Yearly Archives: 2025

21 January 1972

Aviation, , , , , , , , ,
Lockheed YS-3A Viking Bu. No. 157992 (394A-1001) during a test flight. (U.S. Navy/Wikipedia)

21 January 1972: At Palmdale, California, Lockheed test pilots John Jean (“Chris”) Christiansen and Lyle Howard Schaefer took the first Lockheed YS-3A Viking, Bu. No. 157992 (Lockheed serial number 394A-1001), for its first flight. The duration of the flight was 1 hour, 42 minutes.

When interviewed afterward, Christiansen said, “The aircraft handled beautifully. It was exceptionally stable and very responsive to the controls. I think it will do everything the Navy expects of it.”

The aircraft was a response to the U.S. Navy’s need to counter the Soviet Union’s massive submarine fleet. By 1972, the USSR had 340 submarines in service, 100 of which were nuclear powered. It was adding new submarines at a rate of 15 per year. The S-3A was needed to replace the aging Grumman S-2 Tracker.

In 1969, the Navy issued a $494,000,000 development contact to Lockheed for the first four YS-3A pre-production aircraft. A second lot of four YS-3As were also built. The total production for the Viking came to 187 aircraft.

Lockheed YS-3A Viking Bu. No. 157992 during first flight, 21 January 1972. (Lockheed Martin)

The Lockheed S-3A Viking is a twin-engine anti-submarine warfare aircraft designed to operate from Essex-class or larger aircraft carriers. It carries a four-man crew consisting of a pilot, co-pilot, tactical coordinator and sensor operator. It is a high-wing aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear. The S-3A had an extensive electronics suite, and a retractable MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) boom. The vertical fin and wings could be folded for storage.

Lockheed YS-3A Viking Bu. No. 157992 at Hollywood-Burbank Airport (BUR), Burbank, California, 1971. (Lockheed Martin)

The S-3A is 53 feet, 4 inches (16.256 meters) long, with a wingspan of 68 feet, 8 inches (20.930 meters) and overall height of 22 feet 9 inches (6.934 meters). The total wing area is 598 square feet (55.6 square meters). With the wings and vertical fin folded for storage, the airplane’s length is reduced to 49 feet, 5 inches (15.062 meters), span 29 feet, 6 inches (8.992 meters) and height of 15 feet, 3 inches (14.648 meters). The S-3A has an empty weight of 26,581 pounds (12,057 kilograms), and a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 52,539 pounds (23,831 kilograms).

The S-3A is powered by two General Electric TF34-GE-2 turbofan engines mounted under the wings on pylons. The TF34-GE-2 is a two-spool, axial-flow, high-bypass turbofan. It has a single fan stage, a 14 stage compressor, annular combustion chamber and six stage turbine (2 high-pressure stages a 4 low-pressure stages). It has a maximum continuous power rating of 7,513 pounds of thrust (33.420 kilonewtons) at 6,690 r.p.m, N1 (17,130 r.p.m., N2); 8,159 pounds (36.293 kilonewtons) at 6,930 r.p.m., N1 (17,340 r.p.m., N2) for 30 minutes; and a maximum of 9,275 pounds of thrust (41.257 kilonewtons) at 7,365 r.p.m., N1 (17,900 r.p.m., N2), for five minutes. The TF34-GE-2 is 8 feet, 4 inches (2.54 meters) long and 4 feet, 4.4 inches (1.331 meters) in diameter. It weighs 1,421 pounds (664.6 kilograms).

A Lockheed S-3A Viking, Bu. No. 159755, with its MAD boom extended, 6 May 1982. (W.M. Welch, U.S. Navy/VIRIN DN-ST-84-05128)

The cruise speed of the S-3A Viking is 348 knots (400 miles per hour/644 kilometers per hour). Its maximum speed is 429 knots (494 miles per hour/795 kilometers per hour) at Sea Level, or 447 knots (514 miles per hour/828 kilometers per hour) at 20,000 feet (6,096 meters). It can climb at 4,450 feet per minute (22.61 meters per second) and its service ceiling is 40,900 feet (12,466 meters).

The S-3A’s fuel capacity is 2,533 gallons (9,588 liters) usable fuel in three tanks. Its combat range is 2,765 nautical miles (3,182 statute miles/5,121 kilometers). It could also carry two 300 gallon (1,136 liter) drop tanks on the underwing hard points. The maximum ferry range is 3,368 nautical miles (3,875 statute miles/6,238 kilometers).

The S-3A could carry up to 60 sonobuoys. It was normally armed with four Mark 46 homing torpedoes carried in an internal bomb bay. Alternatively, it could carry four Mark 53 mines or Mark 54 depth bombs. It was also capable of carrying two Mark 57 Mod. 0 five-kiloton nuclear depth bombs. Three low drag Mark 82 bombs could be carried on each of the underwing hard points. After conversion to the S-3B configuration, it could carry two AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the submarine threat was believed to be considerably reduced. 122 S-3As had their antisubmarine suite removed and were converted to the S-3B configuration. Another 16 were converted to ES-3A Shadow electronics intelligence aircraft. YS-3A Bu. No. 157996 was converted to a prototype KS-3A aerial tanker. It and five other YS-3As were later converted to US-3A Carrier Onboard Delivery (“COD”) transport aircraft.

The last S-3s were withdrawn from U.S. Navy service on 30 January 2009. Four S-3Bs were transferred to the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field, Cleveland, Ohio. The last one was retired 13 July 2021.

Lockheed YS-3A Viking Bu. No. 157992 launches an AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile, 4 January 1983. (U.S. Navy)

The first YS-3A was rolled out at the Lockheed California Company plant, Burbank, California, on 8 November 1971. It was then transported to the Lockheed plant at Palmdale, California.

Lockheed YS-3A Viking Bu. No. 157992, is rolled out at the Lockheed California Company plant at Burbank, California, 8 November 1971. (Lockheed Martin)

Additional testing of Bu. No. 157992 was carried out at NATC Patuxent River, Maryland.

Lockheed YS-3A Viking, Bu. No. 157992, at NATC Patuxent River, Maryland. (U.S. Navy/Flickr)

According to Rick Pospisil’s “Hoover History,” the first YS-3A, Bu. No. 157992, was damaged at NATF Lakehurst, New Jersey, during barrier arrest trials. It was stricken from the Navy’s active inventory on 20 January 1976, having accumulated just 184.8 flight hours. The damaged aircraft was then stored at the Naval Aircraft Depot (NADEP) at Alameda, California. In 1991, the fuselage was transported to the Navy Avionics Center (NAC) at Indianapolis, Indiana, for modifications. It was later scrapped.

John Christiansen
John Christiansen, 1942. (The 1942 Log)

John Jean (“Chris”) Christiansen was born 1 May 1923, at Oslo, Norway. He was the second of three children of John Christiansen, a painter, and Ruth Floby Christiansen. After the family immigrated to the United States, he grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Christiansen attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Saint Paul, graduating in 1942. He played football and was a member of the W Club.

In June 1942, he was employed by Hayden Motor Service in St. Paul. When he registered for the draft (conscription), he was described as being 5 feet, 10 inches (1.778 meters) tall, 160 pounds (72.6 kilograms), with a ruddy complexion, blonde hair and blue eyes.

Alice Phoebe Zeis, 1942.

John Christiansen married Miss Alice Phoebe Zeis, who had been a fellow student at Woodrow Wilson High School. They had one son. Christiansen was later married to Diane S. Schindler.

Christiansen served in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

John Christiansen joined the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation as an experimental test pilot in 1953. During his career with Lockheed, he made the first flights of the prototype YP3V-1 (P-3 Orion), 25 November 1958, and the YS-3A Viking, 21 January 1972. He retired from Lockheed in 1983.

John Christiansen with his family and a Lockheed P-3C orion, circa 1984

John Christiansen died at Lake Havasu, Arizona, 6 September 1998, at the age of 75 years.

Lyle Howard Shaefer

Lyle Howard Schaefer, was born 18 Dec 1939 at Union, Nebraska. he was the first of two children of Russell H. Schaefer, a farmer, and Marcella L. McQuin Schaefer. He grew up in Meade, Colorado.

Following his graduation from the University of Colorado, Schaefer entered the United States Navy, 8 June 1962.

Ensign Shaefer was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (junior grade), 6 December 1963.

Serving during the Vietnam War, Lieutenent Schaefer was awarded the Air Medal, 5 October 1968 for meritorious action during a strike mission.

Lieutenant Schaefer was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander 1 September 1969.

A graduate of the U.S. Navy’s test pilot school, Lieutenant Commander Schaefer resigned in 1972 to join Lockheed.

Lyle Schaefer married Virginia (“Ginny”) Maude Greenlee 29 June 1974, in Los Angeles County

Schaefer later earned a masters degree in business administration (MBA) from California State University Northridge (CSUN).

As Lockheed’s chief experimental test pilot, Schaefer is credited with having set 26 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) world records for altitude and time to altitude while flying a Lockheed C-130J Hercules, 20 April and 14 May 1999. He was inducted into the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in 2011.

Lyle Howard Schaefer died 1 June 2017 at Marietta, Georgia. His remains were interred at the Georgia National Cemetery, Canton, Georgia.

Full Disclosure: TDiA’s father, Bart Robert Swopes (1925–1995) was Lockheed’s Configuration Manager for both the S-3A Viking and the CP-140 Aurora.

© 2024, Bryan R. Swopes

21 January 1968

Aviation, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Boeing B-52G-75-BW Stratofortress 57-6471, similar to 58-0188. The numeral "3" on the vertical fin and the white cross-in-back square on the top of the fuselage identify this B-52 as a Boeing flight test aircraft. (U.S. Air Force)
Boeing B-52G-75-BW Stratofortress 57-6471, similar to 58-0188. The numeral “3” on the vertical fin and the white cross-in-black square on the top of the fuselage identify this B-52 as a Boeing flight test aircraft. (U.S. Air Force)

21 January 1968: A United States Air Force Boeing B-52G-100-BW Stratofortress, serial number 58-0188, assigned to the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing, was flying an Airborne Nuclear Alert mission as part of Operation Chrome Dome. The bomber, call sign Hobo 28, had a crew of seven and was armed with four B28FI nuclear bombs carried in its bomb bay.

Prior to takeoff, the third pilot, Major Alfred D’Mario, had placed three foam cushions under the navigator’s seat on the lower deck of the B-52. During the flight the crew cabin became very cold and additional heat was directed into the heating ducts from an engine’s bleed air system. Due to a malfunction, the bleed air was not cooled before entering the heating system and this very hot air ignited the cushions. Very quickly a fire developed.

Boeing B-52G-100-BW Stratofortress 58-0190, the same type as Hobo 28. (U.S. Air Force)

At 12:22 p.m., Atlantic Standard Time (16:22 UTC), the aircraft commander, Captain John Haug, declared an emergency and requested an immediate landing at Thule Air Base, Greenland, which was about 90 miles (140 kilometers) to the north. The crew’s fire extinguishers were quickly depleted and the fire continued to spread. The bomber’s electrical system failed and the cabin filled with smoke. Captain Haug ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft at 16:37 UTC.

Hobo 28 passed directly over the air base and six of the seven crewmen ejected. The co-pilot, Captain Leonard Svitenko, who was temporarily in a jump seat on the lower deck rather than in an ejection seat, tried to jump from an open hatch on the lower deck. He struck his head and was killed.

Captain Haug and Major D’Mario landed on the air base, and three others were very close by. The sixth, gunner Staff Sergeant Calvin Snapp was 6 miles (9.7 kilometers) south on an ice floe, and was rescued 21 hours later.

Concentric cracks in the sea ice at the upper center of this photographic mosaic show the impact point of Hobo 28. The aircraft burned for several hours, covering the ice downwind with soot. (U.S. Air Force)

The B-52, now unmanned, continued north and then began a 180° turn to the left. It crashed onto the sea ice of North Star Bay, about 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) west of Thule.

The conventional explosives inside the four B28 bombs detonated on impact. No nuclear detonation occurred but radioactive plutonium, uranium and tritium was scattered over a wide area.

Hobo 28’s gunner, Staff Sergeant Calvin Waldrep Snapp, was rescued 21 hours later. (U.S. Air Force)

A massive cleanup effort was required. Under the circumstances, this was much more difficult than at Palomares, Spain, two years earlier.

As a result of these two nuclear accidents, referred to by the code words “Broken Arrow,” Operation Chrome Dome, which had kept armed B-52s in the air 24 hours a day since 1961, was ended.

Thule Air Base, Greenland. Mount Dundas is the flat-topped mountain just right of the center of the image. Saunders Island is in the distance. Hobo 28 crashed into North Star Bay, covered with sea ice in this photograph.
Thule Air Base, Greenland. Mount Dundas is the flat-topped mountain just right of the center of the image. Saunders Island is at the upper left. Hobo 28 crashed into North Star Bay, covered with sea ice in this photograph.

The Mark 28 was a two-stage radiation-implosion thermonuclear bomb which was designed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory and produced from January 1958 to May 1966. In 1968, it was redesignated B28. More than 4,500 were manufactured in as many as 20 variants. Explosive yield varied between 70 kilotons and 1.45 megatons. The bomb remained in service until 1991.

Three airmen position a B28Y1 1.1 megaton thermonuclear bomb for loading aboard a B-52 Stratofortress. (U.S. Air Force)

© 2019, Bryan R. Swopes

21 January 1937

Aviation, , , , , , , ,
Louise Thaden with Beechcraft C17R NC15835. This is probably the airplane with which she set the 21 January 1937 record, serial number C17R-81. There were three C17Rs registered with the number 15835, serial numbers C17R-74, C17R-77 and C17R-81. (Beech Aircraft Corporation)

21 January 1937: Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden set a U.S. national record flying her Consolidated Blue Beechcraft C17R “Staggerwing,” NC15835 (serial number C17R-81) from Detroit, Michigan, to Akron Municipal Airport, Akron, Ohio, in 40 minutes, 43 seconds. She had departed Detroit, Michigan, at 3:07:17 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (20:07:17 UTC) and crossed overhead Akron at 3:38:00. (20:38:00 UTC).

Great Circle route from Detroit, Michigan, across Lake Erie, to Akron, Ohio. Distance: 127 miles (204 kilometers). (Great Circle Mapper)

Mrs. Thaden Flies Akron-Detroit Route In 40 Minutes; Beats Ray Brown Record

Time Officially Clocked as Plane Hurtles Over Municipal Airport

By Helen Waterhouse

RUSHING through space in her streamlined blue plane yesterday afternoon, Mrs. Louise Thaden, plucky Bendix race winner, broke all previous records between Detroit and Akron.

     The tall Arkansas girl crossed Akron airport just 40 minutes and 43 seconds after leaving Detroit. That constituted an official record, Ray Brown, official of the National Aeronautic association, said.

     “Wheels off and over the line, is the timing rule,” said Brown. “While Mrs Thaden did not actually land on the port until almost three minutes later, the time crossing the port is what counts.”

     The ship had accumulated such speed that it far overshot the port, and came roaring back from the east with the thunder of an army bomber.

BEATS BROWN BY TWO MINUTES

     “I beat you by two minutes, Ray,” called the smiling aviatrix as she leaned from the cockpit.

     She was referring to an unofficial record made by Brown last November. At that time Brown made the trip in 42 minutes, but there were no official checkers to record it.

     J.A. McCann and Airport Manager B.E. “Shorty” Fulton served in this capacity with Brown yesterday.

     The girl who has constantly made air records then climbed nimbly from the ship to be greeted by her hostess, Mrs. Brown, and a small crowd of spectators.

     Aside from the fact that her eyes were bloodshot from the wind, she showed no effects of the terrific speed at which she had traveled. “I hardly knew I had been in the air, it was such a short trip,” she laughed.

     Bareheaded when she landed, she jammed a gray sports hat onto her tousled hair as she alighted. She wore a gray flannel dress, gray sports shoes and a belted caracul coat.

BLAMES SELF FOR PASSING PORT

     Lighting one cigaret after another, she upbraided herself for having so far overshot the port.

     “Gosh, I don’t know what my top speed was,” she said. “I was too busy up there. I flew at 5,000 feet all the way.”

     She scanned the lowering clouds. A few drops of rain were falling. “Doubt if I get off for Montreal tomorrow,” she said cheerfully.

     She explained that from Montreal she is flying to the air show in New York City.

     Brown figured that the girl had averaged 160 miles and hour over the 110-mile route.

     “I just thought it would it would be fun to try to beat your record,” Mrs. Thaden said to him.

     After watching her speedy little ship into the Akron Airways hangar, she rode to town with the Browns.

     “Things are definitely picking up in the air industry,” she said. “In the last few months I have flown all over the country, and I see great evidence of the pickup in the industry all along the line.

—Akron Beacon Journal, Vol. 98, No. 41, Friday, 22 January 1937, Page 21, at Column 5–7.

[The distance between Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and Akron Fulton International Airport (AKR) is 127 statute miles (204 kilometers). Mrs. Thaden’s average speed over the course would have been 187.147 miles per hour (301.184 kilometers per hour).]

Just four months, 18 days earlier, Louise Thaden had become the first woman to win the Bendix Trophy Race, flying another Beechraft C17R “Staggerwing,” R15835, serial number C17R-77, from Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York, to Mines Field, Los Angeles, California, in 14 hours, 55 minutes, 1.0 seconds.¹ [At this time, airplanes in the experimental or restricted categories were prohibited from displaying the U.S. national identifier, the letter N, as they were not allowed to fly outside the United States.]

Beechcraft C17R R15835 (s/n C17R-77) at the finish of the Bendix Trophy Race, Mines Field, Los Angeles, 4 September 1936. (National Air and Space Museum, Archives Division)

The Bendix race winning airplane had already been sold to the government of the República de Honduras, but Walter Beech let Louse Thaden and Blanche Wilcox Noyes fly it for the race. It was then returned to the Beechcraft plant for overhaul and repainting, before being flown to Honduras by Paul E. Zimmerman. It was assigned to the Escuela Militar de Aviacion.

Beech had another Beechcraft C17R, serial number C17R-81, and also registered NC15835, built for Louise Thaden in October 1936, the month after the Bendix Trophy Race. After being test flown by Mrs. Thaden, it was delivered to her 12 October 1936. It was painted Consolidated Blue with white trim in the same paint scheme as C17R-77. The interior had blue leather seats with Colonial Blue carpet.

C17R-81 is the airplane that Thaden flew to set the 21 January 1937 record.

The Beechcraft C17R was single-engine, single-bay biplane operated by a single pilot and could carry up to three passengers in its enclosed cabin. The basic structure was a welded tubular steel frame with wood formers and stringers. The wings and tail surfaces were built of wood spars and ribs with the leading edges and wing tips covered with plywood. The airplane was covered with doped fabric, except the cabin and engine, which were covered in sheet metal. It was equipped with electrically-operated retractable landing gear and wing flaps.

The Beechcraft Staggerwing got its name because its lower wing was placed ahead of the upper wing (negative stagger). While most biplanes had staggered wings, the Staggerwing was unusual in having negative stagger. This not only increased the pilot’s field of vision, but improved the airplane’s stability in a stall. The Staggerwing was a fast airplane for its time and set several speed and altitude records.

The Beech C17R was 24 feet, 5 inches (7.442 meters) long with a wingspan of 32 feet, 0 inches (9.754 meters) and overall height of 8 feet, 2 inches (2.489 meters). According to the Bureau of Air Commerce license certificate dated 9 October 1936, C17R-81 had an empty weight of 2,393 pounds (1,085 kilograms), and its maximum gross weight was 3,900 pounds (1,769 kilograms).

The leading edge of the Model C17 upper wing was 2 feet, 1 inches (0.635 meters) aft of the lower wing. The leading edges had 0° sweep. Both wings had an angle of incidence of 3°. The upper wing had no dihedral, but the lower wing had +1°. The mean vertical gap between the wings was 5 feet (1.524 meters), and the chord of both wings was 5 feet, 0 inches (1.524 meters). The total wing area was 273 square feet (25.4 square meters). The horizontal stabilizer had 0° incidence, while the vertical fin was offset 0° 43′ to the left of the airplane’s centerline.

This photograph of Beechcraft Model 17s under construction at Wichita, Kansas, reveals the structure of the airplane. (Beech Aircraft Corporation)

The Staggerwing was offered with a selection of engines of different displacements and horsepower ratings. The C17R was powered by an air-cooled, supercharged, 971.930-cubic-inch-displacement (15.927 liter) Wright Whirlwind 440 (R-975E3), a 9-cylinder direct-drive radial engine with a compression ratio of 6.3:1. The R-975E3 was rated at 420 horsepower at 2,200 r.p.m., and 440 horsepower at 2,250 r.p.m. for takeoff, burning 92-octane gasoline. The engine was 43.00 inches (1.092 meters) long and 45.25 inches (1.149 meters) in diameter. It weighed 700 pounds (318 kilograms). The serial number of the engine installed in C17R-81 was 12885. It drove a two-bladed adjustable pitch Hamilton Standard propeller with a diameter of 8 feet, 6 inches (2.591 meters), serial number 18560.

This engine gave the C17R Staggerwing a cruise speed of 195 miles per hour (314 kilometers per hour) at 5,000 feet (1,524 meters), 202 miles per hour (325 kilometers per hour) at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and maximum speed of 211 miles per hour (340 kilometers per hour). The service ceiling was 21,500 feet (6,553 meters) and its range with standard fuel capacity, 98 gallons (371 liters), was 800 miles (1,288 kilometers).

The rear passenger seats of C17R-81 were removed and a 56 gallon (212 liter) auxiliary fuel tank installed in their place, bringing to total fuel capacity to 121 gallons (458 liters).

Three C17R Staggerwings have been registered as N15835, including serial numbers C17R-74; C-17R-77, the Bendix race winner; and C17R-81, which was built for Thaden. FAA records indicate that the first, C17R-74, is currengtly registered N15835.

Mrs. Thaden’s personal C17R, s/n C17R-81, an incomplete restoration, was for sale at auction in November 2023.

Iris Louise McPhetridge, circa 1920 (Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System)
Louise McPhetridge, 1926. (The Razorback)

Iris Louise McPhetridge was born 12 November 1905 at Bentonville, Arkansas. She was the first of three daughters of Roy Fry McPhetridge, owner of a foundry, and Edna Hobbs McPhetridge. She was educated at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, a member of the Class of 1927. She majored in journalism, and played basketball. She was president of the Delta Delta Delta (ΔΔΔ) Sorority, Delta Iota (ΔΙ) Chapter, and president of The Panhellenic.

Louise McPhetridge had been employed by Walter Beech as a sales representative at Wichita, Kansas, and he included flying lessons with her employment. She received her pilot’s license from the National Aeronautic Association, signed by Orville Wright, 16 May 1928.

Louise Thaden’s pilot license, No. 6850, issued by the National Aeronautic Association and signed by Orville Wright. (The Central Arkansas Library System)

Miss McPhetridge married Mr. Herbert von Thaden at San Francisco, California, 21 July 1928. Thaden was a former military pilot and an engineer. They would have two children, William and Patricia. Thaden had founded the Thaden Metal Aircraft Company, builder of the all-metal Thaden T-1, T-2, and T-4 Argonaut. Thaden went on to design molded plywood furniture for the Thaden-Jordan Furniture Corporation. His designs are considered to be works of art, and individual pieces sell for as much as $30,000 today.

In 1929, she was issued Transport Pilot License number 1943 by the Department of Commerce. Mrs. Thaden was the fourth woman to receive an Airline Transport Pilot rating.

Iris Louise McPhetridge Thaden with her husband, Herbert von Thaden, in front of a Beechcraft C17R Staggerwing, NR15385. (San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives, Catalog #: WOF_00355)

Louise Thaden is credited with having set four Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) world records.

Mrs. Thaden set an FAI World Record for Altitude of 6,178 meters (20,269 feet) over Oakland, California, 7 December 1928.²

On 17 March 1929, she set an FAI record for duration of 22 hours, 3 minutes, 28 seconds.³

14–22 August 1932 Thaden and Frances Marsalis flew a Curtiss Thrush to set an FAI world record for duation of 196 hours, 5 minutes.⁴

12 July 1936: World Record for Speed Over 100 Kilometers with an average speed of 176.35 kilometers per hour (109.58 miles per hour).⁵

Louise Thaden was secretary of the National Aeronautic Association, and was a co-founder of The Ninety-Nines, serving as that organization’s vice president and treasurer. She set several world and national records and was awarded the US. national Harmon Trophy as Champion Aviatrix of the United States in 1936. She was also employed by the Bureau of Air Commerce.

Louise Thaden stopped flying in 1938. She died at High Point, North Carolina, 9 November 1979.

¹ Please see “This Day in Aviation” at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/4-september-1936/

² FAI Record File Number 12221. Please see TDiA for 7 December 1928 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/7-december-1928/

³ FAI Record File Number 12223. Please see TDiA for 17 March 1929 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/17-march-1929/

⁴ FAI Record File Number 12347. Please see TDiA for 14–22 August 1932 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/14-22-august-1932/

⁵ FAI Record File Number 12022. Please see TDiA for 12 July 1936 at: https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/12-july-1936/

© 2024, Bryan R. Swopes

20 January 1932

Aviation, , , , , , , , ,
Imperial Airways' Handley Page H.P. 42E, G-AAXF, Helena, in flight. (San Diego Air and Space Museum)
Imperial Airways’ Handley Page HP.42, G-AAXF, Helena, in flight. (San Diego Air & Space Museum Archive)
Imperial Airways "Speedbird" logo,from a baggage lable, ca. 1933
Imperial Airways’ “Speedbird” logo by Theyre Lee-Elliott, from a baggage label, 1933.

20 January 1932: Imperial Airways’ Handley Page HP.42, G-AAXF, named Helena, departed Croydon Aerodrome, South London, England, on the first leg of the airline’s new intercontinental mail service to South Africa. The flights would leave Croydon at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday and arrive at Cape Town on Friday, ten days later.

The route was London, Cairo, Khartoum, Juba, Nairobi, Mbeya, Salisbury, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The initial flights carried mail only, but scheduled passenger service was soon added. The cost of the flight from London to Cape Town was £130.

‘ON Wednesday, Jan. 20, the first load of mails left Croydon for Cape town and intermediate stations by Imperial Airways service. Our two maps show the route which will be followed, the stages for each day and the types of aircraft used on each section.” —FLIGHT The Aircraft Engineer and Airships, No. 1204, Vol. XXIV. No. 4, 22 January 1932 at Page 74

The HP.42 was a large four-engine biplane built by Handley Page Limited, Hertfordshire, for Imperial Airlines’ long-distance routes. There were two models, the HP.42, for the eastern routes to India and Africa, and the HP.45 for the western flight. (Imperial Airways designated them as “H.P. 42E” and “H.P. 45W.”) The HP.42 could carry 20 passengers and a large amount of baggage. The HP. 45 could carry up to 38 passengers, but less baggage. The variants used different engines. Two of the HP.45 variant, of which Helena was one, were converted to the HP.42 configuration.

Imperial Airways' Handley Page H.P. 42 G-AAXF, Helena, at Gaza. (Library of Congress)
Imperial Airways’ Handley Page HP.42 G-AAXF, Helena, at Gaza. (Library of Congress)

The HP.42 was operated by a flight crew of four and could carry six passengers in a forward compartment and twelve aft. The airliner was of all-metal construction, covered in duralumin sheet. It was 89 feet, 9 inches (27.356 meters) long. The upper wing had a span of 130 feet, 0 inches (39.624 meters), and the lower, 94 feet, 0 inches (28.651 meters). The overall height of the airplane was 27 feet (8.230 meters). The lower wing had an unusual configuration with the section inboard of the engine angled upward so that its spars crossed over the passenger cabin, rather than through. The empty weight was 17,740 pounds (8,047 kilograms) and maximum takeoff weight was 28,000 pounds (12,701 kilograms.)

Cutaway Illustration of a Handley Page HP.42, by George Horace Davis, 1930.

The HP.42 was powered by four air-cooled, supercharged 1,752.788-cubic-inch-displacement (28.723 liter) Bristol Jupiter XI F 9-cylinder radial engines with a compression ratio of 5:1, which had a normal power rating of 460 horsepower at 2,000 r.p.m., and produced a maximum of 510 horsepower at 2,250 r.p.m., each. Two engines were mounted in nacelles between the upper and lower wings, and two were mounted on the lower wing. All four engines were left-hand tractors, driving four-bladed propellers through a 2:1 gear reduction. The Jupiter XI weighed 880 pounds (399 kilograms). The throttles were arranged so that the upper engines could go to full throttle only after the lower engines, rather than simultaneously.

The HP.42 had a cruise speed of 96 miles per hour (155 kilometers per hour) and its maximum speed was 120 miles per hour (193 kilometers per hour). The airliner’s range was 500 miles (805 kilometers).

Imperial Airways' Handley Page H.P. 45, G-AAXF, Helena, being moved by a ground crew. (State Library of New South Wales)
Imperial Airways’ Handley Page HP.42, G-AAXF, Helena, being moved by a ground crew. (State Library of New South Wales)

Several aircraft were placed in service with the Royal Air Force at the beginning of World War II. Helena was damaged in a hard landing, and after inspection, was scrapped. By 1941, all HP.42s had been destroyed.

Imperial Airways poster by Theyre Lee-Elliott (David Lee Theyre Elliott), 1932. Elliott created the “Speedbird” logo. (1stdibs)

© 2019, Bryan R. Swopes

20 January 1930

Space Flight, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
ALDRIN, Edwin Eugene, Jr., Apollo 11. (NASA)
Colonel Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., United States Air Force, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astronaut, in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, Eagle. (NASA)
Edwin E. (“Buzz”) Aldrin, Jr., 1947. (The Amphitheatre)

20 January 1930: Colonel Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., Sc.D., United States Air Force (Retired), was born at Glen Ridge, New Jersey, the second child of Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Aviation Director of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, and Marion Gaddys Moon Aldrin.

The family resided in Montclair, New Jersey. “Buzz” Aldrin attended Montclair High School, and participated in football and track and field (pole vault). He graduated in 1947.

After high school, Aldrin turned down a full scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and instead entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. During his Plebe Year (freshman), Cadet Aldrin placed first in academics and physical education. He was a member of the French Club and the track and swim teams. In his third year he was a cadet corporal, and was designated as “distinguished.” He served as a cadet lieutenant during his final year.

Cadet Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., 1951. (The Howitzer)

Aldrin graduated from West Point on 5 June 1951 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering (B.S.M.E.). He was ranked third in his class. A notation in the class yearbook states,

“As is evidenced by his fine record at the Academy, Buzz should make a capable, dependable and efficient officer in the U.S. Air Force.”

—The Howitzer 1951, at Page 98

Aldrin accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, with his date of rank retroactive to 1 June 1951. Second Lieutenant Aldrin was assigned to basic flight training at Bartow Air Force Base, Florida. Advanced training took place at Bryan Air Force Base, Texas. He trained as a fighter pilot and transitioned to the North American Aviation F-86 Sabre at Nellis Air Force Base, near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lieutenant Aldrin flew the North American Aviation F-86E Sabre with the 16th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, located at Suwon Air Base (K-13), Korea. On 14 May 1953 he shot down an enemy Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 15 fighter, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.¹ Three weeks later, 7 June, he shot down a second MiG 15.

Still images from the gun camera film show an enemy pilot bailing out of a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 15 shot down by Lieutenant Edwin E. (“Buzz”) Aldrin, U.S. Air Force, 5 miles south of the Yalu River, 14 May 1953. (U.S. Air Force)
1st Lieutenant Buzz Aldrin, 51st Fighter Interceptor Squadron, in teh cocpit of a North American Aviation F-86A Sabre, after shooting down an enemy MiG 15 fighter. (U.S. Air Force via Jet Pilot Overseas)
Lieutenant Buzz Aldrin, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, in the cockpit of a North American Aviation F-86E Sabre after shooting down an enemy Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 15 fighter during the Korean War. (U.S. Air Force via Jet Pilot Overseas)

Buzz Aldrin flew 66 combat missions during the Korean War. After returning to the United States, he served as a flight instructor at Bryan AFB, Texas, and then a gunnery instructor at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Instructor Buzz Aldrin in the cockpit of a Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star at Bryan Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force via Jet Pilot Overseas)

1st Lieutenant Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., married Miss Joan Ann Archer at the Episcopal Church in Ho-ho-kus, New Jersey, 29 December 1954. They would have three children.

Lieutenant and Mrs. Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., 29 December 1954. The bride is the former Miss Joan Ann Archer.

Lieutenant Aldrin’s next assignment was to the three-month Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. Aldrin then served as an aide to Brigadier General Don Zabriskie Zimmerman, the Dean of Faculty at the newly-established United States Air Force Academy, which was then located at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, Colorado.

In 1955, Captain Aldrin was assigned to the 22nd Fighter Day Squadron, 36th Fighter Day Wing, at Bitburg Air Base, Germany, flying the North American Aviation F-100 Super Sabre. The squadron trained at Wheelus Air Base in North Africa.

North American Aviation F-100C-20-NA Super Sabre 54-1941, 22nd Fighter Day Squadron, 36th Fighter Day Wing, at Bitburg Air Base, Germany. (U.S. Air Force)

In 1959 Captain Aldrin returned to the United States to enter a masters degree program in aeronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Aldrin and his wife were both very seriously ill at this time, and he was a patient in a military hospital for the first six months. With nothing to do but study, Aldrin finished first among the other Air Force officers in the program.

Aldrin remained at M.I.T. to earn a Doctorate in Science in Astronautics (Sc.D.) by devising orbital navigation techniques. His thesis on Manned Orbital Rendezvous, earned Buzz another nickname: “Dr. Rendezvous.”

In October 1963, Major Aldrin was selected as an astronaut for the Gemini Program. He was one of 14 members of NASA Astronaut Group 3, which was announced 18 October 1963. He flew with James A. Lovell, Jr., aboard Gemini XII, 11–15 November 1966. They made 59 orbits of the Earth in 3 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes, 31 seconds. Aldrin performed the first successful “space walk.” He was outside the spacecraft for three “EVAs,” of 2 hours, 29 minutes; 2 hours, 6 minutes; and 55 minutes. A rendezvous and docking with an Agena target vehicle was also successful.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin standing in the open hatch of Gemini XII in Earth orbit. (NASA)

Gemini XII was the final manned flight of the Gemini Program. Buzz Aldrin moved on to the Apollo Program.

Along with Neil Alden Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon, 20 July 1969.

Astronaut Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr. on the surface of The Moon, 20 July 1969. (Neil A. Armstrong/NASA)

Aldrin resigned from NASA in July 1971. Returning to operational service with the Air Force, Colonel Aldrin was assigned as Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He retired in March 1972.

Colonel Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., United States Air Force.
Colonel Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr., United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force)

On 5 May 2023, Colonel Aldrin was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General at a ceremony held at Los Angeles Air Force Base.

In Return To Earth, (Random House, Inc., New York, 1973) Buzz Aldrin wrote about the depression he suffered: After you’ve been to the Moon, what else is there?

Aldrin has been married three times. He and his first wife, Joan, divorced in December 1974. He married Mrs. Beverly I. Handelsman Van Zile, 19 December 1975. They divorced 10 April 1978. On Valentine’s Day, 14 February 1988, Aldrin married his third wife, Mrs. Lois Driggs Cannon. They divorced 28 December 2012.

Buzz Aldrin has written several books and he continues to advocate manned space exploration.

HAPPY 95th BIRTHDAY, General Aldrin!

Edwin Eugene (“Buzz”) Aldrin, Jr., Sc.D., Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Retired), and NASA Astronaut, August 2016. (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

¹ Soviet records indicate that a MiG 15 of 913 IAP (Istrebitel’nyy Aviatsionnyy Polk, Fighter Aviation Regiment), 32nd IAD (Istrebitel’naya Aviatsionnyy Diveeziya, Fighter Aviation Division), based at Antung Air Base, China, was shot down by an F-86 on 13 May 1953. The pilot, Senior Lieutenant Hristoforov, ejected safely. There were three MiG 15 losses that occurred on 14 May 1953. Two MiGs of 224 IAP collided and both pilots, Senior Lieutenant Odintsov and Lieutenant Evgeny Stroliikov, ejected. Odintsov was seriously hurt. A third MiG 15 crash landed at Myagoy Air Base. Its pilot, Senior Lieutenant Vladimir Sedashev, 518 IAP, was killed.

© 2025, Bryan R. Swopes