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By the time this photo of a Mustang I for the RAF was captured on 4X5 Kodachrome, North American Aviation (NAA) was well established in its Southern California location as a leading manufacturer of trainers and bombers and had a new fighter ready to go to war. But its journey to the sunny warmth and flying weather at Inglewood traced one of the most convoluted journeys of all the manufacturing giants that grew out of the early decades of aviation. The fledgling flying business of the early 1920s was a major draw for banking and business investors that was further […]
North American Aviation’s Tangled Path to Success
By the time this photo of a Mustang I for the RAF was captured on 4X5 Kodachrome, North American Aviation (NAA) was well established in its Southern California location as a leading manufacturer of trainers and bombers and had a new fighter ready to go to war. But its journey to the sunny warmth and flying weather at Inglewood traced one of the most convoluted journeys of all the manufacturing giants that grew out of the early decades of aviation. The fledgling flying business of the early 1920s was a major draw for banking and business investors that was further […]
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It made numerous test flights and at least one cross-country journey, yet no air-to-air picture of it appears to have survived. It was going to be an improved version of the P-38 Lightning with an advanced new engine, yet the improvements were few and the engine never materialized. It was the Lockheed XP-49, or company model 522, designed by the fabled engineering team headed by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. At a glance, it was not easy to distinguish from a P-38. It had the familiar twin booms, tricycle gear, and pilot’s gondola on the centerline. Had it been fitted with its […]
Lockheed XP-49 – Trying to Do the P-38 One Better
It made numerous test flights and at least one cross-country journey, yet no air-to-air picture of it appears to have survived. It was going to be an improved version of the P-38 Lightning with an advanced new engine, yet the improvements were few and the engine never materialized. It was the Lockheed XP-49, or company model 522, designed by the fabled engineering team headed by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. At a glance, it was not easy to distinguish from a P-38. It had the familiar twin booms, tricycle gear, and pilot’s gondola on the centerline. Had it been fitted with its […]
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The F-35 Lightning II, originally known as the Joint Strike Fighter, has become the go-to fighter for the majority of western countries. Aside from politics and costs, it has become a widespread and ubiquitous aircraft, with at least 23 countries either now operating or in the process of procuring the stealth jet. There are four F-35 versions: the A-, B-, C-, and I- (Israeli) models. The A is by far the most common and is designed for typical inland runways; the I-model externally looks the same. The B-model is designed for hovering and has a large fan behind the cockpit, […]
“Bat Wing” Lightning – The Charlie-Model F-35
The F-35 Lightning II, originally known as the Joint Strike Fighter, has become the go-to fighter for the majority of western countries. Aside from politics and costs, it has become a widespread and ubiquitous aircraft, with at least 23 countries either now operating or in the process of procuring the stealth jet. There are four F-35 versions: the A-, B-, C-, and I- (Israeli) models. The A is by far the most common and is designed for typical inland runways; the I-model externally looks the same. The B-model is designed for hovering and has a large fan behind the cockpit, […]
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My first contact with the Grumman A-6 was in the early spring of 1963 off the coast of Virginia on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), when an A-6 flew out from the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, for carrier-suitability tests. I was a catapult officer on the “Big E.” We conducted all sorts of flight-deck ops, with emphasis on different-weight “cat” shots. It also was my first real intro to the aircraft nose-launch system. What a giant leap forward! No bulky bridles or holdbacks. The Intruder looked good on launch and really stable on approach and landing. It had […]
A-6 bridge buster – Courage under fire in North Vietnam
My first contact with the Grumman A-6 was in the early spring of 1963 off the coast of Virginia on the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), when an A-6 flew out from the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, Maryland, for carrier-suitability tests. I was a catapult officer on the “Big E.” We conducted all sorts of flight-deck ops, with emphasis on different-weight “cat” shots. It also was my first real intro to the aircraft nose-launch system. What a giant leap forward! No bulky bridles or holdbacks. The Intruder looked good on launch and really stable on approach and landing. It had […]
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When we departed San Francisco on November 1, 1941, there was little doubt in any of our minds that we would soon be at war with the Japanese. Aboard the SS Coolidge, I was one of 14 pilots, together with members of the 21st Pursuit Squadron ground crew. The remainder of the squadron was expected to follow on the next convoy out of San Francisco. 2ND LT. JACK DONALSON, USAAC 21st Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group Manila Area—December 9, 1941 I. B. Jack Donalson was born on July 6, 1915, in Kyle, Texas, and reared in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He majored […]
Outgunned & Outmanned – A losing battle against a well-equipped foe
When we departed San Francisco on November 1, 1941, there was little doubt in any of our minds that we would soon be at war with the Japanese. Aboard the SS Coolidge, I was one of 14 pilots, together with members of the 21st Pursuit Squadron ground crew. The remainder of the squadron was expected to follow on the next convoy out of San Francisco. 2ND LT. JACK DONALSON, USAAC 21st Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group Manila Area—December 9, 1941 I. B. Jack Donalson was born on July 6, 1915, in Kyle, Texas, and reared in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He majored […]
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The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels are the premier aerobatic teams for U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, respectively, and have held that status for well over seven decades. The Thunderbirds are assigned to the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB Nevada. During their formative days, the “T-Birds” spent six months training in an unofficial status. Shortly thereafter, on May 25, 1953, the Thunderbirds were activated as the 3600th Air Demonstration Team at Luke AFB near Phoenix. The first aircraft flown by the Thunderbirds was the F-84G Thunderjet. The first leader of the T-Bird team was Major Richard C. Catledge. The F-84G […]
The Show Must Go On – Thunderbirds fuel up mid-air
The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels are the premier aerobatic teams for U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, respectively, and have held that status for well over seven decades. The Thunderbirds are assigned to the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB Nevada. During their formative days, the “T-Birds” spent six months training in an unofficial status. Shortly thereafter, on May 25, 1953, the Thunderbirds were activated as the 3600th Air Demonstration Team at Luke AFB near Phoenix. The first aircraft flown by the Thunderbirds was the F-84G Thunderjet. The first leader of the T-Bird team was Major Richard C. Catledge. The F-84G […]
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My first impression of war was from my early childhood while going to the cemetery with my mother to visit the grave of my uncle, 1st Lieutenant George C Johnson, a decorated World War II pilot. We would sit by his military headstone, usually with a small brightly colored American flag planted right next to it, and my mother would quietly say, “Your uncle Georgie was a war hero.” On November 25, 1944 1st Lt. George C. Johnson, an experienced Eighth Air Force B-17 combat pilot now flying with the 40th Air Depot, had taken off in his Flying Fortress […]
Warriors Remembered – Families gather in England to pay tribute to a fallen WW II aircrew
My first impression of war was from my early childhood while going to the cemetery with my mother to visit the grave of my uncle, 1st Lieutenant George C Johnson, a decorated World War II pilot. We would sit by his military headstone, usually with a small brightly colored American flag planted right next to it, and my mother would quietly say, “Your uncle Georgie was a war hero.” On November 25, 1944 1st Lt. George C. Johnson, an experienced Eighth Air Force B-17 combat pilot now flying with the 40th Air Depot, had taken off in his Flying Fortress […]
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“The first time I saw my lean Spitfire with two bombs hanging under its slender wings, I decided that I was never going to be crazy about this phase of our work. The Spitfire seemed to be intolerably burdened with her load, and the ugly, blunt bombs were a basic contradiction of all the beauty and symmetry of the aeroplane.”—Wing Commander “Johnnie” Johnson, Spitfire Wing Leader (later Air Vice Marshal Johnson CB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, DFC & Bar) Spitfire design and development The Supermarine Spitfire was originally designed as a short-range interceptor and it was undoubtedly one of […]
Spitfire fighter-bombers – The iconic fighter was surprisingly effective in other roles
“The first time I saw my lean Spitfire with two bombs hanging under its slender wings, I decided that I was never going to be crazy about this phase of our work. The Spitfire seemed to be intolerably burdened with her load, and the ugly, blunt bombs were a basic contradiction of all the beauty and symmetry of the aeroplane.”—Wing Commander “Johnnie” Johnson, Spitfire Wing Leader (later Air Vice Marshal Johnson CB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, DFC & Bar) Spitfire design and development The Supermarine Spitfire was originally designed as a short-range interceptor and it was undoubtedly one of […]
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