanied by a lighter but radio-equipped “Marker” aircraft. Flying as a team, the Striker would shadow the Marker from several thousand feet above until he was in visual contact with the target aircraft. )KM[WN !!Ja)TNZML8ZQKM

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THE DREAM OF STEAM THE BESLER BROTHERS BUILT AND DEMONSTRATED THE FIRST PRACTICAL STEAM-POWERED AIRPLANE ENGINE— THEN MOVED ON TO MORE LUCRATIVE STEAM PROJECTS BY JOHN J. GEOGHEGAN

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FULL HEAD Steam shrouds the Besler brothers’ modified Travel Air 2000 biplane before its first public flight on April 17, 1933, at Oakland Municipal Airport, Calif.

BY THE TIME THE SUN ROSE OVER OAKLAND MUNICIPAL AIRPORT ON MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1933, NEARLY A HUNDRED PEOPLE HAD GATHERED TO WATCH HISTORY IN THE MAKING.

HOT STUFF George (left) and William Besler pose with their steam engine, which powered the Travel Air.

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Newspaper reporters, newsreel companies and aviation executives were on hand to witness what William Besler and his JZW\PMZ/MWZOMPILXZWUQ[ML_W]TLJM\PMÅZ[\[][\IQVMLÆQOP\ of a steam-powered airplane. Aviation had come a long way since the Wright brothers made \PMQZÅZ[\XW_MZMLÆQOP\aMIZ[MIZTQMZ
an air disaster rather than a ZMKWZLUISQVOÆQOP\ But there were plenty of reasons to consider steam XZWX]T[QWVNWZI^QI\QWV;\MIU engines were less complex than internal combustion engines, making them cheaper to maintain and operate. Internal combustion engines lost power at altitude, while a steam engine actually gained

PREVIOUS PAGES & OPPOSITE: HISTORYNET ARCHIVE; ABOVE RIGHT: ©CLASSIC IMAGE/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

QVM‫ٻ‬KQMVKa.QVITTa[\MIU¼[ZMTQIJQTQ\aIVLN]MTMKWVWUa¸ KWUJQVML_Q\PZML]KML^QJZI\QWVÅZMPIbIZLIVLVWQ[M¸[MMUQVOTaXZWUQ[ML[QOVQÅKIV\KWUUMZKQITJMVMÅ\[
I

IT WAS SURPRISING THAT IN 1933 ANYONE WOULD TRY TO REVIVE WHAT WAS BY THEN A WHITE ELEPHANT IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY. _PQTMJZW\PMZ?QTTQIUMIZVML ILMOZMMQVMVOQVMMZQVO )ZW]VL !! \PM *M[TMZ JWa[\ZI^MTML\W-UMZa^QTTM +ITQN _PMZM \PMa _WZSML ITWVO[QLM )JVMZ¼[ JZW\PMZ[ ?IZZMV IVL *QTT \W ZML]KM \PM_MQOP\WN I,WJTM[\MIU MVOQVMNWZI^QI\QWVIXXTQKI\QWV[
UNMANNED SUCCESS One of Samuel Langley’s steampowered Aerodromes makes a flight, in an 1897 illustration from The Strand Magazine.

PMTXMLSMMX\PMÅZUIÆWI\ ?WZLWN \PM*M[TMZ[¼QV^WT^M UMV\ [WWV IXXMIZML QV \PM XZM[[1V5Ia!\PMOakland TribuneZMXWZ\ML¹?Q\P I [XMKQITTa LM[QOVML [\MIU MVOQVMVMIZQVOKWUXTM\QWVQV IV-UMZa^QTTMNIK\WZaC\PME \M[\ÆQOP\WN CIVEIQZXTIVMXZWXMTTMLJa[\MIU_QTTJMUILM QV\PMVMIZN]\]ZMº*]\\PM ¹VMIZN]\]ZMº_W]TLXZW^M\W JM\PZMMaMIZ[I_IaIVLL]M \W I JQ\\MZ LQ[X]\M JM\_MMV )JVMZ,WJTMIVL*M[TMZ[\PM [\MIUIQZXTIVMITUW[\LQLV¼\ OM\W‫\ٺ‬PMOZW]VL
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FROM SHOP TO FLIGHT Clockwise from top left: Bill Besler poses with the steam engine’s boiler; Bill (right) and a mechanic carry part of the engine assembly; the Travel Air makes a pass during its demonstration flight; Bill stands next to the aircraft after its public debut.

pany dubbed Besler Systems (later Besler Corporation), with George serving as business manger and William as engineer and chief pilot. Surprisingly, despite their dispute with Abner, the Beslers continued to collaborate with him on the steampowered aircraft engine. By this time, however, the Beslers had competition. In 1932 Harold C. Johnson, proprietor of an Akron, Ohio, welding shop, announced his plans to build a steam-powered plane and ÆaQ\NZWU)SZWV\W4W[)VOMTM[
A

fter three years of secret experiments, the Beslers were at last ready to unveil their invention. When they arrived at Oakland Municipal Airport on April 17 in their steam-powered Buick, the brothers were instantly mobbed by reporters. Photographers and newsreel KIUMZIUMVI[SML\PMU\WXW[M_Q\P\PMQZIQZKZIN\I
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It took only five minutes for the Besler engine to generate sufficient steam for ÆQOP\IVL\PMZM_I[VWVMML to hand-start its propeller—it started turning on its own. As \PM
OPPOSITE: (TOP LEFT & BOTTOM RIGHT) HISTORYNET ARCHIVE, (TOP RIGHT & BOTTOM LEFT) VIRTUAL STEAM CAR MUSEUM/STEWART ARCHIVE; ABOVE RIGHT: HISTORNET ARCHIVE

TECH NOTES was required to heat its 10-gallon water tank to 750 degrees. Once steam pressure reached 1,200 pounds per square inch, the engine delivered up to 150 hp, turning the propeller at a healthy 1,625 rpm. 1VKZMLQJTa\PM[\MIUXW_MZML
LOW-PRESSURE CYLINDER

BLOWER

HIGH-PRESSURE CYLINDER

OIL BURNER BOILER

CONDENSER RECOVERS WATER FROM USED STEAM

EXHAUST VAPOR FROM BURNER

REFINED DESIGN Based on Abner Doble’s groundbreaking steam automotive engine, the Beslers’ motor featured a greatly improved power-toweight ratio that for the first time made steam-powered flight practical.

AS THE TRAVEL AIR 2000 SPED DOWN THE RUNWAY, A WHITE RIBBON OF WATER VAPOR TRAILED FROM ITS EXHAUST.

global emissions to combat climate change, it could have come in handy.  Author John J. Geoghegan specializes in unusual inventions that fail in the marketplace despite their innovative nature. Further reading: Steam in the Air: The Application of Steam Power in Aviation During the 19th and 20th +MV\]ZQM[, by Maurice Kelly. To view a newsreel of the *M[TMZ[¼[\MIUXW_MZMLÆQOP\ search “Besler steam plane” on YouTube.

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FIRST FLIGHT Apollo 4 blasts off from Kennedy Space Center on November 9, 1967, in the unmanned first launch of a Saturn V rocket. Opposite: Engineers install Rocketdyne F-1 Saturn V engines on the test stand at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

APOLLO’S STALLIONS HALF A CENTURY AFTER IT FIRST FLEW, THE AMAZING ROCKETDYNE F-1 REMAINS THE MOST POWERFUL ENGINE EVER CREATED BY MARK CARLSON ja n ua ry 2 0 1 7

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TO THE MOON Neil Armstrong waves as he and Apollo 11 crewmates Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin prepare to board a van for transport to their Saturn V rocket.

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Far atop the huge Saturn V launch vehicle, three men began a journey that has been unmatched [QVKM\PMMVLWN \PM)XWTTWXZWOZIU
the F-1 was conceived, designed, built and tested is a saga worthy of the Wright brothers or Charles Lindbergh, but on a far grander scale. Rocketdyne was founded by North American Aviation with a team of skilled rocket engineers from the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. In 1958 the Air Force contracted with Rocketdyne for an engine that would become the F-1. Based in Canoga Park, Calif., the comXIVaJ]QT\IVLÅZ[\\M[\MLKWUXWVMV\[I\Q\[NIKQTity in the Santa Susanna Mountains north of Los Angeles. Jerry Butsko, who joined Rocketdyne right after graduating from the University of Washington, described the tests as impressive. ¹AW]ZMITTaNMT\Q\_PMV\PI\\PQVO_MV\W‫ٺ‬ºPM said with a laugh. Butsko worked on the nozzle, the bell-shaped cone from which the rocket’s force was expelled. “We called that nozzle ‘King Kong.’ It was huge. During one test that thing just exploded.

ALL PHOTOS: NASA

ONE OF THE DEFINING IMAGES OF THE 20TH CENTURY IS OF APOLLO 11 ASCENDING ON A PILLAR OF INCANDESCENT FIRE FROM PAD 39A AT KENNEDY SPACE CENTER ON JULY 16, 1969.

Everybody in the entire region heard it.” After that Rocketdyne moved the testing to Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, where the company built a massive test stand. The huge structure’s legs were solidly anchored into California bedrock. The Air Force soon canceled the project when it became apparent there was no military need for such a huge engine. But in July 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and took \PMÅZ[\[MZQW][[\MX[\W_IZLIUWWVTIVLQVO?PMV John F. Kennedy was inaugurated in January 1960, the lunar program was well into the concept stage. NASA had chosen lunar orbit rendezvous as the method to reach the moon. The fully loaded Saturn V launch vehicle would weigh in at 6.2 milTQWVXW]VL[
TEST FIRE The five F-1 engines of a Saturn V’s S-IC first stage spew flame and smoke at Marshall Space Flight Center.

THE F-1 ENGINE WAS, QUITE LITERALLY, THE DRIVING FORCE THAT TOOK MANKIND TO THE MOON.

VISION REALIZED On November 16, 1963, Wernher von Braun (center) shows off the Saturn V launch system to President John F. Kennedy at Cape Canaveral, soon to be renamed for the assassinated president.

the design. But this was a very brief test, far from what a production F-1 would have to reliably attain. No one knew for certain if it could be done. Even the Russians, with their proven heavy-lift rockets, had not attempted to construct anything that powerful. Some members of Kennedy’s Science Advisory Committee said the engine was just too big to work. ?PQTM\PM._I[I^I[\TMIXNWZ_IZLQV[QbM it still used the same basic technology that Rocketdyne had tried and proven on several previous engines. From the Army’s Redstone to the Air Force Atlas and many others, the technology was basically the same. But no one had ever successfully built a rocket with more than a million pounds of thrust. By mid-1962, the Rocketdyne team was ready for a sustained test of the F-1 combustion chamber. At the Edwards test stand on June 28, they lit the igniters and started the turbopumps. Then, as the I[[MUJTMLMVOQVMMZ[IVL6);)W‫ٻ‬KQIT[_I\KPML the engine destroyed itself in a quarter of a second. ?PI\_MV\_ZWVO')ZWKSM\MVOQVMQ[IK\]ally a very simple machine, at least in concept. Turbopumps inject fuel and oxidizer into a comJ][\QWVKPIUJMZQV\PMXZM[MVKMWN IÆIUM
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W\PMZZWKSM\MVOQVM[JMNWZMIVL[QVKM][ML:8I NWZUWN SMZW[MVMI[N]MTIVLTQY]QLW`aOMV47@ I[IVW`QLQbMZ?Q\PVMIZTaM^MZaZWKSM\MVOQVM J]QT\]X\W\PI\\QUMQN KWUJ][\QWV_I[]V[\IJTM WZ\PMÆW_]VM^MVQ\_I[][]ITTaI[QUXTMUI\\MZ \WZMK\QNa
TRAIL OF FLAMES Apollo 6’s F-1s propel the 3,000-ton rocket during the second flight of a Saturn V.

THE SOLUTION WAS TO PUT A BOMB IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER.

STANDING TALL Opposite: In NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), Apollo 4 is readied for transport to Pad 39A. Left: A Boeing worker installs an F-1 at the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, La.

and Daniel Klute, a mechanical engine researcher, entered the picture. Along with the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Jerry Thompson, a liquid fuel systems specialist, they headed a team of 50 skilled and motivated engineers and technicians \WÅ`\PMXZWJTMU,M[QOVI\ML\PM+WUJ][\QWV Devices Team, they were tasked with making the .ZMTQIJTM)KKWZLQVO\W+I[\MVPWTb\PM\MIU had the highest priority in the company. “They got what they needed, who they needed and when they needed it,” he said. -IZTaWV\PM\MIUPWXML\PMXZWJTMUKW]TLJM Å`ML_Q\PW]\IN]TTZMLM[QOVWN \PMKWUJ][\QWV KPIUJMZ[WUM\PQVO\PI\_W]TL[M\\PM\QUM\IJTM JIKSUWV\P[
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TECH NOTES ROCKETDYNE F-1 MAIN OXIDIZER (LOX) VALVE GIMBAL BEARING

OXIDIZER (LOX) DOME FUEL INLET MANIFOLD COMBUSTION CHAMBER

GIMBAL OUTRIGGER ARM

MAIN FUEL VALVE

ENGINE INTERFACE PANEL HIGHPRESSURE OXIDIZER (LOX) DUCT HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL DUCT TURBOPUMP (FUEL & LOX) GAS GENERATOR TURBOPUMP TURBINE

SPECIFICATIONS LENGTH 19 ft. WIDTH 12 ft. 4 in. MAXIMUM NOZZLE EXIT DIAMETER 11 ft. 7 in.

HEAT EXCHANGER THRUST CHAMBER

*THRUST 1,500,000 lbs. (sea level) RATED RUN DURATION 150 seconds OXIDIZER FLOW RATE: 3,945 lbs./second (24,811 gpm) FUEL FLOW RATE: 1,738 lbs./second (15,471 gpm)

TURBOPUMP EXHAUST MANIFOLD

CHAMBER PRESSURE 1,015 psi WEIGHT FLIGHT CONFIGURATION 18,500 lbs. maximum COMBUSTION TEMP. 5,970° (thrust chamber) 1,465° (gas generator) * Uprated to 1,522,000 lbs. thrust for Vehicle 504 and all subsequent operational vehicles.

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NOZZLE EXTENSION

ILLUSTRATION BY STEVE KARP, WITH THANKS TO TIMOTHY KARPIN

MIXTURE RATIO 2.27:1 oxidizer to fuel

BLAST FURNACE An F-1 is test fired at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

\QWVKPIUJMZ,]ZQVOIÅZQVO\M[\\PMa_W]TLPIVO I[UITTPMI^QTaQV[]TI\MLJTIKSXW_LMZM`XTW[Q^M QV\PMKPIUJMZ]VLMZ\PMQVRMK\WZXTI\M

A SEARING YELLOW-WHITE COLUMN OF FLAME SHOOK THE GROUND LIKE A SUSTAINED EARTHQUAKE.

_I[I\W\IT[]KKM[[;).ZIVS*WZUIV2QU4W^MTT IVL *QTT )VLMZ[ _MZM IJW]\ \W TMI^M MIZ\P \W JMKWUM\PMÅZ[\UMVM^MZ\WZMIKP\PMUWWV[\WWLWV\PMKWVKZM\MXIL VM[\TMLQV\PM[\MMTMUJZIKMWN \PMNWW\ZML TI]VKP\W_MZ
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the launch sequence began with the lighting of four igniters in each engine, burning the fuel-rich mixture in the turbine-powering gas generators. Five huge clouds of black smoke and orange ÆIUM[NZWU\PMOI[OMVMZI\WZMZ]X\MLNZWU\PM engine nozzles and engulfed the base of the rocket. LOX sprayed into the main combustion chambers, where it combined with an explosive charge WN QOVQ\MZN]MT\W]KPQVOW‫ٺ‬IVQVNMZVWI\<UQV][ 6.4 seconds. As pressure in the combustion chambers reached 20 psi, the main fuel valves opened.
HISTORIC JOURNEY In the first manned launch of a Saturn V, the Apollo 8 crew ascends from Kennedy on their mission to orbit the moon.

THE MIGHTY F-1S CONTINUED TO BURN PERFECTLY, GULPING 15 TONS OF FUEL AND LOX EVERY SECOND.

APOLLO’S GENESIS Opposite: Apollo 8’s S-IC stage awaits final assembly at the VAB. Left: On December 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 crew prepares to become the first to leave earth orbit.

rebounded for miles. It was several hundred feet in \PMIQZJMNWZM\PM[MIZQVOKWT]UVWN ÆIUMKTMIZML the launch pad and the rocket started to head out over the Atlantic. Still the mighty F-1s continued to burn perfectly, gulping 15 tons of fuel and LOX every second, until the Saturn was streaking through the azure sky at 5,400 mph at an altitude of 36 nautical miles and 50 miles downrange. At 12:53:30, 150 seconds after ignition, the F-1s shut down. They had done their job. With a bang of pyrotechnic charges the ;1+ÅZ[\[\IOM_I[RM\\Q[WVMLIVLNMTTI_IaQV\W the ocean, carrying the F-1s to a watery grave. The ;11[MKWVL[\IOM¼[Å^M2MVOQVM[QOVQ\MLNWZ\PMQZ role in taking Apollo 8 into space. While the people at Kennedy Space Center and Mission Control in Houston, Texas, cheered, the )XWTTW KZM_JMOIV\PMQZPQ[\WZQKÆQOP\\WIVW\PMZ world. Forgotten in the excitement was the job done by the exquisitely designed machine that made it possible. Yet for the men and women of Rocketdyne who designed, built and perfected the F-1 through all those frustrating months of toil and [_MI\\PMQZ\ZQ]UXPPILÅVITTaKWUM It is not a stretch to say that without the Rocketdyne F-1, there would likely be no human footprints on lunar soil.  Mark Carlson is the author of two books on aviation history and an avid fan of NASA’s golden age. Recommended reading: Apollo: The Race to the Moon, by Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox; The Saturn V F-1 Engine: Powering Apollo Into History, by Anthony Young; and Saturn V Flight Manual, a NASA publication.

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TRIPLE-AXIS ACE PHOTOS: XXX XXXXXXX

AMERICAN LOUIS CURDES SHOT DOWN GERMAN, ITALIAN AND JAPANESE AIRPLANES, THEN ADDED A U.S. TRANSPORT TO HIS TALLY BY DON HOLLWAY

mixed bag Captain Louis E. Curdes shows off his victory tally— including an American flag representing the C-47 he downed.

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BAD ANGELS Curdes poses with his ground crew in front of his P-51D Mustang of the 4th Fighter Squadron, 3rd Air Commando Group.

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And just one, Louis Curdes, scored an Axis trifecta plus an American plane to boot. Curdes’ unusual story has gone viral online, where it was embellished with distortions and half-truths. Here are the facts. In late April 1943, 2nd Lt. Louis E. Curdes of .\?IaVM1VLÆM_PQ[ÅZ[\UQ[[QWVQVI4WKSPMML P-38G Lightning for the 95th Fighter Squadron, 82nd Fighter Group. Over Cap Bon, Tunisia, his ÆQOP\ZIVQV\WIOZW]XWN 5M[[MZ[KPUQ\\5M![ Curdes got behind one. “I could see my tracers K]Z^QVOZQOP\QV\WPQ[VW[MºPM[IQL¹1JZWSMW‫ٺ‬I\ aIZL[IVLXI[[MLQVNZWV\WN \PM¼!_PQKP nosed over and went straight in. There was a big splash and an oval of white foam.”

;MXIZI\MLNZWUPQ[ÆQOP\+]ZLM[[XW\\ML\PZMM 5M[[MZ[KPUQ\\[KPI[QVOI4QOP\VQVOR][\IJW^M \PM_I\MZ0MI\\IKSML\PMZQOP\PIVLXTIVM¹5a \ZIKMZ[_MV\QV\WPQUX]‫[ٺ‬WN JTIKSIVL_PQ\M [UWSMKIUMW]\IVLPMLQLI_QVOW^MZ[\ZIQOP\ in,” he reported. The remaining Germans were still pursuing the struggling P-38. “I made a LMOZMMLMÆMK\QWV[PW\I\\PMTMILMZKTW[QVO\W LMOZMM[IVLUISQVOIJW]\UXP
PREVIOUS PAGES: U.S. AIR FORCE; ABOVE & OPPOSITE BOTTOM: COURTESY OF VALERIA WHITNEY; OPPOSITE TOP: USAF317THVET.ORG

OF ALL THE AMERICAN PILOTS WHO FLEW AND FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR II, ONLY A HANDFUL MANAGED TO SHOOT DOWN AIRCRAFT FROM ALL THREE AXIS COUNTRIES.

the Americans over the Mediterranean. “My leader chased one 5-!W‫\ٺ‬PM\IQTWN \PMÅZ[\MTMUMV\IVLIVW\PMZKIUMQVI\ about a 30-degree angle,” Curdes recalled. “I shot him down. We were attacked again and everyone seemed mixed up.... \PM[M5-[_MZMNI[\IVLXMZ[Q[\MV\IVL\PZMMLQ^MLI\][NZWU \PMZMIZº+]ZLM[\]ZVMLQV\W\PMQZI\\IKS¹1ÅZMLI\\PMÅZ[\ 5-IVLUQ[[MLJ]\PM\WWSW‫<ٺ‬PM[MKWVLWVM1[PW\QV\W\PM [MIº)N\MZR][\\_WUQ[[QWV[IVLITQ\\TMW^MZIUWV\PWN KWUJI\ PMPILÅ^M[_I[\QSI[XIQV\MLWVPQ[8  Curdes opened his account against a second Axis power on June 24, shooting down an Italian Macchi C.202 over Sardinia. (Some online sources claim the Macchi on display at the National Air and Space Museum is the one he downed, but curators have cast doubt on that assertion.) In August he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, but later that month his luck ran out. 7V)]O][\\PM!\P\IVOTML_Q\PMVMUaÅOP\MZ[W^MZ 6IXTM[+]ZLM[KTIQUML\_WJMNWZMPQ[4QOP\VQVO_I[PQ\0M KZI[PTIVLMLQVMVMUa\MZZQ\WZaIVL_I[KIX\]ZML
O

unlikely target In February 1945, Curdes (left) downed a C-47 of the 317th Troop Carrier Group, similar to those being fueled above, that was about to land on a Japanese-occupied island.

in the air the C-47 was low WVN]MTIVLKW]TLV¼\ZIQ[MIVa help via radio. According \W \PM IN\MZIK\QWV ZMXWZ\" “We received no bearings or ZM[XWV[M WN  IVa SQVL
THE C-47 CREW DIDN’T REALIZE THE ISLAND THEY HEADED FOR WAS ENEMY-HELD BATAN.

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“The gear was put down,” the report continued, “and at 150 N\IT\Q\]LM_Q\P\PMIQZXTIVMI\PITN ÆIX[IVLIJW]\\WJMX]\ down, six strings of tracers came up in front of us.” ¹1[PW\IKZW[[\PMVW[MWN \PM[PQXº+]ZLM[[IQL¹J]\[\QTT he came on.” In what he later referred to as a “last resort,” he then closed to 20 yards, took careful aim and used his machine guns to take out the Skytrain’s right engine. Still the transport PMTLKW]Z[M
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CURDES DROPPED THEM A MESSAGE: “FOR GOD’S SAKE, KEEP AWAY FROM SHORE. JAPS THERE.” passenger manifest the name of a nurse he had dated the VQOP\JMNWZM¹2MMXMZ[º_I[ PQ[ KWUUMV\¸WZ I\ TMI[\ that’s what the reporter who wrote up Curdes’ story for the )]O][\!Q[[]MWN Air Force UIOIbQVM ZMKITTML¸¹[M^MV

!¼[ IVL WVM 5IKKPQ QV 6WZ\P )NZQKI WVM 2IX IVL WVMAIVSQV\PM8IKQÅK¸IVL to top it, I have to go out and shoot down the girlfriend.” In most retellings, Curdes goes on to marry that nurse and they live happily ever IN\MZ\WOM\PMZ6W\Y]Q\M¹5a LILUQOP\PI^MJMMVLI\QVO a nurse on the plane that was shot down,” said his daugh\MZ>ITMZQI?PQ\VMa¹J]\PM _MV\W]\WVIJTQVLLI\M_Q\P UaUWUQV4W[)VOMTM[4W^M I\ÅZ[\WZ[MKWVLLI\M º
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF VALERIA WHITNEY; ILLUSTRATION: DON HOLLWAY

happy endings Curdes receives a hero’s welcome (far left) in Fort Wayne, Ind., after returning from the Pacific, and walks down the aisle with Svetlana Brownell (left) in 1946. Below: A profile of Bad Angel pre–U.S. flag addition.

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REVIEWS

A COMPLETE HISTORY OF U.S. COMBAT AIRCRAFT FLY-OFF COMPETITIONS

also-ran fighter North American’s F-107 lost out to the Republic F-105 in a 1950s tactical fighter fly-off.

Winners, Losers, and What Might Have Been by Erik Simonsen, Specialty Press, 2016, $44.95.

In an insightful prologue, aerospace industry [XMKQITM‫ٺ‬MK\[M`XMZ\-ZQS;QUWV[MVLQ[K][[M[ \PMXZWNW]VLQVÆ]MVKMWN KWVÅ[KI\ML/MZUIV aeronautical technology at the end of World War II. > &
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TQSM\PM6WZ\P)UMZQKIV *
QUUMV[MTa\W\PMTQ^MTaVIZZI\Q^M)[XMKQÅKI\QWV[\IJTMI\ the end of each chapter pro^QLM[^Q\ITXMZNWZUIVKMLI\I QM\VIU or the deserts of the Middle

-I[\
AMONG THE HEADHUNTERS An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival in the Burmese Jungle by Robert Lyman, Da Capo Press, 2016, $25.99.

Several recent World War II histories portray decidedly unglamorous birds: multiengine transports. Gregory A. Freeman’s The Forgotten 500 chronicles how Douglas C-47s airlifted downed U.S. airmen out of Serbian terri\WZa5Q\KPMTTB]KSW‫[¼ٺ‬Lost in Shangri-La recounts the ordeal of C-47 passengers trapped in New Guinea. Now Robert Lyman’s Among the

Headhunters shifts the focus to the China-Burma-India Theater and the Curtiss C-46 Commando. The C-46, aptly nicknamed the “Curtiss Calamity,” arrived fresh from the production line largely untested. Even factory representatives feared to ride in it. Despite its teething troubles,

the aircraft added cargo heft \WÆQOP\[IKZW[[\PM¹0]UXº a 700-mile journey from northeast India to China over [WIZQVO0QUITIaIVXMIS[
Lost in Shangri-La, Among the Headhunters is not primarily an aviation book. The author “strands” the Sevareid party a third of the way into the book to inject a lengthy account of a prewar British colonial expedition to punish renegade Naga tribes, eventually resuming their story. Still, that earlier drama gives context to the C-46 saga. The survivors hacked their way back to civilization through rugged terrain. Their story made headlines while highlighting the plight of aircrews that were daily risking \PMQZTQ^M[ÆaQVO\PM0]UX prompting the formation of \PM)ZUa)QZ.WZKM¼[ÅZ[\M^MZ air search and rescue unit. David Sears

BLOODY PARALYSER

ERIK SIMONSEN

The Giant Handley Page Bombers of the First World War by Rob Langham, Casemate Publishers, 2016, $34.95. ,]ZQVO?WZTL?IZ10IVLTMa8IOMJWUJMZ[NWZUML\PMJIKSbone of Independent Force, the portion of Britain’s Royal Air Force that later evolved into Bomber Command.
EAA OSHKOSH

The Best AirVenture Photography By Hal Bryan, James P. Busha and Dick Knapinski, Voyageur Press, 2016, $24.99. As its subtitle proclaims, this book contains the very best photography of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual sumUMZIQZ[PW_IVLÆaQVI\ Oshkosh, Wis. Over the years, it has mushroomed into one of the world’s biggest aviation gatherings. During that week, the airport’s control tower becomes the busiest in the world, guiding more than 10,000 aircraft as half a million aviation enthusiasts congregate. The book is packed with 240 spectacular color images. Each aircraft type is repre-

sented, from ultralight to modern warbird, captured in every imaginable angle and time of day, as if the photographers were sleepless aerial gymnasts. To their credit, the organizers of this paean to Oshkosh’s wonders have also included pictures of the volunteers and attendees whose warmth and enthusiasm dominate the atmosphere. EAA founder Paul Poberezny is rightly credited with having the vision to make such a thing happen, and his son Tom receives recognition for building the event into such a huge success. Current EAA CEO Jack Pelton notes in his foreword that it is a “family reunion” where attendees get \WTQ^M\PMLZMIUWN ÆQOP\ This gorgeous book will leave you breathless, either reminding you of your own Oshkosh experience or showing you what it’s all about if you’ve never been. Either way, you’ll want to own this visual feast. Philip Handleman ja n ua ry 2 0 1 7

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REVIEWS CLASSICS THE FINAL HOURS

A German Jet Pilot Plots Against Goering Ja2WPIVVM[;\MQVPW‫ٺ‬ )[I4]N\_I‫ٺ‬MW‫ٻ‬KMZ 2WPIVVM[¹5IKSaº;\MQV PW‫ٺ‬ÆM_!!UQ[[QWV[ IVLKPITSML]XIMZQIT ^QK\WZQM[UISQVOPQU\PM \PPQOPM[\[KWZQVOIKM WN ITT\QUM)ZMKQXQMV\WN  \PM3VQOP\¼[+ZW[[WN \PM 1ZWV+ZW[[_Q\P7IS4MI^M[ IVL;_WZL[;\MQVPW‫_ٺ‬I[ \PMÅZ[\KWUUIVLMZWN  Jagdgeschwader/MZUIVa¼[ ÅZ[\WXMZI\QWVITÅOP\MZ_QVO \WÆa\PM5M[[MZ[KPUQ\\ 5MRM\0MMVLML\PM _IZI[IÆQOP\TMILMZQV 4\/MV)LWTN /ITTIVL¼[ Jagdverband\PMTMOMVLIZa _QVOWN RM\IKM[
_PWIKKWUXIVQML8ZM[QLMV\ :WVITL:MIOIVIVL/MZUIV +PIVKMTTWZ0MTU]\3WPT L]ZQVO\PMQZKWV\ZW^MZ[QIT W‫ٻ‬KQIT^Q[Q\\W\PM*Q\J]ZO /MZUIV5QTQ\IZa+MUM\MZa WV\PM\PIVVQ^MZ[IZaWN  >-,Ia ;\MQVPW‫[¼ٺ‬JWWSThe Final Hours: A German Jet Pilot Plots Against GoeringWZQOQVITTaX]J TQ[PMLQV!QV/MZUIVa Q[WVMWN \PMUW[\WJRMK\Q^M IVLQV\ZW[XMK\Q^MWN ITTUMU WQZ[_ZQ\\MVJaI?WZTL?IZ 11/MZUIV[MVQWZW‫ٻ‬KMZ 1\NWK][M[XZQUIZQTaWV\PM XMZQWLNZWU7K\WJMZ! \W\PMMVLWN \PM_IZ_PMV [_IZU[WN )TTQMLJWUJMZ[ X]UUMTML\PM
\PI\QN I[QVOTM)TTQMLJWUJMZ M^MZIXXMIZMLW^MZ/MZUIVa ¹AW]KIVKITTUM5MQMZº \ZQML\WUISMPQ[ÅOP\MZXQTW\[ \PM[KIXMOWI\[NWZPQ[W_V TMILMZ[PQXNIQT]ZM[IVLQVIJQT Q\a\WXZW^QLM\PM2IOL_I‫ٺ‬M _Q\P\PMZQOP\ZM[W]ZKM[IVL MY]QXUMV\M[XMKQITTa\PM 5M?MTTQV\W! )LWTN 0Q\TMZIVL/ZQVO QV[Q[\ML\PI\\PM5M_I[ XZQUIZQTaI\IK\QKITJWUJMZ ZI\PMZ\PIVIÅOP\MZ
;\MQVPW‫[¼ٺ‬JWWSQ[IVQV[QLMZ¼[ IKKW]V\WN _PI\JMKIUM SVW_VI[\PM.QOP\MZ8QTW\[¼ :M^WT\)TWVO_Q\PPQ[KTW[M NZQMVL/†V\PMZ4†\bW_ ;\MQVPW‫_ٺ‬I[WVMWN \PMTMIL MZ[WN \PI\ZM^WT\Æa QVO\PM5M4†\bW__I[ [PW\LW_VIVLSQTTMLWV)XZQT [Q`LIa[IN\MZ;\MQVPW‫[¼ٺ‬ 5MJTM_I\QZMWV\ISM W‫ٺ‬KZI[PMLIVLKI]OP\ÅZM
REVIEWS

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by Jon Guttman, Osprey Publishing, 2015, $22.95.

Contact us to put your advertisement in front of thousands of history enthusiasts! 800.649.9800 [email protected] For information on placing a Direct Response or Marketplace ad in Print and Online contact us today: Aviation History 800.649.9800 / Fax: 800.649.6712 / [email protected] / www.russelljohns.com

“SCRAMBLED EGGS” WAS THE WORKING TITLE OF THIS HIT BEATLES SONG

- Penny Lane - Eleanor Rigby - Yesterday - Ticket to Ride

For more, search DAILY QUIZ at HistoryNet.com. YESTERDAY. PAUL MCCARTNEY WROTE THE MELODY WITH NO WORDS, SO HE CALLED THE SONG “SCRAMBLED EGGS.” THE WORKING OPENING LINE WAS “SCRAMBLED EGGS/OH, YOU HAVE SUCH LOVELY LEGS.”

HistoryNet.com

One of the more unusual titles in Osprey’s “Aircraft of the Aces” series, this book by World War I expert (and Aviation History research director) Jon Guttman showcases ILQ‫ٺ‬MZMV\OZW]XWN IKM[IVL\PMQZ aircraft. We tend to think of air IKM[ÆaQVO[QVOTM[MI\MZ[ITWVMQV \PM[SaNIKQVOW‫ٺ‬IOIQV[\MVMUa ÅOP\MZ[*]\Y]Q\MINM_ÆM_U]T\Q seat aircraft. Often the pilot and his WJ[MZ^MZO]VVMZ[PIZMLKZMLQ\NWZ SQTT[IVLR][\I[WN\MV\PMO]VVMZWZ XQTW\[PW\LW_VWXXW[QVOIQZKZIN\ on his own. In addition to its many unusual XPW\W[IVL_MTTLWVMKW^MZQTT][ tration by Mark Postlethwaite, \PMJWWSNMI\]ZM[KWTWZXZWÅTM[Ja expert Harry Dempsey that show KI[MI[I\Q[NaQVOTQVM]XWN IQZKZIN\ rarely seen in such detail. French +I]LZWV[IVL*ZMO]M\JWUJMZ[ *ZQ\Q[P;WX_Q\Pû;\Z]\\MZ[IVL LM0I^QTTIVL,0![)UMZQKIV KZM_ML;ITU[WV)[ITWVO_Q\P German Rolands, Albatroses and 0IVVW^MZ[XT][)][\ZW0]VOIZQIV *ZIVLMVJ]ZO+1[¸ITTIXXMIZQV their wartime colors. 7N XIZ\QK]TIZQV\MZM[\Q[\PMÅZ[\ XZWÅTMWN I+I]LZWV/_PW[M crew nacelle carried a red cocotte \PI\ZM[MUJTMLIXQMKMWN WZQOIUQ
flight test

Sputnik-PS

ROCKET SCIENCE

>

1. What was the first manned rocket-powered aircraft to fly? A. Lippisch Ente B. Bereznyak-Isayev IS-1 C. Opel RAK.1 D. Messerschmitt Me-163

MYSTERY SHIP

Can you identify this floatplane freighter? See the answer below.

MIXED BAGS A. Werner Mölders B. Saburo Sakai C. Clive Caldwell D. Hans-Ekehard Bob E. Günther Rall F. Pierre Le Gloan G. Wolfgang Falck H. Constantin Cantacuzino I. Toshio Sakagawa J. John Voll

1. Soviets, British, Chinese, Americans 2. Belgians, British, Yugoslavs, Soviets 3. French, British, Soviets, Americans 4. Germans, Hungarians, Romanians 5. Soviets, Americans, Germans 6. Chinese, Dutch, Australians, Americans 7. Germans, Italians, Japanese 8. Poles, British, Danes 9. Spanish, French, British, Soviets 10. Germans, Italians, British

3. Who was the first woman in space? A. Ellen Ochoa B. Sally Ride C. Valentina Tereshkova D. Eileen Collins 4. What did Julie Payette insist on bringing along on her 2009 space flight? A. Canadian flag B. Sweater signed by Maurice “The Rocket” Richard C. Book of Canadian aviation achievements D. Maple syrup 5. What distinguished Liu Yang from previous Chinese astronauts? A. Being married B. Former fighter pilot C. Former transport pilot D. Having a child

ANSWERS: MYSTERY SHIP: Fleet 50K. Learn more about it at HistoryNet.com/aviation-history. MIXED BAGS: A.9, B.6, C.7, D.2, E.3, F.10, G.8, H.5, I.1, J.4 ROCKET SCIENCE: 1.A, 2.D, 3.C, 4.B, 5.C

LEFT: CANADA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM; RIGHT: NASA

Match the fighter ace with his opponents.

2. What was the first rocket to send a satellite into space? A. Titan II B. Proton-K C. Atlas LV-38 D. Sputnik-PS

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AERO ARTIFACT

Out of Cold Storage

F

moon mitts Neil Armstrong wore these gloves during his twoplus hours on the lunar surface. Inset: Armstrong’s iconic photo of lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin.

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NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM; INSET: NASA

or preservation purposes, the spacesuits worn by astronauts are generally stored in a cold, dark, controlled environment due to their fragility. Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign launched by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, however, Neil Armstrong’s recently conserved helmet and extravehicular gloves were placed on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Northern Virginia last []UUMZ¸aMIZ[\W\PMLIaIN\MZPMJMKIUM\PMÅZ[\ man to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969 (learn the fate of another Armstrong artifact in “Aviators,” P. 16). The gloves and helmet, last publicly exhibited during 2012, will remain on view through July 2017.

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