Davis-Monthan Desert Lightning News

05/29/2023

On This Date, May 29, 1963: Lockheed Test Pilot Anthony W. "Tony" LeVier and his 18-year-old daughter, Toniann LeVier, flew the company's two-place TF-104G Starfighter demonstrator from Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, Calif., to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. They made fuel stops at Kirtland AFB, N.M., Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Toniann earned the title of World's Fastest Teenager after the aircraft hit Mach 2. The aircraft was being flown to Washington, D.C., where it was handed over to a Lockheed team for a series of demonstrations to Air Force officials.
"I'm still tingling. That sudden surge of power made me feel like we were taking off for outer space, but it's just as easy to fly as a light plane," said Toniann.
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05/29/2023

On This Date, May 29, 1956: The Chance Vought Regulus II (XSSM-N-9) made its first flight after a 2.3 mile takeoff run from the lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. This test version of the Navy jet-propelled cruise missile was fitted with a tricycle landing gear and, according to the Edwards history office; it tended to outrun its chase and airborne control aircraft.
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05/29/2023

On This Date, May 29, 1951: Flying a North American Aviation P-51C Mustang, Excalibur III, Pan Am World Airways Capt. Charles F. Blair flew from Bardufoss, Norway, to Fairbanks, Alaska via the North Pole. This was the first solo flight over the North Pole, and Blair flew the 3,260 miles, non-stop in 10 hours, and 27 minutes. Blair had to navigate by using a system of pre-plotted sun lines, as a magnetic compass was useless near the Pole and there were no radio navigation aids available. For this flight, Blair was presented the Harmon International Trophy by President Harry S. Truman, in a ceremony at the White House, Nov. 18, 1952. The Harmon awards are for "the most outstanding international achievements in the art and/or science of aeronautics for the previous year, with the art of flying receiving first consideration."
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05/29/2023

Medal of Honor Monday: U.S. Navy PO2 Telesforo Trinidad

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Telesforo Trinidad rescued some of his shipmates when a boiler exploded on their cruiser in 1915. His actions made him the only Filipino sailor to receive the Medal of Honor and one of the last service members to earn it for noncombat valor.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Telesforo Trinidad rescued some of his shipmates when a boiler exploded on their cruiser in 1915. His actions made him the only Fil

05/29/2023

On This Date, May 29, 1940: The U.S. Navy's new prototype fighter, the XF4U-1 made its first flight with Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division test pilot Lyman A. Bullard, Jr. at the controls. The prototype would be developed into the famous F4U Corsair. The F4U Corsair was a single-place, single-engine fighter, designed for operation from the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers. The prototype had a maximum speed of 378 miles per hour at 23,500 feet. Before the design was finalized for production, however, several changes were made. Fuel tanks were removed from the wings to make room for six Browning AN-M2 .50-caliber machine guns and ammunition. A new tank was placed in the fuselage ahead of the cockpit. This moved the cockpit rearward and lengthened the nose. The Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division (F4U-1), Goodyear Aircraft Corporation (FG-1D), and Brewster Aeronautical Corporation (F3A-1) manufactured a total of 12,571 Corsairs. The Corsair served the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in World War II and the Korean War.
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05/29/2023

PHOTO OF THE DAY!
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The Air Force’s Wings of Blue parachute team jumps out of a C-130J Super Hercules during the opening ceremony of the Sky’s No Limit – Girls Fly Too annual event at Abbotsford International Airport, Canada, April 29, 2023.

05/29/2023

05/29/2023

On This Date, May 28, 1956: The Ryan X-13 Vertijet made its first flight in vertical mode at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., reaching a height of 50 feet. The Vertijet was an experimental vertical take-off and landing jet aircraft. The main objective of the project was to demonstrate the ability of a pure jet to vertically takeoff, hover, and transition to horizontal forward flight, and vertically land.
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05/28/2023

From Iwo Jima in WWII to Tucson Today: 47th Fighter Squadron flag still flies

On Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, members of the 47th Fighter Squadron rallied and engaged in dogfights with the Japanese as part of the first American victories in World War II.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, many of the members deployed to Iwo Jima, Japan, where the heavy fighting continued...

On Dec. 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, members of the 47th Fighter Squadron rallied and engaged in dogfights with the Japanese as part of the first American

05/28/2023

PHOTO OF THE DAY!
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Sailors assigned to the USS Arlington play with Patty, a Naval Medical Center Portsmouth therapy dog visiting the ship in Norfolk, Va., May 17, 2023. The Arlington held its first wellness fair to inform sailors about resources available to them regarding mental, emotional and physical health.

05/28/2023

Veteran of the Day U.S. Navy Veteran James Swink

James “Mike” Swink was born in September 1989. He attended Yucca Valley High School and enlisted in the Navy immediately after graduation. His decision to serve “was a perfect fit,” aligning with his long-held desire to help others. He exhibited this desire as a young boy by consistently supporting the elderly in his community and joining a nonprofit organization, Project R.I.D.E...

James “Mike” Swink was born in September 1989. He attended Yucca Valley High School and enlisted in the Navy immediately after graduation. His decision to

05/28/2023

On This Date, May 27, 1958: The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II made its first flight with Robert C. Little at the controls. The Phantom II was an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it first entered service with the Navy in 1961 before the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force adopted it, and by the mid-1960s it had become a major part of their air arms. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981 with a total of 5,195 aircraft built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft in history, and cementing its position as an iconic combat aircraft of the Cold War.
The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War. It served as the principal air superiority fighter for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and became important in the ground attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. During the Vietnam War, one U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers, one U.S. Navy pilot, and one radar intercept officer became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft. The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force, the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the United States Air Force Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the United States Navy Blue Angels (F-4J). The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations.
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05/27/2023

On This Date, May 27, 1943: The final GM A-1 drone flew for 80 minutes. Although U.S. Army Air Force officials deemed the flight successful, the persistent problem of ineffective control throughout the first and second test series never got completely solved, and the project was terminated six months later. The GM-A-1 possessed a maximum range of 400 miles. However, its maximum speed topped at 200 miles per hour, making it vulnerable to the high-performance fighters that emerged during World War II. In comparison, the German V-1 Flying Bomb flew a distance of 130 miles at 415 miles per hour, while carrying a 1,870-pound explosive charge. According to Army officials, the relatively small warhead reduced the tactical value of the drone. The need for a mother ship to steer it toward a target also hindered its combat effectiveness. However, the deal breaker dealt with the issue of unstable performance due to inadequate flight controls, an ongoing problem from day one of the project.
For more military and aviation milestones, visit https://bit.ly/aerotechnews-on-this-date-162

05/27/2023

PHOTO OF THE DAY!
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An Air Force C-130J Super Hercules sits on the flight line during the Japanese-American Friendship Festival fireworks display at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 21, 2023. The two-day event allowed visitors to learn more about the U.S. and Japan bilateral partnership.

05/27/2023

Veteran of the Day U.S. Army Veteran George W. Bachman

George Bachman was born in Williamston, Mich., in January 1919. He was drafted into the military in January 1941 at the age of 22 and was assigned to the 21st Field Artillery Battalion, 5th Division, with which he served until the end of World War II.

Bachman deployed to Iceland in April 1942, serving in that country for a year and a half...

George Bachman was born in Williamston, Mich., in January 1919. He was drafted into the military in January 1941 at the age of 22 and was assigned to the 21s

05/27/2023

Black Hawk pilot finds her calling in the Army

In the heart of the Mojave Desert, tucked under the grip of a harsh dry climate, 13-year-old Georgia Cervantes flourished.

Cervantes and her family lived in the close-knit military community of Fort Irwin, Calif., which sits 30 miles from the nearest town. The Mojave’s desolate landscape in north San Bernardino County confined most youth activities within Irwin, and families banded together...

In the heart of the Mojave Desert, tucked under the grip of a harsh dry climate, 13-year-old Georgia Cervantes flourished. Cervantes and her family lived in

05/27/2023

On This Date, May 26, 2010: The X-51A Waverider Scramjet Engine Demonstrator vehicle completed the longest ever, supersonic, combustion, ramjet-powered, hypersonic flight, during a mission performed off the coast of southern California. The more than 200-second burn by the Waverider’s Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne-built air-breathing scramjet engine, accelerated the test vehicle to Mach 5.
The longest scramjet burn during a flight test lasted a mere 12 seconds (in a NASA X-43A). Air Force officials called the test an unqualified success and considered the mission the first use of a practical hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet in flight. The X-51 departed Edwards AFB, at about 10 a.m., carried aloft under the left wing of an Air Force Flight Test Center B-52H Stratofortress.
The engine vehicle flew at 50,000 feet over the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range. Four seconds after the Waverider released from the B-52, an Army Tactical Missile solid rocket booster accelerated the X-51 to approximately Mach 4.8 before it and a connecting inter-stage jettisoned. At that point, the X-51’s SJY61 engine ignited.
The successful flight reached an altitude of nearly 70,000 feet and a top speed of Mach 5. The speed of sound consists of traveling a mile in 4.7 seconds or less. Mach speed is calculated by taking the speed of an object and dividing that by the speed of sound. Mach 1.0 or less is considered Subsonic; Transonic is defined as reaching Mach 1.0; faster than Mach 1.0 is Supersonic and faster than Mach 5.0 defines Hypersonic.
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05/26/2023

On This Date, May 26, 1969: The Apollo 10 astronauts – Thomas Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan -- returned to Earth after a successful eight-day dress rehearsal for the first manned moon landing. Apollo 10 was the fourth crewed mission in the Apollo program, and the second (after Apollo 8) to orbit the Moon.
It was the F mission: a “dress rehearsal” for the first Moon landing, testing all the components and procedures just short of actually landing. While Young remained in the Command Module orbiting the Moon, Stafford and Cernan flew the Apollo Lunar Module to a descent orbit within 8.4 nautical miles of the lunar surface, the point where powered descent for landing would begin. After orbiting the Moon 31 times, Apollo 10 returned safely to Earth, and its success enabled the first actual landing (Apollo 11) two months later.
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05/26/2023

On This Date, May 26, 1961: The Lockheed CF-104 Starfighter Canadian prototype (Canadair CL-90) was test flown at Palmdale, Calif. The CF-104 is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter built in Canada by Canadair under license. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft; despite being designed as an interceptor. It served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and later the Canadian Armed Forces until it was replaced by the McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet.
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05/26/2023

On This Date, May 26, 1950: The Douglas XA2D-1 Skyshark, an experimental turboprop-powered version of the company’s AD-1 Skyraider, made its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., flown by George Jansen. The aircraft’s turboprop engine transmitted power to two large counter-rotating propellers through a complicated gearbox.
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05/26/2023

NASA funds small business to advance tech for space, Earth

“Our program has the responsibility of supporting ideas and technologies that will have impact on NASA’s work and have strong commercial potential…” “We’re always excited when we can find technologies that help our agency’s missions while also having direct benefits for all.”

A new slate of funding from NASA will help small businesses develop technologies to advance space exploration, climate research, and more. In mid-April, NAS

05/26/2023

On This Date, May 26, 1942: The prototype Northrop XP-61-NO Black Widow, 41-19509, made its first flight at Northrop Field, Hawthorne, Calif., with free-lance test pilot Vance Breese at the controls. The first American airplane designed specifically as a night fighter, the XP-61 was the same size as a medium bomber: 48 feet, 11.2 inches long with a wingspan of 66 feet meters, and overall height of 14 feet, 8.2 inches. The prototype was equipped with a mockup of the top turret. Its empty weight was 22,392 pounds, gross weight of 25,150 pounds and maximum takeoff weight of 29,673 pounds.
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05/26/2023

On This Date, May 26, 1920: The Boeing GA-1, an armored triplane, made its first flight at McCook Field, Ohio. Designed in 1919, it was powered by a pair of modified Liberty engines driving pusher propellers. The first of the Engineering Division's heavily armored GAX series (ground attack, experimental) aircraft, the ponderous airplane was intended to strafe ground troops while remaining immune to attack from the ground as well as from other enemy aircraft.
On June 7, 1920, Boeing was awarded a contract for 20 production models designated GA-1. Before the first was delivered in May 1921, the order had been reduced to 10. The GA-1 was sent to Kelly Field, Texas, in early 1923 for service tests with the only U.S. aerial attack formation, the 3rd Attack Group.
These tests showed the aircraft to be unacceptable. They had poor visibility and performance, particularly in rate of climb, maneuverability, and range. The aircraft suffered from noise and vibrations caused by the 3/16-inch-thick armor. Takeoff runs were very long by the standards of the day. The GA-1s were extremely unpopular with the pilots conducting the evaluation.
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