AI R
UM
The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. Post Office Box 1903 Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-1903
RCE MUSE FO
FOUNDATION, INC.
Winter 2013–2014
Vol. 36 No.4
The Magazine of the Air Force Museum Foundation • www.airforcemuseum.com
Featured Articles The Time of My Life—Flying The XB-70 4 Al White
Final Assembly of The XB-70 11
Don Harreld
Observations of a High-Jumping Pioneer 15 Col Joseph W. Kittinger, USAF (Ret)
“We Have to Punch!” W. Benton Kubicki
23
USAF
This is not your father’s drone.
The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. is a Section 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization. It is not part of the Department of Defense or any of its components, and it has no government status.
BONUS
ries!
IS
re Sto o M — E SU
THE AIR FORCE MUSEUM FOUNDATION, INC. BOARD OF MANAGERS
Col “Scoop” Cooper, USAF (Ret.) Executive Director, Air Force Museum Foundation
Endurance and Sacrifice: Two words that summarize the Cold War and everything that came with it. From VICTOR ALERT to “duck and cover,” those of us who lived through it will recall the hours of boredom punctuated by moments of pure terror. Though the conflict was “cold,” provocations and brinkmanship abounded. Having flown during that era myself, I am often reminded of the gravity of the decisions that needed to be made—often in a split second—by Airmen of all stripes and ranks, on the ground and in the air, as we confronted the Soviet threat in unexpected places. In the pages that follow, the Cold War comes back to life. Experience the sacrifice in the various accounts of Alert operations and the endurance of crews in long-range aircraft assessing the Soviet threat. Or the unending endurance and bravery of our flight-test crews as they risked it all to help give our forces the edge over Soviet air defenses. In the end our Airmen performed spectacularly and helped win the day. If you noticed this issue of the Friends Journal was just a little heavier when you retrieved it out of your mailbox, it’s not your imagination. To thank you for your membership and support, we expanded this issue by eight pages so we could bring you more of the stories we know you love to read. As we wrap up 2013, I want to honor the team at the Air Force Museum Foundation for accomplishing the unprecedented feat of raising $39.2 million to gift to the Air Force for the Museum’s fourth building. The fourth building will house the iconic aircraft of the Cold War, the XB-70 and Air Force One (SAM 26000), along with space-age artifacts, including the Space Shuttle exhibit. I would also like to wish all of my Friends a fond farewell. By the time you get this issue, I will have departed the job of Executive Director—and moved on to other challenges. Thank you for the enduring friendships, the sacrifices you have made, and the support for the Foundation. Weather forecasters are calling for a long cold winter, so curl up with your cocoa or cognac, and take a ride back to the “Frigid Fracas” with this issue of the Friends Journal.
Lt Gen (Ret) Richard V. Reynolds - Chairman Mr. Gregory G. Lockhart - President Mr. Gary G. Stephenson - Vice President Ms. Frances A. Duntz - Secretary Mr. Robert J. Suttman II, CFA - Treasurer Dr. Deborah E. Barnhart, CAPT (Ret), USN Gen (Ret) William J. Begert The Hon. Claude M. Bolton Jr. Col (Ret) Mark N. Brown Dr. Thomas J. Burns, PhD Lt Gen (Ret) Charles H. Coolidge Jr. Mr. David C. Evans Lt Gen (Ret) Lawrence P. Farrell Jr. Mr. Charles J. Faruki Col (Ret) Michael B. Goetz Maj Gen (Ret) E. Ann Harrell Col (Ret) William S. Harrell CMSgt (Ret) Eric R. Jaren Mr. Charles F. Kettering III Col (Ret) Pamela A. Melroy Gen (Ret) T. Michael Moseley Col (Ret) Susan E. Richardson Gen (Ret) Charles T. Robertson Jr. Col (Ret) James B. Schepley Mr. Scott J. Seymour Mr. Philip L. Soucy Mr. Harry W. (Wes) Stowers Jr.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE® Lt Gen (Ret.) J. L. Hudson, Director Terrill Aitken, Senior Curator
FOUNDATION
Executive Director - Col (Ret) “Scoop” Cooper Chief Development Officer - Col (Ret) Mona Vollmer Development Coordinator - Pam Kluesner Special Events Manager - Cindy Schillaci-Staight Membership Manager - Matt Lynch Membership Coordinator - Michele Giefer Membership Office: 1-877-258-3910 (toll free) or 937-656-9615
Friends Journal
Editor - Peggy Coale Art Director - Mark A. Riley Editorial Assistants - Michael Giefer, Joe King, Robert Pinizzotto Editorial Office: 937-656-9622 Cover Photo: North American XB-70 Valkyrie. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Till we meet again,
Scoop
The Friends Journal is published quarterly by the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the expansion and improvement of the National Museum of the United States Air Force and to the preservation of the history of the United States Air Force. Authors retain all rights to further publication or use. Author’s views expressed in the Friends Journal do not necessarily represent those of the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. or those of the United States Air Force. Printed in the USA. USPS Standard ”A” rate postage paid at Dayton, OH. Subscription to the Friends Journal is included in the annual membership of the Friends of the Air Force Museum. All materials are copyright 2013 and may not be reproduced without permission from the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc. Submission of material for publication and correspondence concerning contents should be addressed to The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1903, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-1903, and marked in the corner of the envelope “ATTN: Editor.”
Trans mitter o o D g Do 51 1 1 T
The T-1151 “Dog Doo” transmitter is a radio transmission device camouflaged to resemble the excrement of a medium-size dog or similar animal. Contained within the device is a beacon transmitter and three long-life nickel-cadmium batteries. Initially developed by United States military intelligence about 1970, the “Dog Doo” transmitter is a homing beacon that sends out a signal to monitoring aircraft several miles away. The beacon could be used by an agent or other operational personnel to mark a specific location for aerial reconnaissance, further observation, or a possible air strike. The camouflage was selected to reduce the probability of the unit being detected or disturbed after being left at the target. Another operational advantage of the Dog Doo transmitter was its capacity to remain concealed long after its operational usefulness ended. Accordingly, in addition to detection avoidance while operational, the long-term detection avoidance qualities of the transmitter did not allow the enemy the intelligence advantages of knowing that a particular site was at one time used as a transmission or rendezvous point.
The T-1151 “Dog Doo” Transmitter shown at actual size: 4 1/4” long by 1” diameter. The outer covering is peat moss, and it weighed 4 ounces.
X-ray of T-1151 Transmitter showing internal components.
Note: These items are currently in storage at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Source: NMUSAF Collections
Another example of a Dog Doo Transmitter in the Museum’s collection. Although its appearance is different, its purpose was the same as the T-1151.
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Contents ARTICLES 4 The Time of My Life—Flying The XB-70
Al White
11
Final Assembly of The XB-70
Don Harreld
15 Observations of a High-Jumping Pioneer
Col Joseph W. Kittinger, USAF (Ret) 18 An Electronic Warfare Tour In Vietnam
Col Robert M. Cameron, USAF (Ret)
23
“We Have to Punch!”
The Loss of B-1A, Flight 2-127
W. Benton Kubicki
27 Life of a Cold War Warrior— B-47 Training and Alert Operations O Maj John W. MacDonald, USAF (Ret) 36 The Spirit of Attack: Flying F-102s in Alaska during the Cold War
DEPARTMENTS 2 Editor’s Notes
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Friends Feedback
52
Restoration Update
53
New Exhibits
59
Reunions
61
The Museum Store
Maj Bruce Gordon, USAF (Ret)
39
The Second Life of an F-106A
Lt Col Paul D. Mather, USAF (Ret)
44 The Air Force Toasts the Tokyo Doolittle Raiders 47 My Tour At Kume John Everton 49 Tower Tales Richard L. Holmes 51 WB-29 Shoot-Down Richard R. Oakley
54 Assessing the Soviet Threat: Photographic Reconnaissance in an RB-47E Lt Col George A. Larson, USAF (Ret)
The Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., is a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Friends of the Air Force Museum Foundation membership dues and all donations to the Air Force Museum Foundation paid in 2013 are tax deductible within the limits prescribed by law.
Winter 2013-2014 • Friends Journal
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XXX EDITOR’s
NOTES
In this issue of the Friends Journal we present stories illustrating the myriad ways in which American Airmen served during the Cold War, the era in which the U.S. Air Force came of age. Coming on the heels of World War II—when Democracy and Communism teamed up against Fascism—the Cold War became a contest between the clashing ideologies of Democracy and Communism, as former allies became enemies. It was a period fraught with tension over the threat of nuclear weapons and proxy wars fought around the globe as conflicts escalated with the Soviet Union. The policies of “Containment” and “Deterrence” drove military readiness and research and development in the era. And the concept of “Mutually Assured Destruction” drove generations of school children to practice “duck and cover” drills at school. Our cover story is the XB-70, and we present two firsthand accounts from individuals closely involved in the final assembly and testing of this iconic aircraft. Only two prototypes were built; the one surviving aircraft is here at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Current plans for the coming fourth building include moving the XB-70 back to the main Museum complex; good news for all who would enjoy an up-close view of this magnificent Mach 3 airplane. Until then, you’ll get a good sense for its innovative design and advanced technology from reading the stories by test pilot Al White and engineer Don Harreld. Speaking of icons—Col (Ret) Joe Kittinger is back in the pages of the Friends Journal, this time to tell us about his work with Austrian Felix Baumgartner on the Project Stratos stratospheric balloon jump and flight test research project. Now 85-years-young, Kittinger’s work during the “Space Race” of the 1960s, made him the consultant of choice for the Red Bull team and Felix Baumgartner in 2012. The Project Stratos exhibit will be at the Museum January 24 through March 16; you won’t want to miss a chance to view artifacts from Baumgartner’s record-setting flight. The current chairman of the Air Force Museum Foundation’s Board of Managers, Lt Gen (Ret) Dick Reynolds recounts, through author Ben Kubicki, a pivotal day in his test pilot career when, like Al White, he found himself in the surreal moment of blasting out of his aircraft—in his case, the B-1A—in an ejection capsule just prior to it crashing tragically onto the Mojave Desert floor. His story, along with Al White’s, is a reminder of the dangerous, but vital, work performed by Air Force test pilots to test the sophisticated weaponry designed to ensure our Air Force remains the best in the world. Training missions, too, can end with an aircraft emergency, and when a plane departs from controlled flight, the pilot must decide when to give up the fight and bail out. In the case of Gary Foust, the F-106 Interceptor he was flying in simulated air-to-air combat recovered from a spin only after he bailed out. It was later discovered resting gently on its belly in a snow-covered field in Montana. That F-106 now resides at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force’s Cold War Gallery. The discipline and quick thinking required to make these critical decisions highlights the superb training of American Airmen, and it’s a theme that plays out through other stories in the Friends Journal. F-102 pilots encountering Soviet MiGs in Alaskan airspace must decide how to respond; a base commander responding to a crippled WB-29 unable to land must quickly decide how to get the crew out safely while avoiding an international incident with China—where the errant, unmanned airplane is headed; a control tower operator must quickly get the attention of landing F-86s who mistakenly believe they are landing at their home base, with a longer runway. Our stories cover a wide range of missions and locations where Airmen served—over the jungles of Vietnam, supporting aircrews in Okinawa and Korea, flying secretive reconnaissance missions over Soviet territory, or standing Alert against possible Soviet attacks from bases in Alaska, Idaho, and Ohio. It’s clear from these stories that the diligent efforts of our superbly trained and disciplined Airmen helped bring the Cold War to a peaceful end.
Editor
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Friends Journal • Winter 2013-2014
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Friends Feedback Editor’s Note: Thank you to all who responded so positively to our fall 2013 Friends Journal on women in aviation. Below is a sampling of the letters we received. You hit a home run with the fall issue; too little has been published about the Women Air Service Pilots some of whom I met towing targets when I trained as a fighter pilot in 1944. I was stationed at Abilene, Texas flying P-47 Thunderbolts, and we had to fly over to Matagorda Island on the Gulf for gunnery training. Keep up the good work you are doing with the Friends Journal. Robert Huddleston, Chapel Hill, North Carolina The new Journal is about the BEST I have seen! It’s about time the role of women in aviation and the USAF gets some light better shed on it! All too much, the only history recounted about female aviators is of “the tragic loss of Amelia Earhart” or one of her modern sisters such as [Navy LT] Kara Hultgreen, the first female naval aviator to fly combat jets, lost in a controversial carrier landing accident, or so on. It’s good for the public to be able to read about successful female pilots contributing to aviation history by simply successfully doing their jobs. Thanks for putting a whole issue together around this fact! Bob Taylor, Painesville, Ohio I really enjoyed reading the fall Friends Journal featuring women in aviation. I have always admired how women never gave up fighting to have the opportunity to fly airplanes. Jackie Cochran was always my favorite aviatrix, and I got to meet and see her from time to time when she would bring her twin-engine Lockheed to my facility at Reagan National Airport for maintenance. She was a jewel! A while back I purchased the book High Flying Women from the Museum Store. It is a fantastic book on women in aviation. Charlie Abell, Frederick, Maryland We knew [Suzanne Vautrinot and her family] when we were all together at the AFIT program at the U. of Wyoming in Laramie in the mid-60s. The last time we talked with Suzanne was about four years ago when we were visiting our son at Ft. Meade and she was also stationed in the area. A far cry now from the teen who did babysitting! (Another bit of trivia: In Massachusetts our son’s babysitter was another teen who achieved distinction: Janice Voss, astronaut graduate of Purdue, who inspired my son to go there and major in math. She gave him a slide rule for his sixth birthday.) Super issue of the Journal...let’s hear it for the ladies!
It was with immense delight today that I received the Friends Journal magazine. ...This edition is very special for the young women [Girl Scouts] I work with... It sends the message, loud and clear, “your only limits are the ones you allow to be imposed upon you! With determination you can accomplish anything!” ...your work on this edition is priceless. Dr. Peter Mapes,Volunteer Leader, Group 6027, Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, Rockville, Maryland
2014 Museum Calendar Received my 2014 calendar and fall Friends Journal today. Very good to see the trainers and utility aircraft featured in the calendar—“Low, Slow & Reliable.” And all those lovely reciprocating motors! The fall issue of the Friends Journal is also commendable with all the articles on female aviators. In our family it’s my wife who was rated, in a Piper Cub as in the calendar. Great work! This more than justifies my contributions. Sonny Jones, Knoxville,Tennessee Calendar Correction There is a mistake on your 2014 calendar, the same error was on the 2013 calendar. [The calendar says] that Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite was launched on January 30. This is not correct. It was launched on January 31, 1958 at 22:48 Eastern Standard time. Bobby Nicks (retired space worker), Cary, North Carolina We apologize for the error and have made a note of the correct date for future calendars.
Sara Lowe, Fairborn, Ohio Winter 2013 -2014 • Friends Journal
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