65 Years Ago: From Farm Tractor to Cadillac
In April 1950, the Cessna 305 won the Army’s design competition. Known to the Army as the L-19, the Bird Dog was an all-metal, high-wing monoplane used by Army Aviation. The Bird Dog made its inaugural appearance in the Korean War on February 16, 1951. That same year, an L-19 was used to shuttle Dwight D. Eisenhower on a inspection tour of UN Forces. As a replacement for worn out L-4s and L-5s, the L-19 was a breath of fresh air, “with a built-in VHF multi-channel radio, flaps, heater, electrical system and primary blind flight group of instruments. For old-time...
Learn More42 Years Ago: USNS Corpus Christi Bay
December 19, 1972, the Army’s Floating Aircraft Maintenance Facility (FAMF), arrived at the Port of Corpus Christi. Home of the First Transportation Corps Battalion (Aircraft Maintenance Depot) (Seaborne), the Corpus Christi Bay put in six years off the coast of South Vietnam. The First Transportation Corps Battalion saw to the repair and maintenance of Army aircraft as a floating garage; in performing such service, the Battalion earned four Meritorious Unit Commendations. The ship itself was laid down in Camden, New Jersey by the New York Shipbuilding Company, on June 12, 1939. Beginning a term of service as a Curtiss-class Seaplane...
Learn More50 Years Ago: Playback!
Flying combat missions of support for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam has seen the rise of an American soldier of courage, necessity and consequence: Door gunners who man M-60 machine guns on UH-1B helicopters. The 118th Aviation Company flies out of Bien Hoa, not far from Saigon. The gunners are PFCs, average 20 years of age and . . . they are specialists. To facilitate the gunners’ effectiveness, operations officer, Captain Charles Pearce A. Lane, has instituted a training aid. Before each and every mission, Captain Lane plugs a tape recorder into his headset; and, tapes all discourse...
Learn More50 Years Ago: USO Visit
Pictured during the course of their Christmas visit to the Republic of Vietnam are veteran USO troupers, Jerry Colonna (left) and Bob Hope (right). Between the celebrated entertainers is Lieutenant Colonel John C. Hughes, 52nd Aviation Battalion Commander. Hope and Colonna had just arrived at Pleiku. Source: Page 15, Army Aviation, March 1965.
Learn More25 Years Ago: Quality Stuff on Time”
Not much is written about it; rarely does anyone speak of it. Seems not to touch a chord with most, let alone sweep anyone off their feet. Frankly, it is just not be sexy; yet, without this inelegant, colorless but indispensable function, Army Aviation would be put out of business. And just what is this function considered so vital? . . . Inventory control. From the acquisition process to making ready parts and equipment for man and machine, Army Aviation can only support the foot slogger when those aspects of inventory control are honed to the degree of a well-oiled...
Learn MoreMedical Aviator Cracks 1,000 Hours
1st Lieutenant Ernest J. Sylvester, 23, became the first medical aviator to log more than 1,000 evacuation hours in Vietnam. Awarded the DFC, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 19 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, the Gulfport, Miss. officer often disregarded his own safety to continue to aid the wounded. A former 57th and 82nd Medical Detachment pilot, he has since rotated to Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Learn MoreAAAA Annual Convention
The 1990 Army Aviation Annual Convention convened in Orlando, Florida and was centered at the Orange County Convention Center. Exhibit hall hours: Wednesday, April 11, 6-9:00 PM, Thursday, April 12, 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM; Friday, April 13, 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday, April 14, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Theme of convention: “Army Aviation in a Changing World.”
Learn More1990: MD 530N Helicopter
An MD 530N helicopter took to the air for the first time on December 29, 1989. This McDonnell Douglas offering, which features the NOTAR anti-torque system, is reputed to be the first conventional, single main-rotor helicopter minus a tail rotor for anti-torque directional control. NOTAR-equipped helicopters, which will be available on both MD 530N and MD 520N configurations, are the latest versions of the MD 500, which first flew in 1963. Source: Army Aviation, page 69, February 28, 1990 issue.
Learn More1965: “Hot Cycle”
January 28, 1965, the XV-9A “Test Bed” flew; developed for USARECOM by Hughes Tool Company’s Aircraft Division, Culver City, California. The XV-9A, AKA “Hot Cycle,” is based on the principle by which hot gases are jetted from blade-tipped louvers; a concept designed to dispense with heavy gear boxes associated with normal shaft engine aircraft. The “Hot Cycle” principle is supposed to enable a helicopter to be able to hoist more than twice its empty weight in cargo or passengers. Source: Army Aviation, page 31, February 1965 issue.
Learn MoreWorld War II: Delbert L. Bristol
During the North African campaign, Colonel Charles E. Hart, II Corps artillery officer, thought it prudent to organize Air Observation Post assets with an artillery officer. Lieutenant Delbert L. Bristol joined Hart’s staff. This future Hall of Famer virtually created a position. The energetic aviator organized flight records; assigned missions to planes and pilots; established a system of parts supply to alleviate shortages, picking up the slack from the Army Air Forces which was responsible for same. General George Patton was so impressed that he employed the services of the young pilot to fly him round the front. What Bristol did...
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