Planes that I’ve Flown and Flown In

This is a list of aircraft with which I have personal experience of one kind or another, not including commercial airliners.  For each I describe briefly the aircraft and my experience with them.  For some, I will provide more details and ‘stories’ in other chapters of this autobiography.

Pilot in Command (PIC) Non-PIC Flying Non Rated Crew
USAF Passenger Other Passenger Special Sightings

Aircraft that I’ve flown as Pilot in Command (PIC)

  • Beech T-34 Mentor

    • Example of T-34

      I learned to fly and received my Private Pilot’s Certificate (‘license’, nee PPL) in the T-34 while at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA).  The Academy had -no- flying program for cadets in those years, but there was an Aero Club on base.  The club at the time had a Piper J-3 Cub and two T-34s; the T-34s looked like more fun (and cost $5.00 per hour, wet/including fuel).  I started flying the spring of my 3rd Class year (sophomore), but didn’t fly again until the spring of my 1st Class year (senior) in time to have my PPL before graduating from the Academy.

    • I later was able to get many  hours in the T-34 during my first duty assignment at WPAFB, flying locally and on many cross-countries: Illinois, Kansas, and Alabama.
    • I had one more opportunity to fly the T-34 at Edwards AFB, CA. After campaigning for months to get the airplane back in the air after some serious maintenance, I started the checkout process.  After my first checkout flight, another pilot put the airplane down in the desert after experiencing fuel starvation (caused by pilot error).
  • CessnA a C-172 Skyhawk

    • C-172 from Langley Aero Club, on our way west in 2004

      My first flight in a C-172 was just prior to taking my check ride for my PPL, I needed a half-hour of cross-country time to satisfy the requirements for the check ride, and the Air Force had rescinded the waiver under which I was flying the T-34 as a student.  In a hurry because the only flight examiner who could give me my check ride was to leave for Vietnam within a week, I completed a 15 minute checkout and immediately took off for a 50 mile cross-country flight. Fortunately I then passed the check ride and became a Private Pilot.

    • I’ve flown the C-172 in many more circumstances; here are a few highlights:
      • From  Isla Grande airport in San Juan, PR to the Cyril E. King airport at St Thomas, VI
      • From Langley AFB, VA to First Flight, Kitty Hawk, NC
      • From Langley AFB, VA to Albuquerque, NM
      • From Patrick Henry Field in Newport News, VA to Oakland, CA
  • Aeronca 7AC Champ
      • After graduating from USAFA, I spent the summer at Manhattan, KS.  There was an Aero Club at nearby Fort Riley Army base.  They had a Champ, which was a ‘tail dragger’ (my experience up to that point was only in airplanes with tricycle landing gear).  Flying the tail dragger was very challenging, but I performed well enough to get the endorsement in my log book  I flew some around the area and even took it cross-country to my home town, Hoxie, KS (the Champ cruises at 65 kn/75 mph, the T-34 135 kn/155 mph).
  • Cessna C-150
    • While in Manhattan, I also rented a C-150 from the FBO at Manhattan Regional Airport.  I made a few flights in the area, including one to visit my then-girlfriend and grandparents at Centralia, KS.  There was no airport nearby, but a farmer/friend had cleared a “runway” in one of his fields for use by one of his sons.  That was the roughest runway I’ve ever landed on.  And flew the C-150 some while at Wright Pat and at Edwards AFBs.
  • Piper PA-24 Comanche 180
    • My first active duty assignment was at WPAFB near Dayton OH. Soon after arrival, I joined the Aero Club.  After getting checked out in their C-172 and flying in the local area, and wanting to get back in an airplane more suitable for cross country flying, and already having obtained my complex a/c rating (constant speed prop, retractable landing gear), I jumped at the chance to move up from the C-172 to the Comanche.
  • Piper PA-24 Comanche 250
    • And if one is checked out in the Comanche 180, then it was only natural to move up to the Comanche 250 – faster, greater payload, etc. (tho’ it burned more gas).
  • Cessna C-182 Skylane
    • The Wright-Patt Aero Club also had a C-182, so I added it to my repertoire.  I flew it extensively, including a flight in to Flushing Meadows airport on Long Island, NY (no longer active) to attend the 1965 Worlds Fair.
    • Later I did go into partnership, taking half share in a C-182 whie stationed at Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM.  The airplane was doing well in lease-back until the economy went sour in the early ’80s so we liquidated the partnership.
  • Cessna C-152
    • At Edwards AFB, returning to flying after an 8 year hiatus, got checked out in a C-152 in the Aero Club, flew it locally, and  cross-country/TDY trips to Nellis AFB, NV and to Hill AFB, UT
  • Mooney M20C Ranger

    • An example of a Mooney M-20C.

      The Aero Club at Edwards AFB, CA had a Mooney, a very fast and efficient airplane for its time (current models continue that tradition).  Like the T-34, Commanches, and Skylane, the Mooney is classified as a ‘complex airplane’: larger motor with throttle, mixture, & manifold pressure (the C-172 had only throttle and mixture), and retractable landing gear.  The result is — greater speed.

    • After a few local flights, we (the family) flew to Hoxie, KS and on to Ft Walton Beach, FL to visit parents/grandparents.
  • Cessna C-182RG Skylane
    • Stationed at Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM, I went into partnership to share ownership if a C-182RG (retractable gear). With it I made trips to Tinker AFB, OK and Nellis AFB, NV, and a visit to the parents in Hoxie, KS.  I could afford this arrangement while the airplane was being used extensively in the lease-back.  When the economy contracted in the early ’80s, we folded the partnership.
  • Piper PA28R Arrow

    • PA-24 Arrow from Langley Aero Club, and family in visit to Massachusetts

      I “returned to the cockpit” when stationed at Langley AFB, Va and flew out of the Aero Club.  In addition to C-172s, they had two Piper PA20R Arrows – a way for me to return to high performance aircraft.

    • In addition to many local flights, I flew cross-country to Northampton, MA to visit Pat’s parents, to North Andover, MA to visit my brother.
  • Remos GX
    • Returning to the cockpit, again, in 2016 I hooked with New Mexico Sport Aviation who had two Remos GX Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs) for rent.  The checkout went smoothly – the airplane is really easy to fly.  I enjoyed flying myself, or with my wife or friends, around central New Mexico.
  • Tecnam P2002 Sierra
    • When NMSA reduced its fleet to 0ne Remos GX, the added a Tecnam P2002 Sierra.  I got checked out in it to give more flexibility in scheduling, and … it is a low wing airplane which I favor.  As with the Remos, the Tecnam provided a nice vehicle for further touring of New Mexico.
  • Rans S-6 Coyote (demo ride)
    • See paragraph below.

Back to the Top

Aircraft in which I have flown as a Non-Rated Crew Member

  • Martin NB-57B Canberra – 698DF LLLTV

    • An example of a B-57B in the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

      After the first 6 months at WPAFB, I transferred to the Directorate of Flight Test as a Flight Test Engineer.  I joined a small team evaluating the potential of a very sensitive television camera to be used to find trucks at night.  The laboratory version of the sensitive camera was mounted in the bomb bay of the B-57.  The camera sighted through a servo-controlled mirror.

    • The observer (me) in the back seat of the B-57 used a joy stick to direct the camera and observe intently the television display, to note the point at which I could first discern trucks as we flew towards them a 2,000 or 3,000 feet altitude.  Upon detecting the truck, a radio signal was relayed to radar operators on the ground to mark the distance at which detection occurred. These test flights were conducted on the test ranges at Eglin AFB, FL in varying conditions from full moon to moonless nights (We tracked the moon’s schedule, which meant some weeks we would fly from a couple of hours after sunset until after midnight, other weeks it would be from one or two in the morning until first light.)
  • Martin NB-57B Canberra – Tropic Moon II
    • As a follow-on to the 698DF LLLTV program, Westinghouse Aerospace was contracted to design and deliver LLLTV systems installed in a pod to be mounted on the wing of a B-57.  These systems included a laser range finder that measured range-to-target and an analog computer that used that range along with pointing angles of the camera to 1) direct the pilot to a point of release for a ballistic bomb, and 2) generate a signal to release the bomb at the right spot (with pilot consent).
    • My role along with a USAFA classmate Mike Smith, was as Flight Test Engineer who planned test missions, acted as systems operator on these nighttime missions, assembled the data, and prepared an evaluation of system performance.
    • The B-57, with its jet motors mounted away from the center-line of the aircraft, was sensitive to lateral control should one motor shut down.  Thus there was concern how a  TMII pod, mounted on one side, would affect the minimum controllable airspeed.  Using our courses in aerodynamic engineering at USAFA, a model of the pod, and a wind tunnel at Wright Field, Mike and I made measurements and calculated the drag for this pod.  Comparing this drag to other configurations for which performance parameters were known and accepted (such as having dropped bombs from one wing), we gained approval for flying with one TMII pod.
    • Two B-57B aircraft were outfitted with TMII pods and sent to Southeast Asia for a few months of evaluation.  The results were positive enough that they led to Tropic Moon III.
  • Martin B-57G Canberra – Tropic Moon III

    • Artist depiction of B-57G.

      Following deployment of Tropic Moon II for a few months evaluation in Southeast Asia, Westinghouse and Martin Aerospace were contracted to develop and deliver sixteen B-75G Tropic Moon III.  These incorporated an improved version of the LLLTV system from Tropic Moon II, along with a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera and high resolution radar designed to present an accurate radar picture of  ground features.  Other improvements included a doppler-based navigation system and (what I believe to be) the first use of a digital computer for navigation and weapon delivery calculations.

    • As it had been for Tropic Moon II, my role as Lead Flight Test Engineer was to plan test missions and act as systems operator to exercise the many features and modes of operation. Then to report on the experience, and to assemble information and data and provide reports on the systems capabilities, measures of performance and overall operation of what was at the time quite a complex system.  This test program was conducted at Eglin AFB FL under the Armament Development & Test Center (ADTC), part of Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) for Development Test & Evaluation (DT&E) with participation of the Tactical Air Warfare Center (TAWC), part of Tactical Air Command, for Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E).
    • Further references (I judge these to be accurate):
    • I believe, as Flight Test Engineer for Tropic Moon III, I was the first to do the following:
      1. First to fly in and operate a military aircraft, any aircraft, that used a digital computer to perform weapon delivery functions including guidance to the calculated release point and (with pilot’s approval) command the release of the bomb.
        • Using inputs from a doppler radar subsystem (it measured speed over the ground) and other inputs, the system performed navigation functions (this was long before the advent of GPS; even inertial navigation systems were in their infancy).
        • The digital computer also performed calculations to direct the pilot to the point of release for delivering bombs on target.  Using the pointing angles of the sight systems (low level television (LLLTV), or forward looking infrared (FLIR), or the forward looking radar system designed specifically for use against ground targets, steering directions would be calculated and given to the pilot.  And with the pilot’s approval, the computer would command release of the bomb at the point from which, ballistically, it would “fall” to the target.
      2. I claim to be the first to operate a system with which a single aircraft was able to carry a Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) and to release it and guide it to a target.
        • To make an LGB, a guidance package was installed on the nose of a bomb which would detect and home in on a spot on the ground being illuminated by a laser.  Prior to this, delivery of an LGB required another aircraft or ground personnel to point a laser designator at a target.
        • It so happened that the B-57G had a laser used to measure range to the aimpoint, and this laser transmitted light was in the portion of the light spectrum that the bomb’s guidance sensor would detect.
        • A fellow office at the Armament Development & Test Center was lead engineer in flight testing of LGBs.  Over a beer one afternoon, we started comparing notes and … We proposed mating these two programs together.  This scheme worked – the B-57G could carry the bombs, point it’s laser at the target, and continue illuminating the target while the bomb guided itself to that laser point. This could all be done without the need for another aircraft or ground personnel to be “designating” the target.
        • This became a very effective combination for interdiction of the supply lines into South Vietnam during the two years a squadron of 11 B-57Gs were deployed.
      3. Because the B-57G, for its time, benefited from superior computational capabilities, an experiment was conceived to mount an M-61 20mm Gatling gun, part of a turret, in the bomb bay of the aircraft. Then using the aiming capabilities of the sensors and the computational capabilities of the computer, aim the gun at a target.  This project was called Pave Gat. (Pave Gat Firing Tests)
        • At the time emphasis was being placed on finding a way to stop the flow of material into South Vietnam on vehicles using the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  So the big question was: would such a system be effective against a moving target?
        • Coincidentally there was a test range at Eglin AFB that included a radio-controlled truck, guided by personnel a safe distance from the range itself.  I proposed, then, to use this range, which was approved.
        • While making arrangements, I advised the range personnel that they should tow a target on a sled some 100 yards behind the truck. I was confident that we would hit the target and I wanted to avoid destroying their truck.  They were resistant but went along with the plan.
        • That was good, because in the half dozen test flights, we severely damaged that sled.
        • Pave Gat was not pursued further.  It was deemed by TAWC that the 20mm projectiles (even ‘tho we were using shells with extra dense bullets) were not effective at the ranges required – slant range from aircraft flying at more than 2500 feet altitude, safely above ground fire that they might encounter.
    • As DT&E and OT&E were wrapping up, the 13th tactical Bomb Squadron was reactivated in 1969 at Macdill AFB, FL to train in and deploy the B-57G aircraft to Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand. Eleven aircraft made the long flight to Thailand in 1970. During the 18 months at Ubon, B-57Gs flow only five missions in the light of day. For more information about the B-57G in TAC:
  • Fairchild C-123 Provider – Blackspot

    • NC-123K Blackspot

      Having been the primary Flight Test Engineer on the above systems designed for interdiction at night, I was tasked with flying as an observer on the C-123 Blackspot aircraft.  Like the B-57G, it was outfitted with night attack and advanced navigation and weapon delivery systems.

  • Helio Stallion
    • Flew a sortie at night in the ‘outback’ of Texas, evaluating a night vision system. This demonstration did not show promise and this configuration was not pursued further.

Back to the Top

USAF Aircraft in which I’ve flown in as a passenger

    • Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star

      • An example of a T-33 in the Puma Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

        During Basic Cadet Summer at theAir Force Academy (USAFA), we were introduced to flying through demonstrations rides.  One such was in the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star jet aircraft, flying from Lowery AFB in Denver CO.

      • I later had occasion to fly with my boss (an Air Force pilot) to a meeting in a T-33.  I had a few minutes of ‘stick time’; I found the controls to be -very- sensitive and I had great difficulty maintaining altitude and heading.

 

  • Convair T-29 Flying Classroom
    • Also during Basic Cadet Summer, we hat an “experience flight” in a T-29.
    • In addition, I was a member of the varsity swimming team; we traveled to away meets in T-29s from Lowery AFB.
  • Douglas C-124 Globemaster II

    • An example of a C-124 in the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

      During our second summer at USAFA, our class went on a 4 week “field trip”, visiting all of the Air Forces major commands plus visits to an Army post and a Navy port.  We were transported across the country and back again in Big Shaky, the aluminum overcast, the huge C-124.

 

 

 

  • McDonnel F-101 Voodoo

    • An example of an F-101 in the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

      Also during this field trip we were given a ride in an operational jet aircraft, for me in the air defense fighter F-101.  I flew from Hamilton Air Force Base (now decommissioned) at Novato, Marin County, CA.  The plan for the flight was to make a maximum performance climb from takeoff, upon reaching altitude accelerate to above Mach 1, then zoom to over 42,000 feet.  I didn’t get to experience the zoom because of a problem with the pressurization system in the aircraft, but I did fly supersonic for a couple of minutes.

 

  • Douglas C-47 Skytrain

    • An example of a C-47 in the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

      Authorized summer leave that 2nd summer at USAFA, I hitched a ride on a C-47 to fly from Colorado Springs to Schilling AFB at Salina, KS, near home .

 

 

 

 

  • Douglas C-118 Liftmaster (the military version of the DC-6 airliner)

    • An example of the C-118 in the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

      During the 3rd summer at USAFA, our class went on overseas field trips, some to Europe, others to the Pacific; I chose to go on the trip to Latin America.  Our transportation was provided by C-118s.  We visited Mexico City and Guadalajara Mexico, Howard AFB Panama City Panama, Bogota and Cali Colombia,  Quito Ecuador, a night in Georgetown British Guiana, Brasilia Brazil, and finally a night at Ramey AFB Puerto Rico.

 

 

  • Lockheed NC-121 Constellation (military version of the L-749 Constellation airliner)
    • My first assignment as an officer at Wright Patterson

      A C-121 in the Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ

      AFB (WPAFB).  I was detailed to an office conducting microwave communications experiments out of San Juan, PR.  During November and December of 1965, we flew twice from WPAFB to San Juan International from which we conducted daily missions of 4-5 hours.

 

 

 

  • Sikorsky H-3 Jolly Green Giant
    • During my assignment at WPAFB in the Flight Test Directorate, I had occasion to get from Wright Field to nearby Patterson field.  One of the directorate’s H-53 helicopters happened to be transiting from Wright to Patterson, so I hopped aboard.
  • Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (military variant of the Boeing 707 airliner)
      • The Flight Test Directorate had one or more of nearly every airplane in the Air Force inventory at the time.  Among them, KC-135 tankers that flew on some sort of test mission daily.  I could hitch a ride on most any mission, so I took advantage of the opportunity.
        • I never did, however, go on one of the “vomit comet” flights; a KC-135 outfitted with padding thorughout the interior was used to give people a minute or so of zero-G experience.  This was accomplished by diving this large aircraft to gain airspeed, pull up into a climb (pull 3 Gs or so), then push the nose over to cause the aircraft to fly an arc during which people on board experience 0 Gs. Then with the aircraft again in a dive pull out (another 3 Gs). And repeat. Nearly everyone got motion sickness for the first few missions – it looked like torture to me. A classmate of mine, Carl Hatlelid, was working in the Aerospace Medicine Lab developing and testing equipment (including space suits) for use in outer space.  He along with a house mate, Gary Reid, spent many an hour flying in the “vomit comet”.
    • Lockheed T-39 Sabreliner
      • The Flight Test Directorate (AST) of the Aeronautical Systems Division (ASD) of the AF Systems Command (AFSC) at WPAFB used the T-39 aircraft for transportation from WPAFB on official business.  I flew as passenger on a few flights to meetings in the Washington DC area (Andrews AFB).

Back to the Top

Other Aircraft that I’ve flown in as a Passenger (other than commercial airlines)

  • Piper J-3 Cub
    • My earliest flight was with my uncle John in his Piper Cub.  I’m guessing I was 8 or 10 years old at the time.  He had been a pilot, and a test pilot, during WWII. He flew the Cub from a field on his farm, using it (in part at least) as a platform to find and shoot coyotes that were a threat to the sheep he was running at the time.
  • Beechcraft Baron
    • While working for the Dilks Company in Virginia Beach VA, the owner Ken Dilks would fly us to meetings in New York and elsewhere in his Baron.
  • Cessna 310
    • During vacation trips to Oaxaca MX, Pat & I flew from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido with Capt Vega.  He used a Cessna 310 for some flights, a C-182 for others.  These flights over the mountains from the Etla Valley to the beach gave us a chance to see that small part of Mexico from the air. (Flying was preferable, we were told, to taking a bus because the road through the Sierra Madre del Sur was wicked – many switchbacks, steep mountainsides, etc.  We observed those conditions as we flew over the same mountainous terrain.)
  • Ford Trimotor

    • Ford Trimotor, hosted at Double Eagle II airport by EAA Chapter 179, Nov 2018

      I’ve had occasion to fly in a Ford Trimotor twice:

      • While stationed at Wright Patterson AFB OH in the ’60s, I drove to Clinton OH and took an excursion flight over Lake Erie and the islands.

      • EAA 179 Tri-Motor Visit, KAEG, 2017

        The EAA Chapter 179 hosted the EAA’s Trimotor, offering rides to the public (and the aircraft stayed around while an annual inspection and other services were performed).  As a member and volunteer for the event, I was able to hitch a ride late one afternoon.  Visit my BLOG entries for the Trimotor Visit 2018 (click through 3 BLOG entries).

  • Bellanca
    • A colleague at McClellan AFB owned a Bellanca, in which I flew with him for a TDY to Edwards AFB.
  • Cessna C-152 Aerobat
    • ‘Tho not acitively flying myself while stationed at McClellan AFB, Sacramento, Ca, a fellow Air Force officer (a fighter pilot) and colleague at work invited me to fly with him in the Aerobat.  We did a couple of rolls, a loop or two, some spins, and I was ready to call it a day.
  • CTSW
    • For a time I was interested in purchasing an airplane, and began looking for a newer but less expensive airplane.  Light Sport Aircraft were attractive, and there was a partnership at Doubler Eagle II who shared ownership in a CTSW.  I took a orientation flight, and found the plane attractive; Pat, too, flew in it for her take.  In the end, we did not pursue it and later learned the partnership had faltered.
  • Rans S-6 Coyote

    The Rans S-6 Coyote that we considered purchasing.

    • Following further interest in purchasing an airplane, a fellow EAA chapter member had built and owned a Rans S-6.  With some interest in maybe acquiring it, and to get further exposure to LSAs, Pat and I both enjoyed an orientation ride.  Later, when the airplane came up for sale (by then in Utah), we drove to Provo and looked more closely at the airplane including another ride, on this occasion with some stick time.  I was not pleased with the performance and flight characteristics of the S-6 – they were not bad, just not in my favor.
  • Socata Rallye

    On the dirt airstrip at the Mystic Bluffs Fly-in, Aug 2018.

    • One day at Bike in Coffee, I watched a gentleman step out from under a canopy to watch an airplane fly overhead.  After the 2nd time, I introduced myself and asked about his interest in airplanes … he owns a Socata Rallye.  It didn’t take long to “invite myself” to go flying with him; he has graciously agreed and invited me, and once Pat and James, to join him touring New Mexico.
  • Vans RV-12
    •  

Back to the Top

Special Aircraft that I’ve Seen in Various Settings

  • My first “exciting” exposure to aircraft in special situations was at the 1957 Boy Scout Jamboree in Valley Forge, PA. This event was an airshow by the USAF Thunderbirds. Flying F-100 fighters, included among their various aerobatic demonstrations was a flyover -supersonic-; we experienced the sonic boom as they flew over the Jamboree campsite -very fast-.
  • While at Eglin AFB during flight testing of the various night attach systems, shared a hangar with 3 Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird aircraft.
    • Occasionally watched them take off; –very– loud engines, long run on the runway, and shallow climb (at least as far as they were in sight).
    • And watched them land. Upon parking just outside the hangar, ground crew immediately put large fans blowing air on the main landing gear to cool the brakes.
    • Walking around the airplanes in the hangar below our office, noticed the floor beneath the wings was covered with drip pans – they leaked fuel profusely.
      • I’ve since read that is the result of contraction of the wing panels when they cool. In flight, the expand as they get hotter thus sealing the tanks.
  • Watched the Space Shuttle atop its carrier Boeing 707 land at Edwards AFB.
  • Watched a demonstration at Edwards AFB of the relative performance characteristics of 3 aircraft current at the time.
    • F-15
    • F-16
    • A-10

Back to the Top