rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Also from Wiki: Other names: Marion Michael Morrison
Michael Morrison
Duke Morrison
The Duke

That was a first for Hollywood, more names than wives.

Hydro Junkie

Please tell me you're kidding.
Please tell me where and when did he flew combat and what type of fighter he flew?

HoundDog

My Feedback: (49)

Good Point still one hell of an actor, But probably not the correct answer, right ?

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No correct answers thus far. Perhaps this next clue will assist. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

1. While flying alone, he was attacked by several enemy aircraft. He destroyed half their number before escaping the remainder.
2. He was an ace, with several shared victories; and was the equivalent of a flight leader.
3. He survived his war.
4. After his war, he had a distinguished career as a pilot, aviation pioneer, innovator and entrepreneur.
5. He worked with a number of early flying clubs, helping to encourage interest in aviation for personal and other reasons.
6. He was considered by many to be a quiet man.
7. He was featured in books and other media.
8. He was also the subject of at least one well known painting.
9. After his war, he initially stayed in the military, and served as a group commander.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Evening clue. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

1. While flying alone, he was attacked by several enemy aircraft. He destroyed half their number before escaping the remainder.
2. He was an ace, with several shared victories; and was the equivalent of a flight leader.
3. He survived his war.
4. After his war, he had a distinguished career as a pilot, aviation pioneer, innovator and entrepreneur.
5. He worked with a number of early flying clubs, helping to encourage interest in aviation for personal and other reasons.
6. He was considered by many to be a quiet man.
7. He was featured in books and other media.
8. He was also the subject of at least one well known painting.
9. After his war, he initially stayed in the military, and served as a group commander.
10. He eventually left the service and founded an airline.

uncljoe

My Feedback: (8)

Ernie ....... SWAG... Adolf Galland

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

No, not Galland, uncljoe. But here's an extra clue to reward your perseverance. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

1. While flying alone, he was attacked by several enemy aircraft. He destroyed half their number before escaping the remainder.
2. He was an ace, with several shared victories; and was the equivalent of a flight leader.
3. He survived his war.
4. After his war, he had a distinguished career as a pilot, aviation pioneer, innovator and entrepreneur.
5. He worked with a number of early flying clubs, helping to encourage interest in aviation for personal and other reasons.
6. He was considered by many to be a quiet man.
7. He was featured in books and other media.
8. He was also the subject of at least one well known painting.
9. After his war, he initially stayed in the military, and served as a group commander.
10. He eventually left the service and founded an airline.
11. He helped lay out air routes and set up navigational beacons to guide pilots.

Hydro Junkie

Charlie Willis
He was instrumental in setting up what we now know as Alaska Airlines and was a decorated combat pilot

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Arthur Raymond Brooks.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

You have it, rcguy59; and you are up. Brooks took on eight Fokker D-7's, shot down four of them and escaped the remainder. After WWI, he delved into many different areas of the burgeoning aircraft business and excelled at all of them. A true aviation hero and pioneer. Thanks; Ernie P.


Question: What warbird pilot do I describe?

Clues:

1. While flying alone, he was attacked by several enemy aircraft. He destroyed half their number before escaping the remainder.
2. He was an ace, with several shared victories; and was the equivalent of a flight leader.
3. He survived his war.
4. After his war, he had a distinguished career as a pilot, aviation pioneer, innovator and entrepreneur.
5. He worked with a number of early flying clubs, helping to encourage interest in aviation for personal and other reasons.
6. He was considered by many to be a quiet man.
7. He was featured in books and other media.
8. He was also the subject of at least one well known painting.
9. After his war, he initially stayed in the military, and served as a group commander.
10. He eventually left the service and founded an airline.
11. He helped lay out air routes and set up navigational beacons to guide pilots.
12. As an employee of a large multinational corporation, he managed their air operations and tested navigational and communications systems.
13. He retired as their chief pilot.
14. WWI pilot.
15. He was attacked by eight enemy aircraft, shot down four of them, and then escaped from the remainder.
16. The enemy aircraft were Fokker D-7’s.

Answer: Arthur Raymond Brooks
Arthur Raymond Brooks (1 November 1895 - 17 July 1991) was a World War I flying ace of the United States Army Air Service credited with shooting down six enemy aircraft. He was a pioneer in the development of radio navigational aids (NAVAIDs) used by pilots for location and navigation as well as air-to-ground communications. Brooks also participated in early endeavors to commercialize aviation as a passenger carrying business and was one of the earliest commercial pilots involved with carrying mail (air mail) for the US Post Office Department.

Brooks was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. He graduated as valedictorian from Framingham Academy and High School in Massachusetts in 1913 and from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1917. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Officer Reserve Corps and attended the School of Military Aeronautics with the Royal Flying Corps in Canada from September to November 1917. Brooks then trained with the Texas 139th Squadron from November 1917 to February 1918. In March 1918, Brooks was transferred to France, where he flew the SPAD S.VII. After three victories he became a flight commander of the 22nd Aero Squadron flying the SPAD XIII C.1. His combat actions earned him a recommendation for the Medal of Honor. The U.S. Army, upon review of the action awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross.

Brook's final SPAD, Smith IV, resides in the aircraft collection of the National Air and Space Museum

Ray Brooks was one of the pilots featured in the series Dogfights presented by The History Channel. Season 2, Episode 7 titled "The First Dogfighters" depicts Brooks' solo dogfight against eight German Fokker D.VII aircraft on September 14, 1918. During the aerial mκlιe he shot down four Fokkers, though U.S. Army records only credited him with two. He was finally able to escape the last four pursuing enemy aircraft by using his superior diving speed.

Brooks is the subject of a 1963 book entitled Capt. Arthur Ray Brooks: America's quiet ace of W.W.I by Walter A Musciano. He is also the subject of the painting Last Victory by noted aviation artist Roy Grinnell.

Brooks returned to the United States in July 1919 and was stationed at Kelly Field, Texas, where he was promoted to Captain and assigned as the commander of the 1st Pursuit Group. He was subsequently assigned to the Air Service Field Officer's School, Langley Field, Virginia.

He resigned from the army and received an Honorable Discharge in December 1922.

As a civilian, Brooks established Florida Airways Corporation, which eventually became Eastern Airlines. He was also involved in the Contract Air Mail Route No. 10, and worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Aeronautics Branch where he was responsible for surveying what would become the nation's first air routes. He also supervised the first installations of radio beacons to aid airmail pilots navigating between New York and Washington, D.C.

He joined Bell Telephone Laboratories (1928), where he supervised air operations and the testing of electronic aids for air navigation and communications. He was responsible for the development of air-to-ground communications systems. He retired from Bell Labs as its Chief Pilot in 1960. He was also involved in numerous early flying clubs which were forming to encourage participation in aviation for both personal/pleasure and commercial purposes.

Circa 1985, Mr. Brooks (age 90 at the time), was visiting the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum's restoration facility in Silver Hill, Maryland with a family member. Upon entering a storage hangar as part of the tour, he spotted a tattered World War I vintage SPAD XIII airplane, the type he flew during the war. As he drew nearer the aircraft, he was astonished to discover it was his very aircraft. He climbed into the cockpit and was immediately approached by a restoration technician who advised him in a very stern manner that these aircraft are delicate pieces of American history and visitors are not permitted to touch, much less sit in them. When Mr. Brooks explained that this was his airplane, the technician’s first thought was of a doddering old veteran, longing for the real or imagined glory days of yesteryear. While Mr. Brooks' speech and external mannerisms were befitting of a nonagenarian, his mind was as sharp as it was 30 or 40 years past. He spoke to the technician as if reading from a history book about the last time this aircraft was in action over France. Included in the lesson was the name and serial number of the plane, which was not readily visible. The technician was aware of the aircraft's history and asked the old gentleman to stay right where he was while he summoned the NASM curator emeritus, Paul E. Garber. Less than two years after this meeting, Ray Brooks' fully restored SPAD Smith IV was unveiled with great fanfare at the National Air and Space Museum's 'Great War in the Air' exhibit (Gallery 206). Mr. Brooks was in attendance as a guest of honor at the ribbon cutting ceremony and treated those present to a first-person history of several World War I missions in which he participated.

Brooks remained involved with aviation for the remainder of his life. Even in his nineties, he enjoyed flying all sorts of aircraft, including ultralights, gliders and hot-air balloons. He belonged to many aviation-related and professional associations and organizations including the American Legion, Military Order of the World Wars, Combat Pilots Association, Order of Daedalians, Air Force Association, OX-5 Aviation Pioneers Association, Telephone Pioneers of America, Cross and Cockade, Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, Quiet Birdmen, World War I Overseas Flyers and the American Fighter Aces Association. Brooks also remained involved with the alumni affairs of his alma mater—MIT.

He attended numerous air shows and reunions, including the sixty-fifth, and final reunion, held for the Lafayette Flying Corps at Peterson AFB, Colorado in 1983. In 1980, he was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame of New Jersey.

An extensive collection of his diaries, correspondence and other papers is maintained by the National Aviation and Space Museum. These papers relate to his military career with the U.S. Army Air Service (1917–22), his years in both civilian government service and the private sector (1923–60), as well as a lifetime's involvement in numerous military, academic, aeronautical and professional associations and organizations. Additionally, there are examples of correspondence and autographed photographs from such aerospace notables as Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Billy Mitchell, Clayton Bissell, Reed Chambers and Michael Collins.

Brooks died at age 95 on July 17, 1991 at his home in Summit, New Jersey. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving American World War I ace who served in a U.S. Squadron. He is buried in a family plot in North Framingham, Massachusetts.

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Looking for another warbird pilot.

1. Never achieving "Ace" status, he nonetheless shot down two four-engine bombers.

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Looking for another warbird pilot.

1. Never achieving "Ace" status, he nonetheless shot down two four-engine bombers.

2. He was inspired to become a pilot by Ernst Udet, after riding as his passenger.

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Looking for another warbird pilot.

1. Never achieving "Ace" status, he nonetheless shot down two four-engine bombers.

2. He was inspired to become a pilot by Ernst Udet, after riding as his passenger.

3. His father was a pilot in WW1.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Oh, No! I will not pull that trigger. I will not pull.... I will... Besides, I'll be off hunting for a few days and won't be able to field a new question. Nice misdirection, though. "Watch my left hand very carefully". Thanks; Ernie P.

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Got your PM, E.P.. I hope you get my reply, but I've had no end of trouble with RCU in this regard lately. Have a good trip.

Looking for another warbird pilot.

1. Never achieving "Ace" status, he nonetheless shot down two four-engine bombers.

2. He was inspired to become a pilot by Ernst Udet, after riding as his passenger.

3. His father was a pilot in WW1.

4. His service career took an abrupt change early on when his squadron was all but wiped out in one blow. He and another pilot were the only survivors and the squadron was disbanded.

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Looking for another warbird pilot.

1. Never achieving "Ace" status, he nonetheless shot down two four-engine bombers.

2. He was inspired to become a pilot by Ernst Udet, after riding as his passenger.

3. His father was a pilot in WW1.

4. His service career took an abrupt change early on when his squadron was all but wiped out in one blow. He and another pilot were the only survivors and the squadron was disbanded.

5. Purely by chance, he was on hand at Cranwell for the first flight of the Whittle jet engine. He was not cleared into the project, but was nevertheless very impressed by what he saw.

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Looking for another warbird pilot.

1. Never achieving "Ace" status, he nonetheless shot down two four-engine bombers.

2. He was inspired to become a pilot by Ernst Udet, after riding as his passenger.

3. His father was a pilot in WW1.

4. His service career took an abrupt change early on when his squadron was all but wiped out in one blow. He and another pilot were the only survivors and the squadron was disbanded.

5. Purely by chance, he was on hand at Cranwell for the first flight of the Whittle jet engine. He was not cleared into the project, but was nevertheless very impressed by what he saw.

6. He single handedly captured an enemy airfield, taking over 2000 prisoners, armed with only a pistol.

Hydro Junkie

Eric Brown

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Capt. Eric Melrose "Winkle" Brown, Royal Navy. Britain's (and quite possibly the world's) greatest test pilot. He flew 487 different types of aircraft, a record which will probably stand forever. He also made 2407 carrier landings on more than 20 different carriers, another record unlikely to ever be broken. He made the world's first landing and takeoff from a carrier with a jet aircraft. He is also the only Allied pilot to have made a powered flight in the Me163 Komet. This he did without permission, using German POW's as ground crew. Just as the war was ending, he was sent to Germany to recover as many different types of Luftwaffe aircraft as he could find. He flew many of them back to England, including several jets. He flew several captured Japanese types, as well. He continued military flying until retirement in 1970. His last flight as pilot was in 1994. He was born in 1919 in Scotland and is still alive today. Over to you, Hydro.

Hydro Junkie

Give me a bit to come up with a question.

Hydro Junkie

Took me a while but I got one. This one shouldn't take long to figure out but who knows. And the question is:
Many aircraft were modified in the field to improve combat performance and versatility. This one was a factory modification that took advantage of one of this successful plane's known strengths. While the modification was highly successful, the field commanders felt it was not needed so this aircraft is not one that is well known. Name the plane and the modification
1) This was a post WWI design

Hydro Junkie

Many aircraft were modified in the field to improve combat performance and versatility. This one was a factory modification that took advantage of one of this successful plane's known strengths. While the modification was highly successful, the field commanders felt it was not needed so this aircraft is not one that is well known. Name the plane and the modification
1) This was a post WWI design
2) This plane, in it's original form, had problems at high altitudes

elmshoot

My Feedback: (6)

A-20 Boston, was a bomber that had guns put in the nose for ground straffing.
Sparky

Hydro Junkie

The A-20 was only called the Boston by the Aussies, everyone else called it the Havoc. Similar mods were made to many of the other types of twin engine bombers IN THE FIELD before becoming a factory mod. Sorry, time for another clue:
Many aircraft were modified in the field to improve combat performance and versatility. This one was a factory modification that took advantage of one of this successful plane's known strengths. While the modification was highly successful, the field commanders felt it was not needed so this aircraft is not one that is well known. Name the plane and the modification
1) This was a post WWI design
2) This plane, in it's original form, had problems at high altitudes
3) This plane, in it's original form, was not a pilot-friendly aircraft to inexperienced flyers

adavis

Westland Whirlwind. Modification: Fitting bomb racks.

=Adrian=