Flight Journalの September - October 2020 の目次

There was a lot of enthusiasm with the Flight Journal team around the creation of this issue as we had quite a compelling range of features that includes very diverse aircraft. We are in the history preservation business as so many of the stories, pilots, and aircraft we feature have clearly impacted the direction and advancement of aviation and need to be told! At the dawn of the Second World War, quick-witted and charming Billy Drake was like many other young RAF pilots during that period who went into combat with little practical experience, blissfully unaware of how much they needed to learn about flying fighters and surviving. What was even more challenging was the rapid transition from biplanes—like the lumbering and obsolete Gloster Gladiator—to the cockpit of the newly…

The Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey has now been serving in the USMC ranks for over two decades. Combat-tested, the ubiquitous Marine Corps Ospreys are found on the U.S. West Coast, East Coast, Hawaii, Japan, and in combat theaters of operations. Well over 300 MV-22Bs are in service with the Marines, with their formal mission being the transportation of troops, equipment, and supplies from ships and land bases for combat assault and assault support. On a smaller numbers scale with 51 aircraft, U.S. Air Force Special Operations flies the CV-22B version. The primary CV-22B mission is conducting longrange infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply missions. Not unlike other programs, the Osprey was born in controversy, including its high cost coupled with a few tragic accidents. Simply put, the Osprey’s revolutionary design meant higher…

The North American Aviation F-82 was the last piston-engine fighter to be built, because after World War II all the leading nations started to build up their air forces with jets. It took the Korean War to bring the Twin Mustang into national attention. This war started on June 25, 1950 when the North Koreans crossed the 38th Parallel. An alert went out to three All Weather Squadrons (AWS) stationed in Japan. The 68th, at Itazuke Air Base, was the first to reply. The 339th AWS at Yokota Air Base and the 4th AWS at Naha Okinawa Air Base each kept just enough Twins to fly their local missions, while the remainder of their squadrons contributed to the war effort. The 4th donated eight F-82s and the 339th sent seven…

The Art of James Dietz A historical painting is only as good as the story it tells, and how convincingly it combines the people, their actions, costumes, surroundings and atmosphere in an appropriate composition. A good one uses all of these elements to illustrate the major story and perhaps a second subtext. Both are driven by how interesting the situation is that the artist is attempting to render. A great painting transcends its immediate story and strikes a deeper chord, one that hopefully evolves and changes as the viewer contemplates the art over time. It is this last and most worthy goal that artists like James Dietz aspire to. In his portrait of events in the 20th and 21st Centuries, he labors to achieve that rare combination of historical fact…

THE FLYING LEGENDS AIRSHOW at Duxford, UK, brings together a magnificent group of WW II U.S. and European aces. Flight Journal has aided in sponsoring a large contingent of the Yanks on hand and joined with them as they revisited the bases they once flew from and where they met with their British and German counterparts. All the pilots in attendance had enjoyed great success in combat, but each had his own style. Four of the participants, Maj. John Kirla, Col. Robert Rankin, Group Capt. Billy Drake, and Maj. Gen. Don Strait, prove that aces come in all shapes and sizes and personalities. Different as they might be personally, however, these four men share a trait found in most successful fighter pilots, especially those who become aces. When presented with…

Depicted here are C-47 Skytrain military transport aircraft from the 440th Troop Carrier Group inserting units of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment into Normandy, France on the evening of June 5, 1944. The nose art and tail number of the lead aircraft (tail no. 292717) are historically accurate and depict the actual markings of the aircraft used by battalion commander Col. Frank Krebs and staff for the Normandy invasion. The nose art of the lead aircraft details a man wearing a top hat with coat tails pointing to the name of the aircraft, “Stoy Hora,” which translates to “I am here for you right now.” These powerful words embody the commitment and trust between air and ground forces that endure today. This painting commemorates the 75th anniversary of the American…

It would be safe to say that most young Americans who grew up during the Cold War era have a fleeting knowledge of only a few U.S. military aircraft; two of these would definitely be the SR-71 Blackbird and the U-2 Dragon Lady. Both arrived ahead of their time, and they provided the majority of the intelligence that was so desperately needed during that period. The U-2 was first to emerge from the famous Lockheed Skunk Works, and with the ability to reach an altitude of 70,000+ feet, Soviet fighters had very little chance of shooting one down, and surface-to-air missiles had not yet developed to a point to be effective against an aircraft at such altitude. It was subsonic and depended on its lofty ceiling to protect it. It…

One of the primary keys to the success of the Hawker Hurricane was the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin 12-cylinder engine. Both the Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire had been designed around the Merlin and were the first to use it, but the V-12’s origins trace back several years earlier to the early 1930s. Rolls-Royce’s Kestrel V-12 had powered the Hawker Fury and numerous other aircraft of the pre-war period, but as the RAF contemplated moving away from biplanes to heavier, faster monoplane fighter aircraft, Rolls-Royce recognized that the 600-700 horsepower produced by the 21-liter Kestrel would be insufficient. Development began on the 27-liter Merlin, and by the time the first production engines (designated the Merlin II) went into Hurricanes in 1937, the engine was making more than 1,000hp. Early Merlins made…

The classic Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing first appeared in 1937 and was a follow-on design for Walter Beech of the original fixed gear Model 17 of the early 1930s. It was considered to be one of the finest and fastest aircraft of the time. It was expensive, with prices quoted between $14,000 and $17,000 U.S. depending upon the engine selected. A complex aircraft with retracting gear and a comfortable cabin large enough for five adults and some baggage, it had a top speed near 200 mph, which appealed to the wealthy business man in need of fast, efficient transportation. This Canadian registered Staggerwing, CFBJD, was manufactured by Beech in the spring of 1938 for the Imperial Oil Company in Quebec. Imperial ordered the seaplane version as indicated by the model number,…

When the jet age arrived, the procedure of abandoning the cockpit by stepping out on the wing rapidly became history. Jet warfare brought on a dangerous era for the pilot because of the excessive speed, which led to the development of the ejection seat. Making sure the pilot cleared the vertical stabilizer was critical. This situation not only included pilots in combat but also test pilots who were approaching and exceeding the speed of sound. There are numerous records of pilots safely ejecting at Mach 1-plus speeds with no injuries. The Russians use the Zvezda K-36DM ejection seat that allows the pilot to eject at speeds as high as 870mph. Currently, the USAF uses the new Martin-Baker ejection seats in its new F-22s. Official records show that over the years,…