Yesteryear

One of the RAF’s Victor tanker units, No 57 Squadron at RAF Marham, was disbanded on June 30. This now leaves No 55 Squadron at Marham with 15 Victors as the sole remaining operator of the type. The aircraft are expected to remain in service for four to five years.

NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Facility at Edwards AFB has awarded Lockheed a five year contract for maintenance and modification services on two F/A-18s and three F-104s. They will be used as chase aircraft, to test experimental components and to obtain atmospheric samples from high altitudes. The F-104s are the last flying F-104s in the US Government inventory.

The USAF announced on June 5 that the Boeing 747 had been selected as the President’s future executive transport aircraft. Pending Congressional approval, two GE powered 747-200Bs will be obtained for the USAF’s 89th Wing, Military Airlift Command, at Andrews AFB. The first is due for delivery in November 1988 and the second in May 1989.

Lufthansa has set up a non-profit organisation to operate the Junkers Ju 52/3m that has been restored at Hamburg over the past 15 months. The aircraft is a genuine prewar example which Lufthansa purchased in the USA in 1984. It first flew after restoration on April 6 and was certificated to carry passengers on June 6.

20 Years Ago

The first of the new Hawker Siddeley HS.125 Series 700s was rolled out at Chester on June 21. Powered by Garrett AiResearch TFE731 turbofans, the first aircraft, appropriately registered G-BFAN, had its first flight on June 28.

Boeing rolled out the first of its two YC-14 AMST transports at Seattle this month and the first flight is expected in August. The YC-14 is the first aircraft to use Boeing’s USB (upper surface blowing) principle to achieve good field performance.

BAC has released details of the X-Eleven project which supersedes the previously announced One-Eleven Series 700 and 800. It is a development of the One-Eleven 800 which would have a wider fuselage to accommodate six-abreast seating. This would be accomplished by widening the fuselage diameter from 3.15m (10ft 4in) to 3.64m (12ft). In addition, the fuselage length would be increased from 32.58m (106ft 10in) to 40.31m (132ft 2in) and wing span increased from 2.36m (93ft 6in) to 32.36m (106ft 1in). The powerplant would be the CFM56 or JT10D ‘ten-tonne’ engines.

Germany took delivery of its last F-4 in June 1976. The last of 263 McDonnell Douglas Phantoms for the Luftwaffe, made up of 88 reconnaissance RF-4Es and 175 F-4F fighters, has now been delivered. In addition, a further 10 F-4Es will be built to train German pilots at George AFB in California. The Luftwaffe’s first Phantom, an RF-4E named The Spirit of St Louis was delivered in 1971, while the final aircraft, an F-4F named Spirit of Co-operation, arrived in Germany in April.

The RNZAF has announced that it will purchase 10 surplus ex-RAF Hawker Siddeley Andover C.1 transports.

The prototype Lockheed JetStar II was rolled out at Marietta on June 30 and is due to fly in August. This 10 seat version is powered by four Garrett AiResearch TFE731-3s, cruises at 487kt (900km/h) and has a 2780nm (5150km) range.

The Shenyang F-9 is now in service with the Chinese Navy as well as the Air Force. The F-9 which is codenamed ‘Fantan A’, is based on the MiG-19 and is the first strike aircraft built entirely in China.

Up to the end of May this year, 56 Lightnings, 23 Harriers and 15 Phantoms in service with the RAF have been destroyed beyond repair.

30 Years Ago

The prototype Dassault Mirage IIIF-2 first flew on June 12. Proposed as a low level tactical strike successor to the Mirage IIIE, the prototype IIIF-2 with a shoulder mounted wing and low set all moving tailplane, is powered by a 20,000lb (89.6kN) Pratt & Whitney TF30. Production aircraft will have a SNECMA TF306.

Boeing has released details of a design for the US supersonic transport competition. The aircraft would have a length of 91m (298ft), a variable sweep wing which would integrate with the horizontal tail to form a single lifting surface for supersonic flight – with a span of 54.13m (177ft 6in) swept forward and 32.6m (107ft) span when the wings are swept back at 72 degrees, and a height of 16.55m (54ft 3in). The max weight would be 305 tonnes, cruising speed 1565kt (2895km/h) and passenger accommodation 300. General Electric has said that it will develop a 60,000lb (270kN) engine for the US SST.

A new air freight service commenced on June 22 operated by IPEC-Air. Using a Bristol 170 Freighter VH-ADL chartered from Air Express, the aircraft carries freight from Archerfield to Cowra where it is then transferred to IPEC trucks for on carriage to Melbourne. IPEC cannot operate flights from Brisbane to Victoria as a licence is not held.

The second XB-70A Valkyrie was destroyed on June 8 after a collision at 25,000ft with an F-104N Starfighter which appeared to hit the Valkyrie’s two vertical stabilisers. The aircraft were part of a formation to provide publicity photographs for General Electric, the manufacturer of the aircraft’s engines. Two pilots were killed in the accident, Major Carl Cross, the XB-70A copilot and NASA X-15 test pilot, Joe Walker, the F-104 pilot. The Valkyrie’s pilot, Al White, ejected and survived. The other aircraft in the formation were a Phantom, a Northrop F-5 and T-38 Talon.

Qantas’ first of two HS.125 training aircraft, VH-ECE, arrived at Sydney Airport on June 15 at the conclusion of a nine day delivery flight.

BEA is to gradually convert its Vickers Vanguards to freighters.

The Hawker Siddeley P.1127, XP984, carried out a series of trials on board HMS Bulwark from June 18 to 20, flown by Chief Test Pilot ‘Bill’ Bedford.