Lcv February 2009 V2i8.Pdf

@TailSpinT. Tom Harnish© le Cirque Volant©

CONTENTS

03 UNOFFICIAL LE CIRQUE VOLANT ISSUE 8

le Cirque Volant Volume 2 Issue 8 February 2009

Publisher : eDIGImag®, USA Design, Layout, Editing : Paul Lindenberg

Issues of LCV assembled with the help of contributions from subscribers, group members, internet research, and the support of the online aviation photography community.

LCV is published monthly. Subscription is $26.00 annually for 12 Is- sues. Other Continents are subscribed in local currencies. Agents are located in : UK (Europe), Australia, USA, South America, and South Africa. 01 Pilot’s Lounge Assignment Annual Subscription Rates : Plane, Sky and Clouds UK - £ 12.00, Europe € 20.00, USA & South America USD $ 26.00 South Africa ZAR 96.00, Australia AUD $ 35.00. 02 LCV Competition Blur on Purpose eDIGImag® Publishing 30 Protea Avenue 03 UNOFFICIAL Weltevreden Park, 1715, South Africa Military Aviation in Conflict zones.. Send address changes to: eDIGImag, 04 Fire! po box 1715, Weltevreden Park, 1715 Devastating Bush Fires in California. Aviation in Practice. © 2009 LCV and the contributing photographers.

05 Red Bull Images Group website http://edigimag.com Boston Globe extract of the Red Bull Races Subscribe via http://harryblack.wordpress.com le Cirque Volant©

A WORD

From the EDITOR

Welcome to this, a revamped issue, of le Cirque Volant©. Development and design is a continuous process, striving to keep the e-publication fresh and above all, interesting, to our Eugene loyal subscribers.

In this issue we delve into the world of military aviation in areas of conflict around the world. Chapters containing the subject photographs we thought relevent to this subject were A regular feature in LCV is the Pilot’s Lounge Assignments, extracted from our sister publication UNOFFICIAL© with kind off Flickr®. This Group on Flickr® has active members who permission from the editors. The originals of these photo- participate in all the assignments, sharing genre specific graphs were sourced from the “Boston Globe®” who in turn imaging. This month’s issue features not one, but two, as- pulled the images off Getty, AP, MAGNUM and other agen- signments. First one - “Planes, Sky and Clouds” and an LCV cies. We acknowledge the original image photographers competition “Blur on Purpose” which the group admin, Mat- copyright in all respects. The editors of UNOFFICIAL© dis- thewPHX (the famous Matthew Ottosen) adjudicates along covered the Boston Globe® articles and images from a com- with LCV’s editor. munity website managed by ‘Eugene’ located in Playa Vista, California - the URL being http://www.mymodernmet.com. Interestingness. Off Flickr® The Pilot’s Lounge Assignment - Planes, Clouds and Sky

galaxyfan,Morning arrival at LAX

The Pilot’s Lounge is a group for aviation enthusiasts to post their photos, tell stories, answer questions, and give advice. The Pilot’s Lounge is for aviation enthusiasts of every kind (you don’t have to be a pilot). This group is a place clearskyphotography,132nd for current pilots, future pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and dreamers. FW F-16 departing the Des Moines International Airport The Pilot’s Lounge was created to enjoy everyone’s aviation photography, and at sunset to bring pilots, students, and aviation enthusiasts together to learn from each other’s experiences.

avsfan2006,VMGR-352 Raiders KC-130J on the ramp at Grand Junction Regional Airport

123_calum,Bob, you say you also like photos which involve Bas Stubert, Atlantic at water. Well, I stood in a river to Soesterberg take this! amisbk196,Avro Lancaster PA474

airosan AKPilot,Summer rain showers on the Yukon River near Galena, Alaska.

davidrnz,sunset over the Tas- man Sea dennisgoodwin,I hope this counts...... Cloud reflections on fuselage Godrics_hollow

dfndr13

palmsrick,Really great photos in this competition! I'll throw mine in. =) I don't really want to win, I just jkaisers,Not a whole lot of wanted to participate.Don't airplane visible here, but vote for me! =) plenty of sky, clouds and color to make up for it, I hope joe_stremph,Oh man. So many excellent shots in this thread. Here's what I got Gunfighter157, Perhaps my favorite. T-2 Buckeye against stormy skies at Thunder Over Michigan 2008 lauri_vain,Last year at Fly- ing Legends in Duxford IWM

MatthewPHX,Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk (HSC-3 "Merlins")

lazlo13 Maximum G, The Vulcan during its three contiguous displays for its DA at RAF Waddington last year mitchel25j,A very Cold Morning naemick,RAAF F111c - "Dump & Burn" OK_Photos,There are some amazing shots here... Here's my $.02 worth..."D-Day Doll" a Douglas C-53 Skytrooper from the CAF Inland Empire Wing at the 2007 CAF/Fina Airsho, Midland, Texas orangetim,With the luck I have, I've got loads of clouds and overcast weather shots. You wouldn't think I live in Australia. rich_snyder,I had some fun at LAX with the humidity and late afternoon sun white_shadow_photog

roymcm, my late entry

runningclouds spotlightkid,Here's my shot at it. Taken in June 2006. Air France on finals at OR Tambo International (Johannesburg, South Africa.)

tommy_sims,Spirit Of Delta - Ship 102 - Final Flight

Kuby, Here is my attempt at this overwhelmingly fantastic contest Assignment Copyright Holders orangetim,With the luck I have, I’ve got loads of clouds and overcast weather shots. You wouldn’t think I live in Australia. :o) ,orangetim_707.jpg clearskyphotography,132nd FW F-16 departing the Des Gunfighter157, Perhaps my favorite. T-2 Buckeye against Moines International Airport at sunset.,clearsky_F16.jpg stormy skies at Thunder Over Michigan 2008,gunfighter157_ tommy_sims,Spirit Of Delta - Ship 102 - Final Flight,tommy_ T2_Buckeye.jpg sims_delta.jpg Maximum G, The Vulcan during its three contiguous displays lauri_vain,Last year at Flying Legends in Duxford IWM,lauri_ for its DA at RAF Waddington last year.,MaximumG_Vulcan. vain.jpg jpg galaxyfan,Morning arrival at LAX,galaxyfan.jpg Bas Stubert, Atlantic at Soesterberg,BasStubert_Atlantic.jpg mitchel25j,A very Cold Morning,mitchel25j_cat.jpg amisbk196,Avro Lancaster PA474, amisbk196_Avro.jpg Godrics_hollow,no comment,godrics_Hollow.jpg dfndr13,No comment,dfndr13.jpg airosan, no comment,airosan.jpg MatthewPHX,Sikorsky MH-60S Knighthawk (HSC-3 lazlo13, no comment,lazlo13.jpg “Merlins”),MatthewPHX_MH-60S.jpg palmsrick,Really great photos in this competition! I’ll throw jkaisers,Not a whole lot of airplane visible here, but plenty of mine in. =) I don’t really want to win, I just wanted to partici- sky, clouds and color to make up for it, I hope,jkaisers_sky. pate.Don’t vote for me! =),palmsrick.jpg jpg OK_Photos,There are some amazing shots here... avsfan2006,VMGR-352 Raiders KC-130J on the ramp at Here’s my $.02 worth...”D-Day Doll” a Douglas C-53 Sky- Grand Junction Regional Airport.,avsfan2006_KC_130.jpg trooper from the CAF Inland Empire Wing at the 2007 CAF/ spotlightkid,Here’s my shot at it. Taken in June 2006. Air Fina Airsho, Midland, Texas.,ok_photos_C53.jpg France on finals at OR Tambo International (Johannesburg, 123_calum,Bob, you say you also like photos which involve South Africa.),SPK_AirFrance.jpg water. Well, I stood in a river to take this!,123_calum.jpg naemick,RAAF F111c - “Dump & Burn” , naemick_F111.jpg white_shadow_photog, no comment, white_shadow.jpg joe_stremph,Oh man. So many excellent shots in this thread. davidrnz,sunset over the Tasman Sea,davidrnz_tasman.jpg Here’s what I got:,joe_stremph_USA.jpg roymcm, my late entry, roymcm.jpg rich_snyder,I had some fun at LAX with the humidity and late AKPilot,Summer rain showers on the Yukon River near Ga- afternoon sun.,rich_snyder_LAX lena, Alaska. ,AKPilot_Alaska.jpg dennisgoodwin,I hope this counts...... Cloud reflections on Kuby,Here is my attempt at this overwhelmingly fantastic fuselage( View large),dennis_goodwin.jpg contest runningclouds, no comment,runningclouds.jpg Military Aviation in Afganistan UNOFFICIAL

U.S. Army officers fly back to the unit headquarters following a memorial service for Sgt. John Penich October 23, 2008 at the Korengal Outpost in the Kunar Province of eastern Af- ghanistan. Penich, from Beach Park, Illinois, was killed by a mortar round while in combat October 16. (John Moore/Getty Images) Military Aviation in Afganistan UNOFFICIAL A U.S. Army Chinook transport helicopter arrives with soldiers and supplies to the Korengal Outpost on October 27, 2008 in the Korengal Vallay, Afghanistan. (John Moore/Getty Images) Military Aviation in Afganistan UNOFFICIAL

A U.S. Army helicopter gunner, his helmet face painted as a skull, awaits soldiers to board his Chinook transport helicopter October 30, 2008 for transport out of the Korengal Valley of eastern Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents had attacked a nearby U.S. Army outpost, and the Americans responded with machine guns, mortars and helicopter gunships. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) Military Aviation ISAF - Afganistan UNOFFICIAL

An ISAF soldier with the German Bundeswehr observes the situation from the back door during a flight on a German Bundeswehr army CH-53 helicopter from Kunduz to the German base in Fayzabad, northern Afghanistan, Wednes- day, Sept. 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) Military Aviation in Afganistan UNOFFICIAL

An observer aboard a German Bundeswehr army CH-53 helicopter with the ISAF sits on the back door during a flight from Fayzabad to Kunduz, north of Kabul, Afghanistan on September 24, 2008. (REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch) Military Aviation in Georgia UNOFFICIAL

A Russian military helicopter flies over a main road connecting South Os- setia's main city of Tskhinvali with the Georgian town of Gori on August 10, 2008. As helicopter gunships hovered over Georgia's breakaway province of South Ossetia, newly occupied by Russian forces, a stream of refugees fled the area, testifying to days of heavy bombardment. (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/ Getty Images) Military Aviation in Georgia UNOFFICIAL

An unidentified fighter jet drops munitions near the Georgian town of Gori, on Friday, Aug. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/George Abdaladze) Firefighting Aviation UNOFFICIAL

A California Department of Forestry air tanker flies over dozens of homes destroyed by a wildfire which swept through Mon- tecito, Calif., near Santa Barbara Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian) Firefighting Aviation UNOFFICIAL

A firefighting helicopter flies through a smoke-filled sky over the Pacific Ocean at sunset as firefighters try to gain control of the Tea Fire on Novem- ber 14, 2008 in Montecito, California. Thirteen people were injured and more than 100 homes destroyed in the first few hours as evening SundownerWinds reached 70 mph, pushing the wildfire into multi-million dollar ocean-view homes last night. (David McNew/Getty Images) Firefighting Aviation UNOFFICIAL

An airplane drops flame retardant as fire burns in Diamond Bar, California November 16, 2008. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni) Firefighting Aviation UNOFFICIAL

A firefighting helicopter dips into a water reservoir as to pick up a load of -wa ter during wildfire fighting operation in Montecito, Calif., near Santa Barbara, Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian) APSOCAL History

--Joshua Nyhus-- http://www.apsocal.com/

Aviation Photographers of Southern California (APSoCal/APSC) actually started smaller as The Aviation Photographers of Torrance, Ca (APT), a city in the county of Los Angeles, Ca. One day, Joshua Nyhus, founder & web master, noticed there wasn’t really any definite place for local photographers to get together, keep track of more local events and share their information and photos to a more direct audience, other than FenceCheck. Profile: com, which he felt “wasn’t as personal as he wanted to see.” Joshua Nyhus, 21, from Torrance, Ca. USA, Co-Founder and Webmaster of APSoCal.com was raised around aviation. His Great Grandfather, who raised So in March of 2007, he sat down, created a site, made a logo, made him, was the Aeronautical & Astronautical Senior Scientist Engineer at Doug- some calls & e-mails to some local aviation photographers, one of which was las/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing for 38 years. He also had a partnership-owner- Damon J. Duran (co-founder), who “was the water for the seed of APT to ship of an air show performing SNJ-5. grow” and the group started to grow quickly. Because of this, Josh spent most of his childhood at air shows hanging around By 2007 the group had grown nicely but they ran into photographers with the performers. It was at one of these shows, MCAS Miramar, Ca. USA, close to Torrance wanting to join, thanks to Damon. “So we made the decision where Josh picked up a camera and started shooting. He instantly fell in love to let the group grow and take in members from all of Southern California”. with photography and even went into other fields of photography and has been APSC is now coming up on its second anniversary on March 26, 2007, has shooting for 8 years, 6 of them with SLR camera equipment. Josh shoots with over 20 members, over 5300 posts, covering all kinds of events, air show and Canon equipment and uses a Canon 5D with a 100-400mm IS lens and his hip just local community events, and countless photos. camera is a Canon Digital Rebel with a 28-135mm IS lens, all shots are done in manual mode in RAW format. “We are all pretty close, most know each other personally, and have made new friends, which is exactly what I was looking to do. But don’t let Josh plans to go to collage at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, majoring that scare you away, thinking we are a closed gate community, as soon as you in Computer Engineering, with a minor in Computer Science, ending up in a make yourself known by joining, you will be greeted with joy as we all like job with the Lockheed Skunkworks. He also wants to shoot photos part-time to make new friends and have someone new to hang out with and shoot some professionally. You can find more of his photos at www.NyhusPhotography. planes. Photographers new to the field are also greatly welcomed and will get com & www.APSoCal.com. the chance to learn from and hangout with guys who have been shooting for up and over 15 years.” -- Joshua Nyhus Co-Founder www.APSoCal.com Aerovodochody L-29 Delfin Copyright Joshua Nyhus© AD-65 Skyraider Copyright Joshua Nyhus© AH-1 Cobra Miramar 2006 Copyright Joshua Nyhus© AD-4N Skyraider Copyright Joshua Nyhus© Copyright Joshua Nyhus© B-17 Aluminium Overcast

Bonanza N144A Copyright Joshua Nyhus©

Cessna 172S N6017G Copyright Joshua Nyhus© FA-18 Miramar 2006 Copyright Joshua Nyhus© FA-18 Miramar 2006

APSOCAL Member Damon Shooting Copyright Joshua Nyhus© SEDENO_2008_N420QS_SMO: A G4 going full throttle. Copyright Fernando Sedeno© This shot was taken about 1 year ago (1/12/08). Fernando Sedeno is my name, my pas- sion for aviation started since I was about 5 years old. I’ve been doing aviation photography for about 5 years. I shoot with a Nikon D50, I am also a student pilot flying helicopters.

SEDENO_2008_N3170QS_SMO: Ces- sna Sovereing leaving Santa Monica Airport (KSMO). This shot was taken also about 1 year ago (1/21/08).

APSOCAL - Aviation Photographers of Southern California continue to pro- duce outstanding aviation imagery and I think, being published in LCV, will enthuse the members who now find themselves in the spotlight.

Imagine - a small airfield in the middle of nowhere, far away from the gi- ant acres of asphalt that make up LAX. At this small airfield, some rare, old, vintage aircraft come and go. The aviation photographer takes some pictures, joins a select band of like-minded people, on the internet, and uploads a few images. Being on the internet means you are now global, you can’t avoid it; you and your work are now exposed and naked. People are watching. Sud- denly the photographer is part of the aviation photographers’ community. The world has shrunk, the village walls surround you, your contacts are as far away as an email connection. The interchange of ideas on probably the world’s most favorite subject matter, aviation, flow from one side of the village to the other. A photographer in Australia knows about APSOCAl and the members making up this group : welcome to the international fold. paul lindenberg The Red Bull Air Race, started in 2003, is a series of air races, held all over the world, where pilots fly specialized aerobatic planes (with top speeds of over 250 mph / 400 kph) through a series of gates, racing the clock, accumu- lating points toward the championship title. Pilots must also perform specific maneuvers while passing through the gates. The photos below are from the most recent two races, in Budapest, Hungary, and Porto, Portugal. The final race in the series is scheduled for November 1st in Perth, Australia.

Spanish pilot Alejandro Maclean in his MXS aircraft performs during a qualification session for the sixth round of the Air Race World Championships on August 19, 2008 over the Danube River of downtown Budapest, Hungary. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/ Getty Images) U.S. pilot Mike Mangold performs during the qualifying round for the 6th round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, August 19, 2008. (REUTERS/Dean Treml/Handout) Austrian pilot Hannes Arch performs during the final of the seventh stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Series in Porto, Portugal on September 7, 2008. (REUTERS/Daniel Grund/Euro-Newsroom) British pilot Steve Jones pulls up from a gate during the final of the seventh stage of the Red BullAir Race World Series in Porto, Portugal on September 7, 2008. (REUTERS/Daniel Grund/Euro-Newsroom) Hungarian pilot Peter Besenyei, Britain's Nigel Lamb and Paul Bonhomme fly over Budapest, Hungary on August 17, 2008 during their "recon flight" prior to the seventh stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Series. August 17, 2008. (REUTERS/Balazs Gardi/Red Bull Air Race) British pilot Steve Jones pulls up from a gate during the final of the seventh stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Series in Porto, Portugal on September 7, 2008. (REUTERS/Daniel Grund/Euro-Newsroom) Peter Besenyei of Hungary performs during the seventh stage of the Red Bull Air Race World Series in Porto, Portugal on September 7, 2008. (REUTERS/Daniel Grund/Red Bull Air Race) Mike Mangold, of the United States, flies his Edge 540 aircraft over the Douro river during the seventh stage of the annual Red Bull Air Race World Series in Porto, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. Man- gold finished in third place. (AP Photo/Paulo Duarte) Austrian pilot Hannes Arch flies during the Red Bull Air Race World Series, with the Hungarian Parliament Building in the background, in Budapest, Hun- gary on August 20, 2008. (REUTERS/Karoly Arvai) Austrian pilot Hannes Arch flies during the Red Bull Air Race World Series, with the Hungarian Parliament Building in the background, in Budapest, Hun- gary on August 20, 2008. (REUTERS/Karoly Arvai) Glen Dell, of South Africa, flies his Edge 540 aircraft over the Douro river during the seventh stage of the annual Red Bull Air Race World Series in Porto, Portugal, Sunday Sept. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Paulo Duarte) Mike Mangold of the United States, pilots his aircraft over the Douro river during the seventh stage of the annual Red Bull Air Race World Series in Porto, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Paulo Duarte) U.S. Pilot Mike Mangold flies his Edge 540 aircraft straight over the Danube River in Budapest, Hungary during the sixth round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championships on August 20, 2008. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images) Pilot Mike Mangold, of the U.S., pulls his Edge 540 aircraft up from the Douro river during the seventh stage of the annual Red Bull Air Race World Series in Porto, Portugal, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Paulo Duarte) British pilot Steve Jones climbs skyward, above the Dan- ube River and the Hungarian Parliament Building, during a qualifyin run of the Red Bull Air Race World Series in Budapest August 19, 2008. (REUTERS/Karoly Arvai) http://www.antarctic-circle.org/llag.aircraft.htm

"Que Sera Sera" The South Pole Landing

"DUFEK'S PARTY AT THE POLE From eleven bottles, a wrench and a stagger.." TECHNICAL DATA R4D-5L (R4D-8) This photo by LT John R. Swadener appeared in the Decem- ber 31,1956 issue of TIME Magazine, Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft Company with the 2-line caption which was the editorial standard for Type: Transport TIME then Crew: Three Capacity: 27 passengers, 10,000 lb cargo; (30 passengers, 27 stretchers, 35 troops) "Que Sera Sera" Engines: Two 1200 hp P&W 1830-92; (two 1475 hp Wright 1820-80) The first aircraft to land at South Pole. Weights: Gross, 29,000 lbs; (Gross, 31,000 lbs) On display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Naval Speed: Max 227 mph; (Max 270 mph) Air Station, Range: 1,975 miles; (2,500 miles) Pensacola, FL 32509, USA. The "Que Sera Sera" was the name given to a U.S. Navy R4D In 1956 when an R4D (named "Que Sera Sera") piloted by LCDR Gus Shinn, under the com- (Douglas DC-3) that was used in Operation Deep Freeze in mand of RADM George Dufek, landed at the South Pole. They become the first expedition to 1956. It was named after popular song of the time. stand at that spot since Captain Scott of the Royal Navy reached it in 1912. The "Lucky Seven" crew were also the first Americans to set foot on the South. Pole. "Que Sera Sera" want to go to the pole with a bent wing so they borrowed Que Sera Sera from another crew. The South Pole Landing The polar landing was a bit rough, but not unusual for the terrain, recalled Strider, 69, from his home in Newport News, Virginia. Strider is the only other surviving member of the landing party. Their JATO assisted takeoff appeared uneventful to those watching from an Air Force C- 124 Globernaster that cir- GUS SHINN RECALLS FIRST SOUTH POLE LANDING cled overhead. It was not. (Adapted from article in the Ocala Star Banner, 10/31/99, contributed by Kirby Hanson, Meteorologist, SP'58) The high altitude of the ice cap--about 10,000 feet at the pole--starved engines of oxygen and robbed wings of their lift. That, along with the plane's They flew 800 miles from McMurdo Station on the Antarctic coast to the 28,000-pound weight, made JATO necessary to take off in the best situation. South Pole on Oct. 31, 1956 in an aging R4D, affectionately and sometimes The JATO bottles usually were fired after the plane hit 30 knots, but "Que derisively called a "Gooney Bird." It was the Navy version of the piston- Sera Sera" remained stuck with the engines at full power. "We just sat on the powered, twin engine DC-3 airliner that had gone into service 20 years earlier. ice like an old mud hen," Shinn said. To break loose, Shinn fired four JATO The R4D had none of the sophisticated navigation gear nor the power of the bottles. That did the trick, but he was worried about having enough JATO left turboprop LC130 Hercules the New York Air National Guard used to pick-up to get airborne. They barely made it only to be enveloped in ice and snow. Dr. Jerri Nielsen from a research station at the South Pole last month. We couldn't see anything, but that was no big deal," Shinn said. He relied on instruments to keep flying. Shinn, originally from Eden, NC was one of seven Navy men aboard the R4D, including Rear Adm. George Dufek. The 77-year-old Shinn, now living in Source: Pp3-4, The Antarctican Society Newsletter Vol 99-00, No 3 December Pensacola, recalled his flight in an interview at the Museum of NavalAviation 1999. where the plane is on display. It was named Que Sera Sera - French for whatever will be will be - the title of a then-popular song. The name turned out to Ferrymead Heritage Park be very appropriate, Shinn said. Just as the Air Guard did this year, the Navy contains a huge collection of waited for winter to wane before attempting a polar landing, although not long working machines, includ- enough for Shinn. The Cold War had literal meaning in the Antarctic. Dufek ing a DC3 plane used for US was in a hurry, worried that the Russians might get there first. Antarctic supply missions in the 1960s. This has been An earlier flight in another R4D to seek a refueling site between McMurdo restored by the Aeronautical Station and the pole nearly ended in disaster. Flying into a valley, the plane Society. This is probably the got caught in a windshear and began falling. Fortunately it was equipped with same aircraft described else- small rockets called JATO for jet-assisted take-off. Shinn fired all 11 JATO where: "R4D Dakota aircraft bottles to stop the fall just as the wing tip hit the ice. There was "lots of noise, used in Antarctica, gifted to lots of fuss" but damage was minor and the plane flew fine. Dufek did not city by United States Navy, 18 April 1959." Antartic Sources creasing the squadron's lift capability. The LC-130Fs were augmented during the early 1970s by six LC-130R versions. At this time, the LC-130 became the only fixed-wing aircraft type operated by the squadron, with the exception of an EC-130Q and TC-130Q used for crew training during the early 1990s. UH- 1D "Hueys" augmented the LH-34Ds in 1970, but both types were replaced Antarctic Development Squadron (VXE) 6 by the UH-1N (later HH-1N) helicopter beginning in 1972. The HH-1Ns were "Ice Pirates" operated by VXE-6 until replaced in April 1996 by contractor-operated helicopters. One of the Navy's most unusual--and well-known--squadrons was deactivated after 44 years of service. Antarctic Development Squadron (VXE) 6 was deac- VX-6 was redesignated VXE-6 on 1 January 1969. Its nickname, the Puck- tivated in a 27 March 1999 ceremony (effective 1 April) at NAS Point Mugu, ered Penguins, eventually became the Ice Pirates. The squadron's home base Calif. Cdr. David W. Jackson was the last CO of the Ice Pirates. changed to NAS Point Mugu in 1974.

VXE-6 originally was established on 17 January 1955 VXE-6's annual deployments to Antarctica, staged from at NAS Patuxent River, Md., as Air Development its detachment site in Christchurch, New Zealand, ac- Squadron Six (VX) 6 in conjunction with the Navy's complished many "firsts." In 1955, two P2V-2Ns and two evolving role of providing support for scientific explo- R5D-3s forged the first air link between Christchurch ration on the Antarctic continent. The squadron had and McMurdo Station. In 1956, an R4D named Que Sera its roots in Operation High Jump, an extensive aerial Sera became the first aircraft to land at the South Pole. survey conducted in December 1946 by RAdm. Rich- In 1958, a UC-1 made the first "wheels on dirt" landing ard E. Byrd as his fourth Antarctic expedition. VX-6 in Antarctica. In 1961, the squadron made its first mid- began its first deployment in support of Operation Deep winter fly-in, in this case to evacuate a Soviet scientist Freeze, as the exploration effort became known, in from Byrd Station. In 1964, an LC-130F conducted the November 1955. The squadron completed nine long- first flight from Capetown, South Africa, to McMurdo range exploration flights and transported the personnel Station; the first U.S. flight to the Soviet station at Vostok; and materials needed to construct Little America Base and the first demonstration of Trimetrogon photography Camp, the naval air operations facility at Hut Point, to map the Antarctic continent. During Deep Freeze '90, and South Pole Station. Upon return from its first deployment, the squadron a VXE-6 LC-130 made the first wheeled landing on a "blue ice" surface, near changed its home base to NAS Quonset Point, RI. the Beardmore Glacier. In October 1991, an all-female crew flew an LC-130 to the South Pole for the first time to begin Deep Freeze '91. Over the first 15 years of operations, VX-6 flew a variety of aircraft: R4D-5- L/6L (LC-47H/J) Skytrains, R4D-8L (LC-117D) Skytroopers, R5D-3 (C-54Q) VXE-6 was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for a 1978 mission dur- Skymasters, R7V-1/1P (C-121J) Constellations, P-2V-2N and P2V-5L (LP-2J) ing which it evacuated five Soviets critically injured in the crash of an IL-14 Neptunes, UC-1 (U-1B) Otters and HUS-1A (UH-34E) and HUS-1L (LH- transport aircraft. The rescue flights covered 3,650 miles (round trip), about 24 34D) Seahorse helicopters. Beginning in 1961, four ski-equipped UV-1L hours of flight time. (C-130BL, later LC-130F) Hercules transports were added, dramatically in- A picture of Williams Field, 1962. The plane on the left is an R4D, i.e. the military version of the DC-3 (thanks to Joe for clueing me in on this - he maintains a good site with a wealth of VXE-6 information here). It's approach- ing Winfly as I write this, and the Fleet Ops crews are out at Pegasus getting During Deep Freeze '88, an LC-130F that had been buried in the airfield ready for the August Winfly flights. Those guys are pretty hard core ice and snow since a 1971 mishap was recovered and eventual- to be working out there every day. I'm actually planning to accompany my ly restored to service. Unfortunately, an LC-130R involved in friend Dave out to the Tac-An when the first flight comes in. He's the senior the recovery effort crashed, killing several squadron crewmen, tech in charge of the ground navigational equipment for the airfields this win- accenting the unforgiving nature of flight over Antarctica. ter. In the back of my mind, I'm thinking about coming back to work for ATS (the contractor which handles many airfield and weather functions here) as a After the Navy shut down its Antarctic support force in March technician. This would be a few years from now, but it would be nice to see 1998, VXE-6 assisted the New York Air National Guard's the equipment first-hand while I have the chance. Plus, it's a great photo op.... 109th Airlift Wing during its final season (19981999) in as- suming the mission of Antarctic support. Raytheon Systems Company subsequently modified the squadron's three remain- ing LC-130Rs to Air Force LC-130H standards.

During its service, VXE-6 transported more than 195,000 passengers, 240 million pounds of dry cargo and almost 10 million gallons of fuel to sites in Antarctica. Twenty-five Navy personnel and one Marine died while carrying out the squadron's Antarctic operations.

Check out http://www.south-pole.com/p0000152.htm On the Verge of the Interna- Background tional Polar Year, NSF Com- memorates the 50th Anniver- On Oct. 31, 1956, at 8:34 p.m. local time, the first aircraft ever to touch down sary of First Flight To Land at at the South Pole skied to a halt atop the Antarctic ice sheet at 90 degrees the South Pole South latitude. The U.S. Navy R4D, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Conrad C. "Gus" Shinn, had been christened Que Sera Sera, the title of a popular tune that won Posted: November 1, 2006 that year's Academy Award for Best Song.

Courtesy: National Science The lyrics, in retrospect, were curiously appropriate to all that followed at the Foundation South Pole, both later that day and in the half-century since:

First plane to land at the South Pole Que Sera Sera

October 31, 2006 Whatever will be, will be

From the United States' Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, astronomers use The future's not ours to see. sophisticated telescopes to peer into the depths of space and create images of the universe in its infancy. Scientists use of one of the world's most sensi- Immediately after the plane halted--with engines running to avoid a freeze-up tive seismic stations to record rumbles through the Earth's crust produced by (a practice still followed to this day)--U.S. Navy Adm. George J. Dufek., com- earthquakes. And they can use samples of the Earth's purest air as a baseline to mander of Operation Deep Freeze, stepped out onto the ice, along with pilot study atmospheric chemistry. Douglas Cordiner, to plant the stars and stripes at the Pole. They were the first to stand there since Briton Robert Falcon Scott did more than 40 years before. Fifty years ago, on Oct. 31, 1956, a tiny U.S. plane made that science pos- Norwegian Roald Amundsen had beaten Scott in his race to the Pole. Amund- sible when it landed on the ice sheet at the southern end of the world, 9,300 sen's party survived the 800-mile return trip, Scott's did not. feet above sea level. That landing will be commemorated at a ceremony today at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Fla. The ceremony Others had flown over the Pole. Most famously, Navy Adm. Richard E. Byrd, is scheduled to include a telephone call from NSF Director Arden Bement to was the first in 1929. But none had ever landed. No one even knew precisely personnel at the South Pole. what the challenges would be or if they could be overcome. In that sense, Shinn's touchdown foreshadowed Apollo 11's moon landing, 13 years later. The commemoration will coincide with a newly launched webcam that will allow the worldwide public to see what conditions confront scientists at the Dufek stepped into a landscape almost as unfamiliar. bottom of the world. Available through a Web special report on the NSF site at: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/livingsouthpole/index.jsp, the "It was like stepping out into a new world. We stood in the center of a sea of webcam displays a live image of the research station as well as local weather snow and ice that extended beyond our vision," Dufek wrote in his 1956 mem- data and other information. oir Operation Deep Freeze. "How deep that ice lay beneath our feet, no one has yet determined. Bleak and desolate, it was a dead world, devoid of every The planes that deliver the goods today are flown by crews of the 109th airlift wing of the N.Y. Air National Guard. Their ski-equipped Hercules LC 130's dwarf Que Sera Sera in many ways. vestige of life except us." Now, where relatively primitive stations were set up to take weather and other measurements, a sophisticated telescope a cubic kilometer in size and de- After 49 minutes on the ground and a risky take-off, made even more com- signed to detect infinitesimally small particles called neutrinos is being built plicated when the plane's skis initially stuck to the ice, the men left the Pole into the ice sheet itself. Other massive radio telescopes are being built to scan toreturn to what is now McMurdo Station, NSF's logistics hub in Antarctica. the skies of traces of images of what the universe looked like in its infancy. Laboratories, carrying on the pioneering work of IGY in an unbroken scien- That first landing was followed almost immediately by "Seabees," U.S. Navy tific chain, monitor global air quality and seismic waves. construction workers using airdropped materials to build the first permanent station at the Pole. A team, co-lead by scientist Paul Siple and Navy Lt. John But despite the changes of the past 50 years, all who fly the route from Mc- Tuck, Jr., began the first winter ever spent at the South Pole in March of 1957 Murdo Station to Amundsen-Scott, scientists whose discoveries drive the mis- as part of the global series of observations carried out in the International Geo- sions, owe a debt to the crew of Que Sera Sera. physical Year (IGY). In 2006, the nations of the world are poised to recognize the 50th anniver- At the time of the landing, Dufek wrote, the wider world was consumed by the sary of IGY--which itself marked the beginning of the modern age of Polar conflicts of the Cold War raging in the Middle East and in Hungary. exploration--by mounting a fourth international Polar year (IPY), beginning in 2007. None of it could be considered without air support. But, he also pointed out, in Antarctica, soldiers, sailors and airmen were working for peace. "Our victories would be quiet ones in the service of knowledge; "Establishing South Pole base, named IGY South Pole, was only one of our our "beachheads" were the stations at the South Pole and elsewhere in the many jobs on Operation Deep Freeze," wrote Dufek 50 years ago. "But it is a Antarctic. The "occupation forces" that would follow us as soon as the bases symbol of the expedition to us. Beyond the strange and alluring beauty of the were built and ready would be teams of trained scientists. Their only opponent mountain ranges, the valleys and glaciers that lifted from the Ross Sea, lies would be the unknown." this high plateau of frozen solitude. What are the secrets that men will learn from it in the years to come?" In the intervening years, even more has changed at what was the site of Shinn's difficult landing and where now Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station - National Science Foundation - rises from the ice. http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/news/2006/110106quesera.shtml Aircraft arrive at the station many times a day between early November and mid-February, carrying vital cargo to complete the construction of the third and newest scientific station at the South Pole, as well as to build newer scientific instruments. le Cirque Volant Photo Competition - Images are Copyright their respective authors Blur on Purpose

Essentially, this competition goes against the grain of the aviation photogra- A Pilot’s Lounge Innitiative in pher where images need to be sharp and clear. Well, too bad :-) This competi- conjuction with le Cirque Volant. tion will bring out the artist in you. NOTE : no Photoshop induced blurs - the submitted images need to be executed in-camera and cropped and adjusted any way you desire. Prop Blur for the propeller driven aircraft is a given but the overall image needs to have blur. (My own technique involves the settings : ISO 100, 1/30th to 1/50th Shutter Priority).

Scoring and the Judges Criteria

Technical - exposure, lighting, sharpness Vision - what makes the image fit the subject Image - cropping, presentation, impact. The famous Kulula.com Blur

WINNING BLUR IMAGE by @MITCHEL25J Background Image and Kulula.com Copyright paul lindenberg© See Inside T = 78 V = 77 T = 79 I = 81 V = 78 I = 93

@amisbk196

@Chris.pilot.guy

T = 80 V = 88 I = 92

@RunningClouds T = 81 V = 87 @Maximum ‘Gee’ I = 91 T = 90 V = 90 I = 90

@joe_stremph T = 90 V = 92 I = 90

T = 90 @naemick V = 91 I = 90 @Tommy Simms T = 92 V = 91 I = 93 T = 79 V = 82 I = 91

@jkaiser’s

WINNING BLUR IMAGE @Bob Butcher T = 88 V = 92 I = 93

T = 91 V = 93 T = 88 I = 94 @Kuby! V = 90 I = 92 @Mitchel25J services between India and China, although it was clear that far more capacity Flying the "Hump" was needed. Accordingly, the 10th Air Force, based in India, took responsi- bility for substantial air cargo flights and began operations over the hump in April 1942. World War II (CBI) Theater, 1942-1945 In October 1942, General of the Air Force Henry H. "Hap" Arnold decided to A veteran pilot once explained the "CBI* takeoff" to newcomers: "If you can put the ATC in command of all hump operations, and 10th Air Force units on see the end of the runway through the rain and mist, then a takeoff is expect- hump assignments were transferred to the ATC in December. The ATC, with ed." authority to handle all airlift requirements in the theater of operations, brought its special experience to sort out the problems in air transportation and cargo Following the invasion of China in 1937, Japanese forces succeeded in con- flying. trolling virtually all of China's Pacific coast, and large parts of the interior — giving the Japanese Navy command of all ocean approaches. In the spring of The Flying Tigers 1942, Japanese units overran Burma (on India's northern border), cutting off the last significant land routes that supplied the struggling armies of Generalis- The U.S. began to help simo Chiang Kai-shek in China. the Chinese defend itself even before the Pearl The United States and its allies needed to keep China in the war because its Harbor Attack. Lend- forces preoccupied hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops. Holding that Lease aid began in April valuable Chinese turf permitted the Allies to attack Axis powers in the Euro- 1941, and in June the pean theater, at the same time building a necessary launch site for an Allied Flying Tigers were sent attack on Japan's home islands. However, that grand strategy could only work to fly missions against if China and allied troops could be routinely supplied. the Japanese.

In April 1942, pilots started flying the "Hump," and continued missions until When Japan cut off the 1945, when the Burma Road was reopened. The dangerous 530-mile long Burma Road, CNAC passage over the Himalayan Mountains took its toll. Nearly 1,000 men and (with planes comman- 600 Air Transport Command (ATC) planes were lost over the hump by the end deered from U.S. do- of China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) operations. In addition, China National mestic airlines) began Aviation Corporation (CNAC) lost 38 planes and 88 airmen. the treacherous route over the Himalayas and First to fly the hump became the lone sup- plier of China’s combat During the 1930s, the CNAC had pioneered air routes over the Himalayas. forces along with United CNAC operated with the support of the Chinese government and the expertise States Army Air Force of Pan American Airways. CNAC became a contractor to operate air cargo (USAAF) General Claire remnants of Japan’s elite army turned back. Never before had an invading Flying the "Hump" army been defeated solely by air power. It was a defining moment for the Fly- ing Tigers, CNAC and for aviation history.

Chennault’s American Volunteer Group – the Flying Tigers. Combat Cargo Groups

On May 5th, 1942, Japan’s elite Red Dragon Armored Division approached British CBI Theater commander Lord Louis Mountbatten, remembering a past the last barrier to China’s back door — the mile-deep Salween River gorge. If promise of air support from President Roosevelt, now got his wish. the Japanese crossed the bridge over that river, China would be out of the war. Combat Cargo Groups were soon on the way. The newly introduced units' sole purpose in the theater was to be air-resupply, supplying ground units in a combat zone. The First through Fourth Combat Cargo Groups were deployed to Karachi, India, via the South Atlantic route on May 19, 1944. Each of the combat cargo groups was to consist of four squadrons, each with 25 aircraft.

One hundred new C-47-A aircraft were sent to India, along with 100 experi-

Guarded P-40s

Flying Tiger P-40s and Chinese ground forces destroyed the bridge. The Japa- nese hauled pontoons to the river’s edge while waiting trucks and tanks snaked for miles along the Salween’s bank. Chennault’s Tigers fought them off. The Flying the "Hump" month for the airlift into China. Military planners quickly shifted workers and equipment from road to airfield construction. By the spring of 1945, a determined effort resulted in 13 primary enced multi-engine-rated pilots, 100 experienced multi-engine-rated copilots, bases for the ATC in India and six in China. and 75 additional reserve flying officers. Each aircraft was assigned a crew chief and radio operator, plus a navigator on loan from the ATC. ATC transports carried some equipment across the hump to Chinese construction sites; however, the major labor force on both sides of the Himalayas C-46 Commando involved tens of thousands of local workers. Consisting of men, women, and children, villagers delivered stone chips and equipment in baskets of woven The four combat cargo groups used in the CBI theater were not the only cargo- vines. carrying air transport units. There were in addition, the ATC Army Air Force Base Units, the Ferry Command Squadrons, the Troop Carrier Groups, the Air Douglas C-54 Commando Groups, the CNAC, Royal Air Force Groups, and Royal Austral- ian Air Force Groups and Squadrons. Tackling the hump on numerous occa- sions, they all served with distinction in the CBI theater.

Problems along the way

During the first two months of piloting the hump, the 10th Air Force carried 196 tons of cargo, and the CNAC delivered 112 tons. Summer monsoons played havoc with aircraft, nearly terminating all flights. The two units were delivering 1,000 tons a month by the end of the year. However, those were not nearly enough supplies required to adequately sustain the Chinese each month. A new game plan had to be organized.

Improvements

Operational efficiency began to improve with the delivery of more airplanes and personnel, better weather forecasting, accumulated flight experience, and newly built airfields constructed with proper drainage.

The big push came in the form of high-level Allied conferences during the spring of 1943. Those meetings established a timetable for major European offensives and also resulted in agreements to accelerate the offensive against Japanese forces in Asia. President Roosevelt called for a goal of 10,000 tons a 1-lump routes were plagued by the hot Indian monsoon winds, which lifted Flying the "Hump" moisture over the mountain range and created turbulence, unprecedented ram, thunderstorms hail, zero visibility, and icing. Mount Everest’s famous “plume” is caused by hurricane-like winds blowing snow from the top of the 29,029- foot peak. At flight altitude, pilots often ran into 100-MPH winds . Success over the hump The summer monsoons—evil winds that brought heavy rains— were a phe- nomenon that American airmen had never experienced. The Indians say that By the end of World War II, newly appointed hump commander Brig. General the monsoon ‘bursts.” Moist winds pouring in from the flax’ of Bengal bring William H. Turner, had increased the ATC Division from 369 to 722 aircraft, more than seventy-five inches of rain each mend’ from June to October. In and personnel numbers improved from 26,000 to more than 84,000. Final of- Assam, from 425 to 500 inches of rain jell annually with over 100 inches each fensives against the Japanese resulted in one ATC transport taking off every month during June., July, and August Throughout every day in the summer it three minutes. Early in 1945, the monthly cargo delivered to China reached rained— hard, driving rain that were hard to believe. The rains came quickly 44 thousand tons - peaking at 71 thousand in July. The war would be over the and stopped just as quickly but they always came, and flight operations were following month. curtailed. During the heavy monsoon rains, air bases in Assam were closed, with runways, taxiways, and parking hardstands under water. An excerpt from FLYING THE HUMP Danniel S. Dennis, pilot from Roosevelt, Utah, described monsoon flying by Otha C. Spencer am Lal Hat: “ The monsoon created its share of challenges. For two to three months at Lal-Hat it never stopped raining., day or night, and the ceiling was It is impossible to overestimate the value of the China National Aviation fifty to one hundred feet much of the time. We used to fly a regular let-down Corporation CNAC) in pioneering and developing Hump routes from India to pattern coming over the radio at four hundred feet, descending and hoping to China and in its conscientious cooperation in helping the army learn to fly the break out in time to make a landing. If we missed the runway, we would fly a dangerous territory The army was constantly trying to take over the operations box pattern at one hundred feet, going out ninety degrees for thirty seconds, of this civilian carrier. Stanley K. Hombeck, an advisor on political relations turn parallel for one minute, another ninety degrees for thirty seconds and turn in China, wrote to the secretary of state in 1943 concerning a dispute when the onto final approach. This usually worked out all right if you didn’t get too low army tried to take over CNAC: “CNAC pioneered .,. the practicality of flying and clip the trees on the turn. One plane with passengers did clip the trees and freight between Assam and China . . . the U.S. Army has tried hard to absorb we lost them all.” CNAC rand] finding itself unable to . is seeking to starve CNAC out of exist- In the spring of 1943, Colonel Alexander wrote his headquarters, in a bitter ence. understatement, “The weather has been pretty awful. The icing level stats at “Man for man and plane for plane, . . - CNAC will continuously equal or top 12,000 feet. Today a C-87 went to 29,500 feet on instruments.. - and could not the best work of the Army (which is improving) in carrying freight between get on top of the overcast. It has rained about seven and a half inches in the Assam and China. - . . it is good for the Army to have competition.’ past five days. All aircraft are grounded”

After ATC had been flying the Hump for just a few months, operations officers The world’s most violent weather comes into Asia because it is the meeting discovered that their most threatening problem was weather. In summer, the place of three turbulent air masses: low pressure from the west moves along Flying the "Hump" then suddenly be whisked upward at the same speed.”

the main range of the Himalaya between Tibet and India to the Hump, where warm, wet high pressure systems from the Bay of Bengal clash with frigid low pressure from Siberia. The polar vonex, and the heat rising from the jungles of Burma, intensify the weather movement.

Winter brought the best weather, except for the absence of ground fog, which was always a smooth flight experience. From November to March were the best flying conditions in India and Burma, but in China there were freez- ing rain and typical winter conditions. In late January, one cold front after another brought snow to the mountains and ice to the clouds. Winter would give way to the thunderstorms of early spring arid the start of another cycle of bad weather. The drama of the Hump was weather—a battle of men and their planes against wind, shattering turbulence, ice, and below-zero temperatures. In 1944 Gen. Williani Tunrier came to India to try to reduce the terrible losses of the Hump. As he personally flew the Hump, he expenenced weather changes from minute to minute and mile to mile, trom the low steamy jungles 0f India; to the mile-high plateau of Westem China ... a law unto itself . . . thunderstorms building out Pilot George Laben peering out of a C-47 window, CB1 Theatre ot nowhere ... icing . - . turbulence greater than I have ever seen elsewhere in the world winds of as much as one hundred miles an hour. piling onto the steep barren slopes, would glance ofi to create updraits over the ridges and down drafts over the valleys .. planes could drop at the rate of five Pilot training, George Laben, Hathorne thousand feet a minute, School of Aeronautics, South Carolina Flying the "Hump" Tail Piece Sentimental Journey rumbles and banks out of Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ. Copyright Joe Stremph© All Rights Reserved

Joe Stremph : I'm 32, and I've just recently gotten semi-serious about photography. I've learned a lot in the past few months and am very excited about learning as much as I can.

I shoot mostly aircraft, as I have been a lifelong aviation enthu- siast, but I also shoot a lot of sunset/cloud/sky/weather photos, since Arizona's skies are the most beautiful I have ever seen. Outside of that, most of my other photos are just lifestyle shots involving my family, vacations, and other hobbies like music, skateboarding (been doing it for 22 years), and shooting. I also I am fortunate enough to live near an airport that has afforded me opportuni- have a bizarre obsession with the Hamburglar, so he might show ties to shoot photos of four of them. All I need now is a Skyraider. up in a few shots here and there. Flavor Country, USA