29 June 1965: At 10:21:17.6 PDT, Captain Joe H. Engle, United States Air Force, flying the Number Three North American Aviation X-15A-3 research rocketplane, 56-6672, was air-dropped from the NB-52B Stratofortress mothership, Balls 8, over Delamar Dry Lake in Nevada. This was the 138th flight of the X-15 Program, and Joe Engle’s 12th. He fired the Reaction Motors XLR99-RM-1 engine for 81.0 seconds and accelerated to Mach 4.94 (3,432 miles per hour, 5,523 kilometers per hour). The X-15 climbed to an altitude of 280,600 feet (85,527 meters, 53.14 miles). He touched down at Edwards Air Force Base after 10 minutes, 34.2 seconds of flight. His parents were at Edwards to witness his flight.
Captain Engle qualified for Astronaut wings on this flight, the third and youngest Air Force pilot to do so.
Command Pilot Astronaut insignia, United States Air Force
From 1963 and 1965, Joe Engle made 14 flights in the three X-15s. After leaving the X-15 Program, he was assigned to the Apollo Program, the only NASA astronaut with prior spaceflight experience. He was the back-up Lunar Module pilot for Apollo 14 and he was the designated LM pilot for Apollo 17 but was replaced by Harrison Schmidt when Apollo 18 was cancelled. Next he went on to the Space Shuttle Program. He was a Mission Commander for the Enterprise flight tests and for Columbia‘s second orbital flight, during which he became the only pilot to manually fly a Mach 25 approach and landing. Finally, he commanded the Discovery STS 51-1 mission.
Joe Engle retired from the Air Force in 1986. He was then promoted to the rank of Major General and assigned to the Kansas Air National Guard. He has flown at least 185 aircraft types and accumulated 14,700 flight hours, with 224 hours in space.
Captain Joe H. Engle, U.S. Air Force, with the North American Aviation X-15A-2, 56-6671, at Edwards Air Force Base, California, 1965. (NASA)
The first operational Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, RB-52B-15-BO 52-8711. (U.S. Air Force)
29 June 1955: The first operational Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, RB-52B-15-BO 52-8711, was delivered to the 93rd Bombardment Wing, Heavy, at Castle Air Force Base, Merced, California. The bomber was accepted from Boeing at Larson Air Force Base, Moses Lake, Washington, by the 93rd’s commanding officer, Brigadier General William Emanuel Eubank, Jr., U.S. Air Force, before flying to Castle. The new long-range heavy bombers would replace the 93rd’s Boeing B-47 Stratojets.
Fifty B-52Bs were built by Boeing at its Plant 2, Seattle, Washington. Twenty-seven of these were RB-52B reconnaissance bombers. They were designed to accept a pressurized electronic intelligence and photographic reconnaissance capsule with a two-man crew that completely filled the bomb bay. Without the capsule aboard, the RB-52s were capable of the same bombing missions as their sister B-52Bs. The change could be made within a few hours.
Pressurized two-man RB-52 reconnaissance pod. (U.S. Air Force)
The B-52B/RB-52B was operated by a six-man flight crew for the bombing mission, and eight for reconnaissance. These were the aircraft commander/pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radar navigator/bombardier, electronic warfare officer, and gunner, plus two reconnaissance technicians when required.
The airplane was 156.6 feet, (47.7 meters) long with a wingspan of 185.0 feet (56.4 meters) and overall height of 48.3 feet (14.7 meters). The wings were mounted high on the fuselage (“shoulder-mounted”) to provide clearance for the engines which were suspended on pylons. The wings’ leading edges were swept aft to 36° 54′. Their angle of incidence was 6° and there was 2° 30′ dihedral. The wing area was 4,000 square feet (372 square meters). The B-52B’s calculated empty weight was 164,081 pounds (74,426 kilograms), with a combat weight of 272,000 pounds (123,377 kilograms) and a maximum takeoff weight of 420,000 pounds (190,509 kilograms).
The bomb bay of this RB-52B-10-BO Stratofortress, 52-012, is open, revealing the reconnaissance pod. (U.S. Air Force)
Early production B-52Bs were powered by eight Pratt & Whitney J57-P-1W turbojet engines, while later aircraft were equipped with J57-P-19W and J57-P-29W or WA turbojets. The engines were grouped in two-engine pods on four under-wing pylons. The J57 was a two-spool, axial-flow engine with a 16-stage compressor section (9 low- and 7-high-pressure stages) and a 3-stage turbine section (1 high- and 2 low-pressure stages). The J57-PW-1 engines had a Normal Power rating of 8,250 pounds of thrust (32.698 kilonewtons) at 9,720 r.p.m., N1, continuous; Military Power, 9,500 pounds thrust (42.258 kilonewtons) at 9,950 r.p.m., N1, for 30 minutes; and Maximum Power, 11,100 pounds of thrust (49.375 kilonewtons) with water injection, at 9,950 r.p.m., N1, 5 minute limit. The J57-PW-1 was 3 feet. 4.5 inches (1.029 meters) in diameter, 13 feet, 1.2 inches (3.993 meters) long, and weighed 4,210 pounds (1,910 kilograms).
Boeing RB-52B-10-BO Stratofortress 52-013. (U.S. Air Force)
The B-52B/RB-52B had a cruise speed of 453 knots (521 statute miles per hour/839 kilometers per hour) at 34,950 feet (10,653 meters). The maximum speed was 551 knots (634 miles per hour/1,020 kilometers per hour) at 20,300 feet (6,187 meters). The service ceiling at combat weight was 47,700 feet (14,539 meters). The maximum service ceiling was 55,700 feet (16,977 meters).
The B/RB-52B had a maximum fuel capacity of 37,550 gallons (142,142 liters) of JP-4. It also carried 360 gallons (1,363 liters) of water for injection during takeoff. The bomber’s maximum ferry range was 6,380 nautical miles (7,342 statute miles/11,816 kilometers). With a 10,000 pound (4,536 kilogram) bomb load, the B/RB-52B had a combat radius of 3,070 nautical miles (3,533 miles/5,686 kilometers). With inflight refueling, the bomber’s range was world-wide.
B-52 tail gun turret
Defensive armament consisted of four Browning Aircraft Machine Guns, Caliber .50, AN-M3, mounted in a tail turret with 600 rounds of ammunition per gun. These guns had a combined rate of fire of 4,800 rounds per minute.
The B-52B could carry twenty-seven 1,000 pound (454 kilogram) bombs, or two Mk.21 17,000 pound (7,711 kilogram) Special Weapons (thermonuclear bombs). The maximum bomb load was 43,000 pounds (19,505 kilograms). (At the time 52-8711 entered service, only fission weapons were available. The most powerful of these was the variable yield Mk.6, which could produce a maximum 160 kilotons of energy.)
Boeing manufactured 744 B-52 Stratofortress bombers, with the final one rolled out at Wichita, Kansas, 22 June 1962. As of June 2016, 75 B-52H bombers remained in service with the United States Air Force.
RB-52B 52-8711 remained in active service until 29 September 1965. Today it is on display at the Strategic Air and Space Museum, Ashland, Nebraska.
A Strategic Air Command alert crew runs to man their bomber, Boeing RB-52B-15-BO Stratofortress 52-8711, 22 Bombardment Wing (Heavy), the first operational B-52, at March Air Force Base, California, 1965. (U.S. Air Force)
Vought-Sikorsky F4U-1 Corsair, Bu. No. 02153, the first production aircraft. (Unattributed)
29 June 1942: The first production Vought-Sikorsky F4U-1 Corsair, Bu. No. 02153, made its first flight at Stratford, Connecticut. (Most sources state 24 or 25 June.)
Many United States newspapers published this short statement on Saturday, 27 June 1942, or Sunday, 28 June 1942:
Navy Will Test Corsair Monday
Copyright, 1942, by the New York Times
Washington, D.C., June 27—The first production model of the new Vought-Sikorsky F4U-1 Navy fighter plane will make its initial flight on Monday at the company’s plant at Stratford, Conn., the Navy Department announced today.
Known as the Corsair, the new gull-winged fighter attains a speed of about 400 mph, and was said by Rear Admiral John Towers to be “the fastest ship-borne plane in the world.”
Before a mass meeting of the company’s officers, management and employees, members of the International Association of Machinists, AFL, the inverted gull wing model, officially named “Corsair,” was put through its paces. The demonstration was held at 5:30 p.m., E.W.T. [Eastern War Time] in order to give all workers a chance to see the plane they built in actual operation without stopping production.
Vought-Sikorsky F4U-1 Corsair, Bu. No. 02170, with test pilot Willard Bartlett Boothby, 24 October 1942. This is the seventeenth production F4U-1. (Rudy Arnold/National Air and Space Museum NASM-XRA-1294)Rex Buren Beisel.
The Corsair was designed by Rex Buren Beisel, and is best known for its distinctive inverted “gull wing,” which allowed sufficient ground clearance for its 13 foot, 4 inch (4.064 meter) diameter propeller, without using excessively long landing gear struts. By joining the fuselage at a 90° angle, less aerodynamic drag was created. The prototype XF4U-1, Bu. No. 1443, had first flown 29 May 1940, with test pilot Lyman A. Bullard in the cockpit.
The F4U-1 was had a length of 33 feet, 4.125 inches (10.163 meters), wingspan of 40 feet, 11.726 inches (12.490 meters) and overall height (to top of propeller arc) of 15 feet, 0.21 inches (4.577 meters). The wings’ angle of incidence was 2°. The outer wing had 8.5° dihedral and the leading edges were swept back 4°10′. With its wings folded, the width of the F4U-1 was 17 feet, 0.61 inches (5.197 meters), and gave it a maximum height of 16 feet, 2.3 inches (4.935 meters). When parked, the Corsair’s 13 foot, 4 inch (4.064 meter) propeller had 2 feet, 1.93 inches (65.862 centimeters) ground clearance, but with the fighter’s thrust line level, this decreased to just 9.1 inches (23.1 centimeters). The F4U-1 had an empty weight of 8,982 pounds (4,074.2 kilograms) and gross weight of 12,162 pounds (5,516.6 kilograms).
Vought-Sikorsky F4U-1 Corsair, Bu. No. 02170, with test pilot Willard Bartlett Boothby, 24 October 1942. (Rudy Arnold/National Air and Space Museum NASM-XRA-1301)
The F4U-1 variant of the Corsair was powered by an air-cooled, supercharged, 2,804.4-cubic-inch-displacement (45.956 liter) Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp SSB2-G (R-2800-8) two-row, 18-cylinder radial engine, with a compression ratio of 6.65:1. The R-2800-8 had a normal power rating of 1,675 horsepower at 2,550 r.p.m. and 44.0 inches of manifold pressure (1.490 bar) at 5,500 feet (1,676 meters); 1,550 horsepower at 21,500 feet (6,553 meters); and 2,000 horsepower at 2,700 r.p.m. with 54.0 inches of manifold pressure (1.829 bar) for takeoff. The engine turned a three-bladed Hamilton Standard Hydromatic constant-speed propeller with a diameter of 13 feet, 4 inches (4.064 meters) through a 2:1 gear reduction. The R-2800-8 was 7 feet, 4.47 inches (2.247 meters) long, 4 feet, 4.50 inches (1.334 meters) in diameter and weighed 2,480 pounds (1,125 kilograms).
Vought-Sikorsky F4U-1 Corsair, circa 1942. (Rudy Arnold)
The F4U-1 had a cruise speed of 186 miles per hour (299 kilometers per hour) at Sea Level. Its maximum speed at Sea Level was 365 miles per hour (587 kilometers per hour). During flight testing, an F4U-1 reached 431 miles per hour (694 kilometers per hour) at 20,300 feet (6,187 meters) with War Emergency Power. The service ceiling was 38,200 feet (11,643 meters) and its maximum range was 1,510 miles (2,430 kilometers) with full main and outer wing tanks.
The Corsair was armed with six air-cooled Browning AN-M2 .50-caliber machine guns, three in each wing, with 400 rounds of ammunition per gun.
Three Browning AN-M2 .50-caliber machine guns and belted ammunition installed in the left wing of a Vought-Sikorsky F4U-1 Corsair, 11 August 1942. (Vought-Sikorsky VS-6015)
A total of 12,571 Corsairs were manufactured by the Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division (F4U-1), Goodyear Aircraft Corporation (FG-1D) and Brewster Aeronautical Corporation (F3A-1). The Corsair served the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in World War II and the Korean War. Corsairs also served in other countries’ armed forces. Its last known use in combat was in Central America in 1969.
Vought-Sikorsky F4U-1 Corsair, circa 1942. (Rudy Arnold/National Air and Space Museum NASM-XRA-1329)
This is a photograph of Linda Finch’s Lockheed Electra over the Arafura Sea at sunset, 8 May 1997, as she recreated the flight of Amelia Earhart. (Tony Bacewicz /The Hartford Courant)
29 June 1937: Leg 28. Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan fly the Lockheed Electra 10E, NR16020, from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, to Lae, Territory of New Guinea.
“Lae, New Guinea, June 30th. After a flight of seven hours and forty-three minutes from Port Darwin, Australia, against head winds as usual, my Electra now rests on the shores of the Pacific. Beyond the Gulf of Huon the waters stretch into the distance. Somewhere beyond the horizon lies California. Twenty-two thousand miles have been covered so far. There are 7,000 to go.
“From Darwin we held a little north of east, cutting across the Wellington Hills on the northern coast of Arnhem Land, which is the topmost region of Australia’s Northern Territory. The distance to Lae was about 1,200 miles. Perhaps two-thirds of it was over water, the Arafura Sea, Torres Strait and the Gulf of Papua.
“Midway to New Guinea the sea is spotted with freakish islands, stony fingers pointing towards the sky sometimes for hundreds of feet. We had been told the clouds often hang low over this region and it was better to climb above its hazardous minarets than to run the risks of dodging them should we lay our course close to the surface. Then, too, a high mountain range stretches the length of New Guinea from northwest to southeast. Port Moresby was on the nearer side, but it was necessary to clamber over the divide to reach Lae situated on the low land of the eastern shore. As the journey progressed we gradually increased our altitude to more than 11,000 feet to surmount the lower clouds encountered. Even at that, above us towered cumulus turrets, mushrooming miraculously and cast into endless designs by the lights and shadows of the lowering sun. It was a fairy-story sky country, peopled with grotesque cloud creatures who eyed us with ancient wisdom as we threaded our way through its shining white valleys. But the mountains of cloud were only dank gray mist when we barged into them, that was healthier than playing hide-and-seek with unknown mountains of terra firma below. Finally, when dead reckoning indicated we had traveled far enough, we let down gingerly. The thinning clouds obligingly withdrew and we found ourselves where we should be, on the western flanks of the range with the coastline soon blow us. Working along it, we found Lae and sat down. We were thankful we had been able to make our way successfully over those remote regions of sea and jungle – strangers in a strange land.”
—Amelia Earhart
Great Circle route from Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, to Lae, Territory of New Guinea, 1,002 nautical miles (1,153 statute miles/1,856 kilometers). (Great Circle Mapper)
29 June 1931: Maryse Bastié set three Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Records for Distance in a Straight Line Without Landing ¹ when she flew a Klemm L 25.I monoplane, La Trottinette, 2,976.91 kilometers (1,849.77 statute miles) from Le Bourget Airport, Paris, France, to Yurino, Mari Autonomous Oblast, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Maryse Bastié with her Klemm L 25.I (Conservatoire Aéronautique du Limousin)
The Klemm Leichtflugzeugbau GmbH L 25.I was designed by Dr.-Ing. Hanns Klemm. It was a single place, single engine light airplane with an open cockpit and conventional fixed landing gear. It was constructed of wood, and covered with plywood. The airplane was 7.3 meters (23 feet, 11.4 inches) feet) long with a wingspan of 13 meters (42 feet, 7.8 inches) and height of 1.75 meters (5 feet, 8.9 inches). The total wing area was 20 square meters (215.3 square feet). The airfoil was the Göttingen 385. It had an empty weight 285 kilograms (628 pounds), gross weight 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds)
The Klemm L 25.I was powered by a normally-aspirated, air-cooled, 2.979 liter (181.77 cubic inch displacement) Société des Moteurs Salmson AD.9 nine-cylinder radial direct-drive engine, which was rated at 45 pferdestarke (44.4 horsepower) at 2,000 r.p.m. The engine was 69.1 centimeters (2 feet, 3.2 inches) long, 63 centimeters (2 feet, 0.8 inches) in diameter, and had a dry weight of 69.9 kilograms ( 154.1 pounds).
The Klemm L 25.I had a maximum speed of 140 kilometers per hour (87 miles per hour). With a fuel capacity of 50 liters (13 gallons), its range was 650 kilometers (404 miles)). The service ceiling was 6,500 meters (21,325 feet).
More than 600 were built in Germany between 1929 and 1936. More were built under license in England and the United States.
