ScanBits

My friend, photographer, scale modeler, writer, fellow researcher, F4U Corsair expert, and above all a really great person, has passed away. He will truly be missed, by many around the world.

I recently had the opportunity to schedule a visit to the AUVM (Aviation Unmanned Vehicle Museum) located at the Caddo Mills Texas airport . The AUVM was founded by Retired  Lt Col Harold "Red" Smith who had extensive experience with the unmanned aircraft program while serving in the USAF during the Vietnam War in 1968. You can read about UAV operations later in the Vietnam War in a report "Buffalo Hunter 1970 - 1972" in Project CHECO Report K717.0414-39 Unfortunately, I did not get to meet Red, he was killed a few years ago by a drunk driver. The aviation world lost a great volume of UAV knowledge and a driving spirit with his death. Caddo Mills is approximately an hour east of Dallas. Arriving at the airport using the directions Red's grandson gave me I was able to locate the white hangar building with no problems. Doug Smith gave me a warm welcome and what can only be described as the ultimate chef's tour of their facility! 

A few images of the last Felix Tomcat that I shot in "the wild". F-14 163417 on the fuel farm at AMARG being prepped for storage back in 2006.

342FH-3B26914-Y1C-23-32-232-Left-Side The Lockheed Altair just captures that late 1920's early 1930's era of aircraft design. The rounded curves of the tail surfaces and the big NACA  engine cowling top off the look. If the landing gear was fixed it would have big rounded wheel spats to accent the design. 342FH-3B26913-Y1C-23-32-232-Left-Front-Langley-Field-19340131 342FH-3B26915-Y1C-23-32-232-Left-Front  The aircraft was powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp that had a production run of over 34,000 engines that powered many contemporary aircraft including the Chance Vought O2U and O3U Corsairs and the Boeing F4B fighters. 342FH-3B26916-Y1C-23-32-232-Left-Side 342FH-3B26917-Y1C-23-32-232-Left-Rear The Altair came about during that run of great looking and performing aircraft the Vega, Sirius,Altair and Orion from Lockheed.The Altair boasted having the first successful fully retractable landing gear.  342FH-3B26918-Y1C-23-32-232-Front

2437-XPTBH-2-9721-Right-Front-View-19370125  Hall Aluminum Aircraft Corporation answered the US Navy request for a new scout  and  torpedo bomber in 1934 with the XPTBH-2. The twin engined, twin float shoulder mounted wing monoplane that they delivered was a sleek and interesting design. 2341-XPTBH-2-9721-Powerplant-Inbd-LH-Nacelle-19361101 The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines. It featured a tubular wing spar, aluminum floats and wing leading edges. 2370-XPTBH-2-9721-Bomb-Installation-19361201 A single Mark 13 torpedo could be carried by the XPTBH-2 or 2,000 lbs of bombs.  2412-XPTBH-2-9721-Deck-Gun-19361228 Defensive armament was a nose mounted gun turret with a .30 caliber machine gun and guns firing from top and bottom potions in the rear of the aircraft. No production order was forthcoming for the design despite good handling characteristics in the air and on the water. The single prototype first flew in

The final development of the Loening Amphibian series, the XO2L-1/2 was developed for carrier and battleship use. Only one aircraft of each type was built. The XO2L-1 had BuNo of 8525 and the XO2L-2 had the BuNo of 8606. Both aircraft tested and utilized by the US Navy, however no production contracts were forthcoming for either version. Here is a photo from NARA of the XO2L-1 sitting in the water with the landing gear retracted. Interestingly the designation on the rudder of 8525 in this February 24, 1932 photo is painted as XO-2L! 72AC-44E-1354-XO2L-1-8525-Left-Side-View During the testing program which involved deployments on several different ships, the XO2L-2 was captured in this photo aboard USS Saratoga. As can be seen in closer examination the fin and rudder have been lengthened and the addition of additional of fins on the top of the horizontal stabilizer is visible in this image. CV3-201221 XO2L-2 8606 On board USS Saratoga October 12,1932 CV3-201222 XO2L-