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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1375.PDF
FLIGHT, 16 September 1955 489 Wanamaker's hobby department; official cars were by Oldsmobilean iiT° ge; °®cial timing watch by Longines.The general scene was a carnival of floral shirts and florid faces; white, black and brown faces; gay, sketchy frocks; popcorn, pea- KUtSi j dogs and cold ^"^s; burlv> 8audy cars in banks ofhundreds; bunting and rosettes; cops and troopers with swinging Lolts and Smith and Wessons; officious officials on chargingIndians; shutterbugs and hot-rod control-line models. Swimming serenely around the sky, now far, now near, was a Navy Goodyearblimp, and off the end of the runway, an aircraft carrier. No mirage this, as it often appeared, but the 40,000-ton bulk ofU.S.S. Ticonderoga, with F7U-3s, AJ-2s, F2Hs, HUP-3s ranged on her deck. Big merchantmen glided along xhe Delaware abouttheir business, and work-stained Douglases, Martins and Convairs roared in and out as best they could. The skyline was crawlingwith helicopters. The gates were opened to the public at 8 a.m., by which timewe—;that is, a solitary (crazy) Englishman, and a dozen or so flashing, clicking photographers—had already been an hour onthe job. Towards mid-day three Boeing B-47s, which had left MarchA.F.B., Cal., between 7.30 and 8 a.m. to race for the General Electric Trophy, were nearing the finishing line on the field.This was the first occasion on which the Trophy had been awarded for a cross-country race; previous events had been 15-25 km speeddashes and a 500 km closed course for fighters. Some minutes apart, the '47s swept smokily over, wheeled for their landings,popping their approach- and drag-'chutes, and came screeching to a stop where I was able to view them closely. The winning machine (actually the third to arrive) was from Two Marine Corps Sikorsky HRS-2s transplant a "geodesic dome." world's largest aeroplanes, the XC-99, RB-36 and C-124, and,starring among the rank and file, some newsworthy celebrities. I spotted that blue-jowled bruiser the A3D; the long-legged A4D;and the FJ-4, chastely pretty in grey and white. Among the Air Force cast the C-130 was not alone in having turboprops,for at short notice the Allison-powered Piasecki YH-16A, the world's biggest helicopter, was groomed in its builders' compoundand manhandled in to join the company. Opposites in all but origin were the bullet-like Bell X-1B, snuggling against its motherB-29, and the chimerical V.T.O.L. Lightplanes blossomed gaily, and with urchin cheekiness a Sopwith Camel squatted by adisdainful Cutlass. Of the static side there is much to be told next week. For thepresent—on with the flying show. Not that of Saturday, September 3rd, however, when the sky was a frustrating messand the Air Force failed to put up even a token performance (though the Army and Navy went ahead); but that of Sunday,the 4th, a day of such relentless heat that the Coke and Schlitz gave out before time, and Bob Simone's orchestra (courtesy ofStouffers Restaurant) took their stand in white sun helmets. The aeroplanes baked and shimmered; the gilded eagles wilted; OldGlory hung limp. Frequently and fervently were the public solicited to give attention, or big hands, to men, machinesor merchandise. On the Saturday there had been a fashion parade by ladies ofGimbels Store, which led me to reflect that although National Defence with cheesecake sauce may not suit all tastes, it doesbring into focus something really worth defending. And though I was not privileged to pay homage to Miss National Air Show,I did drink a Coke in the company of a Japanese film star before she was called to the rostrum.The Academy of Model Aeronautics meet was sponsored by At upper right are seen Allison T38 turboprop installations, undercarriage and rear ramp of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Below is one of the Boeing B-47s of Strategic Air Command taxying in after the General Electric trans-continental race, won at an average speed of 589.294 m.p.h.
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