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AAHS Journal, Vol. 51, No. 4 - Winter 2006 Table of Contents
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The Boeing KC-135
Stratotanker at 50 Fifty years ago, on August 31, 1956, the first KC-135A
Stratotanker took off from Renton Airport near Seattle, Washington. This was the first aircraft specifically designed to fulfill the aerial refueling role. Few military aircraft production programs undertaken since the end of WWII can compare with the KC-135 in size, speed of execution, cost effectiveness, and operational
success. PROGENITORS |
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The Sikorsky S-40 Amphibion; A new giant for the Pan American fleet Following almost immediately on the close of the World War, certain European nations, foreseeing the possibilities which aerial transport offered in binding more closely together the far-flung units of their colonial empires, encouraged the establishment of experimental airlines between certain strategic points, lending their assistance to private enterprise in the form of substantial subsidies. Today, England, France, Germany, and Holland have either surveyed, or put into actual operation, direct air connections to practically all of their outlying possessions. During the early 1920s progress in the United States lagged behind that abroad due largely to the unwillingness of the government to support operations by granting direct subsidies. Since 1927, however, development has been rapid, and in 1931 the American controlled airways, both in the United States and in Central and South America, are second to
none. |
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Aircraft Photos by Emil Strasser Here is another trip into the past of American aviation that we hope will bring back some pleasant memories. |
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It was one of the most maligned fighters during WWII. But when I first saw the Bell P-39
Airacobra, I thought it the most beautiful aircraft I’d ever seen. It looked like it was going 400 mph just sitting there on the ramp at Howard Field in the Panama Canal
Zone. |
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History of the Douglas A3D Skywarrior, Part 2: A3D-1 Early Production Testing In February 1951 the Douglas Aircraft Company received a Letter of Intent from the Navy advising that consideration was being given to the purchase of production A3D-1s. Contract NOa(s) 55-632 followed with authorization to manufacture twelve A3D-1 airplanes at a total cost of $53,200,000 or $4,430,000 each. These 12 Dash 1s were assigned Bureau Numbers 130352 through 130363.Although externally similar to the XA3D-1, the production A3D-1s had some major differences. One of the most visible changes was the replacement of the Westinghouse J-40 engine by the Pratt & Whitney J-57-P6A non-afterburning multi-stage, axial-flow turbojet engine rated at 8,250 pounds thrust for normal operations, 9,500 pounds military thrust and 10,000 pounds for takeoff or maximum
thrust. DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING |
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Turbo-Supercharger Development; Evolution to First Operational Use
The turbo-supercharger is a small relatively simple and unimposing device used in conjunction with piston-type aircraft engines to boost their power output and/or maintain their power output to high altitudes. Weighing only a couple of hundred pounds, it is essentially nothing more than a pump supplying air under pressure to the engine induction
system. |
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The 2006 Reno National Championship Air
Race The sound of air racing returned to the Stead Field for the 43rd edition of the Reno National Championship Air Races and Air Show. Air Race fans from every point of the compass came to watch and enjoy the six classes of racing aircraft: Biplane, Formula One, Sport, T-6, Jet and
Unlimited. |
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Operation SUNSHADE, The Air Force Reserve Plays a Key Role in the
Cuban Missile Crisis Almost one-half century ago a series of events occurred, which came as close to causing a nuclear war between the United States of America and the Soviet Union than at any other time since the end of WWII and probably right up to the present. A great deal has been written about this confrontation which led up to a climax in mid-autumn of 1962, but not, in my view, very much about the role that the Air Force Reserve played in that event known as "the Cuban Missile Crisis." Our president at the time was John F. Kennedy and the Soviet leader was Nikita Khrushchev. Kennedy had taken office in 1961 and was immediately faced with a crucial decision concerning what was to become an abortive attempt to invade Cuba, and which ultimately led to debacle on the beaches of Cuba. The relations between the U.S. and Cuba, never to clubby since Fidel Castro had taken over, worsened. As the warm summer days of 1962 segued into the cool early fall, the situation between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. began heating up. What occurred between early September and November will forever be remembered as the moment in time when the two powers came close to a nuclear war. In early September 1962, Mr. Khrushchev announced that the Soviet Union would be providing arms and personnel to Cuba for defensive purposes. However, in October, a USAF reconnaissance aircraft flying over Cuba took photos that revealed that the Soviets were installing offensive ballistic missile sites in Cuba which would have the capability of reaching major cities of the U.S. Additionally, other United States military aircraft, flying over the Atlantic to the east of Cuba, had sighted Soviet vessels loaded with military hardware steaming towards Cuba. The missiles already in place plus the cargo ships heading toward Cuba constituted an unacceptable threat to the U.S. and required immediate action by the administration. President Kennedy and his advisers discussed a number of options, all of which contained elements of dire consequences, no matter the outcome. Finally, the group apparently settled. . . . . |
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For
those of us who recall the period, a boom in general aviation was to take
place following World War II. It was anticipated that returning airmen
would trade their wartime aircraft, flown in hostile skies, for light
planes flown over peaceful American terrain. The return of many veteran
pilots, aviators and airmen was to be the catalyst behind the figurative
statement "an airplane in every garage," and it gave impetus to
artists’ conceptions of smiling families flying to vacation destinations
in futuristic light planes. Aviation magazines of the day reinforced this
vision by depicting modern-day housing developments with a runway and
individual taxiways leading up to each new home. |
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