Mont g omery Flight – 1904 Moffett Field – 1933 China Clipper – 1936 Hiller XH - 44 – 1944 NASA Ames Research Center -- 1981 Northern Wings Volume 6 No. 20 The Aero Club of Northern California Fall 2011 www.aeroclubnorcal.org C.E ‘ B ud ’ Anderson to receive Crystal Eagle Aero Club to honor World War II ace C. E. “Bud” Anderson, a triple ace who scored 16.25 aerial victories over German Luftwaffe aircraft while flying the P - 51 Mustang “Old Crow’’ in the World War II skies of Europe, will be the 29th recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award. The award is p resented annually by the Aero Club of Northern California to honor those whose achievements are among the highest in aviation. The San Jose - based A ero C lub will hold the awards dinner at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Hiller Aviation Museum in Sa n Carlos. The club is the regional affiliate of the National Aeronautic Association. The Aero Club also will award National Aeronautic Association Certificate s to Bob Overby, (Continued on Page 2) Anderson recounts air - to - air combat over Europe In an interview at Auburn Municipal yo u got to know your tactics en ough gunner , have good eyes -- we didn’t Airport and at his home nearby, World so you that fly instinctively. Yo u have radar to point out the ene m y, you War II triple ace C.E. “Bud” know yo ur enemy, yo u know the had to find them with your eyeballs. Anderson talked about aerial combat enemy ’ s tacti c s, yo u know his You had to be a good formation pilot. in Europe . Flying P - 51B and P - 51D airplanes. You need to be a good T here are so many of those things that fighters he named “Old Crow,” he are indivisible. You need all of them. shot down 16 enemy fighters, shared “ W hat mak es the difference in the kill of a Luftwaffe bomber and between a good fighter pilot and a destroyed one aircraft on the ground . great fighter pilot ? In my own mind Why did you become a pilot ? it ’s something inside, you call it a “ I t h ink it was a childhood passion. fighting spirit, motivation. One guy As far back as I can remember I wants it more than the other guy . I wanted to fly . Aviation was i n its knew I wanted to do it. You had to infancy . I t just seemed like an exciting want to fly combat . th ing to do. ” “ I think most of the aces I knew had W hat qual ities make a good fighter a little better knack of picking up the pilot , an ace ? “Y o u ’ve got to know yo ur airplane, (Continued on Page 3) Page 2 Northern Wings Fall 2011 Crystal Eagle Dinner set Oct. 22 at Hiller Museum (Continued from Page 1) managing director of Jeppesen Data Burt Rutan, George Cooper, Jeana Plan in San Jose, and longtime (Continued from Page 1) Yeage r, James S. Ricklefs, Darryl Hayward FBO Mike Coutches, for Greenamyer, Paul Poberezny, Wayne their life - long contributions to the Handley, A. Scott Crossfield, Clay advancement of flight. Lacy, Elgen Long, Eileen Collins, Anderson, now 89, was born in Sean D. Tucker, Steve Fossett, Phil Oakland . He enlisted in the U.S. Army Boyer, Mike Melvill and Brian Shul. as an aviation cadet in 1942. After Dinner tickets, including museum earning his wings and commission as admission, are $60 each for Aero Club a second lieutenant, he fle w two members and $75 for non - members. combat tours against the Luftwaffe in Reservations are required. Tickets will Aircraft Company’s flight test facility not be sold at the door. For additional Europe. at Edwards AFB until 1984. rd information, contact the Aero Club at Assigned to the 363 Fighter Anderson co - authored the book Squadron of the 357 th Fighter Group (408) 646 - 7139, or check its website “To Fly & Fight -- Memoirs of a at www.aeroclubnorcal.org. at RAF Leiston, England, he became Triple Ace’’ in 1990. In 2008, he was the group’s third leading ace. In his P - inducted into the National Aviation The Hiller Aviation Institute & 51 Mustang, he flew 116 missions Hall of Fame. Museum , the venue for the 2011 without being hit by fi re from enemy The Crystal Eagle Award was first dinner, was founded in 1998 by aircraft and without turning back from presented by the Aero Club in 1983 to helicopter pioneer Stanley Hiller Jr. , any mission. legendary aviator Jimmy Doolittle. the recipient of the 1985 Crystal Eagle In his 30 years of military service, Past recipients include Chuck Yeager, Award. Anderson flew more than 100 types of Stanley Hiller Jr., Jim Nissen, Dedicated to the dreams of flight, aircraft, logging more than 7,000 the museum exhibits chronicle a hours flight time. He was a test pilot Crystal Eagle Dinner century of aviation history in two and chief of fighter operations at Date: Saturday, October 22, 2011 large display areas – the Atrium and Wri ght Field, chief of flight test Reception: 6:30 p.m. the Main Gallery. Vintage and operations and deputy director of Dinner: 7:30 p.m. futuristic aircraft, prototypes, flight test at Edwards Air Force Base, Location: Hiller Aviation Museum, photographic displays, and models are and served two tours at the Pentagon. 601 Skyway Road at San Carlos on display. Anderson commanded three fighter Airport. organizations including in 1970 the Cost: $60 for Aero Club members, 355 th Tactical Fighter Wing in $75 for non - members, including Vietnam. He retired as a colonel in museum admission. 1972, then managed the McDonnell Reserva tions: (408) 646 - 7139 Sandra J. Clifford – president Max Trescott -- vice president Eric Peterson – treasurer Crystal Eagle Recipients Jerry Bennett – secretary Carl Honaker – past president 1983 – James “ Jimmy ’’ Doolittle 1998 – Donald D. Engen 1984 – Charles E. “ Chuck ’’ Yeager Ron Blake – director 1999 – Paul H. Poberezny Glynn Fa lcon – director 1985 – Stanley Hiller Jr. 2000 – Wayne Handley Janet Russell Hitt – director 1986 – William “ Bill ’’ Lear 2001 – Igor I. Sikorsky Ray Hutchings – director 1987 – James M. “ Jim ” Nissen 2002 – A. Scott Crossfield Thomas E. Leonard – director 1988 – Anthony W. “ Tony ” LeVier 2003 – Clay Lacy Harold Oberg – director 1989 – Elbert “ Burt ” L. Rutan 2004 – Elgen Long Sharon K. S weeney – d irector 1990 – George S. Cooper 2005 – Eileen Collins Rick Willson – director 1991 – Allen E. Paulson 2006 – Sean D. Tucker Scott Yelich – director 1992 – Jeana Yeager Frank S weeney – d irector 2007 – Steve Fossett and newsletter editor 1993 – Robert T. Jones 2008 – Phil Boyer 1994 – Frank L. Christensen Northern Wings is pub lished quarterly 2009 – Mike Melvill by the Aero Club of Northern 1995 – James S. Ricklefs 2010 – Brian Shul California, an affiliate of the National 1996 – Darryl G. Greenamyer 2011 -- C.E. “ Bud ” Anderson Aeronautic Association. 1997 – Robert L. “ Hoot ” Gibson Fall 2011 Northern Wings Pag e 3 An interview with WWII triple ace ‘Bud’ Anderson (Continued from Page 1) a sudden I see him start to mush, and enemy – we all had 20 - 20 (vision) but he’s going to stall.’’ The Me - 109 fa lls mine tested down to 20 - 15 in one eye back and dives, with Anderson and 20 - 10 in the other. Some of the dropping back on his tail “and down other aces had eyesight better than we go again.’’ normal. Again the German makes a hard climbing turn left. But this time Tell us about your most memorabl e Anderson is farther back and is able to combat victory. turn on his opponent’s tail. The enemy On May 27, 1944, Anderson’s flight of four P - 51B Mustangs was at about pilot reverses his turn and tries to out - 28,000 feet escorting B - 17 bombers climb the Mustang. en route to Germany when they were Opponent’s Mistake was flying right side up very “He screwed up. He’s already lost attacked by four Luftwaffe Me - 109 comfortably, and put some more fighters. “But we turned the table on his airspeed. So I just pulled inside of shells into him and he really got it. him and he started to turn. I fired a them and shot three of them down.’’ N ow he’s smoking badly and he’s out burst, and I saw a tracer go off to the The German fighters came down “in of control and he’s gone. ” right side. I give it a little bit of left a string formation – one, two, three, One of the remaining Me - 109s four. We saw them in plenty of time r udder, and got him right in the “makes a very hard climbing turn to middle of the airplane, got hits all so we just reversed the whole the left, while the other guy rolls over over and the smoke comes out.’’ formation hard, turn into them. It’s a and runs.” Anderson goes after the defensive maneuver. I thought they As the stricken Me - 109 slowed in climbing German fighter , but realizes its climb , “I c a me right up to him, and would keep on going, at tack the that with his speed he probably cannot his prop was wind - milling and the bombers and leave, but they were turn behind his enemy in the situation attacking us. coolant was coming out and pretty so he overshoots, climbing steeply to soon black smoke.’’ “ I looked back and see they’re get above him and make his next coming around so we turned. They move. The German reverses his Just as Anderson climbed even with had lost their advantage now. When climbing turn and goes after Anderson him, “he starts rolling and just went they were diving they were going from below, but can’t match the down, and I went down, straight down faster, but when they turned they lost climbing P - 51B to lead his target with f rom 28, 29 thousand feet, just their speed so now we got full throttle his 20mm cannon and fire. absolutely straight down . I went picking up speed.’’ Evasive Action through 20,000 feet faster than I ever Tail Chase “He lost energy here. Then I saw been in my life. I thought t his is too “ So we go around this circle a couple him move over; he’s trying to get my fast, came back on the power and I of times and I’m creeping up on them. wingman so I told him to take evasive watched him. He was leaving black Each time we go around I’m getting action, then I would cover him. I think smoke that must have been two, three closer to getting on their tail. And they my wingman thought maybe I was miles long.’’ saw that. They rolled out and flew using him as bait . He went down and Anderson pulled out of his dive into back toward Germany at level flight.” the German went down and I went a big spiral. “It was a bright sunny The Mustangs gave chase. The tail - right on his tail. He saw that right day, and here’s his shadow going end Me - 109 started climbing, so away and comes around in this hard down and pretty soon he and his Anderson sent two of his flight after turn again. I’m up against the same shadow came together , right straight that aircraft, while he and his situation as at the beginning.’’ into the ground, and there was this wingman chased the other three. Again Anderson cut across the Me - tremendous explosion.” “ I simply drove up behind the last 109’s path and climbed. “ S ure enough Why did you name your airplane guy, 6 o’clock, right up hi s tail, closed he reversed his turn, and now he’s “Old Crow?” in to 300 yards, and fired a burst ’’ coming after me, so I gave it “ Now I tell my nondrinking friends with his four wing - mounted .50 - everything I had.’’ Now the German that it’s named after the most caliber machine guns. “It hit all over was on Anders on’s tail, both climbing intelligent bird that flies in the sky. him, he started smoking, and he did steeply at full power. But to shoot, the But my drinking buddies all know it’s something I could just not understand . German has to climb more steeply. named after that old Kentucky straight He rolls over and flies inverted. What “He’s got to point his nose ahead of bourbon whiskey. ” the heck’s he doing ? It didn’t matter, I me’’ to lead his moving target. All of Page 4 Northern Wings Fall 2011 History Corner: Moffett Field ’ s Pogo Airplane In 1999, during an air show at on which were fitted struts and small Moffett Field, the late Amelia Reid wheels. The struts compressed several looked inside cavernous Hangar One feet, like a child’s pogostick, on and remarked, “I think I could do my touchdown. whole air show routine in here.’’ In April 1954, the project was Anyone who saw Reid’s low and moved to Moffett Field for a series of slow aerobatics in a Cessna 150 tethered fligh t tests inside Hangar Aerobat would not consider that much One. On April 29, test pilot James of a stretch. After all, more than a “Skeets” Coleman made the first half century ago, an airplane did fly tethered flight of the Pogo. inside Hangar One numerous times. Convair removed the propeller It wasn’t the huge airship USS spinner to attach a tether to a fitting in Macon, for which the hangar wa s built the nose. Safety lines also were in the 1930s, although technically the attached to the wingtips. Th e dirigible was in the air even when motorized tether operator could grab moored inside. the Pogo upright if the pilot lost The Convair XFY - 1 Pogo was one control and started to tilt over. of many attempts made after World Coleman logged more than 60 hours War II to devise a practical Vertical of dangerous tethered flights inside Take - Off and Lan ding (VTOL) Hangar One. The huge propellers combat aircraft. chur n ed up powerful, turbulent The XFY - 1 could take off and land XFY - 1 Pogo, while Lockheed airflow tha t washed against the vertically, and transition to horizontal developed the XFV - 1. hangar’s inside. flight and back. The Lockheed plane never made a In August, Coleman completed It was impractical to assign an vertical takeoff and landing bec ause several free flights outdoors, soaring aircraft carrier task force to protect the Navy gave to Convair the only as high as 150 feet. But shortly every supply convoy or operation, so powerplant rated for both vertical and afterwards, Convair moved the Pogo strategists looked at stationing VTOL horizontal flight – the 5,850 to Brown Field near San Diego , where interceptors aboard destroyers, fleet horsepower YT - 40 turbine engine Coleman transitioned to horizontal oilers and transports , according to th e spinning two 16 - foot counter - rotating fligh t . However, the plane’s giant National Air and Space Museum . propellers. gearbox needed a major overhaul , and In 1951, the Navy awarded contracts On the ground, the Pogo sat the Navy ended the progam in 1956. to Convair and Lockheed to develop vertically atop the trailing edges of its The Pogo was transferred to the Air VTOL fighters. Convair built one two wings and dorsal and ventral fins, and Space Museum in 1973.
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