By:      Norm Goyer

The PT-22 was not the best trainer of World War II; many were destroyed in crashes due to low speed handling problems.

I have never jumped out of an airplane, came very close one time, but, I chickened out. What happened? I had recently purchased a Ryan PT-22 for $450.00, complete with two surplus parachutes. Neither the surplus primary trainer or the chutes were in pristine condition. But, they were cheap, and I was broke, as usual. I made some minor repairs to the airframe and to the Kinner 165-hp five-cylinder. It sounded like a John Deere tractor engine but seemed to run just fine. I am of the mindset that if something isn’t broke, I don’t fix it.

I had been flying a Fairchild PT-26 with a 200-hp in-line inverted six-cylinder engine and would love to spend my flying time doing leisurely loops and snap rolls over the Connecticut River in Northampton, Massachusetts. I depended on the river to keep the loops straight and I even attempted to come out of the snap rolls more or less on the same heading. A precision aerobatic pilot I was not. Uncle Sam had taught me that loused up aerobatics with a wild gyrating aircraft, seemingly out of control, were the hardest for the enemy to hit, that was me. Every time I landed one of my buddies would ask, ” What in hell was that you did over the Ox Bow?” Never could answer them truthfully so I used the old favorite, “That was a reverse whifferdill. Looked great didn’t it.” Many years later I was giving a television host from Hollywood a canyon ride in “Stormin’ Norman”, my SNJ-6 (Texan) and I managed, again, through precision sloppy flying snapped out of a loop and the big North American proceeded to teach me who was boss, and it surely wasn’t me. After taking a few seconds to figure out what the airplane was doing I recovered and landed, sure enough, “What was that maneuver——-etc etc?” \

“Oh that was my specialty, a reverse whifferdill.”

“Looked like you lost control to me?” Damn I hate passengers who know too much about flying. I later heard that my passenger had related his experiences on his daily game show. “Most exciting ride I ever had”, he said.

The author almost bailed out of the PT-22 he was flying when a section of the wing fabric ripped off. A decision was made to stay with the aircraft, fortunately it worked.

Whoops, forgot what I was talking about. Right, parachutes. Well one nice fall day I took off in the PT-22 and climbed out to 6,000 feet over the river. I had heard that the Ryan was not able to do a round loop, it was too draggy, too underpowered to motor over the top. Not with this superior pilot at the controls, I was determined to do a nice round loop and recover right through my entering slipstream and on course. I forget what the red line speed was, but I think it was in 180 to 190 mph range, so I firewalled the tractor engine, lowered the nose, and when the airspeed indicator was wavering around the red mark, I gently pulled the nose up into the start of a nice round loop. Dreamer, I made it almost to the inverted position and lift, gravity and lack of flying speed took over. I was now in a lead sled falling, not flying, but falling backwards. Still having some brain cells that were working, I kept my cool, and wiggled the controls in different directions until one combination got the nose back down and the rotation stopped. Oh wow! Look at that 220 mph. What’s that flapping noise? Whoops, one section of fabric on the starboard wing (right wing to you landlubbers) had peeled back and was draped over the aileron. My instructor’s voice came back to me, “Fly the airplane.” So I very gently brought it out of the dive and managed to keep the rest of the fabric and the wings on the airplane. I found that the Ryan would fly under control at a wide open throttle. I had enough aileron control, plus some very careful use of the rudder, to maintain a heading and altitude. It got squirrely when I slowed below 100 mph. I decided to “hit the silk”. This chute was so old it probably was silk. I unhitched and started to climb out of the cockpit. Then my few remaining brain cells starting questioning my latest dumb idea. I had never had this chute packed and recertified, it has been sitting in the open cockpit in the rain, I didn’t even know how old it is. So, I climbed back in the seat, hooked up my harness and headed for Barnes Airport, in nearby Westfield. They had an Air National Guard unit there and a wide, extra long runway. My plan was to land the airplane at 100 mph and when firmly on the wheels retard the throttle slowly until the plane was taxing. Barnes had a control tower and I had nothing, So I circled the tower, they saw the fabric flapping in the breeze, and shot me a green light. My next worry, would a tire blow, not if I flew the plane very gently onto the runway with no bounce, no swerving, just a grease job. The landing was the only thing that I did properly on that flight. It was fast, long and everything held together. The Ryan had  a strong landing gear, with a hinged forward section, that was very well sprung. After I taxied off the runway I borrowed some 100-mph tape (duct tape) and patched up the wing and flew home. My reputation was growing in Western Massachusetts, Norm’s in the sky, better wait until he lands.

The PT-22 was a committee revised version of the excellent Ryan ST-A, designed for military training. It was not an improvement.

Now does that mean I don’t trust parachutes? No, I mean follow the rules, your life will depend on the condition of the chute. Have it packed and take care of it, it is a lot more than a seat cushion. NG

By:      Norm Goyer

Every air show has a collection of like new, yellow Piper J-3 Cubs.

I grew up in the rock maple forests of Western New England where every fall Mother Nature puts artists to shame with her vibrate living colors. When viewed from above they almost seem to be changing before your eyes. Artists have tried to duplicate nature’s infinite palette with little success. But some aircraft designers have also used color to great advantage;  but none coming close to Mama Nature.

Let’s talk about the obvious first, the J-3 Cub, whose specially blended yellow with a slight bit of orange has its own name, Cub Yellow. As Henry Ford once said, “I’ll sell you a Model “T” Ford in any color you want as long as it is black”. So would Bill Piper, Cubs were yellow with a black lightning stripe and small drawing of a bear cub on the tail, that was your only choice. But, it became the most well known paint scheme in the history of aviation. His three-place Cub Cruiser was painted Orange; it too had its own color, “Cruiser Orange.” Early Cub Coupes were painted blue. After World War II Piper still painted their Cubs yellow. Aeronca upset the airplane cart by closely copying the Cub’s yellow paint scheme. They used a slightly more chrome yellow and adding a distinctive orange belly to give the pot-bellied airknocker a more modern look to go along with its “real door”, front-seat piloting and full engine cowling. “Holy Batman, Mr. Piper, what are you going to to about that?” Piper’s answer was the Piper Cub Special; the airplane had a lighter color yellow with medium blue trim. The engine was fully-cowled and you could fly from the front seat. Unfortunately, sales fell flat, those who wanted a Cub, wanted a yellow cub with its Continental hanging out in the breeze. Not to be outdone by the Aeronca Champ, Piper left their classic Cub alone and concentrated on their three-place Cruiser. They dumped the 75 hp engine, put an 100 hp in, used a full cowling and painted the Super Cruiser a pleasing cream with red trim. Now they had a winner. They even redesigned the fuselage a bit and added another seat and sold it as the four-passenger Family Cruiser. Piper then using their head for a change, decided that the classic Cub needed a more powerful member of the Cub family. The Super Cruiser name went over very well so why not the Super Cub, voila, another classic Cub was born. Again they went with a while paint scheme with red trim. The new Super Duper Cub was available with various engines up to 160 hp with the 150-Lycoming powered being the most popular. They removed the fuel tank from the cowling area, added tanks to the wing, added flaps, put in toe brakes and balanced the aircraft for front seat piloting. In addition to a great working aircraft for towing gliders, towing banners, pipe line patrols and fish spotting duties they also found out that they had built a dynamite seaplane. I have flown Cubs including a 40 hp Taylor Cub, a 50-hp Piper Cub on floats and a 150 hp Super Cub on Edo floats; I have loved them all.

The three-place Piper J-5 Cruiser came from Lock Haven painted in "Cruiser Orange."

Piper stopped producing Super Cubs in the 1980s but other firms have helped themselves to the design. You can buy an ultralight Cub, a homebuilt Cub, and LSA Cub and restored original Cubs. It seems that the American buying public will stick with a product they know and respect. Cubs have been part of our aviation history since the early 1930s and they show no sign of going away any time soon. The most popular model airplane of any category from rubber band models to huge 50% scale behemoths has always been the Piper Cub. They are unique in many ways. They are highly respected for being outstanding aircraft, they fly better than many modern aircraft. “It flies like a Cub.” is a tremendous compliment. Yes I am a Cub junkie. Why?

The post war Piper PA-11 Special had a multi-color paint scheme of light yellow and blue.

I soloed in a Piper Cub at 6.6 hours, I obtained my seaplane rating in a 50-hp Cub, I searched for lost aircraft in a CAP L-4 Cub, I counted desert burros and horses from a Cub and I taught my kids to love a Cub. I have flown them from land, sea and snow. I have landed them in pastures, on dirt roads, Interstates for fuel, fairgrounds for display and strictly for open door summer flying fun. Oh yes, I also have two 81″ RC Cubs, an 81″ RC Super Cub and a 106 inch 1/4 size Super Cub. I also have floats for all of my RC Cubs, as they make a superb RC seaplane. Mr. Taylor, thanks for designed such a great fun airplane and Mr. Piper, thanks for building them. You dun good. NG

The PA-12 150-hp Super Cub was mostly white with red trim. They made outstanding seaplanes.

By:      Norm Goyer

These Corsairs were photographed while flying over a remote island in the South Pacific.

In my opinion, some of the most exciting and dramatic photographs of aircraft are those picturing Navy aircraft operating from carriers or in flight over the vast oceans of the world. For me it is impossible to look at a photograph of a Corsair without searching for details as to which model Corsair I was looking at. Is it a F4U-1 or is it an F4U-4? No, I only see three prop blades so it must be an earlier model than a Dash 4. There were so many minor changes and yes, major changes, that I still find this 70 year old aircraft very fascinating. One of the big regrets of my life is that I never had the chance to fly a Corsair or land on a carrier. The atom bombs stopped the war but it also prevented me from realizing some of my dreams.

The Curtiss Helldiver saw action operating from carriers during later years of Pacific war.

Carrier aircraft are more photogenic because of many elements. A constantly shifting runway, heart-in-the-mouth take offs, where the plane powers itself off the deck (before catapults) and dips toward the ocean below, then slowly rises and heads out to sea. Landings are very dramatic, especially in stormy seas. Watching World War II era LSO (landing signal officers) waving their flags, now mostly replaced by computer controlled position lights is extremely visual. The actual snatching of one of the cables, by the arresting-hook dangling from the tail of the aircraft adds to the excitement. During the height of sea battles, many aircraft returned to their carriers damaged, landing gears stuck up, or only partially down, pilot injured or blinded by an oil covered windscreen. I still cringe when I see that Hellcat slam into the superstructure of the carrier and break in half, or the Corsair bounce over the cables and slide on its nose, while deck crewmen rush to put out the fire. Our modern Navy jet fighters are equally photogenic and require even more skills due to their speed and complexity. Our nation owes every Navy pilot who risked his life for our freedom a very special thanks and a “Well done.”

Not all Navy aircraft were based on carriers. The Vought Kingfisher was used on cruisers and other naval ships. They were launched by catapult, landed on the water, then craned back onto the ship.

The US Navy recently released, through their museum archives, a series of photographs depicting Naval aviation. I looked through hundreds of photos, over several days, and picked out a few which I really thought “told the story of carrier operations.” NG

The Korean War saw renewed use of World War II Corsairs. These are aboard the USS Oriskany headed for Korea.

This Korean era carrier's deck has prop-driven Corsairs and jet powered Grumman Panthers.

Vietnam saw US carriers back in action. The Grumman A-6 Intruder is shown clearing the deck after launching.

By:      Norm Goyer

The Estrella Warbird Museum, located in Paso Robles, California, has a great collection of military aircraft featuring Korean and Vietnam era aircraft.

My daughter Celeste is an event planner, along with her many other art design skills. She recently called me and suggested I write a column about a new Warbird Museum which had just been dedicated in Paso Robles, California, close to her studios in Cambria. Celeste started her warbird flying in the back seat of one of my SNJs when she was way under five years old and the love of old fighting iron has stuck, as it has for me. As usual, she was right on with her instincts for a good story.

Celeste Goyer and Stephen Price stand near a Grumman Intruder, workhorse of the Vietnam carrier war, and star of the "Flight of the Intruder" movie and novel.

We arrived at 10:00 am at the Paso Robles Municipal Airport, which was a P-38 fighter training base during World War II. The gate guard for the very large indoor and outdoor display hangars and areas was one of my favorite light jets, a Cessna T-37 “Tweety Bird”. Just behind a small fence, were lines of warbirds in their natural colors and conditions, that of fighting aircraft which had served their country proudly, and were now enjoying siesta time in the bright California sunshine. Lines of military helicopters and jet fighters, dating back to the very early Lockheed T-33/F-80 Shooting Star were on display. Exotic iron, like the Lockheed F-104, the “Missile with a man in it”, and the very famous Grumman Tracker “Short Ugly Little Fellow”, sorry I had to clean up that name for family Internet reading. This aircraft served in the US Navy as an anti submarine warfare aircraft and a carrier capable courier/mail plane, then a radar aircraft carrying a huge round antenna on top of the fuselage and finally years of having belly tanks installed in the bomb bar and filled with fire retardants for the California Forestry Department as a borate bomber. This short ugly, you-know-what, earned its keep, big time.

The Estrella Museum has a Grumman S2F Tracker rescued from the fire wars. (see Bird of the Week for more Tracker photos)

Both the movie and the book “Flight of the Intruder” were smash successes. The star of the book/movie was a Grumman Intruder, side-by-side attack aircraft. Many years ago, with the help of a Grumman employee flying friend and a press card from a major network, I was able to tour the Grumman plant in Long Island where they were building Intruders and F-14s and modifying F-111 Aardvarks with new avionics. The Estrella Warbird Museum has a beautiful Intruder and an F-14. These are impressive aircraft. I really liked this museum because you could walk right up to the old birds, scratch their tail feathers, some even had access to their cockpits. Old military pilots better bring a box of tissues ’cause you are going to need them.

Now, who can resist a beautiful aircraft with one's initials on it, not me. These markings were on an Intruder.

Another big plus to the Estrella Warbird Museum is the fact that you will see aircraft that you seldom have a chance to view up close. Sun ‘n Fun and AirVenture have hundreds of World War II aircraft and a few later jet fighters but not all of the aircraft that made up the rosters of our Air Force, Navy and Marine aviation units, or the planes that flew from carriers during the height of Vietnam and even the early Gulf wars. These are not air show aircraft, they are working aircraft, the very same ones and looking just like those whose pilots and crews accomplished unbelievable feats of courage during the heights of battles on the sea and in the air.

There is a WWII era Link trainer display, including a full set of controls. This is a very rare exhibit.

How did a group of dedicated aircraft lovers manage to obtain 26 prime aircraft from the US Navy and Air Force? It wasn’t easy, but it certainly was worth the hard work of over 500 museum members. Would you believe that they average over 100 guests every month attend the dinner and business meeting? Now that is very unusual for a club. The members incorporated as a nonprofit organization dedicated to displaying our nation’s air power. Thus they became eligible to receive surplus retired aircraft from the military on a lease per plane basis. The 500 members of the museum receive these aircraft, then the hard work begins. Many have weathered years of unprotected outdoor storage and need new paint and markings. Many have dings and dents that must be repaired so the aircraft appear to be airworthy. The museum does have an airworthy Douglas C-47 which recently participated in the gathering of DC-3s and C-47s in Illinois.

We also toured the display buildings and saw some very unusual objects, antique military vehicles, authentic uniforms of many countries, and, one of my favorites, a genuine complete Link Trainer. I used one of these while I was a flying officer for the CAP in Massachusetts many years ago, this display brought back many memories. The museum also has modern military simulators which can be rented. Another new addition is the addition of many famous racing cars, including NASCAR, dirt Track and Indy cars. It is an excellent assortment for auto racing fans.. Racing cars and aircraft have always had a close relationship.

The museum is easy to get to via car and aircraft, yours of course, not the cigar tubes. It is located just off Interstate/California 101 in Paso Robles, there are excellent road signs and the museum has weekend hours and by appointment. I highly suggest you check out their web site for a list of aircraft and hours of operation. Log onto www.ewarbirds.org or call them at 805-227-0440. If you go, give the short ugly little fellow a nice pat on the nose, ugly airplanes also need a little love. NG

By:      Norm Goyer

The Army purchased many Twin Bonanzas and renamed them the Seminole

I would like to thank Wikipedia and Beechcraft publications for the facts and figures of the many Beechcraft military aircraft. NG

It started in the late 1930s with the D-18 Twin Beech, before World War II, and has continued to date, August 2010. Beechcraft light twins have helped our military protect our freedom.

One of the more successful family of light twins started with the well known Beechcraft D-18 Twin Beech, thousands were built and used in all branches of the military, in many different roles. Beech’s second family of outstanding light military twins commenced with the Twin Bonanza  B-50.  The “T’Bone” was built to act as a second choice to the larger more powerful Beech D-18. The Twin Bonanza light duty twin eventually morphed into the Queen Air and then the King Air line of both reciprocating and turbine powered aircraft, still being built as the King Air Model 90. The original T’Bone was a rugged airplane; it had the appearance of being larger than the D-18, of course it was not. I had the use of one for about a year and I loved the big old bird, and I mean big old bird. It was a far cry from the Piper Aztec and Seneca I had been flying, this airplane was a twin, spelled with all capital letters. This was a pilot’s aircraft from the three-passenger wide, front cockpit seating to the twin-geared Lycoming engines, to the huge two bladed paddle blade props needed to handle the torque of the geared engines. If the step didn’t deploy, you even needed a step ladder to enter the cockpit. The large diameter props needed a long landing gear for clearence. The military put the T’Bone based Seminol to work immediately in many transportation roles.

The Seminole was used with great success during the Korean conflict.

The Twin Bonanza first flew on November 15, 1949. Work was started on it in April of  1949. The Model 50’s type certificate was awarded in 1952, and production began the same year. The United States Army used the Twin Bonanza, L-23 Seminole, utility transport, making it the largest fixed-wing aircraft in the Army’s inventory at that time. Ralph Harmon, the airplane’s designer, stated that during an initial demonstration flight for the Army, Claude Palmer, a Beechcraft Demonstration Test Pilot, crashed while trying to land over a 50-foot tree line. The aircraft was loaded with soldiers and sandbags. Everyone on board walked away from the crash. The Army was so impressed with the structural strength of the Twin Bonanza, that they eventually purchased 216 of the 994 examples produced. It was also the first twin-engine aircraft, in its class, to be offered to the business market. The Korean War was raging in the early 1950s and the US Army needed more Seminoles so it took almost the entire production for 1952 and 1953.

The Queen Air, which was a Twin Bonanza with a much larger fuselage, was a very popular business aircraft.

In the late 1950s, Beechcraft, using the Model 50 as a starting point, developed the Model 80 Queen Air. The Queen Air is a twin-engined light aircraft produced in several different versions from 1960 to 1978. It was based on the Twin Bonanza, with which it shared key components, such as wings, engines, and tail surfaces, but featuring a much larger fuselage. In the turn the Queen Air served as the basis for the highly successful King Air series of turboprop aircraft. The Model 80 Queen Air was used as a business aircraft, in an utility role, or as a small commuter airliner. Production ran for 17 years.

The Beechcraft King Air became a very popular military fast personnel transport. This one is in Navy markings.

The real star of the Twin Bonanza’s offspring is the Beechcraft Model 90 King Air. which was conceived as the Model 120 in 1961. In May 1963, Beechcraft began test flights of the proof-of-concept Model 87, a modified Queen Air with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-6 engines. In July, Beech announced they were working on a new type. A month later Beech Marketing began accepting orders for the “King Air”, with deliveries to commence in Autumn 1964. In 1964 after ten months of test flying the Model 87 was delivered to the United States Army as the NU-8F. In January, the first definitive prototype Model 65-90, was also fitted with PT6A-6 engines and flew for the first time. The first production aircraft was delivered in October, and by the end of the month, 152 aircraft had been ordered.

President Lyndon Johnson used a King Air as his personal Air Force One for local transportation while in Texas.

The U.S. military has used King Air 90s in various roles, primarily VIP and liaison transport, with designations including the VC-6A, the T-44 Pegasus, and the U-21 Ute. The U-21 Ute used by the US Army was the most common version. Most U-21s were unpressurized Model 87 derivatives, but there were also five U-21Fs based on the A100 King Air; and three U-21Js, which Beechcraft designated Model A100-1, but were actually the first three production Model 200 Super King Airs  The majority of the U-21 series were retired in the second half of the 1990s. Since then some have been modified as ag-spray aircraft.

During the administration of President Lyndon Johnson, the United States Air Force acquired a Model B90 King Air “off-the-shelf”. The Air Force labeled it VC-6A, the aircraft, serial number 66-7943, was used to transport President Johnson between Bergstrom Air Force Base (near Austin, Texas) and the Johnson family ranch near Johnson City, Texas. When Johnson was aboard, the aircraft used the call sign Air Force One. This aircraft is now on display, with other presidential aircraft, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.

Beechcraft is still carrying on the tradition of a prime military aircraft supplier with their new T-6 A, Texan II. For many decades the Beechcraft T-34, both recip and turbine versions taught our pilots the art of military flying..

The Lockheed 10 Electra was used by the military as a twin-engine trainer and light transport.

By:      Norm Goyer

When the war clouds started appearing in Europe just prior to Pearl Harbor, the United States was sadly lacking in all types of military aircraft. What we did have were on the brink of being obsolete. The aircraft industry was about to be revitalized in a very big way. “Somebody call Rosie the Riveter.”

I live in Apple Valley, California very close to historic Rte 66, and a few miles from the railroad tracks that pass through the High Desert enroute from the east, the very same tracks that carried almost all of the troops sent to the Pacific Theatre. At the foot of Cajon Pass, 4,300 feet high, lies the outskirts of San Bernardino. Here the trains stopped and the troops were transferred to rows and rows of temporary bunk houses to await transport to the Islands. As I drive my Suburban over these tracks, which run through Mojave Narrows, I often wonder how many of our troops never came back and that this was their last ride through their homeland. It is a sobering thought.

The civilian Twin-Beech D-18 was purchased in huge numbers for use as a navigation and bomber trainer. They were also used for light transport duties.

War in any form requires huge transportation capabilities. Even small aircraft, pickup trucks and tiny Willys Jeeps are needed to move people and supplies. Large numbers of troops were moved with four-engine transports, parachute drops were conducted from Douglas DC-3s, now renamed as C-47 Dakotas. Top brass were shuffled from air base to air base in small four seat aircraft. Most of these were drafted into military service with nothing more than a new paint job and different frequencies on their radios. It took several years before the aircraft manufacturers could gear up and produce aircraft designed only for military service. This is such a vast subject we will restrict out discussion to those aircraft that were designed for civilian use and drafted into the military during the first years of our entry into World War II

This Canadian Cessna Crane T-50 is on display at a Canadian museum. This mostly wood. light twin was used as a twin-engine trainer. Thousands were built.

The airline industry supplied hundreds of Douglas DC-3s and Douglas DC-4s for troop transport. Douglas immediately made modifications to their assembly lines and started producing C-47s and C-54 Skymaster troop carriers. Curtiss was working on their new huge twin engine C-46 high altitude airliner, which was introduced at the New York World’s Fair in 1938. The airlines didn’t seem interested so the prototype was sold to the military who immediately ordered 200 of the  new C-46 Commando. The more popular Douglas C-47 went on to be used in Korea and Vietnam. Many are still flying daily airline routes. The Curtiss was used by freight companies. I flew on several C-46 flights carrying bundles of the Wall Street Journal from Barnes Airport in Westfield, MA to New York City for distribution. The Lockheed C-69 Constellation came along towards the end of the war and a small number did serve as troop carriers during 1943 and 1944.

The Beechcraft D-17 Staggerwing was used by both the Army and Navy as an inter-base transport.

There was also a crying need for small twin-engine aircraft for use as multi-engine trainers, navigation trainers and personnel transportation from base to base. There were two civilian aircraft which fit the need perfectly, the Twin Beech D-18 and the Lockheed 10 Electra. Lockheed only built 310 Model 10s for both civilian and military use., Earhart’s fatal ride was a Lockheed 10E with 600 hp engines rather than 450 hp engines. In the end it was the Beech Model D-18 which fulfilled the needs of the military with several special purpose versions including the UB-45, AT-11 and the Navy SNB. Beechcraft built over 9,000 of the D-18 Twin Beech, thanks to Lockheed bowing out, due to pressures to ramp up production of the P-38 Lightning.

Cessna had produced the T-50 light weight, mostly wood, transport for the civilian market needing a small inexpensive light transport. The military tested the T-50 and found it ideal for use as a twin engine trainer and called it the AT-17, AT-8 and UC-78. Cessna built over 5,000 of them for the services, with a variety of engines and prop combinations. The little light twin worked perfectly. Due to its wood construction, many did not survive, but there are still a handful of Bamboo Bombers flying the air show circuit. As a sidelight, after the war, Cessna used the surplus T-50 Jacobs engines in their new Cessna 195 Businessliner.

The Curtiss C-46 was much larger than the C-47 and was used extensively flying cargo over the "hump" into China.

Four-seat aircraft were also needed for local transport. Military versions of the Stinson SR-9 Gullwing Reliant, as the V-77, and the Beechcraft D-17 Staggerwing, as the UC-43 Traveler. The Howard DGA-15 was pressed into service as a light transport for the
Army while the Navy used them as a multiple IFR instrument trainer. These models were designated as the UC-70 and NH-1. About 20 of the military Howards were obtained from civilian owners. Howard constructed over 500 of the DGA-15, (Damn Good Airplane), most for the military. Many are still flying, treasured by their owners. One of the most unusual troop transports, used in World War II, was the WACO CG-4 glider which carried troops, and even Jeeps, into battle, pulled aloft by C-47s to land behind the lines in France. This program was very costly in lives lost, it was not considered to have been successful.

There is a saying that our world moves on trucks but during battle, the world seems to move via aircraft. The Berlin Air Lift, immediately after World War II, proved that quite dramatically. When peace finally arrived, most of these aircraft were sold surplus and converted, once again, to their civilian role in aviation.

By:      Norm Goyer

When the Korean War began our new Air Force was equipped with straight wing Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star and the Republic Thunderjet already obsolete.

The Korean War was an aerial transition from one era to another. It was the last war where propeller powered aircraft and turbine powered aircraft served side-by-side, each needing the other. It was also the first war where helicopters played an increasingly important  role. It was also the last war that did not employ help from outer space, in the form of satellites for navigation and for instant data transfer. When the war first started, it was thought that this would be a war of turbine powered aircraft. They had been introduced during the end of World War II by both Germany and England. The USA lagged a bit, as usual, with the wrong design, Bell XP-59. Our leaders thought that the almost ten year history of jet usage would dictate the use of jets during the Korean War. Our Air Force and Navy had been using them for some time and our pilots were trained in jet aerial maneuvering. Lockheed had produced the F-80 Shooting Star, Republic, the ThunderJet and Grumman, the Panther, all extremely well built and good flying fighting aircraft. But, it didn’t work out that way.

The North Koreans were using the latest Russian MiG-15 swept wing fighters with Soviet trained pilots. Their small jet was far superior.

For some reason the Russians had taken a giant step in jet fighter design, giving their pilots and some Chinese and North Korean pilots, an edge that immediately made our fleet of jet fighters obsolete. To many engineers, the change in wing shape appeared to be minor, but in actuality, it became a major factor in aerial jet dog fighting, In addition the new MiG.15s were small, light and had swept back wings. Our fighters had straight wings and were typical American, big and heavy with lots of armor, guns, bombs, and too small fuel tanks. The MiGs could turn within our aircraft, they could out climb them and out distance them. The well trained Russian pilots literally had a turkey shoot with our now ineffective straight wing fighters. The only immediate solution was to recall some of our better World War II prop fighters from Davis Motham mothball fleet. Mustangs were dusted off, Twin Mustangs were prepared for low level attack duties, Corsairs were already in the fleet and being used as night fighters. The Dash 5 had a radar dome installed on the right wing. The Navy also had an inventory of the new Douglas AD-1 single seat, attack fighter and bomber. This huge aircraft could carry more bombs than a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress. The Navy moved aircraft carriers with Dash 5 Corsairs, Douglas AD-1s and Grumman Panthers into position to pound Korean ground targets.

Boeing B-29 and Douglas B-26 Invader bombers were resurrected from the Arizona bone yard and used to bomb North Korea.

While our Air Force and Navy were doing their best, our aircraft factories were busy modifying our aircraft to modern standards and beyond. The new North American F-86 swept wing jet fighter, the swept wing Republic Thunderstreak and the swept wing Grumman Cougar started rolling off the production lines. The skies over Korea were full of North American aircraft, the P-51,. P-82 and the F-86. The New Sabres were a match for the MiG 15s. With the air war finally under control, the military decided to pound the ground with increased heavy bomber attacks. Davis Motham provided a large number of very tired, but still willing, B-29s for long bombing runs carrying tons of bombs. The ground attack bombing duties were assumed by the outstanding Douglas B-26. This aircraft was called the A-26 Invader during World War II but was changed to a light bomber status for Korea as the B-26. The Martin B-26 Marauder was retired so there was little confusion, except in the minds of aircraft buffs.

North American was finally able to release the production version of the F-86 swept-wing Sabre. This new aircraft rapidly leveled the air war. It became one of our all-time great jet fighters.

It is interesting to note that the aircraft used during the Korean War ended up as some of the best aircraft every built in America. The Corsair flew with the Navy for many years, the B-26 went on to fight again in Vietnam, being the only light bomber that fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Of course the Douglas C-47 did the same in the military transport category. In addition the C-47 became “Puff the Magic Dragon” when it was equipped with modern Gatlin Machine guns raining hell from the open cargo doors of the C-47s down on the North Vietnamese. The F-86 became the best small single engine jet fighter during the Korea time period. It was purchased by many countries as their first line jet fighter. The Douglas AD-1 was modified into many different working aircraft both single and multi seats. The AD-1s were heavily used in Vietnam.

Grumman had to redesign the straight wing Panther into the swept wing Cougar. The F9F along, with the prop driver Corsair and Skyraider fought the war for the Navy.

If you have never seen “The Bridges of Toka Ri” rent it. This Korean war movie features the Grumman Panther and the first use of helicopters as flown by Mickey Rooney with a cigar almost bigger than he is. The B-29s were retired and replaced with the B-47 and B-52 heavy bombers, The Sabre was upgraded to the F-100 Super Sabre and then the McDonald F-4 Phantom for use in Vietnam appeared setting another new standard for jet fighters..

Yes, Korea is often spoken of as the “Forgotten War”, but aviation will forever be grateful for the lessons learned in this transitional conflict, When obsolete propeller aircraft saved our butt during the early years of the conflict.

By:      Norm Goyer

Newsflash Sunday July 11, 2010: Colton Harris-Moore has been apprehended in the Bahamas in a stolen boat. Coming up next a movie, no doubt, more waste of money. Norm

The Barefoot Bandit was finally captured in the Bahamas while attempting another escape in a stolen boat.

Nineteen year old Colton Harris-Moore, The Barefoot Bandit, alias the AH (Anti Hero), of course I prefer the other definition of AH. Once again the International Media, whom I have always suspected of possessing extremely low I.Q. has fallen in love with a loser, and I mean loser. The six foot five criminal, in jail at 12 years old, and on the lam ever since is not a hero, he is not a genius, as his gravel throated mother loves to insist. She claims her love and respect of her genius son, “only a few points below Einstein. I am so proud of him, flying a plane and he never had a lesson.” Too bad the AH never learned how to land one of them. Let’s discuss this “airplane flying” without a lesson. I am not saying that this didn’t happen, but only that it is highly unlikely that it did. I am assuming a wait and see position of this whole story. Why does the press insist on putting airplane garbage on the front page and burying wholesome aviation stories in the want ads? I guess good people doing good things is not news. Look at Captain Sully, he was the same great pilot many years before he lucked out and splashed down in the middle of the Hudson River. The press has been guilty of this for decades.

He was previously suspected of stealing a Cessna 182 and crashing it while attempting to land.

Remember the fiasco the press caused when they followed the little girl, Jessica I believe, who was going to “fly around the world” or some such nonsense. Well the instructor that was really flying the airplane and keeping Jessica supplied with lolly pops and coloring books wasn’t so hot a pilot either and managed to crash in lousy weather killing them both. For What?  So the parents could bask in their kids questionable accomplishments, the same as the cretin parents who allowed their 16 year old daughter to try to sail around the world and almost died. Joe Jackson and Lindsey Lohan’s dad are others in this category. It takes no skill to be parents, hell, even the dumbest animals in the world are better parents than some of the “reality show” seeking moms and dads. But if the press did not give them front page and prime time coverage, there would be no reason for their actions. Shepard Smith on Fox News Channel last Thursday at noontime PDT, interviewed Lohan and it took about two minutes before Lohan revealed what type of parent he really was, it was one of the most dramatic interviews I have seen on TV in years. The dad even managed to toss the “F” bomb before it could get bleeped out.

He is also accused of stealing a high performance Cessna 400 Corvalis in Indiana and flying it to the Bahamas where he again, crashed it on landing.

Now back to the latest aviation loser, the Barefoot Bandit who reportedly stole three airplanes, none proven so far. I was able to uncover only two, a Cessna 182 and the Cessna 400 Corvalis (Lancair) which he alleged ditched in shallow water in the Bahamas. Now there is no way that an untrained pilot could start, taxi, take off and get back on the ground in a 182 on his second ever flight without killing himself, if he had not had some actual in-the-cockpit instruction. His mother told anyone who would listen that he learned from books and he had a Microsoft flying simulator game, and of course he was a genius. Sure didn’t get his brains from his mother. That short flight was a very remote possibility under some conditions that we do not know about as yet. But stealing a 310 hp low wing speedster with a glass cockpit and complex flight controls and engine management requirements, and then flying it over a 1,000 miles from Indiana to the Bahamas through complex airspace, military restricted zones, airport altitude restrictions requires a lot of knowledge about flying. It almost requires IFR knowledge, from two short flights, I don’t think so. So what happened? Either he has had extensive pilot training, he had someone with him, who knew how to fly these complex airplanes, or he didn’t take them in the first place.  I was talking to son Robert about this guy and both of us agree that taking off a plane is not that complicated whereas getting it back on the ground is very complex. So it is remotely possible that he simply managed to take off, and then ignoring all other rules of safe flight bored a hole in the sky until he was forced to crash land. Nothing he has been accused of so far has ever been proven. Again, these excursions might have happened and for one I dearly hope that they catch this clown and stuff his butt into the AH cage for a very long time. (He was caught a few days ago and is now behind bars) He has been lucky so far, all he is accused of is stealing over a million dollars in property and causing untold property damage, but nobody has been killed or injured, as yet, I don’t believe.

Once again the public is presented with a negative, stunt type, criminal type of activity that is 100% wrong for aviation at this time. The Red Bull races, really time trails, stunt flying at air shows and the balloon boy exploding all over the front pages is not the way to attract young or old people to become pilots. NG

By:       Norm Goyer

My first surplus aircraft was a $450 Ryan PT-22. it was not a very good airplane.

Our nations birthday was celebrated a few days ago on July 4, 2010, my birthday is July 11. For many years are family has celebrated Father’s Day, July 4 and July 11 as a single holiday with a huge family gathering, barbeques and often a trip to the airport to celebrate our love of aviation. As time caught up with many of us, we are no longer able to do that, our family is scattered from Massachusetts to Hawaii with other waypoints in Texas, Nevada, Oregon and California. But one thing they cannot take away from me are my memories of raising a flying family. And fly we did. I soloed in a J-3 Cub with 6.2 hours total time. Daughter Elise started her flying lessons at 16 years old in a Piper Cherokee. Roger soloed in a Cessna 152, Peter soloed in a Cub at 16, that he will admit to. He went on to an ATP, A & P and IA. Robert soloed in a Piper Warrior and went on to become the Senior Editor at Flying Magazine. My late wife Tina passed her Private Pilot written in addition to running our four fixed base operations. She was a whiz on the Unicom and kept harmony with our large staff of instructors, mechanics and aircraft sales personnel. As our nation celebrates I thought that I would travel back through time and remember some of the American military aircraft I had the privilege of flying.

The Fairchild PT-19, PT-23 and PT-26 were great fun to fly. I owned one of each of these mostly wood primary trainers. One of the easiest planes to fly, ever.

During my training I flew in Navy N2S (PT-17), SNV (BT-13) and SNJ (T-6). But it was the surplus aircraft that abounded post war that really were fun and an education to fly. My first purchased aircraft was a Ryan PT-22, I was happy to have survived that little aircraft, not the pride of the training fleet, that’s for sure. I paid $450 for it and sold it for $300 and glad to get it. Next I picked up a Fairchild PT-26. That is a Fairchild PT-19 with a 200 hp Ranger engine and a winter hatch. Nice airplane and it was in this that I gave Tina a ride on our first date. I always took my dates for an airplane ride, if they complained there was not a second date. Obviously Tina loved flying and we had a great life of 62 years together. I belonged to a small club and we had a BT-13, 2 SNJs, a B-25 and an FM-2 Wildcat. The SNJs were mine. At the time I belonged to the CAP as a search pilot. I flew many missions with their Stinson L-5, Aeronca L-16 and Piper  L-4 Cub. We also had two military Schweitzer all wood two-place training gliders, great fun to fly as long as the termites continued to hold hands.

My all time favorite surplus aircraft is the outstanding North American SNJ-6 (Texan). This aircraft was so highly regarded that the new military trainer, the Texan II, was named in its honor.

For almost ten years I was the New England aviation stringer for ABC and CBS News. In this capacity I managed to get my hands on the controls of a Lockheed T-33, Convair T-38, C-47 Dakota, Boeing B-52 and yes even a B-36 Peacemaker. I also flew in a Cessna L-126 which I liked so well, I tracked down a civilian version, the Cessna 195 and restored it, one of my all time favorite aircraft. I eventually ended up in Southern California and was operating four FBOs, Apple Valley, Barstow-Daggett,  29 Palms and Needles. During this time span I owned two more SNJ-6s, a PT-23, (PT-19 with a Continental radial engine), and had control of a BT-8, now in the Air Force Museum, a B-25, a Hollywood Zero, Val and Kate, all modified BT-13s and AT-6s. These were all owned by Challenge Publications.  In our main hangar we had an Douglas A-26 used by North American for instrument testing. It was an On-Mark conversion. At times I felt like a pilot in a time warp. I realized that after flying some of America’s most famous aircraft it was a bit of step down into a Cessna 150. These wild flying times will never occur again, aviation has changed, pilots have changed and as we speak, the year 2010 will be considered by many to be the kick off of yet another sweeping aviation change, new fuels, new avionics, new propulsion systems and new aircraft, all very similar in looks, performance and price. I guess my fellow greatest generation pilots are very thankful to have been born when the average pilot could own and fly some of the best aircraft in the world for pennies on the dollar. Happy Birthday to America and yes to me, an old bold pilot. NG

One of the first jet trainers was the Lockheed T-33 which saw acceptance by air forces all over the world.

I even managed to go along on a nine hour training flight in a B-52, shown here carrying an X-15 rocket test vehicle.

By:       Norm Goyer

The new ELT ruling will only monitor signals from an ELT broadcasting on the 406mh frequency. These ELTs cost from $700 to $1500.

“On June 15, 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released for publication a change to 47 CFR Part 87 that will “prohibit the certification, manufacture, importation, sale, or continued use of 121.5 MHz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) other than the Breitling Emergency Watch ELT.” Meanwhile, the FAA in 14 CFR Part 91.207, stipulates that U.S.-registered civil airplanes are required to have an approved automatic type emergency locator transmitter in operable condition attached to the airplane. The FAA does not specify either 121.5 or 406 MHz, but the overwhelming majority of aircraft are equipped with 121.5 MHz units, meaning they would be in violation of federal law when it goes into effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.”

The alphabet mafia is at it again, this time the target is 121.5 ELTs. For the past 50 years lost aircraft were located by signals from the required ELT beacon installed in every certified two seat or larger aircraft by law. The little yellow box was usually installed in the tail of the aircraft in hopes that in a serious crash the box would not be damaged, so it could start broadcasting its location via 121.5. Airliners, other pilots and law enforcement monitor this frequency and many lost aircraft have been located, thanks to this FAA requirement. But, the system was not perfect. I can attest to that. At one time I owned and operated four FBOs based in the High Desert. I was awakened numerous times by calls from the local Sheriff’s Department asking me to go to the airport and shut off a rogue ELT that was blasting away, possibly blanketing out a legitimate signal. A real hard landing could set off the alarm and unless the pilot had his radio tuned to 121.5 he would not know that his ELT had been activated. There is a new requirement pending publication, that prohibits sales of 121.5 ELTs and the use of any that have been installed must be replaced by a yet undetermined date. But, it appears that this is going to be a very fast moving requirement, if it gets through the various aviation group protests.  I believe that this is a very good change. I do know that pilots and aircraft owners are really not very interested in spending more money than they must to keep enjoying their flying hobby. A huge number of aircraft owners are at an advanced age, fly aircraft that are also of an advanced age and they are perfectly happy the way things are; they do not want to see 94 octane UL fuel, they don’t want to retrofit their 50 year old aircraft with an expensive new “gadget” to find them if they crash. We all know that the feds are control freaks, and in most cases they should be. They want to control every aspect of flying. In my opinion, the grandfathers who are flying should be grandfathered in. What would be the consequences? The pilot has to make an emergency landing in the boondocks. He is slightly injured. His 50 year old ELT is squawking away on 121.5 but nobody hears it. So? He knew that when he took off. If he wanted the latest in lost airplane finding technology he would have installed a modern compatible ELT. I fail to see why the feds insist on protecting everyone from their own actions. Nobody on the ground is affected, it was the pilot’s choice. We all know the fed’s like placards posted on aircraft. If you are flying a homebuilt, there has to be a huge EXPERIMENTAL sign posted in the cockpit area so that any passenger will know that they are about to fly in a homebuilt aircraft. I’ll buy that. So why not add another sign? “This aircraft is not protected with an approved emergency locater beacon.” Don’t hold your breath, it isn’t going to happen. The new ELT requirement will be signed into law sooner or later and more aircraft owners will simply give up, Big Brother is just too expensive and controlling. But, it really is time to make use of new locating technology.

The FAA is considering allowing an increase in LSA weight limits so the roadable Terrafugia can still qualify as an LSA aircraft.

While I am picking on the FAA, here’s the latest questionable action. They are considering a weight increase for the TerraFugia, the roadable car, so that it can remain in the LSA category. It is an outstanding concept, but it is a compromise and we all know compromise aircraft along with aircraft designed by committees are not as efficient. Their reasoning; the roadable aircraft must meet highway safety concerns so they are considering the weight increase. LSA seaplanes have also been elevated in gross weight due to the weight of the floats or flying boat construction requirements. Okay, here is my dilemma; if the feds granted a weight increase to the Cessna 150/152, Piper Tomahawk, later model Ercoupes, Citabrias and other two place 115 hp aircraft they would significantly advance the cause of aviation. Now there would be far more popular inexpensive aircraft flying under the LSA banner than the TerraFugia. There would be a huge number of new students, a number of private pilots who could remain flying inexpensive aircraft with only a driver’s license. I am still not convinced that anyone who flies with a Private Certificate needs a third class medical. The statistics don’t prove it and neither can the medical profession prove it. Which is more dangerous a speeding 4,000 pound car driving through traffic and crashing into a neighborhood home, or an 1400 pound airplane crashing? The airplane will cause far less damage than the speeding car. Most airplanes crash in uninhabited areas. To increase student starts, we must be creative in our thinking, we have to bring the cost of flying down to the level of an SUV, or the number of new pilots will continue to decline.

The huge number of Cessna 150/152s still flying would logically make excellent LSA aircraft with a very simple weight limit change.

As a final note to this week’s happenings, Roger Atwood of Northampton, Massachusetts, died the other day after 70 years of active flying. Roger was 88 years old and still flying. He obtained his commercial certificate on his 18th birthday. He spent World War II in the back seat of an SNJ teaching future Navy pilots how to safely fly the advanced trainer. Roger typifies the “Greatest Generation.” Roger was my lifelong friend. He is a legend in the Northeastern part of our great country. NG