FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
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Time for another clue.

1. I'm looking for a pilot.
2. This pilot is not famous for his flying.
3. He served in multiple assignments in Fighter Operations
4. His promotion prospects went nowhere for years until he changed the type of aircraft.
5. In retirement you could say he had political aspirations but was never elected
6. As a fighter pilot he never engaged the enemy.
7. This pilot started his career in the Air Corps Reserve and transfered to active duty a short time later.
8. This pilot made a major contribution to air routes.
9. This pilot's college degree is in Engineering, he did NOT attend a military academy.
10. He was decorated by both his own government and foreign governments.
11. He was known to be a tough commander but he had great concern for the safety of his subordinates and their moral.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Morning clue!
1. I'm looking for a pilot.
2. This pilot is not famous for his flying.
3. He served in multiple assignments in Fighter Operations
4. His promotion prospects went nowhere for years until he changed the type of aircraft.
5. In retirement you could say he had political aspirations but was never elected
6. As a fighter pilot he never engaged the enemy.
7. This pilot started his career in the Air Corps Reserve and transfered to active duty a short time later.
8. This pilot made a major contribution to air routes.
9. This pilot's college degree is in Engineering, he did NOT attend a military academy.
10. He was decorated by both his own government and foreign governments.
11. He was known to be a tough commander but he had great concern for the safety of his subordinates and their moral.
12. This pilot served in two major theaters of operations in the same war.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

So where is everybody?? All I hear are crickets! OK I'll cough up a couple more clues.

1. I'm looking for a pilot.
2. This pilot is not famous for his flying.
3. He served in multiple assignments in Fighter Operations
4. His promotion prospects went nowhere for years until he changed the type of aircraft.
5. In retirement you could say he had political aspirations but was never elected
6. As a fighter pilot he never engaged the enemy.
7. This pilot started his career in the Air Corps Reserve and transfered to active duty a short time later.
8. This pilot made a major contribution to air routes.
9. This pilot's college degree is in Engineering, he did NOT attend a military academy.
10. He was decorated by both his own government and foreign governments.
11. He was known to be a tough commander but he had great concern for the safety of his subordinates and their moral.
12. This pilot served in two major theaters of operations in the same war.
13. Every baby boomer would recognise his name.
14. He was known for always chomping on a cigar even in the cockpit spawning an urban legend quote.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Come on guys take a guess, I'll even throw another clue to you!
1. I'm looking for a pilot.
2. This pilot is not famous for his flying.
3. He served in multiple assignments in Fighter Operations
4. His promotion prospects went nowhere for years until he changed the type of aircraft.
5. In retirement you could say he had political aspirations but was never elected
6. As a fighter pilot he never engaged the enemy.
7. This pilot started his career in the Air Corps Reserve and transfered to active duty a short time later.
8. This pilot made a major contribution to air routes.
9. This pilot's college degree is in Engineering, he did NOT attend a military academy.
10. He was decorated by both his own government and foreign governments.
11. He was known to be a tough commander but he had great concern for the safety of his subordinates and their moral.
12. This pilot served in two major theaters of operations in the same war.
13. Every baby boomer would recognise his name.
14. He was known for always chomping on a cigar even in the cockpit spawning an urban legend quote.
15. This pilot is considered a pioneer in national defense so much so he lead the changes in post war era defenses.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

You have to be talking about General Curtis LeMay. Thanks; Ernie P.

PS: Sorry I've been out of touch. My lovely bride and I joined our daughter and her family in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a few days of vacation. We were just south of Buxton, near Hatteras. Tnx; EP


Curtis E. LeMay (November 15, 1906 – October 1, 1990) was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of American Independent Party candidate George Wallace in the 1968 presidential election. LeMay is credited with designing and implementing an effective, but also controversial, systematic strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from 1961 to 1965.

LeMay joined the United States Army Air Corps while studying civil engineering at Ohio State University. He had risen to the rank of major by the time of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. He commanded the 305th Operations Group and the 3d Air Division in the European theatre of World War II from October 1942 to August 1944, when he was transferred to the China Burma India Theater. He was then placed in command of strategic bombing operations against Japan, planning and executing a massive fire bombing campaign against Japanese cities and Operation Starvation a crippling minelaying campaign in Japan's internal waterways.

After the war, he was assigned to command USAF Europe and coordinated the Berlin airlift. He served as commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 1948 to 1957, where he presided over the transition to an all-jet aircraft force that focused on the deployment of nuclear weapons. As Chief of Staff of the Air Force, he called for the bombing of Cuban missile sites during the Cuban Missile Crisis and sought a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

After retiring from the Air Force in 1965, LeMay agreed to serve as pro-segregation Governor George Wallace's running mate in the 1968 presidential election. The ticket won 13.5% of the popular vote, a strong tally for a third party campaign, but the Wallace campaign came to see LeMay as a liability. After the election, LeMay retired to his Newport Beach, California home and died in 1990.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

Ernie the General approves your message! What clue finally convinced you? I thought by going to someone in more recent history it would be fun. I didn't realize it would be so hard for everyone to catch on. Ernie you are officially up!

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Sir; I'll have something up today. I was out of touch from Sunday through yesterday. When I got back late yesterday afternoon, I almost immediately headed to a homeowners association (HOA) meeting. When I got back around 9:30, I checked the RCU Warbirds forum. When I saw all your accumulated clues, clue 5 made me think "Hmmmm". Clue 9 pretty much had me going in the right direction, and after reading the others I was convinced it was LeMay. I checked Wikipedia and verified he fit and posted my answer. A good question; nice work.

I also want to congratulate Top Gunn on his question. That was a great one, Al; an American pilot who saved lives by shooting down their plane. Thanks; Ernie P.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

By the way, FlyerInOKC; I'm assuming the cigar incident (below) involved a young groundcrew member who noticed LeMay smoking near an aircraft being refueled.

Groundcrew member (An E-2 or E-3, around 19 years old): "Sir; you can't smoke here. The airplane might blow up".

SAC Commander, General LeMay: "Son, it wouldn't dare".

I was in a SAC unit (509th) in 1968 and that incident was related to me by someone who supposedly witnessed it. I don't think it was an urban legend. And I know darned well a LOT of pilots smoked in the cockpit, and some still do. Thanks; Ernie P.

14. He was known for always chomping on a cigar even in the cockpit spawning an urban legend quote.

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I saw it as a possible urban legend after reading this.
"A famous legend often used by SAC flight crews to illustrate LeMay's command style concerned his famous ever-present cigar.[32] In the first known published account of the story, Life Magazine reporter Ernest Havemann related that LeMay once took the co-pilot's seat of a SAC bomber to observe the mission, complete with lit cigar.[33] When asked by the pilot to put the cigar out, LeMay demanded to know why. When the pilot explained that fumes inside the fuselage could ignite the airplane, LeMay reportedly growled, "It wouldn't dare".[33] The incident in the article was later used as the basis for a fictional scene in the 1955 film Strategic Air Command. In his highly controversial and factually disputed[34]
[35] memoir War's End, Major General Charles Sweeney related an alleged 1944 incident that may have been the basis for the "It wouldn't dare" comment.[36]"

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Okay, guys; here we go. I hope you enjoy the ride. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

Hydro Junkie

Okay, lets knock of this one early. How about the P-51 B/C Mustang. It was clearly an improvement over the original, the "A" and the A-36 Apache

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Not the Mustang B or C models, Hydro Junkie. But that was a good guess, and you get a bonus clue for your efforts. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

3. It did, however, offer an outstanding improvement in survivability of the aircraft.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

3. It did, however, offer an outstanding improvement in survivability of the aircraft.

4. Or perhaps it could be called a safety recall.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

A couple of clues to speed things along. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

3. It did, however, offer an outstanding improvement in survivability of the aircraft.

4. Or perhaps it could be called a safety recall.

5. The new model should have out-performed the old.

6. In actual use, the new model proved to be unable to match the flight performance of the old; although, on paper, it should have exceeded it.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

3. It did, however, offer an outstanding improvement in survivability of the aircraft.

4. Or perhaps it could be called a safety recall.

5. The new model should have out-performed the old.

6. In actual use, the new model proved to be unable to match the flight performance of the old; although, on paper, it should have exceeded it.

7. The reasons had to do with the materials and supplies used, not the actual design itself.

elmshoot

My Feedback: (6)

F-111

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Not the F-111, Sparky; but here's a bonus clue to reward your participation. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

3. It did, however, offer an outstanding improvement in survivability of the aircraft.

4. Or perhaps it could be called a safety recall.

5. The new model should have out-performed the old.

6. In actual use, the new model proved to be unable to match the flight performance of the old; although, on paper, it should have exceeded it.

7. The reasons had to do with the materials and supplies used, not the actual design itself.

8. Yet, since the earlier model has suffered about 3/4 of its losses from a single design flaw, the new model must be considered a major improvement over the old.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Morning clue. Thanks; Ernie P.



What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

3. It did, however, offer an outstanding improvement in survivability of the aircraft.

4. Or perhaps it could be called a safety recall.

5. The new model should have out-performed the old.

6. In actual use, the new model proved to be unable to match the flight performance of the old; although, on paper, it should have exceeded it.

7. The reasons had to do with the materials and supplies used, not the actual design itself.

8. Yet, since the earlier model has suffered about 3/4 of its losses from a single design flaw, the new model must be considered a major improvement over the old.

9. The old model had suffered losses during landing mishaps.

CF105

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Neither the Spiteful or Seafang, Sir; but here's a bonus clue, and an afternoon clue, to reward your efforts. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

3. It did, however, offer an outstanding improvement in survivability of the aircraft.

4. Or perhaps it could be called a safety recall.

5. The new model should have out-performed the old.

6. In actual use, the new model proved to be unable to match the flight performance of the old; although, on paper, it should have exceeded it.

7. The reasons had to do with the materials and supplies used, not the actual design itself.

8. Yet, since the earlier model has suffered about 3/4 of its losses from a single design flaw, the new model must be considered a major improvement over the old.

9. The old model had suffered losses during landing mishaps.

10. Losses which the new model did not suffer.

11. The aircraft was a heavy bomber; and it flew combat missions.

Hydro Junkie

How about the B-29's replacement, the B-50

JohnnyS

How about the Gotha G.V.?

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

You nailed it, JohnnyS; the Gotha G.V. it is, and you are up. What I find most interesting is that the G.V. couldn't match the performance of the G.IV.; even with better engines. That was because the Germans were short of seasoned (lighter) wood and couldn't produce decent fuel with the inferior oils available to them. So, the G.V. never matched the performance levels achieved by its earlier sibling. Thanks; Ernie P.


What warbird do I describe?

1. This aircraft was, essentially, an evolutionary improvement of an earlier model.

2. As such, it offered few performance gains over the earlier model.

3. It did, however, offer an outstanding improvement in survivability of the aircraft.

4. Or perhaps it could be called a safety recall.

5. The new model should have out-performed the old.

6. In actual use, the new model proved to be unable to match the flight performance of the old; although, on paper, it should have exceeded it.

7. The reasons had to do with the materials and supplies used, not the actual design itself.

8. Yet, since the earlier model has suffered about 3/4 of its losses from a single design flaw, the new model must be considered a major improvement over the old.

9. The old model had suffered losses during landing mishaps.

10. Losses which the new model did not suffer.

11. The aircraft was a heavy bomber; and it flew combat missions.

12. It mainly flew night missions.







Answer: The Gotha G.V

The Gotha G.V was a heavy bomber used by the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. Designed for long-range service, the Gotha G.V was used principally as a night bomber. Operational use of the G.IV demonstrated that the incorporation of the fuel tanks into the engine nacelles was a mistake. In a crash landing the tanks could rupture and spill fuel onto the hot engines. This posed a serious problem, because landing accidents caused 75% of operational losses. In response Gothaer produced the G.V, which housed its fuel tanks inside the fuselage. The smaller engine nacelles were mounted on struts above the lower wing. The Gotha G.V pilot seat was offset to port, with the fuel tanks immediately behind. This blocked the connecting walkway that previously on earlier machines allowed crew members to move between the three gun stations. All bombs were carried externally in this model. The base variant of G.V offered no performance improvement over the G.IV. The G.V was up to 450 kg (990 lb) heavier than the G.IV due to additional equipment and the use of insufficiently seasoned timber. The Mercedes D.IVa engines could not produce the rated 190 kW (260 hp) due to inferior quality of fuel.

Gotha tunnel

The Gotha included an important innovation in the form of a "gun tunnel", whereby the underside of the rear fuselage was arched, early versions allowing placement of a rearward-facing machine gun, protecting against attack from below, removing the blind spot. Later versions expanded the tunnel to remove the lower gun, providing a slot in the upper fuselage that allowed the rear gunner to remain stationary. The G.V entered service in August 1917. For the performance reasons aforementioned, it generally could not operate at altitudes as high as the G.IV.

G.Va

In February 1918, Gothaer tested a compound tail unit with biplane horizontal stabilizers and twin rudders. The new tail unit, known as the Kastensteuerung, improved the aircraft's marginal directional control on one engine. The resulting G.Va subvariant incorporated the new tail, as well as a slightly shorter forward fuselage with an auxiliary nose landing gear. All 25 G.Va aircraft were delivered to Bogohl 3, the new designation for the former Kagohl 3.

G.Vb

Carried an increased payload comparing to the earlier G.Va, and operated at a maximum takeoff weight of 4,550 kg (10,030 lb). To reduce the danger of flipping over during landing, Gothaer introduced the Stossfahrgestell ("shock landing gear"), a tandem two-bogie main landing gear. The Stossfahrgestell proved so good that it was fitted to all G.V's in Bogohl 3. Some G.Vb aircraft also had Flettner servo tabs on the ailerons to reduce control forces. Idflieg ordered 80 G.Vb aircraft, the first being delivered to Bogohl 3 in June 1918. By the Armistice, all 80 aircraft were built but the last batch did not reach the front and was delivered direct to the Allied special commission. [img]file:///C:/Users/Ernie/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png[/img] German Empire

[img]file:///C:/Users/Ernie/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png[/img] · Luftstreitkräfte

General characteristics· Crew: 3· Length: 12.42 m (40 ft 8 in)· Wingspan: 23.70 m (77 ft 9 in)· Height: 4.5 m (14 ft)· Wing area: 89.5 m² (963.6 ft²)· Empty weight: 2,739 kg (6,039 lb)· Max. takeoff weight: 3,967 kg (8,745 lb)· Powerplant: 2 × Mercedes D.IVa inline engine, 260 hp (191 kW) each

Performance· Maximum speed: 140 km/h (87 mph)· Range: 840 km (522 miles)· Service ceiling: 6,500 m (21,325 ft) Armament
2 or 3 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG 14 machine guns, 14 x 25 kg (60 lb.) bombs

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

JohnnyS; you are up, Sir; and we are all waiting for your next question. Thanks; Ernie P.

JohnnyS

Thanks, Ernie! That was a tough one: But when you referred to the 75% loss rate due to a single flaw, I figured it had to be a WWI-era aircraft, as that was the only time that crazy loss rate would be accepted. Those flyers were crazy brave to fly those deathtraps, on both sides.

OK, here's a new one:

1. More than a thousand built.
2. Produced over a 10 year period.
3. Currently out of production but still in active service.
4. More than 20 countries used or use this aircraft.