Bryan R. Swopes grew up in Southern California in the 1950s–60s, near the center of America's aerospace industry. He has had a life-long interest in aviation and space flight. Bryan is a retired commercial helicopter pilot and flight instructor.
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Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-35) lifts off from LC-39B, Kennedy Space Center, 06:49:00 UTC, 2 December 1990. (NASA)
2 December 1990, 06:49:01 UTC: At 1:49:01 a.m. EST, Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-35) lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida. This was Columbia‘s 10th flight. STS-35 was a scientific mission, with the ASTRO-1 observatory.
The flight crew consisted of Mission Commander Vance D. Brand on his fourth and final space flight, and shuttle pilot Colonel Guy S. Gardner, U.S. Air Force, on his second. There were three Mission Specialists and two Payload Specialists: Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Ph.D., second space flight; John M. Lounge, third flight; Robert A.R. Parker, Ph.D., second flight; Samuel T. Durance, Ph.D., and Ronald A. Parise, Ph.D., were both on their first flights.
Flight crew of Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-35), left to right: Robert A.Parker, Guy S. Gardner, Ronald A. Parise, Vance D. Brand, Jeffrey A. Hoffman, John M. Lounge and Samuel T. Durrance. (NASA)
Columbia landed at Edwards Air Force Base in the high desert of southern California at 05:54:08 UTC, 11 December 1990. The duration of the mission was 8 days, 23 hours, 5 minutes, 8 seconds.
Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-35) lands at Edwards Air Force Base, California, 9:54 p.m. PST, 11 December 1990. (NASA)
Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-27) lifts off at LC-39B, 2 December 1998. (NASA)
2 December 1988, 14:30:34 UTC: At 9:30 a.m., EST, Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104) launched from Pad 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, on mission STS-27. This was the deployment of the first of five Lockheed Martin Lacrosse I reconnaissance satellites, USA-34, for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Space Shuttle Atlantis climbs from LC-39 on Mission STS-27, 2 December 1988. (NASA STS027-S-006)
STS-27 was the third flight for Atlantis. It would eventually be flown 33 times.
SFlight crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-27): seated, left to right, are Colonel Guy S. Gardner, USAF, pilot; Captain Robert L. Gibson, USN, mission commander, and Colonel Jerry L. Ross, USAF, mission specialist. Standing, left to right, are mission specialists Captain William M. Shepherd, USN, and Colonel Richard M. Mullane, USAF. (NASA)
Space Transport System Flight STS-27 was commanded by Captain Robert Lee Gibson, United States Navy, with Colonel Guy S. Gardner, United States Air Force, as the shuttle pilot. Three mission specialists were aboard for the mission: Colonel Richard M. Mullane, USAF; Colonel Jerry L. Ross, USAF; and Captain William B. Shepherd, a United States Navy SEAL.
Atlantis STS-27 accelerates toward orbit. (NASA)
Approximately 1 minute, 25 seconds after liftoff, insulating material from the right solid rocket booster (SRB) came off and struck the orbiter. The damage to the thermal tiles on the shuttle’s right side was extensive. More than 700 tiles were damaged and one was completely missing.
This image is believed to be of a Lockheed Martin Lacrosse reconnaissance satellite. Two technicians give scale to the Lacrosse.
Atlantis completed 68 orbits during this mission. It landed on Runway 17, Edwards Air Force Base, California, 6 December 1988, at 23:36:11 UTC (4:36 p.m., PST). The duration of the flight was 4 days, 9 hours, 5 minutes, 37 seconds.
Atlantis touches down on Rogers Dry Lake, on the afternoon of 6 December 1988. (NASA)
English Electric Canberra B Mk.2 WD932 (Mary Evans Picture Library)
On 2 December 1951, English Electric Canberra B Mk.2 WD932 disintegrated in flight during 4.8g maneuver at 10,000 feet, near Middle River, Maryland. Major Harry M. Lester and Captain Reid Johns Shaw ejected, though Shaw was killed when his parachute failed to open. The accident was believed to have resulted from a problem with fuel management which caused the airplane’s center of gravity to shift aft.
Tail of English Electric Canberra B Mk.2 WD932 is recovered from the Chester River. (National Archives)
Canberra Jet Bomber Blows Up Over Eastern Shore
ONE OF TWO AIR FORCE MEN ABOARD DIES; OTHER PARACHUTES TO SAFETY
Both from Middle River Area; Record-Making Plane Explodes ‘With Noise That Almost Rocked Earth’; Tail Assembly Cracks Off In Dive
A British Canberra jet bomber that had rocketed across the Atlantic Ocean in 4 hours and 37 minutes last winter blew up over the Eastern Shore yesterday “with a noise that almost rocked the earth.”
One of the two Air Force officers aboard was killed when his parachute failed to open. The other took to his ‘chute and was not seriously hurt. Both lived in the Middle River area and both were attached to the Air Research and Development Command here.
The officer killed was Capt. Reid Shaw, father of three children, who lived in Burleith Manor.
Major Harry M. Lester, pilot of the light bomber, landed in a tree near Centreville and was taken to Memorial Hospital in Easton for treatment of head and eye injuries.
Much of the wreckage of the plane landed in small bits on the estate of the late John J. Raskob at the mouth of the Chester River. The rest was found in the water just off shore on the Love Point side of the river about 6 miles west of Centreville.
Eyewitness Account
The plane had taken off for a test flight at 2.38 P.M. from the Glenn L. Martin Company’s airport east of Baltimore. The company is building a modified version of the Canberra here.
About an hour later the plane’s tail assembly cracked off as the fast jet was in a dive.
A navy pilot flying close by reported he saw white smoke trailing from the twin-jet bomber, then black smoke and an explosion.
Edward Elburn, 23-year-old commercial fisherman who was gunning in a field near the river, gave this eyewitness account of the accident:
“As I was watching the plane—which was flying pretty high—she exploded with a noise that almost rocked the earth.
Clouds of Dense Smoke
“Both wings snapped off, then the whole thing seemed to come apart in pieces.
“Clouds of dense black smoke poured out of the ship and hung in the sky over it for two or three minutes after the explosion.
“Some of the pieces that came raining down looked no bigger than dinner plates.
“I saw a parachute open and start drifting slowly toward Centreville.”
Elburn lives in Rock Hall, about 4 miles from the crash scene. Residents there reported the explosion could be heard loudly and that it was followed by a second when the wreckage hit the ground and water.
Wreck Scene A Security Area
James B. Sward, the ambulance driver who took Major Lester to the hospital, said the flyer told him the plane’s tail ripped off during a test dive.
Both flyers tripped the mechanism that shot their “ejector seats” into the air. Major Lester’s ‘chute opened clear of the plane.
Captain Shaw’s body was found in a field just to the east of the pretentious Raskob estate.
Major Lester’s condition was reported as “fair.”
The Air Force quickly designated the wreck scene as a security area and outsider’s were barred.
Major Lester landed in a hickory tree about 50 yards from the farm home in which Mr. and Mrs. J. Fred Meredith and their daughter, Phyllis Ann, 12, were trimming the family Christmas tree.
Mr. Meredith went to the barn a few minutes later and noticed the parachute in the tree—he did not see the major dangling from its end.
The pilot let himself out and got to the ground, Mr. Meredith continued. His face and head were badly cut.
The major asked for an ambulance, and Mrs. Meredith made him as comfortable as possible with a pillow and blanket while he lay on the ground.
Flight Division Notified
Mr. Meredith said that, in response to a question, Major Lester “said something about the tail end of the plane dropping off.”
At the flyer’s direction, the farmer notified the flight division of the Glenn Martin Company.
Raymond Hollis, a worker on Mr. Meredith’s Poplar Hill Farm, was running to the house to tell of having seen a plane explode in the air when his employer spotted the parachute.
The Canberra, one of two flown from England for use as prototypes of a night bomber being built at Martin’s, set the transatlantic speed record last February 22.
Set Speed Record
It started from Aldersgrove, Northern Ireland, and covered the 2,072 miles of ocean between there and Gander, Newfoundland, in 4 hours, 37 minutes.
On August 31, the second of the two British bombers to be brought here spanned the Atlantic in 4 hours 18½ minutes.
Thousands of Baltimoreans went to the Martin airport last March when the plane that crashed was put on exhibition. Governor McKeldin was one of the dignitaries who inspected the speedy bomber and watch test pilots put it through its paces.
English Electric Canberra B Mk.2 WD932 (Mary Evans Picture Library)
WD932 was the fourth production Canberra B Mk.2, with manufacturer’s serial number 71012.
The English Electric Canberra B Mk.2 was the first production variant of a twin-engine, turbojet powered light bomber. The bomber was operated by a pilot, navigator and bombardier. It was designed to operate at very high altitudes. The Canberra B.2 was 65 feet, 6 inches (19.964 meters) long with a wingspan of 64 feet, 0 inches (19.507 meters) and height of 15 feet, 7 inches (4.750 meters). The airplane’s maximum takeoff weight was 46,000 pounds (20,865 kilograms).
The wing used a symmetrical airfoil and had 2° angle of incidence. The leading edges of the outer wing panels were swept back 13° 33′, while the trailing edges swept forward 19°53′. The inner wing had 2° dihedral (+/- 10′), and the outer wing, 4° 21′. The total wing area was 960 square feet (89.2 square meters). The variable-incidence tail plane had 10° dihedral.
The Canberra B.2 was powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon RA.3 Mk. 101 engines. The RA.3 was a single-spool axial-flow turbojet with a 12-stage compressor section and single-stage turbine. It was rated at 6,500-pounds-thrust (28.91 kilonewtons).
The B.2 had a maximum speed of 450 knots (518 miles per hour/833 kilometers per hour). It was restricted to a maximum 0.75 Mach from Sea Level to 15,000 feet (4,572 meters), and 0.79 Mach from 15,000 to 25,000 feet (7.620 meters). Above that altitude the speed was not restricted, but pilots were warned that they could expect compressibility effects at 0.82 Mach or higher.
The Canberra was produced in bomber, intruder, photo reconnaissance, electronic countermeasures and trainer variants by English Electric, Handley Page, A. V. Roe, and Short Brothers and Harland. In the United States, a licensed version, the B-57A Canberra, was built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. The various versions were operated by nearly 20 nations. The Canberra was the United Kingdom’s only jet-powered bomber for four years. The last one in RAF service, a Canberra PR.9, made its final flight on 28 July 2008.
English Electric Canberra B Mk.2 WD932, flown by Wing Commander Roland P. Beamont, during a demonstration flight at Martin Airport, Middle River, Maryland, home of the Glenn L. Martin Company, 11 March 1951. (Mary Evans Picture Library)
The Brewster XF2A-1 prototype during flight tests. (U.S. Navy)
2 December 1937: First flight, Brewster Aeronautical Corporation XF2A-1 prototype, Bu. No. 0451. The XF2A-1 was designed as a replacement for the U.S. Navy’s biplane fighter, the Grumman F3F. It was an all-metal, single-place, single-engine mid-wing monoplane with an enclosed cockpit, retractable landing gear and an arresting hook for aircraft carrier operations.
The XF2A-1 was 25 feet, 6 inches (7.772 meters) long, with a wingspan of 35 feet, 0 inches (10.668 meters) and overall height of 11 feet, 9 inches (3.581 meters). The prototype had an empty weight of 3,711 pounds (1,683 kilograms) and gross weight of 5,017 pounds (2,276 kilograms).
Brewster XF2A-1 Bu. No. 0451 at the NACA Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. (NASA)
The prototype Buffalo was powered by an air-cooled, supercharged, 1,823.129-cubic-inch-displacement (29.876 liter) Wright Aeronautical Division Cyclone 9 R-1820G5 (R-1820-22) nine cylinder radial engine with a compression ratio of 6.45:1. This was a direct-drive engine, and turned a three-bladed propeller. (Photographs show the prototype with both Curtiss Electric and Hamilton Standard propellers.) The R-1820-22 had a normal power rating of 850 horsepower at 2,100 r.p.m., and 950 horsepower at 2,200 r.p.m., for takeoff. The engine was 43.12 inches (1.095 meters) long, 54.25 inches (1.378 meters) in diameter, and weighed 1,105 pounds (501 kilograms).
The prototype had a maximum speed of 304 miles per hour (489 kilometers per hour) and a service ceiling of 30,900 feet (9,418 meters). The production F2A-2 fighter had a maximum speed of 322 miles per hour (518 kilometers per hour) at 14,500 feet (4,420 meters). It could climb from Sea Level to 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) in 9.0 minutes, and its service ceiling was 36,100 feet (11,003 meters). The F2A-2 had a maximum range of 1,085 miles (1,746. kilometers).
Brewster XF2A-1 Bu. No. 0451. (U.S. Navy)
In a service test competition, the XF2A-1 outperformed Grumman’s prototype XF4F, which would later become the Wildcat. The U.S. Navy ordered it into production as the F2A-1. It was the first monoplane in fleet service.
In production, the new fighter was armed with one .50-caliber and one .30-caliber machine gun, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.
The Brewster Model 399E (F2A-2) was ordered by the Royal Air Force and designated Buffalo Mk.I. “Buffalo” became the popular nickname for the fighter, although it was not officially adopted by the U.S. Navy.
Brewster Buffalos served during the early months of World War II, notably at Wake Island and the Battle of Midway. The airplane was outperformed by Japanese fighters and losses were heavy. It was quickly withdrawn from front line use.
The Brewster Buffalo served with several foreign countries, such as England, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands East Indies. These airplanes were significantly lighter than the the U.S. Navy F2A-3 production variants, and the Buffalo’s cockpit visibility and maneuverability was favored by their pilots.
A total of 509 Buffalos were built between 1938 and 1941.
In May 1938, the prototype XF2A-1 was tested in the Full-Scale Wind Tunnel at the NACA Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory. Recommended changes resulted in a 10% increase in the fighter’s speed.
Brewster XF2A-1 Buffalo Bu. No. 0451 in the Full-Scale Wind Tunnel at NACA Langley, circa 1938. (NASA)Brewster F2A-1 (Rudy Arnold Collection/NASM)
Boeing YB-17 Flying Fortress 36-149. (U.S. Air Force)
2 December 1936: The first Boeing YB-17, U.S. Army Air Corps serial number 36-149, made its first flight.
Although the prototype Boeing Model 299, X13372, had crashed at Wright Field, Ohio, 30 October 1935, the Army had ordered thirteen Y1B-17 service test aircraft, serials 36-149–36-161. Prior to the model’s first flight, this designation was changed to YB-17. (The “-1-” in the original Y1B-17 designation indicated that the service test bombers were ordered using funding other than the normal appropriations for new aircraft.)
Boeing YB-17 36-149. (U.S. Air Force)
The YB-17 had several improvements over the Model 299, which was retroactively designated XB-17. There was a long carburetor intake on top of the engine nacelles which visually distinguishes the YB-17 from the follow-on YB-17A. The main landing gear has one strut rather than the two of the Model 299. A vertical radio mast is just behind the cockpit.
Boeing YB-17 36-149. (U.S. Air Force)
The Boeing Model 299B, designated YB-17 by the Army Air Corps, was 68 feet, 4 inches (20.828 meters) long with a wingspan of 103 feet, 9⅜ inches (31.633 meters) and the overall height was 18 feet, 4 inches (5.588 meters). It had an empty weight of 24,465 pounds (11,097 kilograms), gross weight of 34,880 pounds (15,821 kilograms) and maximum takeoff weight of 42,600 pounds (19,323 kilograms).
Boeing YB-17 36-149. (U.S. Air Force)
Instead of the Pratt & Whitney engines installed on the 299, the YB-17 had four air-cooled, supercharged 1,823.129-cubic-inch-displacement (29.876 liter) Wright Aeronautical Division Cyclone 9 R-1820G5 (R-1820-39) nine-cylinder radial engines with a compression ratio of 6.45:1. They turned three-bladed Hamilton Standard constant-speed propellers through a 16:11 gear reduction drive, in order to match the engines’ effective power range with the propellers. The R-1820-39 was rated at 805 horsepower at 2,100 r.p.m., at Sea Level, and 930 horsepower at 2,200 r.p.m. for takeoff. The R-1820-39 was 45-7/16 inches (1.154 meters) long and 54¼ inches (1.378 meters) in diameter, and weighed 1,198 pounds (543.4 kilograms).
The cruise speed of the YB-17 was 217 miles per hour (349 kilometers per hour) and the maximum speed was 256 miles per hour (412 kilometers per hour) at 14,000 feet (4,267 meters). Its service ceiling was 30,600 feet (9,327 meters). The bomber’s maximum range was 3,320 miles (5,343 kilometers).
Cutaway illustration of the Boeing YB-17. (John T. Jacobsen)
The YB-17 could carry 8,000 pounds (3,629 kilograms) of bombs. Defensive armament consisted of five .30-caliber air-cooled Browning machine guns.
Boeing YB-17 36-149 nosed over on landing at Seattle, 7 December 1936. (Unattributed)
36-149 was damaged in a landing accident 7 December 1936. It was repaired and then flown to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, 11 January 1937. After testing at Wright Field, 36-149 was delivered to the 2nd Bombardment Group, Langley Field, Virginia. By 1938 the bomber was back at Wright Field for additional tests.
“In the summer of 1938, Bill [Captain William C. Bentley, Jr., U.S. Army Air Corps, a B-17 test pilot at Langley Field] and his aircrew flew back to Seattle to pick up an additional aircraft, YB-17 tail number 36-149 from Boeing. This aircraft was different from the original thirteen. During its assembly phase at Boeing, it was packed with additional instruments for recording purposes. Once delivered to Langley, the plane was going to be subjected to a variety of stress tests in order to determine how much damage the plane could take and still operate. During its flight to Langley, Bill arrived over the field in a thunderstorm. The strength of the storm flipped the plane upside down, a stress never envisioned by the designers for such a large aircraft, much less one loaded to capacity with measuring instrumentation and a full crew. Using his fighter pilot training, Bill flew the aircraft at its maximum altitude then performed a slow roll to bring the airplane into its proper attitude. After recovering from a harrowing spin, Bill got control of the plane and landed successfully.
“Much to the crew’s amazement, the wings were slightly bent and some rivets were missing. But the measuring instrumentation had recorded all of the stress placed on the plane. . . .”
—The Touch of Greatness: Colonel William C. Bentley, Jr., USAAC/USAF, by Stewart W. Bentley, Jr., Ph.D., AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2010, Chapter 2 at Page 45.
(This meant that a fourteenth YB-17, which had been built specifically as a static test article, could be completed as a Y1B-17A, 37-369.)
Boeing YB-17 at Hamilton Field, California. (U.S. Air Force)
In October 1940 36-149 was transferred to the 19th Bombardment Group at March Field, California. Finally, on 11 February 1942, it was transferred to the Air Park at Amarillo Army Air Field, a B-17 training base in Texas. It was written off 11 December 1942.
After several years of testing, the YB-17 went into production as the B-17 Flying Fortress. By the end of World War II, 12,731 B-17s had been built by Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed Vega.
Boeing YB-17 36-139 arrives at Langley Field, Virginia, 1 March 1937. (U.S. Air Force)Boeing YB-17 36-149 at Langley Field, Virginia, 1 March 1937. (U.S. Air Force)Boeing YB-17 36-149 at the Golden Gate International Exposition, Treasure Island, California, ca. 1939. (Stephen Fisher)Two of the 13 Boeing YB-17 Flying Fortress (Model 299B) service test prototypes. This model can be distinguished from other early B-17s by the vertical radio mast behind the cockpit and the long carburetor intakes on the top of the engine nacelles. (Horace Bristol/LIFE Magazine)
