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Above & Beyond: Boeing’s Centennial Traveling Exhibit
By Larry E. Nazimek
Entrance to Boeing’s “Above and Beyond” exhibit. As one walks through the entrance, the B & W Seaplane is the first thing they see. (Larry E. Nazimek)Boeing, whose headquarters is in Chicago, is celebrating its centennial, and their travelling exhibit, “Above & Beyond,” is making its rounds. We visited the exhibit as it opened in Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry.
Marcellus Rolle, of Boeing’s Centennial Anniversary Communications Office, explained, “Boeing does business worldwide, so there are actually three of these exhibits: one for the U. S., one for Europe, and one for Asia, in the appropriate languages. This one is in English, with Spanish subtitles.”
The first thing one sees as he enters the exhibit, is a ¼-scale model of the B & W Seaplane, named after its designers, William Boeing and U. S. Navy Lt. Conrad Westervelt. Made of wood, metal, and fabric, it was the first Boeing product. Its first flight was on June 15, 1916, and its maximum speed was 75 mph.
The Eagle Has Landed
NATO’s Baltic Air Policing 34th four monthly rotation since its kick-off in Jan. 2004, started on Jan. 3, 2014 when four Boeing F-15C Eagle air superiority fighters of USAFE’s 493 “Grim Reapers” Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, based at RAF Lakenheath, UK, landed at Siauliai, relieving four Belgian Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-16 a.m. Fighting Falcons.
Preparation at RAF Lakenheath for the squadron’s third BAP-mission, having been previously deployed in Sept. 2008 and 2010, started in Oct. 2013 when additional practice scrambles and defensive counter air operations (i.e. Protecting “friendlies” against attacking aircraft) were flown by the “Grim Reapers” pilots, making them also proficient with BAP’s “rules of engagement.” As always, all pilots were planned to rotate to Siauliai: some “youngsters,” just becoming fully combat ready and operational within 493 FS after their conversion in Klamath Falls, Oreg. Other “full fledged” pilots have seen operational tours in the UK and/or Kadena AB (Okinawa, Japan).
Aviation Ancestry: August 2013
Outfitting the Model 450 with tricycle landing gear would have necessitated the placement of bulges in the wings.
Aviation Ancestry - July 2013
Moving the engines to the top of the fuselage did little to resolve the drag problems, which in reality, were caused by the Model 432’s straight wings. The high-speed potential of the jet engines simply could not be realized with the use of straight wings.
War Games in a B-52
By Sagar Pathak
A lineman prepares to launch a B-52 for a night mission during War Week at Barksdale AFB. (Sagar Pathak)You would think that an airplane 159-feet long and 40-feet high would have plenty of space. After all, it has eight massive engines, and is roughly the same size as a jumbo jet. But the answer is that it does not have a lot of space. Well, not for people at least.
When Boeing built the B-52 Stratofortress more than 60 years ago, they built it around a single mission, to carry as many bombs as possible. And in the latest variant of the giant aircraft, it carries more than 70,000 pounds of missiles and bombs. And to get this job done, it takes a crew of five to fly this beast (aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer).
Luckily for me on my flight outta Barksdale AFB, we would squeeze in 10 crewmembers. Which basically means, 10 people would have to share a space the size of a small minivan. Oh, and did I mention that only six of those people get an ejection seat? The rest? Well, at least we got parachutes.
The Pylon Place - December 2012
That is one Fast Glasair …
By Marilyn Dash
Jeff LaVelle rounding the pylons in his Glasair III. (Bruce Croft /www.twozerowest.com)Honoring my commitment to cover all of the Race Classes at Reno, not just the Unlimiteds, I wanted to introduce you to Jeff LaVelle, the 2012 Sport Class Gold Champion and his Glasair III.
A seemingly mild mannered Glasair III, one that looks remarkably like the others you may see each weekend flying to the next $100 Hamburger location. However, this one is special – very special. But all that is special is on the inside.
Jeff LaVelle, like so many other race pilots, started out racing something else, for him it was motorcycles. He always had a competitive spirit that made him look for ways to improve. He became a pilot about 20 years ago and later attended the Reno Air Races, setting his sights on competing there.
Aviation Ancestry - January 2012
The B-29 Superfortress
By Scott Schwartz
The Boeing XB-29: notice the early three-bladed propellers and the lack of gun turrets. The Army experimented with various defensive armament during the early phases of the B-29 program. (Photo courtesy of the United States Air Force) )The B-29 Superfortress’s engines had a tendency to overheat and catch fire. Its defensive gun system sometimes jammed or simply failed altogether. Yet, in many respects, this aircraft changed the world after it was used on two very special missions during World War II.
During the early 1930s, U.S. Army planners had been thinking about (perhaps dreaming would be a more accurate word) a new bomber that could carry 2,000 pounds of bombs, and which had a range of more than 5,000 miles. By 1940 though, these imaginings had coalesced into a concrete set of specifications. The new bomber would have to carry 2,000 pounds of bombs and be able to fly more than 5,300 miles. Oh, and it would also have to be able to fly faster than 400 mph. The reader should remember that in 1940, the fastest fighters in first-line service could not achieve 400 mph in level flight!
The Boeing Bee
By Paul Tannahill
Since restoration began on the aircraft in 1991, the Museum of Flights rare B-17F “Boeing Bee,” has been for the most part, inaccessible to the general public, largely viewable only by special appointment. (Paul Tannahill)One of the most iconic aircraft of WWII is the B-17. And nowhere is this sentiment more true than in the birthplace of Boeing, Seattle, Wash. After years hidden from public view, the Museum of Flight’s rare B-17F Boeing Bee has emerged from the shadows and has gone on display following an intensive restoration by museum volunteers.
Constructed by the Boeing Airplane Company in their Plant II facility at Boeing Field in Seattle, Wash., B-17F-70-BO s/n 42-29782, was accepted by the Army Air Force on Feb. 13, 1943. The aircraft was immediately flown to a modification center operated by United Airlines at Cheyenne, Wyo.
2011 CAF Airshow
By Joe Gonzalez
The Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (AKA the Warthog) prepares for landing. (Joe Gonzalez)The annual Commemorative Air Force Airsho was almost cancelled! The amount of liquid sun (rain) on Sat., Oct. 8 was more than the last years total! The weather-god must have heard the frustration and comments of the many pilots, the audience, the vendors, and the many CAF members in attendance. At noon, the scheduled time for the opening ceremony, the weather took a change for the better!
The Pearl Harbor reenactment, Tora, Tora, Tora, is always a crowd pleaser, and this year had more Tora aircraft than have been seen for several years. Some of the show’s other highlights included the American Volunteer Group (The Flying Tigers) and the opportunity to see the new Texan II trainer that is now coming into use by the US military.
Aviation Ancestry - October 2011
Buff: Part IV-With the introduction of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), a change in tactics was needed. First coming off the production line in 1957, the B-52E was not much different from the venerable “D” model. However, one of the changes
Aviation Ancestry - September 2011
Buff – Part III
By Scott Schwartz
B-52D tail gunners downed at least two MiG fighters with their four .50 cal. machine guns. This B-52D is on display at the March Field Air Museum. (Scott Schwartz)Actually, more than the paint job had to be changed on the B-52Ds before they could be used effectively in Vietnam. The reader should remember that the B-52 was designed for a strategic role. Now, they were to be used as tactical aircraft – thousands of pounds of bombs were to be dropped on enemy troops and supply stockpiles.
As stated in BUFF, Part II, B-52Fs were already being used in Vietnam. The “F” models were sent overseas in 1965. The reason for adding the B-52Ds into the mix was simple: there were twice as many B-52Ds as there were B-52Fs.
Since the aircraft were now going to be dropping more than one hundred bombs on a typical mission, changes had to be made. Enter the Big Belly program.
Despite its name, the Big Belly program did not involve enlarging the bomb bay in any way. Rather, the existing conventional bomb rack attachment points were modified so that special bomb racks – known as “clips” could be installed. These “clips” could carry twenty eight 500 pound bombs, or fourteen 750 pound bombs apiece. Further, the external bomb racks were re-wired so that they could hold conventional bombs. All told, the modified B-52Ds (when loaded to capacity) could carry 108 bombs each.
You Can't Tame a Raptor
The invasion of the Raptors is coming to the California Capital Airshow. (Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller, USAF)By Karen Storm
In the wild, birds of prey are very distinctive in their attributes: a sharp, pointed beak; strong feet with razor-sharp talons; keen eyesight, and animals —even other birds— are their food source. Another name used to describe these birds is derived from the Latin word —Rapere— which means to plunder. They are smart, aggressive, cunning, and lethal. Such a bird is called a Raptor.
It is also the name of the United States Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, a designation made both appropriately and without apology. The F-22 Raptor, manufactured by the team of Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney, is the world’s only operational fifth-generation fighter, and it is absolutely masterful at conducting its stated mission of Air Dominance.