By:
Norm Goyer

Boeing never built many aircraft that could be described as General Aviation
sport aircraft. The closest would be their PT-17, a military primary trainer.
They built no four or even two-passenger planes that were sold to the civilian
market after 1930. These were not Boeing’s market niche, airliners, military
trainers and bombers were the aircraft of choice. So other than military pilots,
Boeings did not show up in many civilian pilot’s logbooks.

This flight of early PT-17s, flying in formation, was typical during the early years of
World War II. Thousands of pilots had to be trained in a hurry. Note the
different wheels on the early models.

Of the hundreds of planes I have flown, there are only two Boeings listed, and
they were very different. I flew the Navy Boeing N2S (PT-17) and the B-52
nuclear long range bomber. It would be difficult to find two more diverse
aircraft. The PT-17 was the last biplane Boeing built and the last tube and
fabric tail dragger primary trainer. The Beechcraft T-34 primary trainer was
next in line and is an all-metal, low-wing monoplane with a tricycle gear and a
flat six engine. The days of big radials, struts and flying wires were over.
But, the PT-17 lives on and will for many decades to come. Why? It was a super
good aircraft.

Note the rugged construction of the Kaydet. A Navy WAVE is shown being given an
indoctrination ride in a Boeing N2S.

In reality the Kaydet was an ideal primary military trainer. It was not easy to
fly; it had a narrow landing gear, impeded visibility forward, Gosport tubes for
communications and was slightly underpowered. This meant students had to fly the
wings not the engine. The anemic 220 hp Continental radial engine was adequate,
but could not fly the plane out of airspeed trouble. But the instructors loved
the airplane, because it was very good at protecting the student and the
instructor in case of a landing or take off accident, and there were many of
these. The fuselage was constructed of welded steel tubing reinforced at all
stations. The wings were strongly constructed and had numerous struts and flying
wires for bracing. What this meant was that the wings would slowly crumple
taking up the G forces of a botched landing or take off. If the plane nosed
over, as many did, the upper wing, with its sturdy cabane struts, would protect
the occupants from head injuries. If a young cadet managed to survive the
primary phase of his training, it proved that he could fly. They were then
transitioned into the fixed-gear, low-wing BT-13 basic trainer, then onto the
Texan for advanced training. This progressive system proved to be an ideal
military flight training method. If a student could fly the Texan, he could
safely fly any military fighter that the Army Air Force had in its inventory.
They all flew easier than the mighty Texan. I can personally vouch for that
fact.

The Red Baron aerobatic team performed in Super Stearmans before thousands of air show
fans. The team was recently disbanded due to the current financial situation.

Large numbers of restored Boeing PT-17s and N2Ss can be seen at any air show
where warbirds are exhibited or aerobatic teams perform. The Kaydet,  re-engined
with a Pratt & Whitney 450 hp engine, known as the Super Stearman, are in high
demand. These aircraft cost $11,000 new and now bring over ten times that amount
for a 60 year old airplane. The line forms to the right.

Specifications:

• 
  Crew: two, student and instructor

• 
  Length: 24 ft 3 in

• 
  
  Wingspan:
  32 ft 2 in

• 
  Height: 9 ft 2 in

• 
  Wing area: 297 sq ft

• 
  Empty weight: 1,936 lb

• 
  
  Max takeoff weight:
  2,717 lb

• 
  Powerplant:
  
  
  Continental R-670-5,
  220 hp

Performance

• 
  
  Maximum speed:
  124 mph

• 
  
  Cruise speed:
  106 mph

• 
  
  Range:
  505 mi

• 
  
  Service ceiling:
  11,200 ft

• 
  
  Rate of climb:
  840 ft/min

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By:       Norm Goyer

When the US Army Air Corps became the US Air Force in 1953, there never had been a liaison aircraft that was not constructed of tube and fabric. The military made it very clear that any future aircraft it would purchase would have to be of all metal construction for added longevity. Cessna at the time was manufacturing the all-metal Cessna 170 as a four-passenger private aircraft. This design became the basis of their new liaison L-19 Bird Dog. The first flight of the new aircraft occurred in 1950, and Cessna immediately received orders for more than 3,400 of the aircraft. The greatest difference from the Cessna 170 was that the L-19 only had two-seats, in tandem configuration, (the largest tandem-seat aircraft that Cessna ever produced), with angled side windows to improve ground observation. Other differences included a re-designed rear fuselage, providing a view directly to the rear a feature later dubbed “Omni-View” and used on all Cessna single-engine aircraft after 1964. The L-19 also had transparent panels in the wings’ center-section, similar to those found on the Cessna 140 and the later Cessna 150 Aerobat model. These allowed the pilot to look directly overhead. A wider door was fitted to allow a stretcher to be loaded.

The Korean winters proved the concept of an all metal aircraft.

The first combat the L-19 saw was in Korea, where it was used as a liaison plane, but proved to be too slow for FAC duties. An instrument trainer variant was developed in 1953, later versions had constant-speed propellers. An even later version, the L-19E, had a larger gross weight. Cessna produced 3,431 aircraft which were also built under license by Fuji in Japan. In 1962, the Army L-19 was renamed the O-1 for Observation. Many years later the Cessna Bird Dog entered its second war in Vietnam. During the early 1960s, the Bird Dog was flown by South Vietnamese airmen, US Army aviators and CIA aircrews. In 1964, the Department of Defense issued a memorandum directing that the U.S. Army turn over its O-1 Bird Dogs to the US Air Force, while the army began its transition to a helicopters.

This Canadian L-19 has been retrofitted with a Hoffman four-bladed prop and extra quiet exhaust for noise abatement during long searches.

During the course of the Vietnam War, 469 O-1 Bird Dogs were lost to all causes. The Air Force lost 178, the Marine Corps lost seven. Two hundred eighty four were lost from the US Army, South Vietnamese Forces, and clandestine operators. Three Bird Dogs were lost to enemy SAM missiles. After the war, many O-1s were turned over to the Civil Air Patrol for such duties as aerial search. Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs were used by the military until 1974. The only O-1 remaining in CAP inventory is a static display on a post in front of CAP headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base. Many of these aircraft were sold to private pilots as recreational aircraft. Others went to museums where they are usually displayed in their military combat markings. In Canada, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets use ex CAF L-19 aircraft equipped with a towing rig to tow their Schweizer 2-33  gliders for the Air Cadet gliding program. The L-19/O-1 is a popular ex-military “warbird” with private pilots. As of June, 2009, more than 330 were registered with the FAA. Others are owned and operated outside the United States by individuals and flying clubs.

The L-19/O-1 Bird Dog was a workhorse in Vietnam.  The cockpit was large enough for added radios, comfort and visibility for the crew.

Specifications:

• Crew: 2

• Length: 25 ft 9 in

• Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in

• Height: 7ft 3½ in

• Wing area: 174 ft²

• Empty weight: 1,614 lb

• Max takeoff weight: 2,400 lb

• Powerplant: Continental O-470-11 flat six piston, 213 hp

Performance

• Maximum speed: 130 mph

• Range: 530 miles

• Service ceiling: 20,300 ft

• Rate of climb: 1,040 ft/min

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When the Korean conflict started our new Air Force was in transition from prop driven aircraft to the new jet powered warbirds. Helicopters were also becoming more operational during this time. Remember the great scene in the Bridges of Toko-Ri when Sikorsky helicopter pilot Mickey Rooney smoking a big cigar landed his early chopper to assist downed airmen?  Our Air Force and Navy had Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars, Republic F-94 and Grumman Panthers, all great aircraft, but all lacking in the ability to launch, fly to target, linger over target and then return to base or carrier. The early jet engines were very fuel hungry and time in the air was measured in almost long minutes. In addition their straight wing plan form they did not have the speed or maneuverability of the swept wing Migs. The Air Force had to resurrect World War II aircraft, such as the Mustang, Twin Mustang and Corsairs to provide the air cover our troops on the ground needed. Even the tube and fabric Stinson L-5 Sentinel was used to hunt out the locations of ground targets, mark them and call in the jets to drop their bombs and race home, before they ran out of fuel. The L-5 did work, more or less, so they also called up some L-17 North American Navions, Piper L-21 Super Cubs and North American T-6 Texans for spotting duty. All of these liaison aircraft worked but none were really designed for the job of the newly coined FAC duties, Forward Air Controllers. The best one was the T-6 due to its speed, rugged construction, good rough field performance and excellent maneuverability.

North American T-6G Texans were retrofitted for FAC duties in Korea. Modifications included larger gas tanks, revised cockpit and radio installations and new canopies with more visibility.

During World War II, the Texan was used as an advanced trainer, and as such did not require long legs, as most of the training flights were rather short. North American cranked out T-6s and SNJs like popcorn, they were built by the thousands, and they were excellent aircraft. But, almost all of them had been sold surplus after the war. I had bought two of them. I had experience with the SNJs during Navy flight training and I loved the airplane. I bought two for $450 each. Ground troops in Korea called the T-6s Mosquitos due to the sound they made as they cruised overhead for hours at low throttle looking for ground targets. The Air Force sent out their agents to buy up large numbers of Texans to rebuild into the AT-6G which had been modified to make it an even better FAC aircraft. The planes were ferried to locations in SoCal where they were rebuilt with larger gas tanks, cockpit revisions to hold the more modern avionics and hard points under the wing for smoke rocket launchers. When these “G” models arrived in Korea their missions became even more successful. The Mosquitoes flew through war’s end, amassing 40,354 sorties, two Presidential Unit Citations, and a Korean Presidential Unit Citation. The Mosquitoes lost 33 men and 42 aircraft during the course of the war. The Mosquitoes were disbanded in 1956, as they were considered a wartime expedient. After they were disbanded, the United States once again had no Forward Air Control capabilities.

The North American airframe, Pratt & Whitney engine and Hamilton Standard prop are among the best in the industry. Many pilots walked away from crashes thanks to the rugged construction.

FACs in Vietnam

The United States unleashed a tremendous amount of air power during the Vietnam War. Ground operations would be controlled by the most widespread forward air control in history. Vietnam air operations were restricted by political decisions, that severely cramped the methods of delivering bombs to targets. The most widely used FAC aircraft during the opening years of the war were the Cessna L-19/O-1 Bird Dog. These two passenger aircraft, very similar to a Cessna 170, would fly low and slow over the rugged jungle terrain looking for targets. Many were shot down. More were shot down when the enemy started using SAM missiles, often shoulder fired. At various points during the long war, the Air Force used Cessna O-2s (Cessna 337), North American T-28 Trojans, Grumman F9F Panthers (two place trainer version) with an observer, F-4 Phantoms, when they needed faster aircraft to avoid concentration of ground firepower.

The Bridges of Toko-Ri featured Grumman Panthers in Korea and Navy helicopter pilot Mickey Rooney.

June, 1966 saw the first Australian FAC pilots join the 19th TASS. Before their assignments ended in December, 1971, 36 Australians would have served with the USAF, one of them, Flight Lieutenant Gerry Cooper, being recommended for the Medal of Honor by Major General Julian Ewell. Following the Australians’ lead, New Zealand also placed 14 of its FAC pilots under U. S. command over much the same time span. Meanwhile the Air Force was actively looking for a better FAC aircraft. The O-1 Bird Dog had many shortcomings; its speed made it slow to arrive over target; it was vulnerable to enemy small arms fire; its small size limited its payload; its radio system was makeshift, with only one channel available at a time for any radio. Also, the Bird Dog lacked night flight instruments.

The North American twin-turboprop OV-10 was the most advanced FAC aircraft used in Vietnam. It was specially designed for the mission and was very successful.

An interim solution was the O-2 Skymaster, an adaptation of the civilian Cessna 337. With two engines, the O-2 had greater speed, could carry more equipment and ordnance, and had night instrumentation. Nevertheless, this aircraft also had limited capabilities. In 1968, the Vietnam FACs received the first purpose-built, forward air control aircraft. The North American OV-10 Bronco was armored, was nearly twice as fast as the O-1, and carried its own onboard ordnance for attacking targets of opportunity. Performance wasn’t all; the Bronco had unparalleled visibility; the pilot could lean outboard in the bubble canopy and see directly below the plane. The OV-10 also had self-sealing fuel tanks, all systems had backups, and was equipped with ejection seats.

The Cessna O-2 was used in Vietnam as a FAC aircraft. It was modified from the civilian Cessna 337 Skymaster.

During the Southeast Asian War, FACs participated in every major military action against the enemy except the strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Much of the bombing in South Vietnam and Cambodia also used FACs; as was the bombing in southern North Vietnam. A total of 338 USAF forward air controllers were lost in action. Aircraft historians often call the Vietnam War a helicopter war but it was also marked with brave pilots and observers flying small aircraft into heavy fighting.

By:       Norm Goyer

One of the interesting facts of Forward Air Controller aircraft is that nobody every designed one, they just adapted what was available, even though many were not really suitable. When World War II started to escalate, the need for small aircraft to fly cover for the ground troops and to help spot artillery positions became apparent. The Grasshopper fleet could be used in an emergency but these planes were very underpowered, 65-90 hp and super slow spelled “TARGETS.” What was needed was a more powerful and larger aircraft capable of being able to cruise a bit faster, carry a larger payload, mostly in communication equipment, yet still be capable of landing and taking off in small areas closer to the battle front action. The L-4 Cub was typical of the many small two place civilian type training aircraft that were pressed into the military for lack of available aircraft. I have seen an L-4 Cub with smoke rocket launchers strapped to the wing struts. All of the small liaison type aircraft did a fantastic job and deserve the recognition they received, but FAC aircraft, they were not.

Both the Navy and Marines operated L-5s from small aircraft carriers.

Just before hostilities started, the Stinson Division of Consolidate Vultee was building a small 90 hp Stinson 105 Voyager. As the demand for a larger liaison airplane was realized Stinson redesigned the Model 105 into a larger two-place, tandem liaison aircraft called the L-5 Sentinel. They used a Lycoming 185 hp engine, a large fuselage capable of carrying one stretcher and room for radios. The large engine and efficient slot and flap equipped wings gave the aircraft STOL performance and yet was very easy to fly. Those of us who have flown the L-5 certainly know that it was and is a great old airplane. After the war, when they became surplus, many were turned over to CAP Squadrons for search duties. That is where I first flew the L-5. We had a Piper L-4,  an Aeronca L-16 and two Stinson L-5s; all were very good search aircraft.  Glider clubs also used surplus L-5s as tugs. There was even an L-5 biplane conversion used for ag-dusting. One sat at Flabob Airport in SoCal for years causing many a visitor to exclaim, “What is that?”

Note the wooden prop and large cockpit windows on this L-5.

The original duty of the L-5 “Sentinel” was to deliver information and needed supplies to front line troops. On the return trip, it would evacuate the badly wounded soldiers to rear area field hospitals for medical attention. Troops called the L-5 the Flying Jeep. The USAAF, US Marines, and US Navy used this aircraft in the European, Pacific, and Far East theaters during World War II, and in Korea during the Korean War. The British RAF operated 100 Sentinels in India and Burma. Over its production life, L-5s were modified with constant speed props, 28 volt batteries and drooping flaps and ailerons. One belonging to the US Marines was even operated from an aircraft carrier. But it was the L-5s successful use as a Forward Aircraft Controller in World War II that will be most remembered.

The Stinson L-5 was inspired by the pre-war Stinson 105 Voyager. Note the signature shape of the vertical stabilizer. The L-5 is a great flying airplane.

Specifications:

• Crew: 2 (pilot and observer)

• Length: 24 ft 1 in

• Wingspan: 34ft 0 in

• Height: 7 ft 11 in

• Wing area: 155 ft²

• Empty weight: 1550 lb

• Loaded weight: 2020 lb

• Max takeoff weight: 2050 lb

• Powerplant: Lycoming O-435-1, 185hp

Performance

• Never exceed speed: 145 knots (163 mph)

• Stall speed: 38 knots (42 mph)

• Range: 375 nm no reserve

• Service ceiling: 15,800 ft

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I was looking over my stack of log books yesterday and came across a notation I had purchased an AT-6 G which had served in Korea as a Mosquito FAC. Then I remembered that there was a FAC North American OV-10 Bronco training squadron at nearby George AFB in the 1970s. A number of their pilots had been renting our aircraft on weekends. Finally, I had found a subject for some columns; most of the FAC aircraft were of the smaller variety and many ended up being sold surplus. So here is my story on the impact that FAC aircraft have had with the Gods of War.

The Valiant Air Command Museum in Titusville, FL has this L-4 on display equipped with spotting rockets.

In case someone is wondering, FAC stands for Forward Aircraft Control. Various nations used different terms, but the results were the same. FAC target spotting, whether from aircraft or military vehicles on the ground, increased the ability of artillery, jet fighters and bombers to drop their ordinance on the correct targets. It took the military and aircraft manufacturers until the 1960s to design an aircraft designed specifically for the task of spotting targets. The new aircraft could also eliminate the targets without the need to call in other aircraft for the actual hit. The first real FAC aircraft was the North American OV-10 Bronco, a twin boom, twin-engine turboprop with outstanding visibility for both the pilot and the spotter. The cockpit canopy even had bubbles on the side so the pilot could look almost straight down without rocking the aircraft back and forth.

General Billy Mitchell outfitted his French SPAD with a crude radio for spotting duties.

The first FAC type of operations actually started with the balloon division of the Union Army in our own civil war. Hot air balloons would rise into the air near the front lines and spotters in the balloons, using binoculars, would search for enemy encampments, or activity. The observers would then spot the targets on maps for the ground troops to target. Germany also used  balloons for the same purpose during World War I. By that time, crude radios or even Morse code senders would transfer knowledge to troops on the ground. These balloon spotters were considered so important they were the only ones who were allowed to use parachutes to escape burning balloons after Allied fighters exploded them.

The Vought Corsair was used for FAC duties during the “Banana Wars.”

World War I was the first war in which an aircraft was used for FAC or spotting duties. Colonel Billy Mitchell, the B-25 bomber was named after him, outfitted his SPAD with a crude radio and flew his plane over the Western Front relaying information about gun placements and troop movements. The Germans followed that by installing radios in some of their Junkers J-1 (first use of corrugated aluminum sheets for aircraft).

This is a CAA Australian Wirraway used with great success in the South Pacific.

Between the wars. Vought Corsairs (the first Corsair biplane) and Curtiss Falcons were equipped with airstream-driven generators. Their radios had a range of up to 50 miles. Another method of communication had the pilot dropping messages in a weighted container, then swooping in to pick up messages hung out by ground troops on a “clothesline” between poles. The objective was aerial reconnaissance and air attack. Using these various methods, the Marine pilots combined the functions of both FAC and strike aircraft, as they carried out their own air attacks on the Sandinistas in Nicaragua in 1927 in the so called Banana Wars.

World War II saw increased use of the FAC principals. Forward Air Control came into existence as a result of exigency, and was used in several theaters. It was a result of field expedience rather than planned operations. FACs were first used by the British Desert Air Force in North Africa, but not by the USAAF until operations in Salerno. During the North African Campaign in 1941, the British Army and the Royal Air Force established Forward Air Support Links (FASL, a mobile air support system using ground vehicles). Light reconnaissance aircraft would observe enemy activity and report it by radio to the FASL; the FASL would then call in air strikes. During Operation Barbarossa, in the latter part of 1941, circled over fleeing Russian troops in a Fieseler Storch and called in Stukas and other German ground attack aircraft on the enemy. Our US Army Air Force used what they called “Horsefly” for FAC duties. The first Horsefly FACs were launched on June 28, 1944. The borrowed Stinson L-5s had been equipped with VHF radios, were flown by volunteer fighter or bomber pilots. Squadrons were instructed that FAC missions had priority in targeting. The Horseflies operated at an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet, ranging above small arms fire, roving up to 20 miles inside German lines, and marking targets with smoke bombs. To aid the strike pilots in seeing the tiny liaison craft, the upper wing surfaces were painted with one of four bright colors. Call signs were keyed to these colors: Horsefly Red, Green, Yellow, or Blue. The Horseflies saw action until the end of the European war. Horsefly losses amounted to one L-5 wiping out its landing gear in a landing accident.

Australia also used FACs to great advantage in fighting the Japanese. In November, 1942, the Australian military were fighting the Japanese. The Royal Australian Air Force was an army cooperation squadron flying support for the ground effort, in outdated two-seater CAC Wirraway trainers (Texan look a likes with fabric covered aft fuselages) using tracer bullets. One pilot, Pilot Officer J. Archer, even shot down a Japanese Zero, for the only known aerial victory by a FAC. Tracer bullets were difficult to see and made for poor target marking. This led to the Fifth Squadron’s use of 30 pound phosphorus bombs on Bougainville in 1944. During the Bougainville campaign, FACs from the Fifth Squadron directed as many as 20 Corsairs at a time in air strikes. With practice, ordnance came to be delivered as close as 150 yards from friendly troops. After World War II the FAC Squadrons were eliminated only to rise twice as necessary during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts which we will cover in Part II.

By:       Norm Goyer

The Northrop Flying Wing project which started in 1944 and ended in 1950 was and is the most convoluted story of any World War II aircraft. Rumors of sabotage, political chicanery, and suspected conflict of interest dealings were rampant throughout the wing’s short history. But, in the end, Jack Northrop was proven correct when five decades later, the Northrop B-2 Flying Wing stealth bomber took off from Mojave Desert on a very successful flight. This ugly, but beautiful, B-2 flying wing bomber is a show stopper whenever it performs for the public, and just as devastating when used in warfare. Jack Northrop was correct, it is the bomber platform of the future. Northrop lived long enough to see a scale model of the B-2 in 1980. The wheelchair bound Northrop is reported as saying, ” I know now why God has kept me alive all this time.” Northrop died a few weeks later.

The prototype XB-35 of the jet powered YB-49 Northrop Wing was powered with piston-engines, it was not very successful.

The Northrop flying wing program started in 1944 when the XB-35 propeller driven prototype wing first flew. Even though the XB-35 program was cancelled in May of 1944, there was sufficient interest by the Feds to keep the program alive, but they insisted that the wing must be powered by jet engines not propellers;  the era of piston-powered military aircraft was considered dead. It was during the many test flights of the new jet powered YB-49 that the troubles began. Research into these problems revealed the  following:

The first YB-49 jet-powered aircraft flew on  October 21, 1947 and immediately proved more promising than its piston-engine counterpart. The YB-49 set both an unofficial endurance record of staying continually above 40,000 ft for six hours, and a trans-continental speed record, flying from Muroc Air Force Base in California (Edwards AFB) to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C. in 4 hours 20 minutes. “The return flight from Andrews was marred by a multiple failure in six of the eight engines. Inspection after a successful emergency landing revealed no oil had been replaced in these engines after the Muroc-to-Andrews leg, raising a suspicion of industrial sabotage. The Air Force engineer in charge of this detail became ill shortly before the scheduled departure and did not accompany the YB-49 back to Muroc. He later died in a motorcycle accident under mysterious circumstances.”

The program was scrapped in 1950 when all Flying Wings were melted down. These are finished and partially finished YB-49s waiting for the smelter.

Jack Northrop was always a technological trailblazer. But his independent nature often collided with the behind-the-scenes political wheeling-and-dealing in Washington. These suspected contracts tended to run huge military allocations with millions of dollars at stake for government contractors. In 2010, what else is new in Washington, DC other than, “business as usual.” But the wing’s difficulties continued.

Data from the YB-49 program was used when the new Northrop B-2 bomber was being designed. The current B-2 bomber is shown as it passes over the Arch in St. Louis.

The second YB-49 was lost on 5 June 1948, killing its pilot, Major Daniel Forbes, for whom Forbes Air Force Base was named, Captain Glen Edwards, copilot after whom Edwards Air Force Base is named, and three other crew members. Their aircraft suffered structural failure when both outer wing sections detached from the center section. Investigation revealed  the YB-49 was lost due to excessive pullout loads imposed on the airframe when a planned stall recovery resulted in a high speed, nose-over dive. The high speed dive was the result of the wing’s very clean, low-drag, design. Nose it over and a rapid speed increase is immediate.

The last operational YB-49 prototype was destroyed during high-speed taxi trials at Edwards AFB. The nose wheel encountered severe vibration problems which collapsed the gear. This destroyed the aircraft when it was engulfed in flames due to full fuel tanks. “The taxi trials took place with the YB-49’s fuel tanks full, an unusual testing procedure, adding to further speculation of  sabotage of the aircraft.”

But the Wing’s problem didn’t stop there, it was also determined during bombing tests it showed a tendency of Flying Wings to “hunt” in yaw after turns and when flying in “disturbed” air, degraded bombing accuracy. It was thought that one of the new Honeywell autopilots, with yaw damping, would correct this flaw. The government scrapped the entire program in 1950 and all remaining unfinished Wings were melted down for scrap. Only to rise again, decades later, as the very successful B-2 Bomber. (It is to be noted that all of the original flight test data obtained was retained and played an important role in the new B-2 Flying Wing, even the wingspan is identical. NG )

Specifications

• Crew: 7

• Length: 53 ft 1 in

• Wingspan: 172 ft 0 in

• Height: 20 ft 3 in

• Wing area: 4,000 ft²

• Airfoil: NACA 65-019 root, NACA 65-018 tip

• Empty weight: 88,442 lb

• Loaded weight: 133,559 lb

• Max takeoff weight: 193,938 lb

• Powerplant: 8, on the YRB-49A) Allison/General Electric J35-A-5 turbojets, 4,000 lbf

Performance

• Maximum speed: 495 mph

• Range: 9,978 mi (Maximum

• Combat radius: 1,615 mi

• Service ceiling: 45,700 ft

• Rate of climb: 3,758 ft/min

• Wing loading: 33 lb/ft²

• Thrust/weight: 0.23

Armament

• Guns: 4, .50 in machine guns

• Bombs: 32,000 lb

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Last week I wrote about the outstanding F-82 Twin Mustang that proved to be the successor to the Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter. This prompted a reader to write and request more information about that aircraft and other Northrop aircraft involved in World War II. After a day of intense research both through my personal aviation research books and the Internet I came to the following conclusion. The history of Northrop is quite complicated for such a relatively small wartime aircraft production company.

The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first aircraft designed to carry air-borne radar.

In 1939 Jack Northrop, a very skilled designer, formed Northrop Aircraft Incorporated in Hawthorne, California. The first Northrop aircraft was a patrol bomber float equipped aircraft for the Norwegian Air Force. No others were ever built. The three-place, single-engine, cantilevered low-wing monoplane patrol bomber had two floats attached by full cantilever pedestals to the left and right wings. The first flight test took place on November 1, 1940 at Lake Elsinore, California. The Northrop N-3PB was soon identified as the world’s fastest military sea plane. Twenty four aircraft were ordered by Norway on 12 March 1940. Within the short span of eight months, the first production aircraft rolled off the Northrop assembly line. The only surviving N-3PB is on display in a museum in Oslo, Norway.

Note the long wing and layout of the gun platforms on the fuselage.

Meanwhile World War II was raging on and the British realized that they had to have aircraft suitable for fighting at night in an attempt to head off the German bombers which were headed to bomb London. These night raids were causing havoc with civilians and destroying much of London and its suburbs. It was well known that the Royal Air Force were looking for new aircraft capable of carrying the very heavy new radar units that had just been introduced. Some had been installed in existing British twin-bombers such as the Mosquito and Beaufort but both lacked the lifting power and the extra fire power to destroy enemy aircraft that the radar revealed. About the same time the United States sent out a veiled request for an aircraft that would carry a lot of weight and be well armed. No mention of radar was in the specifications. Jack Northrop, reading between the lines, knew instantly what both countries wanted and needed the same type of aircraft. Northrop engineers working around the clock with innovative ideas came up with the outstanding P-61 Black Widow, the first aircraft to be designed to carry radar and be able to detect and destroy enemy planes. The P-61 Black Widow was born of wartime need.

The radar scanner was located in the forward nose and was operated by a trained radar technician.

The P-61 was a very large aircraft which featured a crew of three: pilot, gunner, and radar operator. It was armed with four 20 mm Hispano M2 forward firing cannons mounted in the lower fuselage, and four .50 caliber in a remotely-aimed dorsally mounted turret. The two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-25S Double Wasp engines had two-stage, two-speed mechanical superchargers.

The P-61 did not have ailerons. Aside from the full-span retractable Fowler type flaps, all control of the aircraft, about the roll axis, was through the use of curved, tapered spoilerons located in the wing which would rotate out of the wing’s upper surface into the airstream, reducing lift over that wing, causing it to drop. Even though the P-61 was first flown in 1942 it never reached combat squadrons until  1944. A series of sub-contractor supply problems involving the turret, propellers and other items plagued the project from the beginning. Another problem was Jack Northrop’s fascination with the flying wing project which was on the boards at the same time as the Black Widow. Towards the end of the P-61’s production run, manufacturing of the P-61 was turned over to Goodyear, so that Northrop could concentrate on the flying wing, which made its first flight in 1946.

Four Northrop Black Widow P-61s survive and are on display in museums including Wright Patterson in Dayton, Ohio.

The ultimate disappointment came when the P-61s finally arrived in combat zones. By that time, there were very few enemy planes for the Black Widow to engage in combat. The P-61was not fast enough for the new German Me. 262 jet fighters, but did manage to destroy a number of slower twin-engine aircraft and slow moving Stuka dive bombers History states that the Black Widow was not a poor night fighter nor was it an excellent one, just that it did the job required of it. Pilots found when used in low level strafing runs the heavy forward mounted firepower was deadly to trains and trucks on the ground. There are four remaining P-61s in museums including Wright-Patterson and Air & Space.

Specifications P-61B-20-NO

• Crew: 2–3 pilot, radar operator, optional gunner

• Length: 49 ft 7 in

• Wingspan: 66 ft 0 in

• Height: 14 ft 8 in

• Wing area: 662.36 ft²

• Empty weight: 23,450 lb

• Loaded weight: 29,700 lb

• Max takeoff weight: 36,200 lb

• Powerplant: 2, Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp radial engines, 2,250 hp

• Propellers: four-bladed Curtis Electric propeller

• Fuel capacity:

  • Internal: 640 gal of AN-F-48 100/130-octane rating gasoline

  • External: Up to four 165 gal or 310 gal tanks under the wings

Performance

• Maximum speed: 366 mph at 20,000 ft

• Combat range: 610 mi

• Service ceiling: 33,100 ft

• Rate of climb: 2,540 ft/min

• Wing loading: 45 lb/ft²

• Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb

• Time to altitude: 12 min to 20,000 ft, 1,667 fpm

I was pleased when one of our readers requested a column on the North American F-82 Twin Mustang. It has always been a favorite of mine. This very unusual aircraft,  and one of its pilots, have a very close personal tie, a special friend, Colonel Robert Thacker. Colonel Thacker is still with us and is a dedicated RC turbine pilot. I met with “the Old Colonel”, as he calls himself, a few months ago. He is in early 90s and still flies his jet models at speeds in excess of 200 mph, way beyond my capabilities. As a young Lieutenant, Colonel Thacker was at the controls of the B-17 that landed at Pearl Harbor during the attack on December 7, 1941. His was the B-17 with one landing gear stuck up. This clip is still seen very often in movies and on TV. See this week’s Bird of the Week for more on Colonel Thacker and Betty Jo.

The North American F-82 was too late to have seen any action during World War II..

On 27 February 1947, a P-82B named Betty Jo and flown by Colonel Robert E. Thacker made history when he flew nonstop from Hawaii to New York without refueling, a distance of 5,051 mi in 14 hr 32 min at an average speed of 347.5 mph. This flight tested the P-82’s range. The aircraft carried a full internal fuel tank of 576 gallons augmented by four 310 gallon tanks for a total of 1,816 gallons. This flight, to this day, remains the longest nonstop flight ever made by a propeller-driven fighter, and the fastest such a distance has ever been covered in a piston-engine aircraft. Of course you know the record for the longest nonstop flight by a propeller-driven aircraft of any type is held by the Rutan Voyager). “Betty Jo”, an early model F-82B, used two Rolls Royce Merlin engines. This aircraft is now in the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

The Twin Mustang was deployed to the Aleutian Islands in 1948 to replace war weary Northrop Black Widows.

This Twin Musang has more history than just about any other aircraft designed for World War II. Even though there were only 270 built by North American in Southern California, they proved themselves essential for a of special missions. There were many times that the Air Force wished they had 2,700 of them, rather than 270.  Even though it was called the Twin Mustang, it was an entirely new aircraft which used parts of the P-51H which saw a very limited production. When the F-82s were finally retired in 1953, there were very few left flyable. Museums had a hard time acquiring parts, as most of the bases where they were deployed had to cannibalize damaged aircraft to keep their aircraft flying. The Air Force never expected them to be needed for so long and never produced enough spare parts for them.

During the Korean conflict, the F-82s were used for night fighter duties. Note the huge radar dome attached to the center section of the wing.

The P-82 was originally designed for World War II to escort B-29s in the intended invasion of Japan, of course the atom bombs negated any need for this invasion and the need for P-82 fighter escort. The Twin Mustang was the only aircraft that had the range and firepower to fly up to 2,000 miles without refueling. They could escort bombers at their altitude, fend off enemy fighters and escort the bombers back home. No other fighter was capable of performing this mission. Early models had dual controls in both fuselages so pilots could spell each other while on long missions. During the Korean war and night fighter duties, controls were removed from the second cockpit which was converted into a radar management control center. It was during the Korean conflict that the Twin Mustangs showed such great potential.

Mechanics are shown working on one of the engines during the harsh Alaska winters.

Before dawn, the 347th Provisional Group flying F-82 Twin Mustangs were in the air over Korea, with a mission to provide cover for the C-54 Skymaster transports flying out of Kimpo Airfield, who were evacuating civilians out of combat zones.  Suddenly, a flight of five North Korean fighters (Soviet-built Yak-9s, Yak-11s and La-7s) appeared, heading for the F-82’s  airfield. One of the Yak-11s immediately scored several hits on Lt. Charles Moran’s vertical stabilizer. Then Lt. William G. “Skeeter” Hudson flying wing man initiated a high-G turn to engage the Yak. When Hudson was in range. he fired a short burst at close range, scoring hits with his six .50 in machine guns. The Yak banked hard to the right, with the F-82G in close pursuit. A second burst hit the Yak’s right wing, setting the gas tank on fire and knocking off the right flap and aileron. The North Korean pilot bailed out, but his observer, who was either dead or badly wounded, remained in the doomed aircraft. Lt. William G. “Skeeter” Hudson, with his radar operator Lt. Carl Fraiser, had scored the first aerial “kill” of the Korean War. The F-82 gradually replaced the war weary Northrop Black Widow night fighter. But, the end of the line was rapidly approaching for the F-82 in Korea. By the end of August 1951, there were only eight operational F-82s left, and the Lockheed F-94 Starfire jet was arriving in Japan, taking over missions previously flown by the Twin Mustangs. While deployed to Korea, F-82s destroyed 20 enemy aircraft, four in the air and 16 on the ground during the conflict.

Twin Mustangs also saw duty in Alaska where they once again replaced the aging Black Widow, flying weather and reconnaissance patrols.

Specifications: F-82G

• Crew: 2
• Length: 42 ft 9 in
• Wingspan: 51 ft 3 in
• Height: 13 ft 10 in
• Wing area: 408 ft²
• Empty weight: 15,997 lb
• Max takeoff weight: 25,591 lb
• Powerplant: 2, Allison V-1710-143/145 counter-rotating
• liquid-cooled V12 engines, 1,380 hp takeoff each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 482 at 21,000 ft
• Range: 2,350 mi
• Service ceiling: 38,900 ft

Armament

• Guns: 6 × .50 in Browning M2 machine guns
• Rockets: 25 × 5 in rockets
• Bombs: 4,000 lb

The Twin Mustang has such a great history, I highly recommend interested readers Google “F-82 Twin Mustang”, and amaze yourself with its varied accomplishments during its short service life. Norm

By:       Norm Goyer

I have known and met many accomplished pilots, real heroes and entertainers, while writing for both full scale and model aircraft publications. For instance, I became friendly with Bob Hoover during a Sun ‘n Fun Air Show. We had adjacent booths in one of the display hangars and spent hours talking between lulls in spectators; one year we also had Patty Wagstaff as a neighbor. I had known Patty for years while writing for Sport Pilot. I found Jim Bede to be a super interesting person, a different drum, yes, but fascinating. Few people knew that the late Roy Orbison was a model builder and would often show up at contests, in fact I was in the process of writing a story about Roy when he passed on. I even heard how clumping-kitty-litter was discovered by its inventor, Don Thorsen, another very accomplished pilot and model builder. Of course Dick Rutan’s early model building has been well documented. And of course, my all time favorite personality, the Old Colonel, Bob Thacker. While I was editor of Scale R/C Modeler, Bob Thacker wrote many articles for our magazine, as well as some for Air Progress. One year Tina, my late wife, and I visited with Bob and Betty Jo in their home in San Clemente, tastefully furnished with mementos of the Colonels past postings, there was even a Japanese garden overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Twin Mustang “Betty Joe” replica with a misspelling of Betty Jo.

I would have to include Colonel Thacker and Bob Hoover as real heroes for their vast accomplishments during armed conflict. Both are graduates of the United States Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB. A few years ago, Bob Thacker was enrolled in the AMA (Academy of Model Aviation) Hall of Fame as a modeler who has contributed so much to our country and to our hobby. The Colonel once told me a story that I will never forget, his minute-by-minute recreation of landing his crippled B-17 at Pearl Harbor during the December 7, 1941 attack, after a long ferry flight from San Francisco. He did not have enough fuel to continue to an auxiliary field, so he had to land his aircraft with one gear stuck in the wells as a result of an attacking Zero’s bullets. Some military photographer on the ground at Pearl Harbor actually filmed the landing which I am sure you have probably seen many times.

Colonel Thacker is shown with one of his turbine powered models, a Lockheed XP-80, that he and Chuck Yeager test flew at Edwards AFB.

His most notable achievement came in 1947 with his test of the Betty Jo, a P-82 Twin Mustang, named after his wife. This was to be the first nonstop test of a fully loaded fighter between Honolulu, Hawaii and New York City, New York. The 14 hour, 32 minute test, which started at Hickam Air Force Base on February 27, and which ended at LaGuardia Airport was a success; Thacker even set the speed record at an average of 350 miles per hour. Both the aircraft and the flight jacket Thacker wore are on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. His co-pilot on the trip was Lt. John Ard. The trip remains the longest and fastest ever by a propeller-driven fighter. Another notable achievement came in 1972 as the test pilot of a solar-powered aircraft designed and built by Lockheed.

Colonel Bob Thacker is shown in front of his Betty Jo on display at the Wright Patterson Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

Colonel Thacker’s wartime record of flying two tours in a B-17 in World War II, a single tour in the Korean War flying a B-29 Superfortress, and classified (secret) high-altitude reconnaissance missions during the Vietnam War earned him two Silver Stars, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, ten air medals and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm Leaf. I am proud to have known Colonel Bob Thacker for many years, a true American Hero.

I have to leave you with one more pure Colonel Bob story. Thacker and his wife were taking a tour at the Air Museum and the narrator pointed to Bob’s F-82 and told the gathered spectators that this plane had been restored exactly as it was when flown to the world’s record. The Colonel held up his hand and told the curator that the name of the pilot was painted just beneath the cockpit and it was missing on this restoration. The narrator wanted to know how he knew that and the Colonel responded, ” Young man, I am Colonel Bob Thacker and this lovely lady right here is Betty Jo.”

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