Tag Archives: 0000ff

6 March 1965

The flight crew of the Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King, Dawdling Dromedary, Bu. No. 152104. Left to right, ADJ1 Paul J. Bert, CDR James R. Williford and LT David A. Beil. (FAI)

6 March 1965: A U.S. Navy Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King helicopter named Dawdling Dromedary, Bu. No. 152104, piloted by Commander James R. Williford and Lieutenant David A. Beil, with Aviation Machinist Mate 1st Class Paul J. Bert, took off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CVS-12), alongside NAS North Island, San Diego, California, at 4:18 a.m., Pacific Standard Time, (12:18 UTC) and flew non-stop, without refueling, to land aboard another aircraft carrier, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), off Mayport, Florida, at 11:10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (04:10 UTC). The distance flown was 3,388.70 kilometers (2,105.64 miles) with an elapsed time of 16 hours, 52 minutes, and set a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Distance Without Landing.¹ This exceeded the previous record distance by more than 750 miles (1,207 kilometers).²

CDR James R. Williford climbs aboard the Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King “Dawdling Dromedary,” Bu. No. 152104. (Naval Aviation Museum 1985-105.002b)

On takeoff, Dawdling Dromedary had a gross weight of 23,000 pounds (10,433 kilograms), about 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms over its normal operating weight. Its fuel load was 1,690 gallons (6,397 liters) and it had only 60 gallons (227 liters) remaining on landing.

After clearing Guadalupe Pass between Carlsbad, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, (5,414 feet, 1650 meters) the crew shut down one the the SH-3A’s two turboshaft engines in an effort to reduce fuel consumption. They flew on a single engine for 9½ hours, restarting the second engine as they descended through 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) over Jacksonville, Florida.

Commander Williford, head of the Rotary Wing Branch, Flight Test Division, at the Naval Air Test Center, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, was quoted in Naval Aviation News for the May 1965 issue:

“Since weight counted, the heater had been removed. We therefore wore rubber boots, long underwear, etc., but still were thoroughly chilled upon arrival. The temperature at 15,000 feet [4,572 meters] was -11° [-23.9 °C.] that night.

“The C-131 chase aircraft crew was amazed at our accuracy of navigation with a lone omni. Actually, it was such a clear day it was the old type of piloting, that is, ‘just north of that reservoir’ or ‘one mile south of that city,’ etc. We flew through mountain passes until Guadalupe, thence great circle route to Mayport.

“For the trip, +10 knots [18.5 kilometers per hour] tailwind average was needed, and it appeared we weren’t going to make it for the first 8–9 hours because we were behind in our time vs. distance plot. But as we climbed higher—climbing being limited by retreating blade stall—we gained stronger and more favorable winds. By the time we reached Valdosta, Georgia, we had about 35 knots [64.8 kilometers per hour] pushing us. That was a nice feature because the Okefenokee Swamp at night is no place for an autorotation with empty fuel tanks.”

—Commander James R. Williford, United States Navy, Naval Aviation News, May 1965, NavWeps No. 00-75R-3, at Pages 8–9.

The crew of the record-setting Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King, Dawdling Dromedary, aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), 6 March 1965. Left to right, ADJ1 Paul J. Bert, Lieutenant David A. Biel, Commander James R. Williford. (U.S. Navy)

[Co-pilot David A. Beil was killed 12 March 1969 while testing a Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne compound helicopter. See TDiA at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/12-march-1969/ ]

Dawdling Dromedary is the same Sikorsky SH-3A, Bu. No. 152104, that set a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) world speed record for helicopters of 339 kilometers per hour (210.6 miles per hour), 5 February 1962, flown by Lieutenant Robert W. Crafton, USN, and Captain Louis K. Keck, USMC.³

The Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King was the first of the S-61 series of military and civil helicopters, designated as HSS-2 until 1962. It is a large twin-engine helicopter with a single main rotor/tail rotor configuration. The fuselage is designed to allow landing on water. The XHSS-2 made its first flight 11 March 1959. The helicopter was originally used as an anti-submarine helicopter.

The SH-3A is 72 feet, 7 inches (22.123 meters) long and 16 feet, 10 inches (5.131 meters) high with all rotors turning. The main rotors and tail can be folded for more compact storage aboard aircraft carriers, shortening the aircraft to 46 feet, 6 inches (14.173 meters). The main rotor has five blades and a diameter of 62 feet (18.898 meters). Each blade has a chord of 1 foot, 6.25 inches (0.464 meters). The tail rotor also has five blades and a diameter of 10 feet, 4 inches (3.150 meters). They each have a chord of 7–11/32 inches (0.187 meters). At 100% NR, the main rotor turns 203 r.p.m. and the tail rotor, 1,244 r.p.m.

The SH-3A was powered by two General Electric T58-GE-6 turboshaft engines, which had a Normal Power rating of 900 horsepower, and Military Power rating of 1,050 horsepower. The main transmission was rated for 2,300 horsepower, maximum. (Later models were built with more powerful T58-GE-8 engines. Early aircraft were retrofitted.)

The SH-3A has a cruise speed of 125 knots (144 kilometers per hour) at Sea Level, and a maximum speed of 135 knots (155 kilometers per hour) at Sea Level. The service ceiling is 14,000 feet (4,267 meters). The design maximum gross weight is 16,237 pounds (7,365 kilograms). The SH-3A had a combat endurance of 4 hours.

In 1962, the HSS-2 was redesignated SH-3A Sea King. Many early production aircraft have remained in service and have been upgraded through SH-3D, SH-3G, etc. In addition to the original ASW role, the Sea Kings have been widely used for Combat Search and Rescue operations. Marine One, the call sign for the helicopters assigned to the President of the United States, are VH-3D Sea Kings.

Sikorsky produced the last S-61 helicopter in 1980, having built 794. Production has been licensed to manufacturers in England, Italy, Canada and Japan. They have produced an additional 679 Sea Kings.

Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King, Bu. No. 14xxxx, the Dawdling Dromedary. (FAI)
Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King, Bu. No. 152104, the Dawdling Dromedary. (FAI)

¹ FAI Record File Number 2179

² FAI Record File Number 2180: 2,170.70 kilometers (1,348.81 miles), set by Captain Michael N. Antoniou, U.S. Army, flying a Bell YUH-1D Iroquois, 60-6029, from Edwards Air Force Base, California, to Rogers, Arkansas, 27 September 1964.

³ FAI Record File Number 13121. (See TDiA, 5 February 1962.)

© 2020, Bryan R. Swopes

10 February 1994

First Lieutenant Jean Marie Flynn, USAF, call sign "Tally", with her McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. (U.S. Air Force)
First Lieutenant Jean Marie Flynn, United States Air Force, call sign “Tally,” with a McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. (U.S. Air Force)

10 February 1994: First Lieutenant Jean Marie (“Jeannie”) Flynn, United States Air Force, the first woman selected by the Air Force for training as a combat pilot, completed six months of training on the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle with the 555th Fighter Wing (“Triple Nickel”) at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. Her call sign is “Tally.”

The following is her official U.S. Air Force biography:

Major General Jeannie Leavitt, United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force 190904-F-AF000-1154)

MAJOR GENERAL JEANNIE M. LEAVITT, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE

Maj. Gen. Jeannie M. Leavitt is the Department of the Air Force Chief of Safety, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Virginia, and Commander, Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. She develops, executes and evaluates all Air and Space Forces’ aviation, ground, weapons, space and system mishap prevention and nuclear surety programs to preserve combat capability. Additionally, she directs research to promote safety awareness and mishap prevention, oversees mishap investigations, evaluates corrective actions and ensures implementation. Finally, she manages, develops and directs all safety and risk management courses.

Maj. Gen. Leavitt entered the Air Force in 1992 after earning her bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas and her master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University. She earned her commission as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program. Maj. Gen. Leavitt has served in a variety of flying, staff and command assignments, and has commanded at the flight, squadron and wing level. She is a graduate and former instructor of the U.S. Air Force Weapons School and is a command pilot with more than 3,000 hours. Her operational experiences include operations Southern Watch, Northern Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Prior to her current assignment, the general served as Director of Operations and Communications, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, where she was responsible for the world’s largest training organization, providing initial skills, undergraduate flying, post graduate combat crew and supplemental training for more than 300,000 Air Force, joint and international personnel at 65 Air Force and Department of Defense locations.

Second Lieutenant Jean Marie Flynn, U.S. Air Force, with a Northrop T-38A Talon, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, 1992. (U.S. Air Force)

EDUCATION
1990 Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas, Austin
1991 Master of Science, Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
1997 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
1998 Weapons Instructor Course, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2002 Master of Business Administration, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.
2004 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2004 Master of Military Operational Art and Science, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2010 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2010 Master of National Security Strategy, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
2010 Leadership Development Program, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.
2012 Air Force Enterprise Leadership Seminar, Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
2012 Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

2021 Advanced Senior Leader Development Seminar, Warrenton, Va.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. January 1992–March 1993, Student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas
2. March 1993–July 1993, T-38 Instructor Pilot Upgrade Trainee, Vance AFB, Okla.

1st Lieutenant Jean Marie Flynn, USAF, listens to Lieutenant Colonel John R. Sheekley, 555th Fighter Squadron, during pre-flight inspection of a McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. (U.S. Air Force)

3. July 1993 – April 1994, student, F-15E Formal Training Course, 555th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Arizona

First Lieutenant Jeannie Flynn (Staff Sergeant Brad Fallen USAF/National Archives)
Captain Jeannie Flynn, U.S. Air Force, 336th Fighter Squadron, 1997. (The Alcalde)

3. July 1993–April 1994, Student, F-15E Formal Training Course, 555th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
4. April 1994–January 1998, Instructor Pilot, Training Officer, later Assistant Chief of Weapons, then Assistant Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 336th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
5. January 1998–July 1998, Student, U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, F-15E Division, Nellis AFB, Nev.
6. July 1998–June 2001, F-15E Instructor Pilot, Assistant Chief, then Chief of Weapons and Tactics, later Flight Commander, then Assistant Operations Officer, 391st Fighter Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
7. June 2001–August 2003, F-15E Instructor Pilot, Wing Standardization and Evaluation Examiner, 57th Operations Group, later Academics Flight Commander, then Assistant Operations Officer for Academics, 17th Weapons Squadron, U.S. Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. August 2003–July 2004, Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
9. July 2004–September 2005, Chief of Special Technical Operations, U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea
10. September 2005–April 2007, Chief of Master Air Attack Plans, 609th Combat Plans Squadron, 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Shaw AFB, S.C.
11. April 2007–July 2009, Assistant Director of Operations, 334th Fighter Squadron, later Commander, 333rd Fighter Squadron, then Special Assistant to the 4th Operations Group Commander, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
12. July 2009–June 2010, Student, National War College, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
13. July 2010–May 2012, Air Force Chief of Staff Fellow, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.

Colonel Jeannie M. Leavitt, United States Air Force, Wing Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force)

14. June 2012–June 2014, Commander, 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
15. June 2014–April 2016, Principal Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va.
16. April 2016–June 2018, Commander, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.

Brigadier General Leavitt, commanding 57th Wing, with “Captain Marvel” actress Brie Larsen, Nellis Air Force Base, 2019. (Marvel Studios/facebook)

17. June 2018–June 2020, Commander, Air Force Recruiting Service, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
18. June 2020–August 2021, Director of Operations and Communications, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas
19. August 2021–present, Department of the Air Force Chief of Safety, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Arlington, Va., and Commander, Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland AFB, N.M.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS
1. July 2004–September 2005, Chief of Special Technical Operations, U.S. Forces Korea, Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul, South Korea, as a major
2. July 2010–May 2012, Air Force Chief of Staff Fellow, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C., as a colonel
3. June 2014–April 2016, Principal Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., as a colonel

FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: command pilot
Flight hours: more than 3,000, including over 300 combat hours
Aircraft flown: F-15E, T-37, T-38A and AT-38B

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Distinguished Service Medal
Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air Force Commendation Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS
1997 Outstanding Young Texas Exes, The University of Texas at Austin
2009 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Award, National Aeronautic Association
2018 Omar N. Bradley Spirit of Independence Award
2019 International Aviation Women’s Association, Wings Outstanding Aviator Award
2019 Harvard Business School, Executive Fellow in Executive Education
2019 Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Distinguished Alumni, The University of Texas at Austin
2020 Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame Inductee
2021-2022 University of Texas Cockrell School of Engineering Distinguished Engineering Graduate

(Current as of December 2022)

Brigadier General Jeannie Leavitt, 57th Wing Commander, at Nellis AFB, 15 July 2016. (United States Air Force 160715-F-YM181-001)

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION:

Second Lieutenant July 1, 1991

First Lieutenant July 1, 1993

Captain July 1, 1995

Major May 1, 2002

Lieutenant Colonel March 1, 2006

Colonel October 1, 2009

Brigadier General July 3, 2016

 Major General September 2, 2019

A McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle over Iraq during Operation Northern Watch, 1999. (U.S. Air Force)
A McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle over Iraq during Operation Northern Watch, 1999. (U.S. Air Force)

The Strike Eagle was begun as a private venture by McDonnell Douglas. Designed to be operated by a pilot and a weapons system officer (WSO), the airplane can carry bombs, missiles and guns for a ground attack role, while maintaining its capability as an air superiority fighter. It’s airframe was a strengthened and its service life doubled to 16,000 flight hours. The Strike Eagle became an Air Force project in March 1981, and  went into production as the F-15E. The first production model, 86-0183, made its first flight 11 December 1986.

The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-place twin-engine multi-role fighter. It is 63 feet, 9 inches (19.431 meters) long with a wingspan of 42 feet, 9¾ inches (13.049 meters) and height of 18 feet, 5½ inches (5.626 meters). It weighs 31,700 pounds (14,379 kilograms) empty and has a maximum takeoff weight of 81,000 pounds (36,741 kilograms).

McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle 89-0502 over Afghanistan, 26 November 2006. (Ron Downey, Aviation Archives)

The F-15E is powered by two Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-229 turbofan engines which produce 17,800 pounds of thrust (79.178 kilonewtons) each, or 29,100 pounds (129.443 kilonewtons) with afterburner.

The Strike Eagle has a maximum speed of Mach 2.54 (1,676 miles per hour, (2,697 kilometers per hour) at 40,000 feet (12,192 meters) and is capable of sustained speed at Mach 2.3 (1,520 miles per hour, 2,446 kilometers per hour). Its service ceiling is 60,000 feet (18,288 meters). The fighter-bomber has a combat radius of 790 miles (1,271 kilometers) and a maximum ferry range of 2,765 miles (4,450 kilometers).

Though optimized as a fighter-bomber, the F-15E Strike Eagle retains an air-to-air combat capability. The F-15E is armed with one 20mm M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel rotary cannon with 512 rounds of ammunition, and can carry four AIM-9M Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles and four AIM-7M Sparrow radar-guided missiles, or a combination of Sidewinders, Sparrows and AIM-120 AMRAAM long range missiles. It can carry a maximum load of 24,500 pounds (11,113 kilograms) of bombs and missiles for ground attack.

Colonel Jeannie M. Leavitt climbs into the cockpit of her McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle at Seymour Johnson AFB. (U.S. Air Force)

© 2020, Bryan R. Swopes