Category Archives: Aviation

21 January 1937

January 21, 2025AviationBeechcraft C17R, Beechcraft Staggerwing, Inter-City Distance Speed Record, Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden, National Aeronautic Association, NC15835, s/n C17R-81, U.S. National Speed Record, Wright Whirlwind 440 R-975E3Bryan Swopes

21 January 1937: Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden set a U.S. national record flying her Consolidated Blue Beechcraft C17R “Staggerwing,” NC15835 (serial number C17R-81) from Detroit, Michigan, to Akron Municipal Airport, Akron, Ohio, in 40 minutes, 43 seconds. She had departed Detroit, Michigan, at 3:07:17 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (20:07:17 UTC) and crossed overhead Akron at 3:38:00. (20:38:00 UTC).

Great Circle route from Detroit, Michigan, across Lake Erie, to Akron, Ohio. Distance: 127 miles (204 kilometers). (Great Circle Mapper)

Mrs. Thaden Flies Akron-Detroit Route In 40 Minutes; Beats Ray Brown Record

Time Officially Clocked as Plane Hurtles Over Municipal Airport

By Helen Waterhouse

RUSHING through space in her streamlined blue plane yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Louise Thaden, plucky Bendix race winner, broke all previous records between Detroit and Akron.

The tall Arkansas girl crossed Akron airport just 40 minutes and 43 seconds after leaving Detroit. That constituted an official record, Ray Brown, official of the National Aeronautic association, said.

“Wheels off and over the line, is the timing rule,” said Brown. “While Mrs Thaden did not actually land on the port until almost three minutes later, the time crossing the port is what counts.”

The ship had accumulated such speed that it far overshot the port, and came roaring back from the east with the thunder of an army bomber.

BEATS BROWN BY TWO MINUTES

“I beat you by two minutes, Ray,” called the smiling aviatrix as she leaned from the cockpit.

She was referring to an unofficial record made by Brown last November. At that time Brown made the trip in 42 minutes, but there were no official checkers to record it.

J.A. McCann and Airport Manager B.E. “Shorty” Fulton served in this capacity with Brown yesterday.

The girl who has constantly made air records then climbed nimbly from the ship to be greeted by her hostess, Mrs. Brown, and a small crowd of spectators.

Aside from the fact that her eyes were bloodshot from the wind, she showed no effects of the terrific speed at which she had traveled. “I hardly knew I had been in the air, it was such a short trip,” she laughed.

Bareheaded when she landed, she jammed a gray sports hat onto her tousled hair as she alighted. She wore a gray flannel dress, gray sports shoes and a belted caracul coat.

BLAMES SELF FOR PASSING PORT

Lighting one cigaret after another, she upbraided herself for having so far overshot the port.

“Gosh, I don’t know what my top speed was,” she said. “I was too busy up there. I flew at 5,000 feet all the way.”

She scanned the lowering clouds. A few drops of rain were falling. “Doubt if I get off for Montreal tomorrow,” she said cheerfully.

She explained that from Montreal she is flying to the air show in New York City.

Brown figured that the girl had averaged 160 miles and hour over the 110-mile route.

“I just thought it would it would be fun to try to beat your record,” Mrs. Thaden said to him.

After watching her speedy little ship into the Akron Airways hangar, she rode to town with the Browns.

“Things are definitely picking up in the air industry,” she said. “In the last few months I have flown all over the country, and I see great evidence of the pickup in the industry all along the line.

—Akron Beacon Journal, Vol. 98, No. 41, Friday, 22 January 1937, Page 21, at Column 5–7.

[The distance between Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and Akron Fulton International Airport (AKR) is 127 statute miles (204 kilometers). Mrs. Thaden’s average speed over the course would have been 187.147 miles per hour (301.184 kilometers per hour).]

Just four months, 18 days earlier, Louise Thaden had become the first woman to win the Bendix Trophy Race, flying another Beechraft C17R “Staggerwing,” R15835, serial number C17R-77, from Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York, to Mines Field, Los Angeles, California, in 14 hours, 55 minutes, 1.0 seconds.¹ [At this time, airplanes in the experimental or restricted categories were prohibited from displaying the U.S. national identifier, the letter N, as they were not allowed to fly outside the United States.]

Beechcraft C17R R15835 (s/n C17R-77) at the finish of the Bendix Trophy Race, Mines Field, Los Angeles, 4 September 1936. (National Air and Space Museum, Archives Division)

The Bendix race winning airplane had already been sold to the government of the República de Honduras, but Walter Beech let Louse Thaden and Blanche Wilcox Noyes fly it for the race. It was then returned to the Beechcraft plant for overhaul and repainting, before being flown to Honduras by Paul E. Zimmerman. It was assigned to the Escuela Militar de Aviacion.

Beech had another Beechcraft C17R, serial number C17R-81, and also registered NC15835, built for Louise Thaden in October 1936, the month after the Bendix Trophy Race. After being test flown by Mrs. Thaden, it was delivered to her 12 October 1936. It was painted Consolidated Blue with white trim in the same paint scheme as C17R-77. The interior had blue leather seats with Colonial Blue carpet.

C17R-81 is the airplane that Thaden flew to set the 21 January 1937 record.

The Beechcraft C17R was single-engine, single-bay biplane operated by a single pilot and could carry up to three passengers in its enclosed cabin. The basic structure was a welded tubular steel frame with wood formers and stringers. The wings and tail surfaces were built of wood spars and ribs with the leading edges and wing tips covered with plywood. The airplane was covered with doped fabric, except the cabin and engine, which were covered in sheet metal. It was equipped with electrically-operated retractable landing gear and wing flaps.

The Beechcraft Staggerwing got its name because its lower wing was placed ahead of the upper wing (negative stagger). While most biplanes had staggered wings, the Staggerwing was unusual in having negative stagger. This not only increased the pilot’s field of vision, but improved the airplane’s stability in a stall. The Staggerwing was a fast airplane for its time and set several speed and altitude records.

The Beech C17R was 24 feet, 5 inches (7.442 meters) long with a wingspan of 32 feet, 0 inches (9.754 meters) and overall height of 8 feet, 2 inches (2.489 meters). According to the Bureau of Air Commerce license certificate dated 9 October 1936, C17R-81 had an empty weight of 2,393 pounds (1,085 kilograms), and its maximum gross weight was 3,900 pounds (1,769 kilograms).

The leading edge of the Model C17 upper wing was 2 feet, 1 inches (0.635 meters) aft of the lower wing. The leading edges had 0° sweep. Both wings had an angle of incidence of 3°. The upper wing had no dihedral, but the lower wing had +1°. The mean vertical gap between the wings was 5 feet (1.524 meters), and the chord of both wings was 5 feet, 0 inches (1.524 meters). The total wing area was 273 square feet (25.4 square meters). The horizontal stabilizer had 0° incidence, while the vertical fin was offset 0° 43′ to the left of the airplane’s centerline.

This photograph of Beechcraft Model 17s under construction at Wichita, Kansas, reveals the structure of the airplane. (Beech Aircraft Corporation)

The Staggerwing was offered with a selection of engines of different displacements and horsepower ratings. The C17R was powered by an air-cooled, supercharged, 971.930-cubic-inch-displacement (15.927 liter) Wright Whirlwind 440 (R-975E3), a 9-cylinder direct-drive radial engine with a compression ratio of 6.3:1. The R-975E3 was rated at 420 horsepower at 2,200 r.p.m., and 440 horsepower at 2,250 r.p.m. for takeoff, burning 92-octane gasoline. The engine was 43.00 inches (1.092 meters) long and 45.25 inches (1.149 meters) in diameter. It weighed 700 pounds (318 kilograms). The serial number of the engine installed in C17R-81 was 12885. It drove a two-bladed adjustable pitch Hamilton Standard propeller with a diameter of 8 feet, 6 inches (2.591 meters), serial number 18560.

This engine gave the C17R Staggerwing a cruise speed of 195 miles per hour (314 kilometers per hour) at 5,000 feet (1,524 meters), 202 miles per hour (325 kilometers per hour) at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and maximum speed of 211 miles per hour (340 kilometers per hour). The service ceiling was 21,500 feet (6,553 meters) and its range with standard fuel capacity, 98 gallons (371 liters), was 800 miles (1,288 kilometers).

The rear passenger seats of C17R-81 were removed and a 56 gallon (212 liter) auxiliary fuel tank installed in their place, bringing to total fuel capacity to 121 gallons (458 liters).

Three C17R Staggerwings have been registered as N15835, including serial numbers C17R-74; C-17R-77, the Bendix race winner; and C17R-81, which was built for Thaden. FAA records indicate that the first, C17R-74, is currengtly registered N15835.

Mrs. Thaden’s personal C17R, s/n C17R-81, an incomplete restoration, was for sale at auction in November 2023.

Iris Louise McPhetridge, circa 1920 (Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System)

Louise McPhetridge, 1926. (The Razorback)

Iris Louise McPhetridge was born 12 November 1905 at Bentonville, Arkansas. She was the first of three daughters of Roy Fry McPhetridge, owner of a foundry, and Edna Hobbs McPhetridge. She was educated at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, a member of the Class of 1927. She majored in journalism, and played basketball. She was president of the Delta Delta Delta (ΔΔΔ) Sorority, Delta Iota (ΔΙ) Chapter, and president of The Panhellenic.

Louise McPhetridge had been employed by Walter Beech as a sales representative at Wichita, Kansas, and he included flying lessons with her employment. She received her pilot’s license from the National Aeronautic Association, signed by Orville Wright, 16 May 1928.

Louise Thaden’s pilot license, No. 6850, issued by the National Aeronautic Association and signed by Orville Wright. (The Central Arkansas Library System)

Miss McPhetridge married Mr. Herbert von Thaden at San Francisco, California, 21 July 1928. Thaden was a former military pilot and an engineer. They would have two children, William and Patricia. Thaden had founded the Thaden Metal Aircraft Company, builder of the all-metal Thaden T-1, T-2, and T-4 Argonaut. Thaden went on to design molded plywood furniture for the Thaden-Jordan Furniture Corporation. His designs are considered to be works of art, and individual pieces sell for as much as $30,000 today.

In 1929, she was issued Transport Pilot License number 1943 by the Department of Commerce. Mrs. Thaden was the fourth woman to receive an Airline Transport Pilot rating.

Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden with her husband, Herbert von Thaden, in front of a Beechcraft C17R Staggerwing, NR15385. (San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives, Catalog #: WOF_00355)

Louise Thaden is credited with having set four Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) world records.

Mrs. Thaden set an FAI World Record for Altitude of 6,178 meters (20,269 feet) over Oakland, California, 7 December 1928.²

On 17 March 1929, she set an FAI record for duration of 22 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds.³

14–22 August 1932 Thaden and Frances Marsalis flew a Curtiss Thrush to set an FAI world record for duation of 196 hours, 5 minutes.⁴

12 July 1936: World Record for Speed Over 100 Kilometers with an average speed of 176.35 kilometers per hour (109.58 miles per hour).⁵

Louise Thaden was secretary of the National Aeronautic Association, and was a co-founder of The Ninety-Nines, serving as that organization’s vice president and treasurer. She set several world and national records and was awarded the US. national Harmon Trophy as Champion Aviatrix of the United States in 1936. She was also employed by the Bureau of Air Commerce.

Louise Thaden stopped flying in 1938. She died at High Point, North Carolina, 9 November 1979.

¹ Please see “This Day in Aviation” at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/4-september-1936/

² FAI Record File Number 12221. Please see TDiA for 7 December 1928 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/7-december-1928/

³ FAI Record File Number 12223. Please see TDiA for 17 March 1929 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/17-march-1929/

⁴ FAI Record File Number 12347. Please see TDiA for 14–22 August 1932 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/14-22-august-1932/

⁵ FAI Record File Number 12022. Please see TDiA for 12 July 1936 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/12-july-1936/

20 January 1932

January 20, 2025AviationAirliner, Bristol Jupiter XFBM, Bristol Jupiter XI F, Civil Transport, G-AAXF, Handley Page HP.42, Handley Page Limited, Helena, Imperial Airways, SpeedbirdBryan Swopes

Imperial Airways' Handley Page H.P. 42E, G-AAXF, Helena, in flight. (San Diego Air and Space Museum) — Imperial Airways’ Handley Page HP.42, G-AAXF, Helena, in flight. (San Diego Air & Space Museum Archive)

Imperial Airways’ “Speedbird” logo by Theyre Lee-Elliott, from a baggage label, 1933.

20 January 1932: Imperial Airways’ Handley Page HP.42, G-AAXF, named Helena, departed Croydon Aerodrome, South London, England, on the first leg of the airline’s new intercontinental mail service to South Africa. The flights would leave Croydon at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday and arrive at Cape Town on Friday, ten days later.

The route was London, Cairo, Khartoum, Juba, Nairobi, Mbeya, Salisbury, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The initial flights carried mail only, but scheduled passenger service was soon added. The cost of the flight from London to Cape Town was £130.

‘ON Wednesday, Jan. 20, the first load of mails left Croydon for Cape town and intermediate stations by Imperial Airways service. Our two maps show the route which will be followed, the stages for each day and the types of aircraft used on each section.” —FLIGHT The Aircraft Engineer and Airships, No. 1204, Vol. XXIV. No. 4, 22 January 1932 at Page 74

The HP.42 was a large four-engine biplane built by Handley Page Limited, Hertfordshire, for Imperial Airlines’ long-distance routes. There were two models, the HP.42, for the eastern routes to India and Africa, and the HP.45 for the western flight. (Imperial Airways designated them as “H.P. 42E” and “H.P. 45W.”) The HP.42 could carry 20 passengers and a large amount of baggage. The HP. 45 could carry up to 38 passengers, but less baggage. The variants used different engines. Two of the HP.45 variant, of which Helena was one, were converted to the HP.42 configuration.

Imperial Airways' Handley Page H.P. 42 G-AAXF, Helena, at Gaza. (Library of Congress) — Imperial Airways’ Handley Page HP.42 G-AAXF, Helena, at Gaza. (Library of Congress)

The HP.42 was operated by a flight crew of four and could carry six passengers in a forward compartment and twelve aft. The airliner was of all-metal construction, covered in duralumin sheet. It was 89 feet, 9 inches (27.356 meters) long. The upper wing had a span of 130 feet, 0 inches (39.624 meters), and the lower, 94 feet, 0 inches (28.651 meters). The overall height of the airplane was 27 feet (8.230 meters). The lower wing had an unusual configuration with the section inboard of the engine angled upward so that its spars crossed over the passenger cabin, rather than through. The empty weight was 17,740 pounds (8,047 kilograms) and maximum takeoff weight was 28,000 pounds (12,701 kilograms.)

Cutaway Illustration of a Handley Page HP.42, by George Horace Davis, 1930.

The HP.42 was powered by four air-cooled, supercharged 1,752.788-cubic-inch-displacement (28.723 liter) Bristol Jupiter XI F 9-cylinder radial engines with a compression ratio of 5:1, which had a normal power rating of 460 horsepower at 2,000 r.p.m., and produced a maximum of 510 horsepower at 2,250 r.p.m., each. Two engines were mounted in nacelles between the upper and lower wings, and two were mounted on the lower wing. All four engines were left-hand tractors, driving four-bladed propellers through a 2:1 gear reduction. The Jupiter XI weighed 880 pounds (399 kilograms). The throttles were arranged so that the upper engines could go to full throttle only after the lower engines, rather than simultaneously.

The HP.42 had a cruise speed of 96 miles per hour (155 kilometers per hour) and its maximum speed was 120 miles per hour (193 kilometers per hour). The airliner’s range was 500 miles (805 kilometers).

Imperial Airways' Handley Page H.P. 45, G-AAXF, Helena, being moved by a ground crew. (State Library of New South Wales) — Imperial Airways’ Handley Page HP.42, G-AAXF, Helena, being moved by a ground crew. (State Library of New South Wales)

Several aircraft were placed in service with the Royal Air Force at the beginning of World War II. Helena was damaged in a hard landing, and after inspection, was scrapped. By 1941, all HP.42s had been destroyed.

Imperial Airways poster by Theyre Lee-Elliott (David Lee Theyre Elliott), 1932. Elliott created the “Speedbird” logo. (1stdibs)

19 January 1975

January 19, 2025Aviation72-0119, 9066, Air Superiority Fighter, Aquila Maxima, FAI, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Grand Forks AFB, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, McDonnell Douglas F-15A-6-MC Eagle, National Aeronautic Association, Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100, Roger Jameson Smith, Streak Eagle, World Record for Time to Climb to a Height of 20000 MetersBryan Swopes

McDonnell Douglas F-15A-6-MC Streak Eagle 72-0119. (U.S. Air Force)

Major Roger J. Smith, u.S. Air Force — Major Roger J. Smith, U.S. Air Force

19 January 1975: Major Roger Jameson Smith, United States Air Force, a test pilot assigned to the F-15 Joint Test Force at Edwards AFB, California, flew the McDonnell Douglas F-15A-6-MC 72-0119, Streak Eagle, to its sixth Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and U.S. National Aeronautic Association time-to-altitude record.

From brake release at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, at 913 feet (278 meters) above Sea Level, the F-15 reached 20,000 meters (65,617 feet) in 122.94 seconds.

This was the sixth time-to-altitude record set by Streak Eagle in just three days.

FAI Record File Num #9066 [Direct Link]
Status: ratified – retired by changes of the sporting code
Region: World
Class: C (Powered Aeroplanes)
Sub-Class: C-1 (Landplanes)
Category: Not applicable
Group: 3 : turbo-jet
Type of record: Time to climb to a height of 20 000 m
Performance: 2 min 02.94s
Date: 1975-01-19
Course/Location: Grand Forks, ND (USA)
Claimant Roger J. Smith (USA)
Aeroplane: McDonnell Douglas F-15
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney F-100

Roger Smith’s United States National Record still stands.

Streak Eagle is a very early production F-15A-6-MC Eagle, a single-seat, twin-engine air superiority fighter. It is 63 feet, 9.0 inches (19.431 meters) long with a wingspan of 42 feet, 9.7 inches (13.048 meters) and overall height of 18 feet, 5.4 inches (5.624 meters). The F-15A has an empty weight of 25,870 pounds (11,734 kilograms) and its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 44,497 pounds (20,184 kilograms).

The F-15A is powered by two Pratt & Whitney JTF22A-25A (F100-PW-100) afterburning turbofan engines. The F100 is a two-spool, axial-flow turbine engine with a 3-stage fan section; 10-stage compressor; single chamber combustion section; and 4-stage turbine (2 low- and 2 high-pressure stages). The engine has a Maximum Continuous Power rating of 12,410 pounds of thrust (55.202 kilonewtons); 14,690 pounds (65.344 kilonewtons, 30-minute limit; and a maximum 23,840 pounds (106.046 kilonewtons), 5-minute limit. The F100-PW-100 is 191 inches (4.851 meters) long, 46.5 inches (1.181 meters) in diameter, and weighs 3,035 pounds (1,376.7 kilograms).

The cruise speed of the F-15A Eagle is 502 knots (578 miles per hour/930 kilometers per hour). It has a maximum speed of 893 knots (1,028 miles per hour/1,654 kilometers per hour) at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), and 1,434 knots (1,650 miles per hour/2,656 kilometers per hour) at 45,000 feet (13,716 meters). The ceiling is 63,050 feet (19,218 meters) at maximum power. It can climb at an initial 67,250 feet per minute (342 meters per second) from Sea Level, and with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.15:1, The F-15 can climb straight up. The Eagle’s combat radius is 638 nautical miles (734 statute miles/1,182kilometers).

The F-15A is armed with one General Electric M61A1 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon with 938 rounds of ammunition, four AIM-7 Sparrow radar-guided missiles and four AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles.

384 F-15A Eagles were built before production shifted to the improved F-15C version. As F-15Cs became operational, the F-15As were transferred to Air National Guard units assigned to defend continental U.S. airspace. The last F-15A was retired from service in 2009.

Streak Eagle was specially modified for the record attempts. Various equipment that would not be needed for these flights was eliminated: The flap and speed brake actuators, the M61 cannon and its ammunition handling equipment, the radar and fire control systems, unneeded cockpit displays and radios, and one generator.

Other equipment was added: An extended pitot boom was mounted at the nose with alpha and beta vanes; equipment for the pilot’s David Clark Company A/P-225-6 full pressure suit; extremely sensitive accelerometers and other instrumentation; extra batteries; an in-cockpit video camera aimed over the pilot’s shoulder; and perhaps most important, a special hold-back device was installed in place of the fighter’s standard arresting hook.

These changes resulted in an airplane that was approximately 1,800 pounds (817 kilograms) lighter than the standard production F-15A. This gave it a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.4:1.

Streak Eagle, the modified McDonnell Douglas F-15A-6-MC, 72-0119, on the runway at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota, being prepared for a flight record attempt. (U.S. Air Force)

The flight profiles for the record attempts were developed by McDonnell Douglas Chief Developmental Test Pilot, Charles P. “Pete” Garrison (Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, Retired).

Streak Eagle carried only enough fuel for each specific flight, and for the 20,000 meter climb, weighed 29,877 pounds (13,552 kilograms). It was secured to the hold-back device on the runway and the engines were run up to full afterburner. It was released from the hold-back and was airborne in just three seconds.

When the F-15 reached 428 knots (793.4 kilometers per hour), the pilot pulled up into an Immelman, holding 2.5 Gs. Streak Eagle arrived back over the air base, in level flight at about 32,000 feet (9,754 meters), but upside down. Rolling up right, Streak Eagle continued accelerating to Mach 1.5 when the pilot pulled the fighter up at 4.0 Gs until it reached a 55° climb angle until it reached 20,000 meters

Because Streak Eagle was a very early production airplane, its internal structure was weaker than the final production F-15A standard. It was considered too expensive to modify it to the new standard. It was transferred to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in December 1980.

McDonnell Douglas F-15A Streak Eagle at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force 240528-F-IO108-055)

Roger Jameson Smith was born 26 January 1935 at Fostoria, Ohio. He was the son of Ruland Leslie Smith, an illuminating engineer for a glass works, and Frances Victora Shaw Smith. He attended Newark High School, Newark, Ohio, graduating in 1953.

Following high school, Smith studied at Ohio State University. He was a member of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (R.O.T.C.), the Alpha Tau Omega (ΑΤΩ) fraternity, Pi Tau Sigma (ΠΤΣ) and the Tau Beta Pi (ΤΒΠ) engineering honor societies. He graduated in 1958 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He later earned a masters degree from the University of Southern California.

Roger Smith was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force Reserve in October 1958. He then trained as a pilot.

Second Lieutenant Roger Jameson Smith married Miss Marilyn Ann Dickey at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, 6 June 1959, Weaver Memorial Chapel at Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio. The ceremony was presided over by Rev. Dr. Edgar F. Drumel. They would eventually have three children.

Smith deployed to Germany for two operational tours. He served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In 1967, he flew 75 combat missions from Bien Hoa Air Base, Republic of South Vietnam, in the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, then 128 missions in the Republic F-105D Thunderchief from Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand.

Smith graduated from the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He also attended the United States Naval War College.

Roger J. Smith retired from the United States Air Force in 1984. He had flown more than 5,000 hours, and had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and ten Air Medals. For his flights in Streak Eagle, Smith was awarded the Mackay Trophy.

Colonel Roger Jameson Smith, U.S. Air Force (Retired) died 24 April 2021 at the age of 86 years. His remains were interred at the Jacksonville National Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida.

19 January 1950

January 19, 2025Aviation(42288), Aéroport de Paris – Le Bourget, Avro Canada CF-100 Mark 1, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Gloster Aircraft Co. Ltd., Gloster GA.5 Javelin, Gloster Meteor F. Mk.IV, Group Captain Hugh Joseph Wilson CBE AFC and Two Bars, Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, Janusz Żurakowski, Rolls-Royce Avon R.A.2, Squadron Leader William Arthur Waterton AFC and Bar GM RAF, World Record for Speed Over a 3 Kilometer Course, World Record for Speed Over a Closed Circuit of 100 KilometersBryan Swopes

Avro Canada CF-100 Mark 1, 18101 (Avro Canada, via Harold A. Skaarup)

19 January 1950: At Malton Airport,¹ northwest of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Gloster Aircraft Company’s chief test pilot, Squadron Leader William Arthur Waterton, AFC and Bar, GM, took the prototype Avro Canada CF-100 Mark 1, serial number 18101, for its first flight. Waterton, a Canadian, had been loaned to Avro Canada by Gloster for the test flight. (Avro Canada and Gloster were both owned by the Hawker Siddeley Group. Waterton was the most experienced jet aircraft pilot in the group at the time.)

The first flight lasted approximately 40 minutes, reaching 180 knots (207 miles per hour/333 kilometers per hour) and 5,000 feet (1524 meters). The only problem was that the button for cycling the landing gear would not operate, so Waterton decided to continue the flight with the gear down.² After landing Waterton said,

“She handled extremely well. Avro Canada seems to have overcome many points of criticism in existing fighters.”

—Manchester Evening News, #25,159 Friday, January 20, 1950, Page 5 Column 4

Bill Waterton later wrote,

The trouble had been simple. The shock-absorbing undercarriage legs were British developed and, unknown to the makers, were contracting slightly in the cold. Consequently, when the ‘plane’s weight came off the wheels, the legs did not “stretch” as much as they should have done—there was insufficient “stretch” to release the electrically triggered safety switch. When modifications were made the undercarriage gave no further trouble.

—The Quick and The Dead, Squadron Leader W.A. Waterton, G.M., A.F.C. and bar. Frederick Muller Ltd., London, 1956, Chapter 11 at Page 168

Avro Canada CF-101 Mark 1 18101 with government officials and test pilot Bill Waterton (Library and Archives Canada, MIKAN No. 4047130/Neil Corbett, Test & Research Pilots, Flight Test Engineers)

CF-100 18101 was the first of two Mark 1 prototypes for a twin-engine, all-weather, long range fighter. It had originally been designated XC-100. It was a large two-place aircraft, with a low, straight wing and a high-mounted horizontal stabilizer. It had tricycle landing gear. Each strut mounted two tires to support the weight of the aircraft. The two engines were mounted in long nacelles above the wings and on either side of the fuselage.

The CF-100 Mark 1 prototypes were 52 feet, 6 inches (16.002 meters) long, with a wing span of 52 feet, 0 inches (15.850 meters) and overall height of 14 feet, 6.4 inches (4.430 meters). They had an empty weight of 19,185 pounds (8,702 kilograms), and gross weight of 31,877 pounds (14,459 kilograms).

The prototypes were powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon RA.2 turbojet engines. (Some sources say the engines were RA.3s, though a specific mark is not described.) The Avon R.A.2 was a single-spool, axial flow turbojet with a 12-stage compressor section and single-stage turbine. It was rated at 6,000 pounds of thrust (26.69 kilonewtons). The RA.2 weighed 2,400 pounds (1,089 kilograms). The RA.2 also powered the English Electric Canberra B.1 prototype. Production CF-100s would be powered by the Avro Canada Orenda engine.

The Mark 1 had a maximum speed of 552 miles per hour (888 kilometers per hour) at 40,000 feet (12,192 meters). It could climb at 9,800 feet per minute (49.8 meters per second). Its service ceiling was 50,000 feet (15,240 meters).

The two Mark 1s had no radar and were not armed.

Avro Canada CF-100 Mark 1 18101, FB D. (Avro Canada)

Following the two Mark 1 prototypes, Avro Canada produced ten Mark 2 pre-production aircraft, two of which were trainers. The first operational variant was the CF-100 Mark 3. It was equipped with radar and armed with eight Browning M3 .50-caliber machine guns with 200 rounds of ammunition per gun.

The Mark 4 was equipped with a more powerful radar. In addition to the machine guns, armament consisted of 58 unguided 2.75 inch (70 millimeter) Mark 4 Folding Fin Aerial Rockets (FFARs), each with a 6 pound 92.7 kilogram) explosive warhead. These were carried in wingtip pods.

Two Avro Canada CF-100 Mark 4B all-weather, long-range interceptors, 18423 and 18470. (Royal Canadian Air Force)

On 18 Dec 1952, Avro Canada test pilot Janusz Żurakowski put CF-101 Mark 4 serial number 18112 into a dive from 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) and reached Mach 1.10. This was the first time that a straight wing aircraft exceeded Mach 1 without rocket power.

The majority of CF-100s were the Mark 5 variant. These had a greater wing span and larger horizontal stabilizer. The machine guns were eliminated.

Avro Canada CF-100 Mark 5 18539. (Royal Canadian Air Force)

A total of 692 of all types were built. 53 were sold to the Belgian Air Force. The CF-100 remained in service with the Royal Canadian Air Force until 1981.

CF-100 Mark 1 18102 was used to test wingtip-mounted fuel tanks. It crashed 5 April 1951 and was destroyed. Test pilot Flight Lieutenant Bruce Warren and flight engineer Jack Hieber were killed. The crew may have suffered hypoxia.

18101 was retained for testing. It was scrapped in 1965.

“Royal Air Force test pilot Squadron Leader Bill Waterton (1916-2006) AFC, of the RAF High Speed Flight, posed at a RAF station in England in August 1946. Bill Waterton, with fellow test pilots Neville Duke and Edward Donaldson, are preparing to attempt to break the world air speed record in a Gloster Meteor F4 jet aircraft. (Photo by Edward Malindine/Popperfoto via Getty Images)” Waterton’s ribbons are the Air Force Cross and the 1939–45 Star campaign medal.

William Arthur Waterton was born 18 March 1916, at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was the first of two sons of William Albert Waterton, a police officer, and Mary Elizabeth Sereda Waterton. After high school, he attended Camrose Normal School, Alberta, a college for teachers. He then spent two years the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, graduating 1937. While there, he was a boxer. Waterton was commissioned in the 19th Alberta Dragoons in 1938.

Waterton crossed the Atlantic Ocean to attend the Civil Flying Training School, Hanworth, Feltham, Middlesex. He departed St. John, New Brunswick, aboard the 22,022 gross registered ton (62,322 cubic meters) Canadian Pacific passenger liner Duchess of Richmond, arriving at Liverpool on 17 April 1939.

Duchess of Richmond (John H. Brown & Co., Ltd.)

On 10 June 1939, Bill Waterton was granted a short service commission in the Royal Air Force as an Acting Pilot Officer on probation for six years on the active list. (RAF serial number 42288)

Six months later,18 November 1939, Acting Pilot Officer on probation William Arthur Waterton was graded as Pilot Officer on probation.

A Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, N2320, assigned to No. 242 Squadron, Royal Air Force, circa 1940.

Pilot Officer Waterton was assigned to No. 242 Squadron, the first all-Canadian fighter squadron, at RAF Church Fenton, southeast of Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England. The Second World War had been underway for twelve weeks.

On 25 May 1940 his Hawker Hurricane Mk.I ² (squadron code “LE”), was disabled by anti-aircraft fire over Dunkerque, France. Waterton made it across the English Channel to Dover where he crash landed, suffering a severe head injury. Waterton was unconscious in a London hospital for five days, and remained hospitalized for three months.

Waterton’s Hurricane was repaired and returned to service.

On 18 Nov 1940, Pilot Officer on probation Waterton was confirmed in his appointment and promoted to the rank of Flying Officer.

After returning to flight status, Flying Officer Waterton was assigned as a flight instructor with No. 6 Operational Training Unit (OTU).

Flying Officer Waterton was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant, 18 January 1941.

Waterton served as a flight instructor in Canada in throughout 1942.

Flight Lieutenant William Arthur Waterton was awarded the Air Force Cross, 1 January 1943.

Waterton was next assigned to the Transatlantic Ferry Command, then transferred to No. 124 Squadron at RAF Manston, where he flew the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VI and VII. In September 1943, he was assigned to No.1409 (Meteorological) Flight at RAF Oakington, which was equipped with unarmed de Havilland Mosquitos.

In May 1944, Waterton was assigned to the Air Fighting Development Unit (Central Fighter Establishment) at RAF Wittering, testing captured enemy aircraft and comparing them to Allied aircraft.

On 13 April 1945, Flight Lieutenant Waterton was transferred to reserve and called up for Air Force service.

Flight Lieutenant Waterton was promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader in June 1946.

Waterton attended No. 5 Empire Test Pilots School at Hanworth, where he had begun his aviation career in 1939.

After the War, Waterton was selected for the RAF High Speed Flight. Along with Group Captain Edward Mortlock (“Teddy”) Donaldson and Squadron Leader Neville Frederick Duke, he was to attempt a world speed record with the Gloster Meteor F. Mk.IV fighter.

Gloster Meteor F. Mk.4 EE549, the world record holder, at RAF Tangmere, 1 August 1946. (FlightGlobal)

On Friday, 16 August 1946, Squadron Leader Waterton flew Gloster Meteor F. Mk.IV EE550 ³ to 620 miles per hour (998 kilometers per hour) over a 3 kilometer course. Although this was 14 miles per hour (23 kilometers per hour) over the existing record, it was not an official record.

Squadron Leader William Arthur Waterton, AFC, RAF, climbing from the cockpit of his Gloster Meteor IV after a speed record attempt, at RAF Tangmere, 1946. (Neil Corbett, Test & Research Pilots, Flight Test Engineers)

On 7 September 1946, Waterton made made five runs over the course with EE550 during a 21 minute period. However, Group Captain Donaldson, flying Meteor IV EE549, established a new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Speed Over a 3 Kilometer Course, averaging 991 kilometers per hour (615.779 miles per hour). [FAI Record File Number 9848] This exceeded the record record set by Group Captain Hugh Joseph Wilson with Meteor IV EE455, 7 November 1945. [FAI Record File Number 9847] (Please see This Day in Aviation for 7 November 1945 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/7-november-1945/ )

Interestingly, Donaldson had said that he thought that Waterton’s Meteor was the faster of the two.

Group Captain Edward M. Donaldson passing a timing station on the high speed course in Gloster Meteor F. Mk.IV EE549. (Royal Air Force)

“Squadron Leader Bill Waterton leaves Gloster Meteor EE549 at Farnborough after flying from Le Bourget to Croydon in 20 minutes at an average speed of 616 mph on 16 January 1947.” (Mary Evans Picture Library Media ID 18387988)

On 16 January 1947, Bill Waterton flew Meteor IV EE549 (the world record holder) from Aéroport de Paris – Le Bourget, to London, a distance of 208 statute miles, in 20 minutes, 11 seconds, at an average speed of 618.4 miles per hour (995.2 kilometers per hour). (This is not an official record.)

(The Daily Telegraph, No. 28,571, Friday, January 17, 1947, Page 13, Columns 4–5)

Great Circle route from Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget to Croydon Airport, 174 nautical miles (200 statute miles/322 kilometers). (Great Circle Mapper)

Acting Squadron Leader William Arthur Waterton, R.A.F.O. (Reserve of Air Force Officers), was awarded a Bar to his Air Force Cross (a second award of the AFC), 12 June 1947.

Waterton left the Royal Air Force and joined Gloster Aircraft Co. Ltd. on 21 October 1947as a test pilot at a salary of £1,000 per year. In addition to testing improved Meteor variants, he was also assigned to the experimental E.1/44 and the delta-winged GA.5 Javelin. On 1 April 1948, he was appointed the company’s chief test pilot with an increase to £1,500 per year.

On 6 February 1948, Squadron Leader Waterton, flying a Gloster Meteor F. Mk.IV, VT103, set an Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Speed Over a Closed Circuit of 100 Kilometers, averaging 873.786 kilometers per hour (542.945miles per hour/471.807 knots). The course was from RAF Moreton Valence, southwest of Gloucester, to Evesham Bridge, Pershore Aerodrome, Defford Aerodrome and Grange Court Junction.⁴

Waterton had made an attempt earlier in the day with a Meteor F. Mk.V, averaging only 522 m.p.h. (840 kilometers per hour). Disappointed, he switched to a standard production Meteor IV and tried again.

The second E.1/44 prototype was the first to fly, with Waterton at the controls, 9 March 1948. (The first had been damaged while being transported by truck.) Waterton called the airplane the Gloster Gormless, “since she was so heavy for her single Nene engine.”

Gloster E.1/44 (Imperial War Museum ATP 17442B)

Waterton took the prototype Gloster GA.5 Javelin, WD804, for its first flight, 26 November 1951.

Gloster GA.5 Javelin WD804. (Royal Air Force)

On 29 June 1952, while Waterton was conducting the Javelin’s 99th flight, it experienced extreme flutter and both elevators separated from the airplane. Using the horizontal stabilizer’s trim control, Waterton was able to land the aircraft at RAF Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, though at a much higher speed than normal. The landing gear collapsed. The aircraft caught fire and was ultimately destroyed.

Bill Waterton was awarded the George Medal by Queen Elizabeth II.

In July 1953, Bill Waterton married Marjorie E. Stocks at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

A 1956 First Edition of Bill Waterton’s book, The Quick and the Dead.

Very critical of the safety record of the British aircraft industry, Waterton left Gloster and became an aviation correspondent for the Daily Express. After publishing his autobiography, The Quick and the Dead, in 1956, in which he continued his criticism of the aircraft industry, he was fired. The newspaper said that the aviation industry had stopped buying advertising space.

Bill Waterton returned to Canada, residing at Owen Sound, Ontario.

Squadron Leader William Arthur Waterton, AFC and Bar, GM, Royal Air Force, died 17 April 2006, at Owen Sound. He was 90 years of age. His remains were interred at the Oxenden Cemetery, Oxenden, Ontario, Canada.

¹ Today known as Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

² Martin’s Aviation Pages states L1654: https://martinaviationpages.com/25-may-1940/

Royal Air Force Commands Hurricane Mk.I data base says L1852: https://www.rafcommands.com/database/hurricanes/details.php?uniq=L1852

³ EE550 was destroyed 6 January 1951, west of Ashford, Kent. At 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) its pilot, Pilot Officer Thomas Charles Hood, RAF, was seen not wearing his oxygen mask. The meteor pitched up, rolled over and dived into the ground.

⁴ FAI Record File Number 8882

19 January 1937

January 19, 2025AviationHoward Hughes, Howard Robard Hughes Jr., Hughes Aircraft Company, Hughes H-1 Racer, Hughes Model 1B, Newark Metropolitan Airport, NR258Y, NX258Y, Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Jr., Transcontinental Flight, Transcontinental Speed Record, Union Air TerminalBryan Swopes

19 January 1937: Howard Robard Hughes, Jr., departed Union Air Terminal, Burbank, California, at 2:14 a.m., Pacific Standard Time (10:14 UTC) aboard his Hughes Aircraft Company H-1 Racer, NR258Y. He flew non-stop across the North American continent to Newark Metropolitan Airport, Newark, New Jersey, and arrived overhead at 12:42:25 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (17:42:25 UTC).

Hughes completed the 2,490-mile (4,007.3 kilometer) flight in 7 hours, 28 minutes, 25 seconds, at an average speed of 332 miles per hour (534 kilometers per hour). He broke the existing record, which he himself had set just over one year previously in a Northrop Gamma, by more than two hours.¹ (The 1937 flight is not recognized as an FAI record.)

Hughes H-1 NX258Y. (Hughes Aircraft Company)

The New York Times reported:

All landplane distance speed records were broken yesterday by Howard Hughes, millionaire sportsman pilot, who reached Newark Airport 7 hours 28 minutes and 25 seconds after he took off from Los Angeles, Calif. He was forced to stay aloft until the runway at the field was clear and landed at 1:03 P.M. His average speed was 332 miles an hour for the 2,490 miles he traveled.

Grimy from the smoke of his exhaust stacks the lanky pilot climbed out of his cramped cockpit and grinned. In recounting his experiences on the flight he said that the skies were overcast all the way and he had to fly on top of the clouds . . .

It was 2:14 o’clock in the morning and pitch dark when he opened the throttle at the Union Air Terminal at Burbank and released the 1,100 horsepower sealed in the fourteen cylinders of his supercharged Twin Row Wasp engine. The sleek gray and ble low-winged monoplane, designed and built under his own direction, staggered, accelerated and then literally vaulted into the air. Within a few seconds Hughes climbed into the low-hanging clouds and swung eastward . . .

At 14,000 feet, at which altitude he flew most of the way, he passed over the clouds, set his course and leveled off. He throttled his engine back until it was delivering only 375 horsepower and hunched himself over his instrument panel . . .

His arrival at Newark was unheralded and a surprise. It was thought that he was going to land at Chicago. The new United Air Lines extra-fare plane was loaded for its initial run and already had its door locked when the propeller whir of the hurling racer apparently made the buildings tremble from sound vibration as Hughes swept low across the field. William Zint of the Longines Watch Company, official timer for the National Aeronautic Association, noted the time. It was exactly 42 minutes and 25 seconds after noon.

Hughes pulled up in a sweeping chandelle maneuver and circled. The United Air Liner was already on the runway when Hughes swung back toward the flaps on his wing to slacken speed for landing . . . and the plane settled fast toward the earth. Still the pilot had no signal from the control tower where the dispatchers act as traffic patrols at the busiest airport in the world. Hughes had to open his throttle again and cruise around the field for some time before the green light at last came on. The United plane was then well on its course toward Chicago. Hughes’s plane slid in over the airport boundary, dropped it’s retractable undercarriage and tail wheel and touched both wheels and tail wheel in a perfect three-point landing at 1:02:30 P.M. . . .

— Excerpted from an article in The New York Times, Wednesday, 20 January 1937, Page 1 at Columns 6 and 7.

After landing at Newark, Hughes told newspaper reporters, “I flew at 14,000 feet most of the way,” Hughes said, “with my highest speed 370 miles an hour. I used about 200 of the 280-gallon load. I am very tired—a bit shaky.”

[Richard W.] Palmer met Hughes at Newark Airport. The two men shook their heads at each other. “I knew she was fast,” Hughes told his chief engineer, “but I didn’t know she was that fast.”

— Newark, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 19.—(AP)

Howard Hughes with his H-1 Racer, NR258Y.

The Hughes H-1 (FAA records describe the airplane as a Hughes Model 1B, serial number 1) was a single-seat, single-engine low wing monoplane with retractable landing gear, designed by Richard W. Palmer. Emphasis had been placed on an aerodynamically clean design and featured flush riveting on the aluminum skin of the fuselage. The airplane is 27 feet, 0 inches long (8.230 meters) with a wingspan of 31 feet, 9 inches (9.677 meters) and height of 8 feet (2.438 meters). (A second set of wings with a span of 25 feet (7.6 meters) was used on Hughes’ World Speed Record ² flight, 13 September 1935.) The H-1 has an empty weight of 3,565 pounds (1,617 kilograms) and gross weight of 5,492 pounds (2,491 kilograms).

The H-1 was powered by an air-cooled, supercharged, 1,534.943-cubic-inch-displacement (25.153 liter) Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Jr., a two-row, fourteen-cylinder radial engine. Pratt & Whitney produced 18 civil and 22 military versions of the Twin Wasp Jr., in both direct drive and geared configurations, rated from 650 to 950 horsepower. It is not known which version powered the H-1, but various sources report that it was rated from 700 to 1,000 horsepower. The engine drove a two-bladed Hamilton Standard controllable-pitch propeller.