Fourth Quarter (Oct - Dec) 2008

Volume 21, Number 4

The Newsletter of the War Eagles Air Museum Editorial ortunately for aviation enthusi- asts, the global inventory of war- F birds includes flying examples of many of the world’s most significant combat aircraft. There are exceptions, of course. For example, pending restoration of the Commemorative Air Force’s B-29 Fifi, there is currently no airworthy Boe- ing Superfortress. Many of the more ob- scure German and Japanese aircraft types used in World War II do not exist at all. England, whose aircraft industry over the years has built some of the most interest- ing aircraft ever to fly, has a regrettable habit of cutting these historic treasures up for scrap. Thus it is very exciting news that, after a Herculean worldwide fund- raising and restoration effort, there is to- day a flying example of perhaps the most famous post-War British aircraft of all— S The built more than 13,100 the Avro Vulcan. Gurevich MiG-15s, and many more Development of the Vulcan began in Featured Aircraft were made under license by Czechoslovakia, 1947 at the A.V. Roe (Avro) factory, near Poland and China. In this photo from June Manchester, England. The Air Ministry’s ow does one decide how much 1989, the late John MacGuire pilots his two- specification called for a heavy, high-alti- influence an aircraft design has seater ex-Polish Air Force MiG-15UTI Mid- tude, high-speed, long-range bomber to on other aircraft? When you re- get over the southern New Mexico desert H near the new War Eagles Air Museum. serve as Britain’s airborne nuclear deter- duce an aircraft to its most basic compo- rent. In case Avro’s radical delta-wing de- nents—lifting surfaces, control system, sign failed, the Ministry at the same time powerplant (unless it’s a glider) and a contracted with the Vickers-Armstrong place for the crew to work—then all air- Contents and Handley Page aircraft companies to craft are fundamentally identical. But it is develop “insurance bombers.” In the end, indisputable that some aeronautical inno- Editorial...... 1 the Royal Air Force (RAF) put all three vations directly influenced the course of Featured Aircraft...... 1 aircraft into service as the world-famous aviation development worldwide. The jet From the Director...... 2 “V-bomber” force—the Vickers Valiant, engine is one example of such an ad- Historical Perspectives ...... 5 Handley Page Victor and Avro Vulcan. vance. Another is the . Tailspins with Parker...... 6 Membership Application ...... 7 Editorial (Continued on Page 8) Featured Aircraft (Continued on Page 2)

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Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 1) From the Director Practical demonstrations of both of ith autumn underway, days these innovations, as well as many oth- are cooler, the winds have di- ers, first took place in Nazi Germany dur- W minished and the nights are ing the Third Reich. Considering condi- really pleasant here in the Chihuahuan tions in the Reich late in World War II, it Desert. So the old excuses of “It’s too hot is remarkable that German scientists and to volunteer at the Museum” or “It’s too engineers accomplished so much. Politi- windy to volunteer,” while they may be cal alliances morphed often, with very valid at certain times of the year, most real risks of arrest, imprisonment and definitely do not hold true now. Fall and death to those in the wrong place at the winter are probably the best seasons in wrong time. Demented megalomaniacal the area, and there is no better time for Führer Adolf Hitler micro-managed Ger- you to come out and spend some quality man industry and military operations volunteer time with us. with bizarre directives, impossible de- Another reason for you to come out mands and ever-changing priorities. Non- is that it seems things are always busiest stop Allied bombing forced factories to for us during the last three months of the disperse, and caused debilitating short- year. The big RV Fly-In in early October ages of fuel, metals and other critical re- should draw more than 100 aircraft from sources. Yet dedicated German designers S This rendering, used without permission around the country, and up to 400 people. still developed and fielded innovative, from www.luft46.com, depicts Focke Wulf’s We can use volunteers to staff the regis- groundbreaking technological triumphs Ta.183 in a camouflage paint scheme as it tration table, meet and greet visitors, con- such as the twin-jet, swept-wing Messer- might have appeared if it had gone into pro- duct informal tours, guide traffic, give di- schmitt Me.262 Schwalbe (Swallow), the duction before World War II ended. rections, answer questions about the Mu- tail-less, rocket-powered Messerschmitt seum and the area, and so on. The Chili Me.163B Komet interceptor and the ex- and aerodynamicist Dipl. Ing. Hans Mul- Cookoff follows close behind the Fly-In, traordinary Vergeltungswaffe Zwei (V-2) thopp of Focke Wulf Flugzeugbau (Focke and we can always use judges in addition long-range ballistic missile. Wulf Aircraft Company). The Ta.183 to the many other areas in which volun- In the final days of the War, U.S. Ar- had been scheduled for its first flight in teers can help out. No culinary experi- my Air Corps General Henry H. “Hap” June 1945 and for full production by Oc- ence is required—just a desire to have a Arnold set up a team of scientists called tober. None was ever actually built. If it good time and sample some great chili the “Scientific Advisory Group,” led by had been available in quantity, the (and maybe some not-so-great chili!). Be expatriate Hungarian aerodynamicist Dr. Ta.183 could have turned the tide of the sure to bring your own antacid tablets. Theodore von Kármán of the California War for Germany, at least temporarily. Feel free to come to the Museum any Institute of Technology, to examine cap- What the Soviet Union did with its Thursday at noon for our weekly volun- tured German military technology. One windfall is disputed. Some modern Rus- teer appreciation lunch. And thanks very result of the team’s evaluation was al- sian aviation historians hold that the much for your dedication and hard work. most immediate. The great advantages of Ta.183 did not influence Soviet aircraft We really appreciate it! swept wings, based on German wind tun- design at all. But the War-ravaged Soviet nel and flight test data, led Boeing Air- aircraft industry did everything possible Skip Trammell craft Company in 1945 to put a swept to get back on its feet. For instance, Tu- wing on its existing straight-wing B-47 polev’s Tu-4 Bull bomber was a copy of bomber design, which had been under the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, suppos- Plane Talk development since 1943. The rest, as the edly even including patched bullet holes Published quarterly by: saying goes, is history. (the Soviets had reverse-engineered three The Soviet Union also took advan- B-29s that had made emergency landings War Eagles Air Museum tage of German technology. In the ruins in Siberia during World War II). Most 8012 Airport Road of the Reichsluftministerium (German Air historians thus believe that some of the Santa Teresa, New Mexico 88008 Ministry) in Berlin, the Red Army found (575) 589-2000 technology from the unbuilt Ta.183 later a complete set of plans for the Ta.183, an emerged in one of the best-known and Author/Editor: Terry Sunday advanced swept-wing turbojet fighter de- most widely used aircraft of the Cold Chief Nitpicker: Frank Harrison signed by Dipl. Ing. (Diploma Engineer) War—the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15. Final Proofreader: Kathy Sunday Kurt Tank (the “Ta” prefix of the aircraft [email protected] designation comes from his last name) Featured Aircraft (Continued on page 3)

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Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 2) cated duct passed on both sides of the cock- Set up in in December 1939 pit. The MiG-15’s hori- by aircraft designer Artem Mikoyan, the zontal stabilizer was A. I. Mikoyan OKB (Opytnoe Konstruc- midway up the vertical torskoe Byuro, or Experimental Design tail, not at the top, and Bureau) became OKB MiG in 1942 when the main landing gear aeronautical engineer Mikhail Gurevich retracted into the wing joined the company, which added his ini- instead of the fuselage. tial to its name (the small “i” is the Rus- The wings of the two sian word “and”). Over the years, OKB aircraft were very simi- MiG has produced some of the world’s lar. Even if the Soviets best and most significant aircraft. did not really copy the Some sources report that OKB MiG Ta.183 (as they did the built six Ta.183s from the German plans B-29), the MiG-15 ob- soon after the War, using 5,100-pound- viously benefited from thrust British Rolls-Royce RB-41 Nene the Germans’ work. centrifugal-flow turbojet engines rather The first produc- than the lower-thrust axial-flow Junkers tion MiG-15 flew on Jumo 004B or Heinkel HeS-011 turbojets December 31, 1948, in the original design. First flight report- and the new jet entered edly was in June 1947. Flight tests soon service with the VVS revealed several aerodynamic problems. (Voenno-Vozdushnye OKB MiG made some design changes to Sily, or Soviet Air fix these problems, and the resulting air- Force) the next year. craft, designated I-310 but actually the NATO (North Atlantic prototype MiG-15, first flew on Decem- Treaty Organization) ber 30, 1947, in the skilled hands of test assigned it the report- pilot Viktor N. Yuganov. Production de- ing name Fagot, with liveries started five months later. the “F” meaning “fight- Regardless of whether or not the So- er” and the two sylla- viet Union really built Ta.183s, there are bles denoting jet pow- many similarities, and also some key dif- er. Early production ferences, between Tank’s design and the examples had some un- MiG-15. For example, the Ta.183’s cock- pleasant handling vi- pit was placed entirely above the engine ces, such as a tendency air intake duct, while the MiG-15’s bifur- to roll that ground crews had to laborious- Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-15bis ly correct by manually General Characteristics bending trim tabs. Most of the vices went ventional bombs. Thus, the main mission away with the MiG-15bis1 variant, which of the VVS’s MiG-15 units was to shoot One 5,950-pound-stat- also had an upgraded Klimov VK-1 en- down invading American bombers. To do Powerplant ic-thrust Klimov VK-1 gine (essentially an improved Nene). turbojet this, the diminutive jets had a heavy arm- The origins of the 50-year-long Cold ament package of three cannons, two of Cruise Speed 525 miles per hour War are too complex to cover here. But, 23mm calibre and one 37mm, that had a Maximum Speed 650 miles per hour to grossly oversimplify, Soviet leaders tremendous destructive punch. But their after World War II, still reeling from Hit- low rates of fire and slow muzzle veloci- Service Ceiling ~50,000 feet ler’s brutal attacks that had killed mil- ties made them less effective against the Length 33 feet 4 inches lions of Soviet citizens, harbored a real agile American and British fighters that (to them) fear of a similar U.S. strike, but the MiG-15 eventually faced in combat. Wingspan 33 feet 3 inches with nuclear weapons rather than con- When the broke out in Range ~1,250 miles June 1950, it quickly became much more than a border dispute between communist Weight (empty) 8,115 pounds 1 The suffix “bis” means “repeat” in Old Latin. Interesting- ly, the same suffix is sometimes used today in computer Weight (maximum) 12,300 pounds modem protocol standards—a protocol designation ending Featured Aircraft (Continued on page 4) with “bis” is the second version of that protocol.

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Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 3) air-superiority fighter, the F-86 was a bit more and democratic South Kor- maneuverable than the ea. In fact, it became a “proxy war” in- Mig-15, in general, and volving the three major global powers of it performed far better the day (the U.S., the Soviet Union and at low altitudes. Its six the Peoples’ Republic of China). In the reliable Browning .50- frigid air high over the Korean peninsula, calibre machine guns American Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars, gave it a good punch in Republic F-84 Thunderjets and British . Gloster Meteors of the Royal Australian By the end of the Air Force, met up with the MiG-15 for War, American pilots the first time. It was an eye-opening ex- had earned a kill ratio perience. The tiny Soviet fighter left the as high as 8 to 1 against Western aircraft in the dust. their communist adver- The U.S. and the Soviet Union both saries. While the air- claimed victory in the world’s first jet- craft of the two sides S Dan Taylor (l.), Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic, Mu- vs.-jet aerial on November 8, were amazingly well- seum founder John MacGuire (in cockpit) and Gary Hill (r.) run 1950. Either an F-80 downed a MiG-15, matched, the Ameri- up a MiG-15 at Santa Teresa Airport. This photo was taken in front or a MiG-15 shot down an F-80, or no- cans were much better of the maintenance shop in 1988, before the Museum was built. body shot down anybody. Records dis- trained. They also had agree, and there are strong arguments for longer combat assignments, which gave orbit the earth, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, all viewpoints. But there is little dis- them more experience than the North was killed, along with his co-pilot Vladi- agreement that the MiG-15 outperformed Korean and Chinese pilots, who rotated mir Seregin, in a crash in bad weather on American and British aircraft early in the in and out of combat on short, rigid March 27, 1968. war, and the mismatch was not corrected schedules. Soviet MiG-15 pilots, who War Eagles Air Museum has on dis- until North American F-86 Sabre jets be- had been withdrawn early in the War, play two examples of this early Soviet gan arriving in Korea in December 1950. later admitted that most North Korean fighter—a “standard” MiG-15bis Fagot The capabilities of the MiG-15 and and Chinese pilots did little more than and a MiG-15UTI Midget, the latter with F-86 reflected the different missions for give the Americans “aerial targets.” its cockpit canopy open and a ladder set which each was designed. The Soviet air- The Soviet Union exported its first- up so that you can see inside. Note the craft had a higher rate of climb, better generation jet fighter to nearly all of the DYMO label-maker tapes all over the in- high-altitude performance and heavier ar- Warsaw Pact nations, where they served strument panel and on the switches, lev- mament, the better to intercept and shoot for many years. Albania, as an example, ers and controls. This aircraft was built in down attacking bombers. Intended as an flew a handful of MiG-15s at least until Poland, and thus had Polish markings late 2005—good lon- and placards when Museum founder John gevity for a 60-year- MacGuire acquired it. Early-day volun- old design! The Soviet teers and friends of the nascent Museum, Union also licensed armed with a general knowledge of aero- production to China, nautics and a Polish-English dictionary, Poland and Czechoslo- laboriously translated all of the markings vakia. About 18,000 into English and glued on the tape labels. MiG-15s, in 10 differ- John MacGuire purchased several ent variants, rolled out Polish-built MiGs, a mixture of one- and of Soviet and foreign two-seaters, from a private owner in Lon- factories by the time don in 1988—when the Museum was just production ended. One a gleam in his eye. A restoration facility of the variants was the in Reno, Nevada, made some of the air- two-seater MiG-15UTI craft flyable, complete with registrations Midget trainer, which and airworthiness certificates, and put the S The West’s first close-up look at the Soviet Union’s front-line is of special signifi- others in static display condition. Of the fighter came on September 21, 1953, when 21-year-old North Kor- cance to War Eagles four Fagots and one Midget that Mac- ean pilot Lt. Kum Sok No defected and flew his fully armed, com- Air Museum. It is also Guire purchased, only the Midget ever bat-ready MiG-15bis to Kimpo Air Force Base, in Seoul, South the type of aircraft in flew after arrival in the U.S., as seen in Korea. His aircraft, number 2057, is now on display as seen here at which the first man to the 1989 photograph on Page 1. the Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

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Storch as it idled on the deposed Mussolini that the Axis’ the meadow. After a string of battlefield defeats, capped with Historical dramatic short-field Italy’s surrender a few days earlier, takeoff from the high would end when his new “wonder weap- plateau, the world’s ons” entered the fray. This was easy to Perspectives premier (at the time) believe—the Germans were indeed de- STOL (short takeoff veloping new weapons. The V-1 “cruise by Robert Haynes and landing) aircraft, missile” (like the Storch, built by Ger- its prominent spindly hard Fieseler Werke GmbH) became op- landing gear suggest- erational in June 1944. The Messer- n Sunday, September 12, 1943, ing its avian namesake, carried Mussolini schmitt Me-262 jet fighter first appeared a German Fieseler Fi-156C-3 to temporary “freedom” to Berlin by way in the embattled skies over Europe that O Storch (Stork), coded SJ+LL of Rome as a pawn of der Führer. August, and V-2 rockets began raining and adorned on its tail with the sinister What thoughts may have been going down on Antwerp and London in Sep- swastika markings of the Third Reich, on in Mussolini’s mind, and what alter- tember. These weapons were not opera- landed on an alpine meadow near the natives may he have had, when he board- tional when Mussolini was “rescued,” Campo Imperatore hotel in Gran Sasso in ed the Storch and began a journey that he and in fact did not have much effect on the Abruzzi Mountains of Italy, 75 miles could not know was to ultimately lead to the conduct of the War. But they were all north of Rome. Its pilot was Luftwaffe his execution by Italian Hauptmann (Captain) Heinrich Gerlach. partisans in Milan less His mission was to pick up a very special than two years later? passenger—none other than Il Duce him- We can easily say self, Benito Mussolini, the Fascist leader today that Mussolini of Italy for the last 23 years. The strut- “should have known,” ting, brutal dictator had been ousted from on that September day, power in a bloodless coup on July 24 by that the war was all but Field Marshall Pietro Badoglio, and was over. We can ask how now a prisoner in his own country. But, he could have thought thanks to his ally Adolf Hitler, Mussolini the Axis could still de- was given a chance to escape punishment feat the Allies. It is at the hands of the anarchists who had ta- easy for us to think this ken over the Italian government. today. We know how it S Benito Mussolini boards Fieseler Storch at Campo Imperatore turned out. Mussolini resort hotel, Italy, on September 12, 1943. Photo from Fieseler Following a plan devised by notori- Fi.156 Storch im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Used without permission. ous SS-Hauptsturmführer (Captain) Otto obviously did not. The Skorzeny, 90 Fallschirmjäger (parachute Allied landings in nor- commandos) landed in 12 transport glid- thern France on D-Day, a major turning well along in their test programs, and ers and freed Mussolini from his Alpine point in the War, were still nine months Hitler no doubt enthusiastically extolled prison. The erstwhile Italian dictator and in the future. True, the Allies, staging out their virtues to the Italian ex-dictator. Skorzeny climbed into Gerlach’s waiting of bases in North Africa, had recently Another anxiety that drove Musso- captured Sicily, and had just the week be- lini’s decision was the fear of Italy’s total fore landed in the “toe” of Italy and were destruction. There is no question that he moving smartly up the peninsula. But was a brutal dictator, but he was also a Editor’s Note Mussolini could easily—and correctly— passionate Italian who had no desire to have felt that stiffer resistance and more see his homeland destroyed. Archives ecause of a temporary transfer difficult terrain would slow the Ameri- clearly reveal Mussolini’s concern that to Beaumont, Texas, to help can, British and Canadian forces as they B out with recovery operations moved North. He had to make up his Perspectives (Continued on page 7) from Hurricane Ike, Robert Haynes mind whether to return to his old ally or could not finish the second part of his to accept isolation, and he had only his article on MiG-21s in Viet Nam. So experience on which to base his decision. we are re-running a slightly expanded Many people in Mussolini’s posi- Plane Talk on the Web version of one of his earlier columns tion, forced to choose among equally un- rchives of Plane Talk from in this issue. We look forward to the pleasant options without a “crystal ball” the current issue back to the rest of his MiG-21 story as soon as he to see the future, would probably make A first quarter of 2003 are now can finish it. Good luck, Robert! the same decision. Hitler had persuaded available in full color on our website.

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down by my leg. I was chance to retort, “let me tell you about a lucky it happened dur- rental experience I had recently. As you in’ my run up. Some- guys know, I like to check out different thin’ like that happen- FBOs during my travels, kinda like a in’ on final would’ve hobby. So last week, I visited a little air- gotten my attention port down in Central Texas to get cleared real quick.” to fly a 172. That place was somethin’ Most FBOs make else. The runway was plenty long but real you take a checkout narrow. The old 172 that I rented was in flight before they’ll good mechanical condition, but on the in- rent you an airplane. side I’d give it about a two on a scale of Smaller places might 10. It was sorta like steppin’ into a really do their own, while old redneck’s car. I got the key from a others have a Certified little box with a combination lock at the Flight Instructor (CFI) tiedown spot. Durin’ the pre-flight, since on staff whose job it is I couldn’t find a ladder, I had to climb up he other day out in the hangar, I to check you out. Some even have a cou- on the nacelle and wing steps to check got to talking with Geronimo and ple of CFIs, in which case, you have to the fuel level. I was surprised my old T George about our experiences in call in advance if you want to have your knees would even let me do that. renting airplanes away from our own lo- checkout with a certain CFI. That usually “Anyway, I had a good flight check- cal friendly neighborhood Fixed Base takes a day or two to get set up. All of out. After we landed, I taxied over to the Operator (FBO). Of course, we all under- this calling and scheduling was way more gas pumps and shut ’er down. Then I at- stood the need for checkout flights before than Geronimo wanted to deal with. tached the ground wire to the nose gear, FBOs let you rent their airplanes. And we “I’ve had bad luck whenever there unwound the heavy fuel hose with a big understood the need to have all your pa- was several CFIs and I hadda pick one of heavy nozzle on the end of it, carried a perwork in order—pilots license, medical ’em,” he said. “Hell, I never know whe- tall step ladder that I finally found over to certificate, proof of renters insurance, log ther the CFI’s gonna match my personal- the airplane, went back to the pumps, book and all that stuff. ity or not. I’ve picked out some real ty- turned ’em on, selected the amount of Then we got to discussing issues of rants in my time. You know the kind. Ya fuel to pump (always estimate more than aircraft type, availability and cost, such can’t satisfy ’em, and they’re hypercriti- you think you’ll use) and slid my credit as whether the hourly price is dry or wet cal about everything ya do. By the end of card through. That gave me two minutes (including fuel, that is). Each FBO seems the checkout, sometimes I’ve wanted to to begin pumpin’. So back up the ladder I to have slightly different policies for let- punch the guy out.” ting people rent their airplanes. “I bet that feelin’ was mutual,” ob- Tailspins (Continued on page 7) “Yeah,” said Geronimo, “and don’t served George dryly. forget the maintenance of the airplane. I Geronimo grunted rented a little Cessna 172 one time and noncommittally and the danged throttle came right out of the went on, undeterred. instrument panel and ended up danglin’ “At the other extreme, what about them CFIs who make ya do a cou- ple of maneuvers and Another Editor’s Note then just sort of rear back and take a nap? ecause of the demands on his It’s really hard for me time from other activities, in- to write out a check to cluding publishing his second B pay somebody good book, Jim Parker’s Tailspins column money for doin’ noth- has been AWOL from Plane Talk for in’ but sleepin’.” a while. We were very pleased to re- “It beats me how ceive a new one from him recently. anyone could go to We hope you enjoy reading this latest sleep the way you fly,” tale in his ongoing series of percep- George quipped. S Although it’s not exactly a tiny grass strip in the middle of no- tive, amusing vignettes of some of av- where, Truth or Consequences Airport is one of the many smaller “Hey,” I said be- iation’s more colorful characters. fields that Jim has flown from in his travels around the Southwest. fore Geronimo had a Photo by Jim Parker.

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Membership Application War Eagles Air Museum

War Eagles Air Museum memberships are available in six categories. All memberships include the following privileges:

Free admission to the Museum and all exhibits. Free admission to all special events. 10% general admission discounts for all guests of a current Member. 10% discount on all Member purchases in the Gift Shop.

To become a Member of the War Eagles Air Museum, please fill in the information requested below and note the category of mem- bership you desire. Mail this form, along with a check payable to “War Eagles Air Museum” for the annual fee shown, to:

War Eagles Air Museum 8012 Airport Road Membership Categories Santa Teresa, NM 88008 Individual $15 NAME (Please print)______Family $25 STREET ______ Participating $50

CITY ______STATE _____ ZIP ______—______ Supporting $100

TELEPHONE (Optional) _____—_____—______ Benefactor $1,000

E-MAIL ADDRESS (Optional) ______ Life $5,000 Will be kept private and used only for War Eagles Air Museum mailings. Tailspins (Continued from page 6) into my car and headed fer home—four Perspectives (Continued from page 5) hours after I got to that little airport. went, haulin’ the fuel nozzle. After open- “But the best part of the whole ex- all he had built would be annihilated. He in’ the gas cap on the wing, I finally got perience was the checkout. That ol’ CFI realized that not only the Allies, but the to start pumpin’ fuel. Whew! really put me through my paces. I didn’t Germans as well, threatened Italy’s exis- “We’d used seven gallons for our 1.3 know if I was comin’ or goin’ some- tence. Mussolini believed Hitler would hour flight. I’d selected 10 on the pump, times. He had me doin’ landin’ and full not allow Italy to be a base for Allied op- so I was safe. When I was done fuelin’, I power stalls with and without flaps, 60- erations against Germany. Thus, he rea- put everything around the pumps back in degree steep turns in full circles left and soned, it was better for Italy to seek Ger- order. Then I hopped back into the 172, right, with me havin’ to stay within only man protection rather than risk the possi- started ’er up, taxied over to the parkin’ 100 feet of my entry altitude, slow flight bility of “scorched-earth” combat utterly pad, shut down, pushed ‘er back into po- down to minimum controllable airspeed, destroying his beloved country. sition, set the chocks and tied ’er down. with and without flaps, landin’s with and Some people today may see this rea- Then I wrote out a check for the rental without flaps, then short field takeoffs soning as naïve, and think that Mussolini time and left it in the logbook, and put and landin’s. That workout sure made me should have known the Germans would the key back into the little combination sweat, but it got me back in the groove. sacrifice Italy anyway. But, had the Itali- lock box contraption. But I wasn’t done He worked my butt off, that’s for sure. an forces been better defenders, Rome yet. Next I got out the cleanin’ spray and “And after all that I got signed off to might not have fallen when it did and the some rags and wiped the dead bugs off fly their little 172. I look forward to doin’ War could have lasted much longer. the leadin’ edges of the wings and the just that next time I travel there…” Imagine yourself as Mussolini on struts and the windshield. In central “Hell,” George snorted, “I wouldn’t that Alpine meadow, standing next to the Texas, there sure was a lot of ’em to wipe work that hard even for sex.” idling Storch with its flaps set for a short- off. Lastly, I tidied up the interior and “Sex?” Geronimo pondered for a field take-off. Do you climb aboard and made sure the control lock was firmly minute with a wistful look on his face. strap in, or do you stay behind and watch secured in place. Then, all sweaty and Then he had a question. “What is this sex your last hope climb away and vanish tired and wore plumb out, I finally got of which you speak?” he deadpanned. over the distant horizon?

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Editorial (Continued from page 1) by Victor tankers, flew from England to bomb Renowned test pilot Roly Falk took the Falklands’ main the Vulcan prototype into the air for the airfield at Stanley. At first time on August 30, 1952. Early test- the time, these were the ing showed that the pure delta wing had a longest-range combat problem with severe buffeting under load missions ever flown. at high speeds. Avro ran an extensive ser- The RAF’s last Vulcan ies of flight tests and developed the solu- squadron was disband- tion of fitting a “kinked” leading edge on ed in March 1984, at the wing. Aircraft with this modification which time the curtain were designated Vulcan B.2, and all earli- seemed to have fallen er production versions were eventually for good on the era of retrofitted with the new wing. Avro’s big delta. S The Avro Vulcan was one of the most distinctive aircraft ever to Vulcans entered RAF service in Sep- But today, thanks fly. In October 2007, Vulcan B.2 XH558, seen here climbing out at tember 1956 with the delivery of XA897. to the dedicated efforts a recent airshow demonstration in England, became the only flying The very next month, that aircraft was of a small army of fin- example of this superb Cold War aircraft in the world. destroyed on landing at London’s Heath- ancial sponsors, volun- row airport in bad weather, after an im- teers and enthusiastic public contributors, flight, a 34-minute local hop, took place pressive around-the-world, show-the-flag one of these magnificent aircraft is flying on October 18, 2007, and it was soon tour. By the end of production, Avro had again. Vulcan B.2 XH558, the 12th B.2 “cleared to fly” after a further series of built 134 Vulcans, the last of which was produced and the last Vulcan in RAF ser- test flights proved its airworthiness. To- delivered in January 1965. vice, was painstakingly restored at Brun- day, the only flying example of this his- The only time Vulcans saw combat tingthorpe Aerodrome, about 75 miles toric Cold War aircraft enthralls cheering was in the 1982 Falklands War with Ar- north of London—a project that spanned crowds at its dramatic air show appear- gentina. Five Vulcans, refueled in the air nearly 15 years. Its first post-restoration ances throughout England.

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